AWWWWWW YEAH! After acquiring the license to reissue the Flying Nun catalog last year, the question on the tip of everyone's tongue has been; "When are The Clean reissues coming out?" ~ well THE WAIT IS OVER, dudes! Captured Tracks/Flying Nun have given us the Clean's first full-length album "Vehicle" from 1990, with a bonus live 12-inch from '88 tacked on as a bonus!! Captured Tracks released this beast, so peep the deets:
“Vehicle” is the first full-length album by The Clean coming nearly 8 years after formation and subsequent (first) break up. Also included in this two disc set is a bonus 12” EP In-A-Live’ recorded at Fullham Greyhound 13/7/88 during the bands UK/Europe reunion tour. It was this tour that Rough Trade Founder Geo Travis saw the band play and offered to record the bands new material. Also included are extensive liner notes from the band as well as a full booklet of flyers, news clipping and art from this period. Vehicle confirmed that The Clean were not just a band worth reforming to play live but also, one still capable of writing quality jangle pop that was synonyms with both Flying Nun and The Clean."
Hard to imagine that the FIRST Clean full-length album came out nearly a decade after the band formed ('Boodle Boodle Boodle' and 'Great Sounds' although released in the early eighties, were both 12-inch EPs) and had broken up multiple times! 'Vehicle' still rings out with the driving, jangly tunes we've come to know and love from these guys, but polishes off the grit a bit, letting the melodies come to the forefront. This is a full-on pop record, and one that would define (and continues to define) the sound of modern rock, with everyone from Mac MacCaughan of Superchunk/Portastatic to Steven Malkmus to Bob Pollard all claiming to be fans - one can certainly hear The Clean's influence resonate thru their respective oeuvres! 'Vehicle' has some of the band's signature tunes; "Big Cat", "Dunes", "Big Soft Punch" and more all clock in a just under a half hour making for one concise and thrilling listen! The bonus EP consists of material recorded during the reunion tour that spawned this release itself! Nice! We're BIIIIIIIIIIIIIG fans of The Clean 'round here and this album feels like a comfy pair of shoes... we suggest you grab it ASAP, as you'll start to realize how empty your life was before you had this album in your life! RECOMMENDED.
The mighty Rocket Recordings label re-releases this LP of psychedelic sounds and has this to say about it:
"Hills are a three-piece band based in Gothenburg and Master Sleeps was their immediately sold-out second album, originally released on a small Swedish label in 2011. Rocket are proud to present a re-release of this great psych classic, with stunning new sleeve artwork. Master Sleeps draws its inspiration from some of the great bands of the late '60s and early '70s like Can, Amon Düül, and A.R. and Machines. Also you can hear the influence of native Swedish legends like International Harvester, Pärson Sound, and Trad Gras Och Stenar. But unlike a lot of the current over-saturated scene of psych bands that mine their '60s and '70s record collections, Hills manage to sound contemporary and relevant in 2013. They are currently putting the finishing touches to their third album which will be released by Rocket in 2014, so this reissue of Master Sleeps is a nice taster of what to expect from the next installment from this great band. Includes download code. "
The "Live" record from Hills on Cardinal Fuzz blew our minds completely, so to score this album is a treat to say the least. "Master Sleeps" is chock full of fuzzed out guitar majesty, motorik grooves, and space-is-the-place delights from start to finish. Hills are bringing the far out sounds back to Earth for all hungry ears and they are doing a damn fine job. Recommended.
The Cardinal Fuzz label continues to dominate with this MASSIVE double LP of hypnotic space rock from Glaswegian star cruisers Cosmic Dead. Get the full story directly from the label:
"The self titled double album from Glasgow’s THE COSMIC DEAD. Tuned into the same interstellar pulse as Hawkwind, TAB–era Monster Magnet and Ash Ra Tempel, The Cosmic Dead bring four sides of intense, propulsive kraut/psych bliss. A full 80 minutes of motorik drive and galactic psych/kraut. The final track, “Fa-ther Sky, Mother Earth” stretches itself over two sides of a whole vinyl disc as it ascends to higher planes. UK import."
Got a spare 80 minutes? Then saddle up and buckle in cuz the Cosmic Dead unleash 4 side long pieces of interstellar head nod psych rawk brilliance. Hell, sides 3 and 4 are one goddamned track! Cosmic Dead crank up the volume and let loose slow burn space rock that takes the listener on an extended tour of the universe with wailing fuzz guitar, snaking bass grooves and precision drumming. All space/kraut/stoner rock heads listen up cuz this double slab is gonna rule your ass for days on end! Severely Recommended.
