DUDES... The day we've been waiting for has finally come. The Ooga Boogas are BACK.
Aarght! Records has resurrected itself and unleashed this self-titled sophomore thrill-ride from this quartet of Australian maniacs. Their debut LP "Romance and Adventure" was one of our favorite records of 2009 - perfectly complimenting the razor-tight punk of brother-band Eddy Current Suppression Ring with some well needed comical misanthrope.
These guys are fucking out of their minds! "Ooga Boogas" is a hot mess of stylistically shifting musical styles that - in lesser hands - would seem completely wrong, but these guys are such a locked-tight unit that they somehow pull it off. From their signature troglodyte stomp of opener "Circle Of Trust" to the tail-gater anthem "Oogie Boogie II (The Hobo Hoedown)" that almost sounds like Bad Company crossed with Devo. Trust us - it works. Side Two offers up something of a left turn with the pulsing dancefloor throb of "In The Studio Of My Mind" and the disco-soaked pop of "Sex In The Chillzone" that sounds like the Aussie equivalent of "Emotional Rescue". Makes us believe that guitarist Mikey Young's time in Total Control might be rubbin' off on our beloved Oogas, and that's perfectly OK.
The record almost sounds like one long piss-take (check out album closer "A Night To Remember", with its catchy as HELL refrain of "LET'S DO IT FOR THE KIDS!") and these dudes could totally give a fuck. It sounds like they're having a hell of a time on this record and that might be why it all works... Punk, pop, dance music... why the hell not? We have a feeling we're gonna be spinning this one a lot 'round here - each listen so far has revealed something new and records like that are one's with legs. Best of 2013?
We shall see... for now though you can rest assured it's fuckin' RECOMMENDED.
ON CREAMY GOLD WAX!!!
We're stoked to the max cuz another killer record from the always solid Trensmat Records has come blowing through the doors! This time out we get a total banger from Manchester's mighty morphin monks of motorik drones, GNOD!
"Dwellings And Druss" finds GNOD opting out on guitars all together and instead are supplying hypnotic beat driven pulses of psychedelic dubbed out techno. Blurred production adds a foggy murk to the overall sound giving it a mystique that draws the listener deeper into this acid vortex and you can straight up feel the sub-sonic rumble of bass drum blasts as swirling poly-rhythms engulf the tracks as synthesizers rush the forefront with a blitz assault of sultry slurs. GNOD are always keepin' us on our toes as they switch up their tactics from record to record and this soporific trance inducing dose of mind flaying underwater experimental psychedelia is yet another amazing release to add to their already burgeoning back catalog. So chalk up "Dwellings And Druss" as another winner in our books. Super Recommended.
LIMITED 300 COPIES
Nihilist Records drops the dime on their latest release, a synth wonder-work by Chicago artist Brett Naucke.
Man its nice to see the love go round in the local scene here in Chicago much the same we're sure its nice to see the love go round in any neck of the woods. Anywho, Brett Naucke has run the Catholic Tapes label for many a year and knocked our socks off with killer releases by Golden Birthday, Sich Mang and Fielded to name a few, but now he is making his own sonicscapes and his like-minded partners in crime over at Nihilist Records have lovingly pressed up an edition of Naucke's debut full length "The Visitor".
"The Visitor" is 6 tracks of shapeshifting synthesizer works that split the difference between space realm free floating explorations and organic insectoid gurgling shadow dwellers. Echoing percussion sound off like ancient beats from the dawn of time while slow building synth textures create a compelling tension filled atmosphere that lends "The Visitor" a soundtrack vibe, subtle and captivating. The jackets are green and white Xeroxed covers masterfully pasted onto black sleeves. "The Visitor" comes with a download of entire album and it also comes with our highest of Recommendations! Represent!
The Ritual Productions folks have unleashed the latest beast from Bong !!!!
