P-REX IN-STORE EXCLUSIVE WHITE VINYL EDITION LIMITED TO 100 COPIES!
PERMANENT RECORDS' 35th LABEL RELEASE!
PERMANENT RECORDS' 35th LABEL RELEASE!
Domestic reissue of Chilean group's debut LP, previously available only on CD and a uber-limited lathe-cut import LP; WatchOut! is the lovechild proof that Os Mutantes and Popol Vuh had an elicit rendezvous in mid-70's Santiago. This Chilean rock group blends krauty synth textures with a Tropicalian style not so successfully crafted since the 70's. Latin rhythms, fuzzy, wah-wah guitar leads, and melodic organ patterns are sewn sweetly together to create a quilt of psychedelic pop that would comfort even the coldest Brazilian psych aficionado. This LP was one of the best unheard and under‐released records of 2011. “Flashbacker” includes seven tracks of 60's Brazilian psych, 70's German hypnotism, 80s UK fuzz pop, and Indian raga influenced jams all seamlessly and brilliantly woven together. You know, the Os Mutantes, Popol Vuh, Jesus & Mary Chain, Follakzoid, and Holydrug Couple kind…
Ah man… we've been waiting a looooonng time for this one! Get the full details concerning this amazing record, one that belongs in every collection, from the Sunbeam label folks here:
"Recorded in London in July 1969, and featuring members of Tomorrow, The Pretty Things, The Deviants, and Tyrannosaurus Rex, the legendary Think Pink is one of the hallowed relics of British underground rock. Masterminded by John ""Twink"" Alder, who fully participated in this comprehensive reissue, it is presented here with detailed background notes, eight bonus tracks and rare pictures, making it truly essential for all fans of true psychedelia. Housed in a gatefold sleeve with a full-color booklet; on 180 gram vinyl with a CD copy of the album, plus bonus tracks."
"Think Pink" features a veritable who's who of heavy hangers from the above mentioned acts combined with ex-Pretty Things/Pink Fairies duder Twink to conjure one of the most legendary acid drenched psychedelic folk rock records ever recorded. Originals regularly sell for hundreds of dollars and this hasn't been in print on vinyl in ages. Stop whatever it is you're doing and grab this 100% essential album now. This is another Permanent Records staff fave; one that gets spun almost daily if possible. Deliriously Recommended!
Let's just say, we never thought we could type these words - WE HAVE A NEW OBLIVIANS RECORD IN STOCK NOW!!!!!! And dudes, it was worth the wait:
"In The Red is proud to announce the release of The Oblivians’ first studio full-length album from since 1997’s ...Play Nine Songs with Mr. Quintron.
Desperation picks up right where the band left off, delivering fourteen scorching tracks of soulful punk-garage-blues trash rock informed in equal parts by ’50s rock ’n’ roll, ’60s garage rock, Memphis soul, Delta blues and Killed By Death-style punk. There’s even a Cajun Zydeco cover here!
As Greg Oblivian puts it, “Between our last record as a band in ’97 and now, a lot of water has passed below that bridge. We three went our own ways after that and pursued our own musical goals. Personally, I often missed the dynamic that Jack and Eric offered to my songwriting. Almost as much as I missed being given carte blanche to add a thing or two to theirs. I’ve played with lots of great musicians in the interim but needless to say, it’s a hard itch to scratch. The dynamic between us was a singular thing. So, over the years as we would occasionally reunite for a festival or special occasion, the idea began to grow in the back of my mind—the idea of making a new record. I mean, if you’re going to keep playing as a band eventually you’ll want new songs to play. Because as much as we enjoyed playing together the thing I missed the most was creating together. So that’s what we did."
The Oblivians are legends in their own time, and even if they never played another show or recorded another album, we'd be content with the killer slew of blown out garage punk LPs and singles they've graced us with over the years. But on "Desperation" they've added more than a few new favorites to our list of indispensible garage punk songs. It's like no time has past since their last album in 1997, another insta-classic album from one of our favorite bands. So crank "Desparation" way the fuck up and know you've just grabbed the soundtrack to yer summer. CRAZY RECOMMENDED!!!!!!!!!!