ORIGINALS SELL FOR $250 and UP!
To our ears, there's only a few legendary compilations out there that can make the claims to being TRULY, truly essential; "Back From The Grave", "Killed By Death", "Cleveland Confidential", "Not So Quiet On The Western Front", "This Is Boston Not LA" and "No New York" have all had a lasting effect on the minds of youths (including US here at PRex) since their original release. "Yes LA" was Los Angeles' (and amazing punk label du jour Dangerhouse Records') answer to "No New York" (Yes, LA - get it?). OGs are pretty scarce, but the good folks at Frontier have done a faithful reissue of the original compilation - even going so far as to repro the single-sided, screen-printed vinyl and cardboard insert! Cop a squat and read the dish from Frontier:
"In the late '70s, Dangerhouse Records--that most legendary of punk rock labels--released a handful of indispensable 7-inches and two 12-inches: records that everyone knows, worships and collects. One of the 12-inches was Black Randy's Pass the Dust, I Think I'm Bowie, and the other, released in 1979, was the one-sided, six-song, silkscreened picture EP, Yes LA. The title was a take-off on the seminal No Wave compilation album released a year earlier, No New York, and the Dangerhouse kids even went so far as to include the disclaimer "Not produced by Brian Eno" on the record. The original was limited to 2,000 copies, every one screened by hand and packaged in a clear bag with a white cardboard backing. Frontier (with the help of the meticulous Cliff and company at The Factory) has taken great pains to reproduce every detail of the original, from the ink to the bag and cardboard, right down to custom-cut mylar seals for the flap (check out these photos of the "making-of"). Still, there are a couple of difference, but we'll let you discover them for yourself. 34 years out-of-print, originals of Yes LA have sold for $250 and up. Now you can get your own copy of this fabled LA punk classic and put the gougers out of business!"
HELL YES - if you have even a passing fancy for punk rock, you've no doubt heard the tracks on this bad-boy - their classics, all of 'em with seminal cuts from LA legends like The Germs, The Bags, X, Black Randy and The Metrosquad, Alley Cats, and The Eyes! This is one bad MOFO. The presentation is killer too - the screen print looks nice and the tuneage sounds even nicer... don't miss this shot to own this amazing comp! We say YES to 'Yes LA' RECOMMENDED.
OHHHHH MAN - this new album "Hoisted" from Sewers is REALLY hitting our sweet spots - released by our solid mates over at Homeless Records 'outta (you guessed it) Melbourne AUSTRALIA! Here's the skinny:
"Bottom-feeder band, Sewers combine the cunning of the Country Teasers, the wonk of The Fall and a Killdozer scrawl. It’s a stew of Australia’s finest deadly exports like King Snake Roost, Lubricated Goat, and feedtime. Sewers ain’t afraid to piss in the pond, keeping the Tasmanian tradition of inbreeding alive. Sewers was borne unto this wretched world in two, double ‘O’ eight. The band was originally a two-piece inspired by Uncle Sam’s army of skull music ala Clockcleaner, Homostupids and the local Brisbane scum talent of Kitchen’s Floor and Marl Carx. But the band vamoosed before the water was boiled leaving behind only a demo - Piss Vapours. Song ‘Lineage’ from said demo was resurrected on Negative Guest List sampler ‘Songs of Negativity 2’ and given the kiss of wax via ‘Wings Over Gabba’ LP (the best songs of Negativity on NGL). Sewers were originally described by RK of Terminal Boredom as “a more feral Pheromoans”.
Although lain dormant, the oil was still bubblin’ away. Eventually it seeped its way up through the soil to the surface. In mid-2011 the band started rehearsing sporadically and expanded to the standard four-piece. Some shows were played and recordings made. Album attempt number one was made in extreme heat that rivalled the Gobi desert. That session was canned, two members left and another two replaced them. Invited to go on tour by Martyr Privates they cobbled together a demo tape, which made small ripples around the world as far as Spain, USA and the UK. RK weighed in once again, “ some hillbilly-punk shit, like Pogues if they were actually as cool as they looked in 'Straight to Hell' and were actually King Snake Roost and not The Pogues”, ‘Music is surely rooted in the dirt a la feedtime or 3 Toed Sloth, more outback and dusty grime than swamp-n-muck”. “Excellent songs, with good titles even,” and the kicker, “These guys had a track on the NGL comp that wasn't even half as good as any of the songs on this if I remember right”.