YES! Another full length from the mighty BONG, so grab a lighter and prepare to have your tube cleared. "Mana-Yood-Sushai" is two side-long tracks of psychedelic devastation, the kind only the BONG-ers can bring. Slowly unfolding with whispering drones that steadily build into cacophonous walls of spiritual doom "Mana-Yood-Sushai" is BONG excelling at their most well paced procession. Heaving waves of dark repetitive grooves are coupled with esoteric chants to create a mystic monolith of the dankest nug-doom we've heard in quite some time. Slow and steady win the race, but when combined with high as hell and heavy as death, the race just became irrelevant cuz BONG is ascending to reaches far beyond any finish line.
Drop out of life with BONG on your turntable! Recommended.
Beyond Beyond Is Beyond Records are fast making a name for themselves - they released the stellar Prince Rupert's Drops LP late-last year and now we're treated to this killer new release from Helsinki quartet Kiki Pau!
We ordered this one based on a one-song preview clip and it seemed pretty cool, but MAN does this one deliver! Kiki Pau dabble in all things psychedelic, and "Pines" is a thrilling 4 song suite of tunes that drift and glide from driving, harder psych stuff, to the dreamier side of the pipe with heavenly popsike harmonies and some pointed boot-wearing fairies dwell. It get's pretty cerebral too - by the time we hit "Pines II", we're worming around in some mellow "Bitches Brew"-isms and some "Meddle"-era Floyd moves - pretty stunning.
"Pines" is their third LP and the first to really make it's way over to our shores - good thing too, 'cuz we're probably gonna be spinning this one a lot! This one is the total package too - beautiful cover art and groovy green vinyl, plus the LP was mixed by Dungen's Gustav Ejstes so you KNOW it sounds great too. A real surprise and a definite contender for Top Ten lists here at the shop! RECOMMENDED!
LIMITED TO 999 COPIES
Cititrax, Minimal Wave's sublabel, show no sings of slowing down. After last week's killer release from Streetwalker Cititrax return with the latest album from British darkwavers KVB.
At first listen, you might be a little surprised by the rock this record has, especially given its issuing label and their infatuation with all things synthesizer and drum machine. That's not to say it's going to be filed next to your Kinks or Sabbath records but that it'll be on somewhere closer to Psychic Ills or Soft Moon while still fitting nicely next to the rest of your minimal synth and darkwave pieces. And let's not gloss over the influence shoegaze has on "Immaterial Visions", which is textured like a porcelain replication of another three letter band (nope, not CCR).
We recommend this be listened to at maximum volume, hopefully in at least partial darkness -- recommended!!
Hot on the trail of the recent Not Not Fun 12", "Videotape", Profligate strike again with their lethal combination of industrial atmospheric techno.
Pulsating and hypnotic "Come Follow Me" demands the listener do just that. Though we're not sure where we're following Profligate to: a warehouse party? an alley to get murdered? a sci-fi gym where the treadmills are suspended in midair? Regardless, we're following. Hollow snare hits, snaky key lines and muted vocals never disappoint and this record has the perfect combination of all three with enough variation to keep us on our toes throughout the record. If you dig the darker synth stuff currently ruling the new music world this record is another essential addition. RECOMMENDED!
LIMITED TO 300 COPIES
We just copped a stack of this debut long player from New Tongues and man oh man get ready to be destroyed by these Columbia, Missouri maniacs !!!
New Tongues self released this fine first outing themselves and the scum stats are as follows: Edition of 300 on random colored 150 gram wax and contains a download. These gents have taken the Touch and Go, AmRep, Dischord and Homestead catalogs and tossed 'em out onto I-70 then proceeded to run them over mashing all the sounds together into some sort of mind bending Midwestern muscle punk.
Seriously bang up job here, grinding basslines, anxiety ridden rants, thick and tight drumming, creative guitar work that knows when to get in there and fight and when to lay back and let the groove drive the song. If you've been diggin' Pissed Jeans' "Honeys" or Metz's "Metz" albums but want a little more corn-fed working class no bullshit attitude in you noise rock than look no further than "We Are The Ones We Have Been Waiting For". Crank this monster with your next batch of Pokey Stix and forget the napkins cuz New Tongues is gonna fix things right up. Super Recommended.