Zoo Music is back with the latest sprawling double album from Dirty Beaches and check it below as they tell the tale behind this one:
"Dirty Beaches, a.k.a. Alex Zhang Hungtai, started off as a one-man band in 2005 in Montreal. A trans-Pacific nomad and genre-hopping sound-smith, he has released music ranging from drone instrumentals to film scores, and possesses a fascination for dissecting popular American music like blues, rockabilly, soul, R&B and hip hop, often rendering it to a point where it is no longer recognizable. Hungtai’s latest release, Drifters / Love Is the Devil, is a sprawling double-album that chronicles the musician’s life on the road over the past two years—through the labyrinths of Berlin, Belgrade, Paris, and many other cities; through heartbreak, rebirth and masochistic, existential self-reflection. Recorded between Montreal and Berlin in the winter of 2012, the two halves of Drifters / Love Is the Devil are separated only by aesthetics, as they are tightly woven together thematically as one conceptual piece. If 2011’s Badlands was an exercise in exorcising past ghosts in a semi-fictional world, then Drifters / Love Is the Devil is a reflection on the fragility of reality—that of the outside world in which the artist explores the nightlife of bright neon temptations and hedonistic values, and that of the inner world, one of remorse and lovelorn tragedies."
After a slew of killer singles, the devastatingly haunted "Badlands" LP and a recent soundtrack, Dirty Beaches is back with a proper full length. And this massive double album of vagabond sound collage is even more honed in than previous efforts so drop the needle and take the journey. Yep, Recommended.
EDITION OF 500/ONE TIME ONLY REPRESS!!!
The Frontier Records folks have brought back this total classic from the dead, read on to find out more about the saga of Christian Death:
"The founding fathers of American goth-rock, CHRISTIAN DEATH released their debut, Only Theatre of Pain, on Frontier Records in March 1982, and that landmark album has had an enormous influence on goth, death-rock, dark-wave, metal and even industrial music scenes all over the world, shaping the approach of more bands than can be counted. Led by vocalist and founder Rozz Williams, the CHRISTIAN DEATH of Only Theatre of Pain included guitarist Rikk Agnew, fresh out of THE ADOLESCENTS, bassist James McGearty, drummer George Belanger and backing vocals from Superheroines leader (and Rozz's future wife), Eva O as well as performance artist Ron Athey. It was this line-up, with its dirgy, effects-laden guitar riffs and ambient horror-soundtrack synths, that crystalized the ominous post-punk sound that has established this album as the ultimate archetype of goth sensibility. Genre touchstones include ''Romeo's Distress,'' ''Spiritual Cramp'' and ''Mysterium Iniquitatis.''"
Thee one and only "Only Theatre Of Pain" finally gets the reissue treatment. This is what all other death rock is birthed from, an absolute classic! This is a one time only repress of 500 copies on white wax so act fast friends! Super Recommended.
Yes! Yes! Yes! Glory be to the fine folks at the Armageddon Shop for bringing the Brainbombs second collection of singles back to the vinyl format. Here are the details direct from the source:
"2xLP with insert, domestic pressing of the CD released a few years ago in Europe.
Includes the single that came out on tUMULt, the "Stinking Memory" 7" on Anthem, as well as the Wabana Gun Court single, the Ken Rock single and the Big Brothel single. A collection of totally killer BB tracks, "Stigma Of The Ripper", "The Grinder", "I Need Speed" and more. All in classic Brainbombs style, one killer riff punctuated by deadpan vocal delivery of their fucked up lyrics, and repeat... Also included are some rare live tracks, including "Urge To Kill" among them, recorded live in Norway way back in 1993, They sound raw, and distorted in proper style, Don't miss the hidden last track, a minute long, post performance Brainbombs sign off,"
These original singles are nigh impossible to track down, so grip this handy collection to jam to as you continue the hunt. We've long blathered on and on about our undying love of the sonic nihilism unit that is Brainbombs so we'll save you the earful and suggest you grab this double LP of nastiness now-za! Super Recommended!