Take two. Set in stone, the album was to be recorded in February. However, the singers face met with a slab of sidewalk after being thrown from a moving cab and the plans were, once again, in the cement mixer. Come April and despite the extra brain damage accrued, the LP was finally recorded, accident free, at Alchemix studios in Brisbane by Andrew Mclellan (who has also been responsible for recording Whores, Psy Ants, Ruined Fortune). Sewers finally found their home in Homeless (yeah that’ll never get old) and they called it ‘Hoisted’."
YES. This is how we like our Aussie rock - loud, noisy, ugly and feral! Sewers have definitely tapped into that melodic malignance perpetrated by so many Aussie acts before them (feedtime, Venom P. Stinger, 3 Toed Sloth, Slugfuckers and Fungus Brains to name a few), as well as the current crop of ugly Oz-rockers like label-mates Cuntz, The Stabs, Kitchen's Floor and Dead Farmers! If you like your rock to sound like a symphony of chainsaws in a wind tunnel (and we mean that as a compliment!), then Sewers have got just the grime you're lookin for! DUDES - this one's criminally limited to 400 copies, so we're not sure how long we'll be able to get "Hoisted" - act now or forever hold yer peeze. SUPREMELY RECOMMENDED!
After blowing our collective noodles with their debut single on Quemada last year, Melbourne's Satanic Rockers are back with a brain-buster of a full-length effort entitled "Fu Kung"! Co-released by the triumvirate of Albert's Basement, Sunshine and Grease, and Black Petal Record labels, the 'Stoned Out Of My Mind' blog has a pretty spot-on writeup, so read on:
"Debut LP from Melbourne Australia's SATANIC ROCKERS, following up on their ridiculously great 7" on Quemada Records. I was a huge fan of that single, particularly the b-side, and had real high expectations for this long player after hearing the CDr's, and it rules even more than I thought it would. opening with "Magic Wandella" with the bands raw blues-on-drugs-from-hell (or someplace easily mistaken for Hell, like yer own lonely filthy bedroom) dirgey/dirty guitar sound, stoned and overdubbed vocals relating hatred for small towns full of douchebags (if my knowledge of the band's history is core t then this song is about a gig they played and had to fend off a group of rabid jocks by throwing tour CDs at em) and barely-there percussion that's hardly keeping time as much as it seems to try to be playing along with the guitars and bass(?) whoa re barely playing together as it is. this is it man, the way rock music should sound in 2013, and if fucked up druggy shit like this ain't yer thing then you're probably some douche jock meathead anyway. "They don't like our music / To them it's noise" too fuckin' right. this first song gets you in the zone for what follows, with tracks like "Fruit Shop Rat" (the successor to the Quemada single's "Rat vs. Boredom") talking shit on some kiss-ass named Kieran and his crummy band, "Micro Manager" points out how shitty figures of authority at your place of employment are in case you didn't realize already, while being in the position of "Regional Command" with a big machine gun mowin' 'em all down sounds like a great time. on Side B we have a monster version of "Eviction" even more killer and fully realized than what was heard on the 7", followed by "Neighbours", one of the catchiest songs on the album though I prefer the version from the Xmas Fart Cracker CDr which is slower and weirder. Last but not least we get to "The Legendary Pignose which is the biggest winner on this helluva LP: a tribute to the brand of practice amps the group uses and records with, right down to the lyrics themselves which were taken straight off the box. the groove will get stuck in your head while the raw guitar and vox will keep you coming back for more, you'd think something liek this would be straightforward in theory but in practice it is otherworldly. Not sure exactly what type of abuse led to this group of dudes making sounds like these but after spending an entire afternoon/evening in a boozy haze listening to this album on repeat i can say for certain it is the best thing of the year thus far and has little chance to budge from that position, not to mention the album art which is the best ever. Split release between Alberts Basement, Sunshine and Grease, and Black Petal records."