Puerto Rico/NYC based Fantasmes make dreamy psychedelic pop with doo-woppy basslines that give their atmospheric cloud striders a unique bounce. With tambourine taps and a steady tribal thud throughout, Fantasmes layers arppegiating guitar textures and smoky dual vocal croons to create hip-shaking, head-nodding dream pop that isn't to far removed from the magic carpet ride majesty of the Holydrug Couple or the quieter moments of Dead Meadow. But Fantasmes adds a dusty bramble to its already confident swagger that absolutely froths with attitude and takes just a smidge of 60's sunshine pop and adds just the right amount of sunglasses to evoke a cool and calm to their sunset psychedelia. Recommended.
Memphis continues to be the hotbed of unruly rock n roll that we here at P-Rex can always turn to for new trashy bands to light up our turntables. The newest up-and-comer from our southern kindred scene is Switchblade Kid and their self titled debut lp is chock full of noise coated anthems to get yer day started right.
Formed outta the ashes of Angel Sluts, Turn It Offs and Twin Pilot, Switchblade Kid runs askew of the normal soul soaked garage rock of their Memphis peers instead playing a dreamy shoegaze inspired noise pop that owns a heavy debt to Jesus And Mary Chain, the Velvet Underground, Loop and Spacemen 3. But Switchblade Kid's s/t lp (released on Miss Molly Music) expands on the sonic template of those much cited influences, blending in elements of britpop, psych rock and even death rock to concoct a woozy in the red and sometimes gothic cruiser of an album that more than warrants repeat listens.
Fans of Cosmonauts, Naomi Punk, Heavy Times, Spanish Moss, Crocodiles and the aforementioned bands will absolutely need to grab this rebel without a cause rockin' lp from Switchblade Kid. Not many were pressed and you're gonna be disappointed if you sleep on this feedback laced scorcher of an album. Notch another point up on the scoreboard for Memphis. TOTALLY RECOMMENDED!
Synth-sanity from this Swiss pioneer!!! Although Spoerri has been active since '65, "Gluckskugel" was issued somewhat recently in 2006 collecting compositions ranging from '71-'80; Finders Keepers have repressed this essential slab of wax for new ears or those of us who snoozed.
This record sounds like Raymond Scott and Bruce Haack got together with Harold Budd and Brain Eno while Conny Plank manned the helm and everyone involved ingested massive amounts of LSD. The record is a dizzying collection of funky library nuggets that showcases Spoerri's innovated approach to synthesizers (if you want to see some crazy synth porn, youtube seek and you shall find). Spoerri is a studied musician and that shows throughout Gluckskugel, as the arrangements are tight but fluid - a rare feat in the world of electronic music. If you dig any of the aforementioned artists, you'll certainly vibe on this. Hugely recommended!!
Mighty and MANLY compilation of unreleased ROCKERS from the UK (specifically the Manchester area - get it? MAN-CHEST-HAIR??!?! EH? EH?) that's so chock full of testosterone and hirsute howling that you're liable to get hairs in your teeth.
HOLY MOUSTACHE! This 2xLP, 17-track monster is a furry fuzz-filled rager with howling guitars and deep drums kickin'! This is power-rockin' goodness that was happening right around the same time as first-wave "glam rock", but was less concerned with faux-fashion pastiche and more concerned with just rockin' yer bollocks off. Don't misunderstand - it's not quite up to the amphetamine-fueled aggression of Motorhead or Diamond Head, but more in tune with the rockin' mid-tempo flair of perhaps a less-sci-fi themed Hawkwind or a less "Crazee" Slade. Picture the acclaimed cult-compilations "Bonehead Crunchers", but a lil' more suave rockin' and less gonzo attitude. We dig it quite a bit and could easily see spinning a few of these cuts in between those Bonehead volumes! Handsomely housed in a sweet pic sleeve with nice fold-out 12" x 36" liner-notes and pressed up on glorious double wax! Get ready - you might have to join the Hair Club for Men after spinning this one!