Kid Congo has gathered the Pink Monkey Birds and along with In The Red, they've released the latest and greatest greasy slab of rock n roll yer turntable needs in the form of "Haunted Head":
"Waking from a nap in the swamps of outer space, Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds ride a geisterbahn into the hypnagogic, a place between sleep and consciousness also known as the “Haunted Head.” Haunted Head is the third LP the quartet has oozed out for In The Red. Legendary guitar stylist Kid Congo Powers (The Gun Club, The Cramps, Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds) and longtime cohorts bassist Kiki Solis (Knife in the Water), drummer Ron Miller (Up The Academy) and guitarist Jesse Roberts (Sandrider, The Ruby Doe) take matters into their own mitts by having Roberts engineer and Miller mix the record at the now well-known Harveyville Project High School in Kansas. With The Pink Monkey Birds’ cocktail of fuzz guitars, New Orleans drum beats, soulful strut bass lines and sonic ambrosia at its most potent, Haunted Head offers the purest distillation of the group’s powers. The trip of your dreams includes the “cheap and tawdry” in a tribute to dearly departed actress Susan Tyrell (“Su Su”), the morphing of Jerry Lee Lewis with Phyllis Diller (“Killer Diller”) and the plain ol’ insanity of romantic love (“Dance Me Swamply”). The band also tells you how they like “the mondos and the cholos and the weirdos and he freaks” on the rollicking “Let’s Go!” and how they don’t like “neocons in square back suits” and “throwing up in a dirty phone booth “ on the punky proclamation “I Don’t Like.” I mean, who does? On the album’s title ballad, Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds ask the listener “What’s inside your Haunted Head? Are you alive or are you dead? Are you kissing and a huggin’? Are you pushin’ and a shoving?” Perhaps only in dreams could you answer such a question."
Anytime we get a new Kid Congo record at the shop is it's a cause for celebration, and "Haunted Head" just might be the best album from Senor "Kid Congo" Powers & Co. yet. Following on the heals of the ever so excellent "Dracula Boots" and "Gorilla Rose" lps, this new joint is a catchy, swampy, soulful, fuzzed up mess of pure bluesy grimy rock n roll goodness only the likes of the legendary Kid Congo and his versatile comrades, The Pink Monkey Bird
Holy Hell! Here we have yet another stunning reissue from the superior Superior Viaduct gang and believe you me this one is not too be missed. Get the straight dirt from the label intel here:
"MX-80 Sound is one of the real oddities in American music. Their debut album, Hard Attack (released in the UK on Island Records), found little-to-no audience in the States upon its release in 1977, yet remains a key document of the mid-’70s proto-punk zeitgeist. Hailing from Bloomington, Indiana, MX-80 Sound was lead by guitarist Bruce Anderson and defies simple classification with relentless riffs, dual drummers and vocalist Rich Stim’s absurdist prose and dizzying sax. Assimilating the avant-rock of Captain Beefheart and conjuring the ghosts of Albert Ayler, MX-80 Sound evokes what free jazz would sound like if born in Bloomington. As archivist Byron Coley writes, “Hard Attack has long been considered one of the great squirts of the Midwest underground’s prog-punk tradition. Fellow travelers include Debris’ Static Disposal, Pere Ubu’s Modern Dance and Destroy All Monsters’ 1974-1976, and what makes each of these fine gushers unique is that they were all created in virtual isolation. No one else in the neighborhood was creating anything akin to them.” Superior Viaduct is honored to present Hard Attack’s first-ever vinyl edition in the US. Mastered from the original analog tapes for the first time since 1977 and remixed by the band, this deluxe reissue will soon become the definitive version for longtime fans and newcomers alike. The singular and staggering innovation of MX-80 Sound still harkens to rock’s future potential. “If ever a band realized the potential of pre-punk ‘underground’ noise rock, MX-80 is it.” —Trouser Press""
This one is a bona fide Permanent Records staff fave and it is a joyous occasion to have this back in print on wax. Listen to what the Superior Viaduct folks and Mr. Byron Coley are saying up above, these people KNOW WHAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT! Absolutely essential listening. Mega Recommended.