This album is one for the books, ya'll - "Fu Kung" is a blown-out, scuzz-rock'd, de/recontructed modern masterpiece! Carrying on in the grand tradition of (as our co-worker Jamie refers to it) "stumbled-upon brilliance" that so many have perpetrated before them. The album's ten tunes bubble and scrape with the sonic squalor of 'Eusa-Kills'-era Dead C and trash-can fury of Fang, but blurred under handfulls of 'ludes and booze, creating a mesmerizing suite of death-dirges that play out like the soundtrack to a night of romance with a serial killer. Guitars buzz like a swarm of bees ramming up against sheets of aluminum and juuuuuuuust barely play in time with each other while junk-shop percussion drives the bus... OVER the cliff. This is what folks mean when they use the term "art-damaged" (or at least they should), but labeling this anywhere near art is a misnomer - there's not that much thought put into it, so why put it on a pedestal? Just fuckin' play it. A CORKER of a record that we're only beginning to wrap our heads around and one that opens up with each listen - Side B in particular REALLY get's out there. We needed this one in our lives and you do too goddammit. RECOMMENDED and a contender for Top Ten of 2013.
Psychic Teens obviously don't believe in the sophomore slump, cuz their second effort "Come" on SRA Records is even more addicting than their debut. Certainly their new album cements this Philly band at the top of our list of post punk loving, noisy dark, death rock bands. "Come" swirls with evil hooks, walls of feedback, propulsive drumming and all sorts of threatening nods to JAMC, Christian Death, the Fall and 45 Grave. Fear not, this is not some pretend bullshit regurgitation, Psychic Teens out gloom the goths, speed past the punks, and blow the sneakers of the shoegazers, all the while making an unholy, scary and fun mix of blown-out and at times even psychedelic death rock. So yeah, we can't get enough of the Psychic Teens. VERY VERY VERY RECOMMENDED!!!!
France's blown out garage psych wunderkinds, Gunslingers, are back with a huge double shot EP of raw blistering rock n roll entitled "Massacre / Rock Deviant Inquisitors"!!!!!!!! Let's hand it off to Riot Season who has the low-down:
"Co-released with French label Les Disques Blasphématoires Du Palatin. A new vinyl-only release by cult French band Gunslingers (a trio featuring prolific guitar guru GR and Antoine and Matthieu of Aluk Todolo on drums and bass, respectively). The 12"/EP is called Massacre-Rock Deviant Inquisitors and comes as a one-sided white vinyl 12" inside a heavy card sleeve. Pressed from lacquers for extra sonic excellence and cut loud. Another dose of bizarre psychedelic garage-rock as only they know how."
After getting floored by "Ground Zero" and "No More Invention" (as well as GR's solo LP from last year "A Reverse Age"), we're beyond super stoked for any new material from musical anarchist collective known as the Gunslingers. Their amped up in-the-red psych rock n roll takes cues from the greats from Flower Travellin Band to Blue Cheer, as well as more than a little Afflicted Man and Monoshock thrown in for extra in yer face guitar strangling. But make no mistake about it, both "Massacre" and the b-side "Rock Deviant Inquisitors" are unlike anything yer turntable has seen yet. Full force, no holds barred, noisy scorching garage psych with a unique postmodern deconstruction we've come to expect from the French. We wish this was more than two songs long, but for how many times we're gonna spin this EP, it's worth every cent. Sérieusement Recommandé!!!!!!!!!
We got another Cardinal Fuzz stunner with this collabo album from Dead Sea Apes and Black Tempest; get all the details from the label here:
Cardinal Fuzz are proud to present DEAD SEA APES and BLACK TEMPEST—The Sun Behind The Sun. Manchester’s Dead Sea Apes and Godalming’s Black Tempest engage in a mind meld of galactic proportions on this; both band’s first outing on vinyl. Both entities weave together seamlessly as Grey Alphabets recalls Goblin’s giallo soundtracks, whilst Wilder Penfield pulses with post-punk metal-loid Harmonia kraut vibes. Side two is given over to the 25-plus-minute Heliopause—a dubby astral meditation, where Oneida meet Tangerine Dream in an elongated Komische drift. 350 only pressed on gray vinyl. UK import."
"Sun Behind The Sun" is a spectacular work of tension and release. 3 gargantuan tracks unfold with swirling electronics, snail paced guitar work, subtle drumming, washes of cymbals to create worlds of their own. These tracks float along, yet convey an ominous vibe while the hypnotic sonics slowly engulf the listener with wave after wave of spiraling kosmische splendor! Supremely Recommended.