YOWZA!!! ~ RECOMMENDED!
The self-proclaimed "most sampled artist of all time" is BACK in the racks courtesy of Numero Group! The first two classic Syl Johnson albums are liberated from Numero's critically acclaimed "Complete Mythology" boxed set and made available separately; his 1968 debut "Dresses To Short" and his masterpiece from 1970, "Is It Because I'm Black?"
KILLER Chicago soul (originally released on the Twinight label)- with Johnson finding his own voice here, operating in a hard-soul mode not unlike Joe Tex or Dyke and The Blazers (in fact, I'll Take Those Skinny Legs" seems to be a answer song to Tex's "Skinny Legs and All") - it's rock-solid soul and the tunes are catchy as hell and a sure fire way to light up your next dance party! Johnson's a soul-barker at his core, not unlike Wilson Pickett or Tex, but his secret weapon is his ability to rein it in and croon with the best of the deepest Southern soul masters like James Carr or Al Green.
A solid debut from an underrated Soul legend! RECOMMENDED!
The self-proclaimed "most sampled artist of all time" is BACK in the racks courtesy of Numero Group! The first two classic Syl Johnson albums are liberated from Numero's critically acclaimed "Complete Mythology" boxed set and made available separately; his 1968 debut "Dresses To Short" and his masterpiece from 1970, "Is It Because I'm Black?"
If you haven't heard "Is It Because I'm Black?" yet, then PREPARE YOURSELF. It's a full-on trip of socially-conscious, black soul that is a loosely-themed "concept album" a'la Marvin Gaye's "What's Goin' On?", but recorded over a year before said album. The title track is a nearly seven and a half minute bluesy soul groove with Johnson's deep croon washing over the whole tune with a serious statement of black pride. Has a killer funky cover of the Lennon/McCartney tune "Come Together" as well - it's a win/win!
We love this album to death and we stoked to see it around the racks again, beautifully packaged in a gorgeous tip-on sleeve and sounding great! Way to go Numero! RECOMMENDED.
The 4 Men With Beards are back at it, reissuing classic albums from a bygone time and this time around they're supplying us 1967's chamber folk pop masterpiece Nico's "Chelsea Girl"!!!!
Hot on the heels of the mind blowing collaboration album with the Velvet Underground and Andy Warhol, comes this lithe and haunting album of simple beauty by one of the 60's reigning chanteuses. Accompanied by her VU cohorts and Jackson Browne, Nico created a wonderful folk pop record that proved to be one for the ages as new generations seem to discover this record again and again. "Chelsea Girl" contains no drums or bass instruments and even had flute and string arrangements added in after the initial recording sessions without the consent of Nico. She claims to have cried on listening to all the flutes the first time she heard the finished record, but we're sure glad producer Tom Wilson took the gamble and created a beautiful record that is an essential for any and all collections. Classically Recommended.
FONKY Nigerian rock courtesy of multi-instrumentalist Peter King and rescued from obscurity by the "funk detectives" over at Secret Stash!
Yep, DEEEEEP funky Nigerian Soul. King effortlessly combines the stretched out funk grooves of seventies James Brown or Curtis Mayfield (which were inspired originally by African music) with Nigerian highlife and funk, creating a sound that is rooted in African melodies and rhythms, but exudes a slinky, soulful American-influenced groove. Killer stuff and if you're into that recent (amazing) Blo "Phase II" reissue or any of the other Nigerian albums Secret Stash has been reissuing (K. Frimpong, or the Pazy and the Black Hippies) then this should be right up your alley! RECOMMENDED!