Richie Records always delivers, and their latest release, "College Rock" by Montana's most unruly miscreants, Mordecai, is certainly gonna melt some circuits and a quite a few minds:
"College Rock is the rabidly anticipated new full-length from Mordecai, the most charismatically tuneful knuckle-draggers in Missoula; quite possibly in all of Montana. The album cruises and plods across twelve tunes that recall the rougher trades coming out of the UK, the early squall of Cleveland’s proto-punk merchants and the reckless abandon of Will Shatter and crew. This rock trio lacks pretense; their power comes from the electric joy of plugging in and turning up. Geographic isolation works in their favor, as guys of Mordecai’s talent and vision would surely have been chewed up and spit out long ago by a more populous metropolis. Instead, College Rock proves that at least a few residents of Silver Bow County can teach a lesson in urban detachment."
After just one LP and one single, Mordecai has hit their stride with "College Rock," playing some of the fiercest, noisy DIY misanthropic rock n roll you can get yer dirty hands. Move over Pissed Jeans, Pheromoans, Karp and Jesus Lizard, Mordecai says yer being replaced, sorry! Like any Richie Records release, this one F'ING RECOMMENDED!!!!!!!
Monofonus Press pressed up the debut noise/krautrock/free jazz platter from Austin, Texas' Marriage, and man oh man is this a wild ride you'll wanna take now:
"MARRIAGE is NATE CROSS (bass, keyboards, percussion), ALEX LAROCHE (vocals, keyboards, percussion), MIKE KANIN (drums), JEFF PIWONKA (bass, percussion), and GREG PIWONKA (guitar, vocals, percussion). Mike grew up in D.C. and played with Dischord's BLACK EYES, among other extinct bands. Nate recently joined SAME SAC with King Coffey from the Butthole Surfers and Craig Clouse formerly of Hammerhead. Nate and Craig also play together in SHIT AND SHINE. Mike moved to Austin, Texas, in late 2009. He began playing with Jeff, Greg, and Nate shortly thereafter. Finding their first project, FLOWERS, missing an Alex, Jeff, Greg, Nate, and Mike recruited Alex to join them. They named the new band Marriage. This release is the band’s debut LP. It was recorded and mixed over a weekend in late November 2012 by Chico Jones at his Ohm Studios in Austin. Though Black Eyes fans will no doubt see familiarity in the extended list of percussionists included in Marriage's line-up, the resulting music is not the same. Indeed, Marriage's influences tend more toward the drawn-out kraut-rock pull of such artists as Can and Neu!, as well as the more modern interpretations of it exhibited by Boredoms. Live, the members of Marriage extend this concept into their performance by playing one song in to the next. Marriage has also released a tape, a limited (to 35) hand-cut recording turned into square plastic, and a 7-inch released on their own Eternal Bliss records in fall 2012. "
When Marriage stormed through the Midwest on their recent tour, we hosted their wall-of-noise, double drumming mayhem live at the shop, and holy shit it was amazing!!!! On "For Brotzmann"(an apt tribute if we've ever heard one), they capture that manic energy of their live show and delve head first into a percussive krautrock drone, beefed up with warped feedback, before colliding directly with free jazz and all sorts of off kilter synth and guitar strangling. Yes if you dig their associated bands, Shit & Shine and the Black Eyes, you will need "For Brotzman," but so will everyone else who's fallen into the grooves of a Faust, Flying Luttenbacker or Albert Ayler record. Not very often are our urges for motorik vibes, free jazz skronk and high volume nosie get satisfied in just one lp. So this one's HUGELY RECOMMENDED!!!!!!!!!