Chicago's kraut oriented psych rockers, Disappears have, like clockwork, reappeared with their fourth LP in four years, "Era", hot off the presses at Kranky Records. And as always we're more than stoked for another dose of our hometown heros' hypnotic post garage, minimalist psych rock!!!
"Era is the fourth annual report from Chicago powerhouse quartet DISAPPEARS. It was formed during the gloom of the Chicago winter at Electrical Audio by now regular foil JOHN CONGLETON. Insular and dark, the album sees the band further refining their love of dub, minimalism and repetition into their most original and stark set yet. It harks back to the early ‘80s post punk period, when almost anything seemed possible with the classic two guitar, bass and drums lineup, and exploration and expansion of what could be done with these elements was at the fore. Dueling wiry and squalling guitars lead the way while a lockdown rhythm section provides the perpetual forward motion. Era is Disappears at their most abrasive, contemplative, and paranoid—itʼs the sound of the void looking back."
After wowing us with their Kone EP earlier this year, we were more than ready to crank Era way up at the shop; nobody plays woozy, dystopian motorik psych rock like Disappears. And although their new album finds them without Sonic Youth's Steve Shelley, they now have local RnR legend Noah Leger on drums, and the result is a way more fucking dialed in, forceful and ominous band. The heavy nods to Neu!, Spacemen 3, Can and the Velvets are there as you'd expect from Disappear's kraut dinged, noisy psych. But what's surprising is how much more post punk Era is than their previous albums; stretching out some of the same creepy vibes as PiL, Joy Division, Wire and the Fall. Surely recording the LP during the winter in Chicago has something to do with the dire, no sunlight, reverb coated sound, but it just might be Disappears have finally hit the gloomy sweet spot in their minimal chord rock n roll. "Era" for sure is gonna make some year end lists, and you can bet we'll be spinning this one til their fifth annual report. FURIOUSLY RECOMMENDED!!!!!!
The Death Waltz folks unveil another drool worthy release with this deluxe edition of The Fog soundtrack by horror legend John Carpenter. We'll let the Death Waltz peeps fill in the gaps:
"Death Waltz is set to release a double vinyl album of The Fog which includes the original movie score as released in 1984, along with a bonus vinyl including all of the original movie cues which have never been made available on vinyl before. The Fog was JOHN CARPENTER’s first film after the low-budget success of Halloween, and tells the story of a small North California fishing town terrorized by a glowing supernatural fog containing the vengeful ghosts of six murdered lepers. Like most of Carpenter’s films, the score was written by the director himself, and built on the more simplistic piano melody and synthesizer combination of the iconic Halloween score, to create something much more abstract and foreboding. Album cover art is by DINOS CHAPMAN—yes the Dinos Chapman: as an internationally renowned solo artist, and together with his brother Jake, Dinos Chapman makes iconoclastic sculpture, prints and installations that examine, with searing wit and energy, contemporary politics, religion and morality. The Chapman's have exhibited extensively, including numerous shows at White Cube, Tate Britain, and Tate Liverpool."
Horror movie soundtrack fans best grip this one immediately as it is a classic amongst the genre. Goosebump inducing synthesizers, menacing bass tones and eerie piano melodies pervade throughout the entirety of this soundtrack and the second LP contains all the movie cues, which have never been on vinyl ever! Can you say collector's item? These records have been lovingly assembled with the greatest care and attention to detail, seriously once you feast your eyes on these beautys in person you'll see that these truly a work of art. Fans of Goblin, Umberto and Ensemble Economique will definitely want to take note, but you prolly already knew that since John Carpenter is the OG when it comes to terrifying and beautiful soundtrack music. Super Recommended.