Zambian rawkers, Witch, throw together the best parts of garage, psych, and soul into a cauldron and mix that shit up. The result is an intoxicating blend of hard rocking ear candy that puts a head nodding and toe tapping spell on the listener.
Get medicated. Get this album. Get Introduced.
Zambian rawkers, Witch, throw together the best parts of garage, psych, and soul into a cauldron and mix that shit up. The result is an intoxicating blend of hard rocking ear candy that puts a head nodding and toe tapping spell on the listener.
We were super stoked when we heard that Now-Again was re-issuing these albums individually. Even with a gravity bong, our recommendation couldn't be any higher. Get this!
Domestic reissue of this much maligned "Velvet Underground" album from 1972, "Squeeze". We use the quotation marks around the VU, 'cuz this record was cut after Lou Reed left his own band and latter-day co-conspirator Doug Yule took over the reigns, retaining the name! Allow us to pour you a tall glass of "juice" about "Squeeze". NOW- While this record doesn't approach the sonic achievements of say - "White Light, White Heat" (or even "Loaded" for that matter), "Squeeze" just so happens to be a pretty great album when listened to on it's own merits. Sure, it was probably a mistake to use the VU name, but essentially what you have is Doug Yule doing his best to imitate and write songs in the vein of Lou Reed/John Cale (Reed mostly). What you end up with is really the first recording of a band who were influenced by The Velvet Underground - the tunes approach the succinct pop confections of Loaded-era VU, with a bit of the patchouli-scented, good time jams of The Grateful Dead and maybe a lil' pub-rockin' swagger a'la The Faces thrown in for good measure. It's a real good time and well worth a spot in any self-respecting record collection - We're stoked to have a copy to spin in the shop! SQUEEZE on into your shopping cart and check it out! RECOMMENDED!
INCLUDES BONUS TRACK: SABBATH COVER "SNOW BLIND"!!!!
This is one of thee most classic of classics when it comes to Stoner/Doom Rock. This is the one to launch a slew of imitators but still stand the test of time to slay all who dare to scale this summit.
This double LP version of "Holy Mountain" is pretty awesome as it gives the tracks more room to breathe and What the What!?!... yessir that is indeed a cover of Black Sabbath's Snow Blind tacked onto the end of side 4! Fuck yes!!! "Jerusalem aka Dopesmoker" maybe what Sleep is remembered for in the long run, but seriously don't sleep(natch!) on "Holy Mountain" cuz it is killer cut after killer cut of weed haze Sab-tatsic riffage and swinging heaviness. Absolute quintessential classic heavy rock! Maximum volume yields maximum results! Mega Recommended.
Man we love the shim outta some Can around Permanent Records and we were practically knocking each other over in the mad scramble to get our greedy hands on the 5xLP box set that hit the shelves in late 2012. But we realize not everybody out there is a hardcore completist so we found this awesome single lp collection of some of the gems one would find in the box set. So if shelling out a hundred bucks on a box set is just not in the budget, we understand, but you don't have to feel like you're missing out. This sweet compilation took the cream of the crop of the Can archives and pressed it up in a much more affordable edition. All in all you get 9 tracks of killer classic lost Can jams. Tracks are: Millionspiel, When Darkness Comes, Waiting For The Streetcar, Deadly Doris, Your Friendly Neighborhood Whore, True Story, Midnight Sky, Desert and A Swan Is Born. Thoroughly Recommended.
Boris' "First Demo" is four cuts from the earliest line up of one of Japan's most unclassifiable acts. Here we find Boris as a four piece and they're layin' out 4 cuts of Melvins worship at its finest. With Atsuo taking the helm on vocal duties and bellowing out his most pained intoxications, the rest of the band is delivering heavy noise damaged gutter rock in the vein of the aforementioned Melvins, Harvey Milk and Buzzov*en. This is a really cool document of a band finding its sound, cuz as we all know Boris has gone on to release such speaker splitting lunacy as "Amplifier Worship", "Akuma no Uta" and the utterly drool-worthy classic "Pink". This early demo comes packaged in a DJ sleeve with a sticker providing song info, etc and a nifty little homage to Flipper with Boris written in Flipper font complete with the x-eyed fish! Recommended.