Superior Viaduct continues their killer reissue campaign, this time unearthing the neglected self titled album from Monitor:
"An errant project of suburban Los Angeles art collective World Imitation Productions, Monitor was the sonic outlet of four young artists grappling with their terror and amazement in the convergence of the late 1970s punk scene and Southern California’s consumerist decadence. As with the collective’s visual artwork and events, Monitor blends archaic influences with modern technology into one of the era’s most curious albums. Eerie synthesizer, menacing guitar leads and morose vocal chants make “In Terrae Interium” an evocative ballad of paranoia. “I Saw Dead Jim’s Shade” showcases Monitor’s idiosyncratic vocal interplay in a sinister tale of a stolen hand. When “Hair” required a tempo beyond Monitor’s instrumental chops, the band appropriated The Meat Puppets to record the track for them. Acquainted at first through mail art, World Imitation found a kindred spirit in DEVO associate Ed Barger, who meticulously recorded this LP in 1980, burying the presence of shrieking cats, closing doors and tape loops deep in the mix. Monitor associated with the original Hollywood punk scene but often met with ambivalence for their incongruity in the face of the movement’s increasingly codified appearance and sound. Loosely aligned with like-minded pioneers such as Nervous Gender, Human Hands, BPeople and NON, who together constituted the sub-scene known as the Associated Skull Bands, Monitor operated in its own space within a progressive, diverse musical milieu. Few groups so deftly encapsulate the existential dread and delight particular to Southern California’s antiquated culture of artifice."
The fact that Monitor crawled out of the gutter of early LA punk, yet has more in common with no wave, early minimal synth, gothic post punk and art rock makes their one and only self-titled LP even more interesting than the footnote status its been tagged with all these years. Suicide meets Controlled Bleeding, or Chrome meets Throbbing Gristle? Fuck Yes. Chilling , creepy and totally engrossing, anyone who's grabbed those recent MX 80 Sound, Sleepers and Martin Rev reissues from Superior Viaduct, will certainly need Monitor now. SUPER RECOMMENDED!!!!!!!!
Thanks to Drag City, all us Sic Alps junkies can get the fix we need with this latest 12 inch EP, entitled "She's On Top":
"Orange Sunshine! Blue Diamonds! Black Potatoes! “She’s On Top” is a 12"" single, a B-12-booster shot extract straight from the heart of SIC ALPS to the inner lining of your own poor broke-crippled ripcage ribself. This is how the other half lives, laughs and loves! It’s fun and exciting, a picture from the airplane! Sic Alps are like you. They’re your friends—the better, smarter, faster, stronger ones! When they get back from their run, they’re friendly and will show you how the guitar works. Whoops, they picked it up and three songs fell out. Time for a single! A 12"" single, to show the world the steel-plate resolve and wide, sparkling decks of the good ship Sic Alps. These three guns is all they need. And now they’ve maneuvered into the power position! “She’s On Top” will send you up shaking, laughing so hard you’re crying, and how you come down depends on your chemistry! Shards of pop...we may need pincers. And the video’s gonna kill! “Carrie Jean” is a noirish creeper, another one about girlish allure etc. LOOKOUT, it’s comblicated. Now, “Biz Bag”...whoa. Blew the door open, jet-blast style, finishing with a bitter kiss ‘n’ giggle. What’s in this one? A new genre: power-brisk. And it’s all wrapped in a gay 12"" single sleeve inspired by and incorporating a Digger’s photograph"
The lo-fi psychedelic jams of Sic Alps always grab us by the ears, and on "She's On Top" the band has churned out some of the most emphatic and rockin anthems of their always engaging discography. This is ep is just the sort of fuzzed up whirlwind fans of Ty Segall, White Fence, GBV and Times New Viking will desperately will wanna get sucked into. If this is a tease of what's to come, sign us up! MEGA RECOMMENDED.
10in - 3 Leafs - 3 Leafs - $12.99 - BUY
The Spiritual Pajamas label has the details on 3 Leafs' latest:
"Let’s call it a coincidence. Bay Area collective 3 Leafs drops this heavenly EP of electronics-threaded rock right on the heels of a mini-meteor plunging from the Siberian sky. But there’s no terror or apocalyptic overtones to this galactic effort—these songs are mysterious and ethereal. Listening to them makes one want to be somewhere far away. The 10-inch EP is anchored by “Omniscience,” a song with two parts. The first half feels like a misleadingly innocent joyride, the second its natural consequence: marooned under an inky desert sky soundtracked by a haunting guitar. “Out Ritual” comes from 3 Leafs’ Canal Smarts sessions, this one a slew of frequencies raining down over a cornerstone groove. Closer “Golden Weapons” feels like Can meets NASA, which would’ve made for a great television show."