SWEET as pie reissue of Hackamore Brick's lone full-length effort "One Kiss Leads To Another", originally released on Kama Sutra in 1970 and reissued here by Ohio label Real Gone Music! We've got the chapstick and the kissin' booth all ready, so here's the real deal from Real Gone:
"What makes a record a true cult classic? First, it must be released to a modicum of critical acclaim but zero commercial success. Second, in almost all cases the artists behind the release have to disappear immediately into obscurity. And third, over the course of decades, a dedicated core of record collectors, critics and true believers must spread the word about the album in question. Well, by those standards, New York band Hackamore Brick's 1970 LP One Kiss Leads to Another is the cult classic to end all cult classics (the only recent contenders might be Rodriguez's albums Cold Fact and Coming from Reality). Released on the bubblegum-centric Kama Sutra label to positive reactions from critics ranging from Richard Meltzer to Lenny Kaye, One Kiss sounded very different from anything else on the label or, for that matter, anything else on the 1970 music scene; often cited as the first post-Velvet Underground album, it does indeed provoke comparison's to VU's third, self-titled record and Loaded as well as other descendants like the Modern Lovers and Television. But the country-ish harmonies of vocalists Tommy Moonlight and Chick Newman lend the record a sound not unlike any number of current alternative 'beard rock' bands plying their wares, and the discursive lyrics recall the Kinks. In short, One Kiss Leads to Another passes the fourth and hardest test of cult classic- dom, which is to remain relevant into the present, even though Moonlight and Newman didn't record another note together as Hackamore Brick until 2009. Real Gone Music is proud to present this remarkable record on vinyl, with a bonus track, the single side 'Searchin',' added to side one of the release. Liner notes by Tony Rettman featuring quotes from Tommy Moonlight and pictures from the Hackamore Brick archive are featured on the printed inner sleeve."
Chalk it up to yet another great band, making a great record that just never connected with listeners, 'cuz to our ears "One Kiss Leads To Another" is packed with hits! There are definite sonic comparisons to be made to, yes - The Velvet Underground (all four band members freely admit to being members of "The Velvet Underground Appreciation Society") and Modern Lovers, but we're also catching whiffs of the robust and earnest rockin' of The Flamin' Groovies circa Flamingo/Teenage Head, with a few of the tunes mining the country-rockin' harmonies of Loney/Jordan. The songs herein do span a few different styles, ranging from soft-rock, pop, country-rock, to almost new-wave proto-punk but Hackamore Brick somehow find a way to make it all seem natural and nothing ever sounds out of place - we can DEFINITELY dig it. This LP reissue also includes the single-only track "Searchin" as well as killer unseen pics and liners from renowned music journalist Tony Rettman! An all-around SWEEEEEET package and yet another KILLER album rescued from obscurity proving once again that this is a GOLDEN AGE for reissues. A GOLDEN AGE. This album is a goddamn treasure - RECOMMENDED.
ORIGINALS TYPCIALLY SELL FOR $50 OR MORE!
Yahooooo!!!! Bureau B delivers up another long awaited reissue of this 1982 classic! We'll let the Bureau B brains reveal the whole story:
"180 gram LP version with liner notes by Asmus Tietchens. Bureau B reissued this, the first collaborative release by Dieter Moebius and Gerd Beerbohm, originally released by Sky Records in 1982. Moebius is one of the most important protagonists of avant-garde electronic music in Germany. Alongside his bands Kluster/Cluster and Harmonia, he participated in numerous collaborations (with the likes of Brian Eno and Mani Neumeier/Guru Guru). What became of Gerd Beerbohm sadly remains a mystery. The music is electronic avant-garde pop in its most rigorous form. Both of this collaborative duo's albums are important paradigms of so-called proto-techno. Liner notes by Asmus Tietchens."
Bureau B's reissue onslaught of the Sky Records catalog just got another amazing title. Moebius and Beerbohm's 1982 "Strange Music" is compelling album of skittering rhythms, insectoid electronics and avant garde supremacy and Permanent Records staff favorite. Along with acts like Moebius' Cluster, Conrad Schnitzler, Harald Grosskopf and Earthstar Sky Records released album after album of genre defying experimental music that completely changed and challenged how people viewed electronic music. "Strange Music" provides one with a mash of several types of sounds that combine to create a thrilling listening experience. We can't thank the Bureau B folks enough for their unflappable good taste and their timely reissue campaign, here's hoping they keep up the good work. The post-punk'd/dubbed out electronic frenzies found on "Strange Music" will be bringing smiles to your ears for sure! Totally Recommended.