For hardcore Beatles fans who don't already have much in the way of boots of Revolver-era Beatles, this is a wonderful.....well, alternate Revolver. It's hard to listen to the same record over and over, esp one as great as this without wondering what else -wasn't- on the record. And track for track, this is an enlightening listen. Some of this stuff is available on CD, but the concept of releasing it as an alternate to the existing album is pretty genius. Some of the tracks differ by just a bit, but the ones that really differ from the original released take(s) are what make it necessary. The other thing worth noting is that the super-alternate ones - different takes, different guitar or vocal parts - are sprinkled throughout, interspersed with the U.S. release mono mixes. The whole result is a fresh, fascinating listen to a record most of us know like the back of our hands. Nice heavyweight pressing, too, and pretty good mastering from a fuzz-free source.
LP - Flipper - Gone Fishin - Sleeve Only - $1.99 - BUY
I love Flipper! Ever since I first bought "Gone Fishin" I've wanted to cut along the dotted lines on the jacket to make my own Flipper tour van...but alas, the collector geek in me could never bring itself to destroy the jacket to do so. And I never found an empty jacket in all my years of record digging...until NOW.
Not only did I discover one for myself, I discovered a handful to share will y'all. If you haven't already cut it up, leave your "Gone Fishin" jacket intact and buy one of these empties - for the paltry sum of two clams and have your cake and eat it too! Flipper loves you and wants you to have these things in your life. After all, the original Subterranean Records insert specifically states: "Cut 'n fold cover makes gnarly full-color stand-ups of the Fishy Four, their equipment, & infamous truck". The instructions are easy to follow and the results are RAD. Get some beer and some scissors and play dolls.
Can we HIGHLY RECOMMEND a jacket with no record? Sure we can. If you don't already own this record, get it too (not to mention "Generic" and the rest of the Flipper discography up through 1987 or so).
Chicago guitar auteur Ryley Walker's vinyl debut on local label Addenda Records!
Really bewitching tunes on this platter! The A-side "Clear The Sky" definitely has echoes of Bert Jansch or even Nick Drake - Walker's got a lock on that melancholy, skillful guitar technique plucked by English folkies like Drake, or even Richard Thompson, and has accompaniment by Scott Young on double bass and Ben Billington on drums for that extra drive. The flipside treats us to "Joni's Time" a stirring solo-guitar instrumental that showcases Walker's true virtuosity and mastery of his instrument. A really great record that should deservedly shine a lil' more light on this Chicago talent! RECOMMENDED!
THESE ARE THE FINAL COPIES!
Hey gang, listen up! Cave recently returned from a 2012 European tour and they brought back a single, released on Spanish label Giradiscos Records, that was only available on the tour. And get this, this here tour single is only available from yours truly! Well you can get them from the band directly but Permanent Records will be the only place to score this here in the US of A! You know we love us some Cave and we're pretty sure by this point you all love them too, so cop this single stat! It'sa certified ripper with 2 exclusive and unreleased tracks! "Party Legs" is a fluid kraut groover with an almost Afro-Funk bounce to it; absolutely mind blowing staccato key melodies that snake into alternating patterns that burst into kaleidoscopic surges of joy atop the always on-the-job tight as fuck rhythm section providing the punch. A definite toe-tapper. On the flip we get "Thai I Am", which is totally reworked version of "High I Am" from 2009's amazing Psychic Psummer" LP and it is another ear pleaser fer sure. It's like frickin' CCR doing krautrock, seriously it's like knockworst wrapped in flannel bouncing around a pinball machine at warp speed. Both cuts just keep demanding to be replayed again and again and again. This is easily one of the best singles we've heard this year and this is only place to score it so grab yer pocket books and proceed to check out! Gooberishly Recommended.