3 Leafs offer up 3 psych/kraut burners on this here 10 inch and our only complaint is we wish there was more, but we guess that's what keeps bringin' us back to 3 Leafs. 3 Leafs' cloud surfing spacedelica is always filling our ears with tremendous tones. Well done gang! As always… Recommended.
LIMITED TO 500 IN MANILA ENVELOPE PACKAGING!
We got a special delivery from the Columbus Dsicount folks here with the latest from the Bassholes; get the scoop below:
"A lot of bands mellow with age. It's so prevalent among punk bands, that it's become pretty much a joke. Nervous initiates, the world over, when trying to appear cool or in-the-know, have fallen back on this "rule" for at least a couple decades now. The claim, "Eh, I like their early stuff" has wafted through the air of a million shitty parties, insoluble in a cloud of beer stink, in a hundred different languages. I digress. Point is, in the case of the bassholes, this is patently fucking false. The Bassholes, eschewing the trope above, seem to change with the world at large, getting stranger and meaner, as the environment dictates. A two-headed monster, evolving in the fallout, into a mutant beast screeching and echoing the cacophony of western life in the year after the world was supposed to end. It's been 13 years since their debut and the bassholes are definitely weirder and more dangerous than ever (their music's pretty strange, too - har, har, har). Greener pastures of the post-Bush years are revealed to be just more scorched earth, and our two-headed monster gets ready to trudge thru the radioactive swamps of the tomorrow. Better wear some boots..."
Buckeye blues punk legends the Bassholes have been churnin' out lo-fi bown to oblivion punk lunacy for well over a decade and their latest ups the intensity whilst simultaneously decimating fidelity. This beast comes housed in a manila enevelope complete with voided postage stamps ready for a speedy delivery direct to your turntable. Crack this package immediately and dive in to the deep pools of distortion, reverb and echo that these primal punk dirges are drenchend in. These Columbus/Asheville oddballs are keepin' shiz dirty with real deal sonic punishment. Seriously Recommended.
We could barely keep Aluk Todolo's 2012 release "Occult Rock" in stock and now the Ajna Offensive label that brought you that masterpiece has gone and done a repress of Aluk Todolo's 2010 issued "Finsternis." Get the whole story directly from the label here:
"The Ajna Offensive and Norma Evangelium Diaboli unite again to reissue ALUK TODOLO’s second album Finsternis. Originally released on on vinyl by Public Guilt in 2010, this issue is the definitive version and includes the artwork wanted and designed by band. Aluk Todolo’s second album Finsternis is composed of one track divided in five sections. Originally conceived as a tribute to Tony Conrad and Faust’s album Outside the Dream Syndicate, the project became a spitiual journey into sound, a conjuration of the cosmic forces of universe. Finsternis is the German word for eclipse, mimetic of cyclic elements, phases and unphases, endless rebeginnings, broken circles and perfect circles. Finsternis proves there is brilliance in the absence of light. Dry, spare percussion grievously mines the scrapes, shrieks and shimmer of mutated guitar and bass. A dangerous, noxious coil of all things black."
Come On… A tribute record to Tony Conrad and Faust by a French instrumental black metal psychedelic group that subverts any idea one might have about black metal and heads for the furthest reaches the cosmos and the deepest realms of your consciousness. Do you even need us to say it? Abso-fucking-lutely Recommended!
Munster Records is taking us to school with their latest archival release from Peru's Los Saicos:
"LP version with a 12-page full-color booklet with extensive notes and unseen photos. ""With only six singles released between 1965 and 1966, and from an apparently remote place such as Lima, Peru, Los Saicos created a raw, wild and visceral sound, the Southern Hemisphere equivalent of the garage rock that was coming out of the U.S. Northwest at the same time. Theirs is the same DNA shared by The Sonics, The Cramps and Black Lips. This release compiles all their recordings and tells their amazing story. This snarling maelstrom of nihilism was cut in Lima when the rest of the world was wetting itself over The Beatles, direct links to both The Stooges and The Cramps here and several more equally-enthralling combos. The latter spawned several generations of individuals who would dig deep to previously (mostly) unheard seams of music and other forms of culture that have since become part of the mainstream fabric. Another strong case of the same kind of happenstance to my mind is that which preceded the much-vaunted 'punk' explosion of the '70s. The unhinged nature of the song titles is one thing, but after you become acclimatized to the inherent strangeness, other aspects become apparent. The rhythms and the way the guitars chime and twang to offset the howling are no mere approximations or interpretation. Chemistry is by far a more important factor in the gestation of sound than proficiency or ability. There's a point where nature takes over and in kicks the call of the wild. The individuals have no other option than to just go with it. I don't know about you, but I have an intense dislike of artists that are nothing more than a modular, cookery book approximation of what somebody reckons might be a hipster record collection. This is decidedly not a case of that. Primitive to the point of primordial, Los Saicos are an important benchmark. Not were. Who ever thought there could be a combo out there in Peru that would make The Sonics sound like Simon and bloody Garfunkel? There is quite possibly some other music out there, someplace, that could well make us re-address this consideration, but until then, cherish this short course of Saicotherapy."" --Lindsay Hutton"
YES these guys definitely make the Sonics sound like Simon & Garfunkel!!! You seriously have to hear Los Saicos (aka the "Psychos") to believe it. The Cramps could've copped their whole style from these guys (if they listened to their singles, which we doubt they did), same with the Trashmen or Question Mark and the Mysterions . This is some of the wildest, bonkers garage rock you'll even throw on the stereo! Much more far out than your favorite Nuggets tracks, Los Saicos bewitching combination of the Stooges, Link Wray, Hasil Adkins and Count Five will totally blow your mind. Even trying to squarely put them into the "garage" section is bit of a stretch, since they mix elements of rockabilly, psych, surf and the street music of Lima into their evil and tribal rock n roll cocktail. How did no one discover Peru's best kept rock n roll secret until now? Who knows, but thank god Munster pressed this collection, containing all of their singles, cuz it's SUPER RECOMMENDED!!!!!!!!!!!
The mighty De Stijl Records has pressed up this boss reissue of a Kiwi classic so we'll let the knowledgeable folks at De Stijl fill you in on the back story:
"Peter Jefferies’s extraordinary debut solo album, The Last Great Challenge in a Dull World, first saw life as a cassette via the Xpressway label of Port Chalmers, New Zealand, in 1990. As a result of some international underground acclaim in fanzines and mailorder catalogs – for both the album and a striking 7-inch, “The Fate of the Human Carbine,” released around the same time – it soon appeared on LP and CD as well, through the Ajax label of Chicago. Within a handful of years it slipped out of print and out of sight. Roughly 20 years later that situation is being amended by De Stijl with a vinyl reissue that includes the songs from the attendant single and no amount of remastering whatsoever.
Though no one’s gotten around to writing a book on it yet, The Last Great Challenge in a Dull World nonetheless stands as one of the singular singer-songwriter albums of all time, existing on a sparsely populated plane with Pink Moon, I Often Dream of Trains, Blues Run the Game, Our Mother the Mountain and not many others. In a sandy voice that soothes and slashes, Jefferies offers a compassionate, piercingly lucid view of the endeavor of life, all our pain and small glories rendered in tones both harrowing and tender. On piano, drums and percussion, he pounds out melodies that roar, sweep and lilt, accompanied on many songs by the serrated guitars of a variety of players. Featuring a small team of South Island heavy-hitters – all three members of the Dead C as well as David Mitchell (3Ds), Alastair Galbraith, Kathy Bull (Look Blue Go Purple, Cyclops), Nigel Taylor and Robbie Muir (who’s cobilled on the single) – Last Great Challenge provides a pivot point in Jefferies’s formidable recording career, which included two bands he shared with his brother Graeme in the ’80s, Nocturnal Projections and This Kind of Punishment, and four further solo albums, as well as stints in bands here (Mecca Normal, Two Foot Flame) and there (Plagal Grind, Cyclops, and collaborations with Shayne Carter, Jono Lonie and Chris Smith).
This immediate and affecting album has been a comfort and a guide for me since it came out. Sit a spell and see if it doesn’t speak to you as well.
~ Mike Wolf, NYC, 2013"
Mike Wolf, representing De Stijl, more than sums up the glorious contents of this amazing record. If you've been digging all the recent reissue mania of the stuff coming out of New Zealand and Australia, then grab this immediately. It is not to be missed! Extremely Recommended.
LP - Tucker Martine - Brokenhearted Dragonflies - Insect Electronica from Southeast Asia - $19.99 - BUY - LISTEN 
- LISTEN
SUBLIME FREQUENCIES ALERT!!!
Listen up as the Sublime Frequencies aficionados inform you of their latest:
"There is a legend in Burma stating that swarms of male dragonflies gather to join in choruses of high-pitched tones to court their mates. The ones that don't succeed in mating eventually scream so loud that their chests explode and they drop dead to the ground. These recordings are a tribute to this legend. Droning cicadas, dragonflies, and other insects display their charm as masters of the high frequency airwaves, recorded live and unprocessed by Tucker Martine in the lush settings of Laos, Thailand, and Burma. Enter the supernatural world where entomology and electronica converge in a tropical hallucination of alien sound. Anyone who has ever wondered if these strange symphonies could be recorded or preserved as precisely as they sound in the field need look no further. Martine has done it and you will be transported to the exact experience one would encounter in these mysterious lowlands. Limited edition LP pressing of the long out-of-print CD from 2004, comes with a beautiful tip-on jacket, including an insert with photos and liner notes by Hakim Bey and Alan Bishop."" - Sublime Frequencies
This record is down right startling! Pure unprocessed sounds of nature that will blow your mind and your eardrums are what will be found here. This could easily be passed off as a power electronics record, no joke, straight up earsplitting harshness that is yet further proof of what a wondrous world we live in. Humans do a fine job of making thrilling sounds but leave it to the insect kingdom to produce such trance inducing commanding sonics. Extremely Recommended!
Tape - Woolen Men - Tour Tape 3 - $4.99 - BUY
Limited to 100 and Hand Numbered
Hot off the presses, Woolen Men deliver their latest batch of trebly DIY pop bangers in the form of the 5 song Tour Tape 3. Limited only a 100 copies and comprised of all new songs, Tour Tape 3 will be long outta print before the Woolen Men even get home from their current summer tour. That's why we grabbed a handful when they played the Chicago shop. Lo-fi / do-it-yerself rock junkies, like us, will absolutely need this fix now! HUGELY RECOMMENDED.
Tape - Andrew Gordon - Silhouette - $5.99 - BUY
DEAD STOCK ALERT! PRIVATE PRESS SYNTH RARITY FROM 1984!
We recently discovered a used copy of this LP and we dug it so much we tried to track down some originals from the artist himself. Unfortunately, he has no vinyl, but he does have a few tapes so we went for it! "Silhouette" is filled with funky background synth jams that are hot to trot! We've patched together what sparse information is available on the internet about this guy, take a gander:
Andrew Gordon played the following instruments on this record: "Oberhein OB 8 Synthesizer
Oberheim DSX Sequencer
Oberheim DX Drum Machine
Yamaha DX 7 Synthesizer
Produced by Andrew Gordon along with
Guthrie Thomas with Prinny Guerrero & recorded
at Total Access Studios in Redondo Beach, California with Davis and Michael Lardi engineering." - Discogs
"Andrew Gordon is an accomplished composer, producer and arranger with experience that has enabled him to create music for TV shows, film, theater and commercials. The track ‘Walking The Lonely Streets’ from his synthesizer solo album ‘Silhouette’ was used for a number of years as background music for the soap opera ‘General Hospital’ after a TV supervision picked up his record in Pasadena, CA" - A.D.G. Productions
While we (or maybe a select few) have a soft spot for cheeseball '80s film music and Silhouette has its share, there are also moments outside of "Walking The Lonely Streets" that groove hard and would fit perfectly in a DJ set of rare boogie. Privately pressed and created entirely by Gordon, this album screams "Buy me now and thank Perm later!" You heard the voice in your head, snag this!