We’re super stoked about this one, y’all. We’ve had the CD version for the longest time, then in 2010 we finally were able to have Parson Sound on vinyl through this very box. This box set unfortunately and rightfully disappeared faily quickly in 2010, now fortunately not to much farther down the road in 2013, we have it once again. Which means you too can have it once again. You’ll read below, prior to this release, Parson Sound has never issued any of their recordings on wax. Subliminal Sounds is the label behind this one and we consider them the authority on Swedish psych. Here’s their word:
"Finally out on vinyl! Deluxe triple LP box set in a limited edition of 1,000 copies worldwide. A spectacular archival package of primitive drone and minimalist rock/trance/psych from the Swedish underground -- believe the hype as follows; one of the most memorable audio documents ever. After years of research, Subliminal Sounds is proud to present the nucleus of the Swedish 1960s-'70s underground psych rock scene: the legendary Pärson Sound. This deluxe 3LP box set presents the most remarkable Swedish underground band, known in a later incarnation and continuation as International Harvester and Träd, Gräs och Stenar (trans. "Trees, Grass and Stones"), and features both intricate studio recordings and orgiastic live performances. Pärson Sound never released any records in their time and that is why very few have heard about them at all. The recordings date from 1967-1968 while the band explored unknown musical territory as well as inner- and outer space. In 1968, they were invited by Andy Warhol to play at the opening of his exhibition: "Screens, Films, Boxes, Clouds and a Book" at the Museum of Modern Art in Stockholm and they also opened for The Doors. Influenced by the musical concepts of Terry Riley, Pärson Sound worked at discovering and perfecting their own unique approach towards the mixing of rock and minimalism, creating some of the most remarkable psych- trance-drone-pre-noise music-rock sounds ever recorded. Pärson Sound's music described contexts, interplay and organic growth and shaped a conception of the world in opposition to fragmentation, individual achievements and intellectual construction. This world was to be perceived as one body, a whole of inviolable parts. Their minimalist repetition with slight changes renders associations with slow growth, cyclic process, breathing, pulse, life, movement and machines. This persistent repetition also gives the listener an opportunity to discover the sounds, to meditate, to go into the music and join the same journey. Many times, one can discover a relationship with music of other cultures, and in comparison, the music of the Western world can feel cursory, unreliable -- as a fear of entering deep into feeling. Pärson Sound's compositions often consist of harsh structures -- rhythm patterns with ostinato bass, a melodic figure which forms a base for improvisation. Other songs have a more thoroughly-elaborated structure that still leaves room for variation. The moment, the audience, the location formed their music. Their key phrase was "We, Here and Now!" and with time, the music came to have an increasingly religious or shamanistic streak, with more intensity, presence and warmth, striving for euphoria and ecstasy. The band's psychedelic approach is so fresh and vital that it transcends time. Listen to it now! A 3LP with informative, revised liner notes in English and lots of photos."
We realize that’s a lot of text to contend with, but we didn’t want to edit Subliminal Sounds. What they say is true. These are “some of the most remarkable psych- trance-drone-pre-noise music-rock sounds ever recorded.” Fans of krautrock, especially the best sides of Can, Amon Duul II and Faust, will definitely want pick this up before it disappears. We realize that this box set is on the expensive side, but we repeat, these are the only Parson Sound recordings legitimately preserved to wax and they are some of the best. Needless to say, it’s well worth the import price. Highly recommended.
EDITION OF 320
Genesis P-Orridge and company blast out 2 dead up perfect Hawkwind covers! Eschewing their penchant for mutating and manipulating sounds into art fueled subtle debauchery Psychic TV plows out the jams with straight ahead cover versions of 2 mega classic Hawkwind tunes. "Silver Machine" has all the furious guitar shredding and unhinged speedfreak energy as the original and "Hurry On Sundown" matches the hippy dippy splendor of Hawkwind's very first single! The Angry Love Productions label lovingly pressed up 320 copies of this single on recycled colored vinyl with a picture sleeve. Act quick cuz these were BORN TO GO! Mega Recommended.
Tape - Mad Nanna/Bibs - Tour Split - $4.99 - BUY
We scored a tiny tiny batch of this mega limited "tour only" split cassette when Australia's Mad Nanna and Detroit's The Bibs played the Chicago shop in the summer of 2013. The Mad Nanna side finds the gang doling out a live droning alien un-rock number in the vein of Dead C or Shadow Ring entitled "Farewell Gig" (let's hope that's not the case) whilst on the flip The Bibs are supplying their brand of lo-fi inhalant rock in the style of Xpressway/Messthetics et al. They've offered up one original and tossed in a cover of Mike Rep and Tommy Jay's "Pop Another Pill" for good measure. Brought to you by the fine folks at All Gone Records that brought you the Roachclip LP and the Mole House single. There's only but scant few to go round so snatch 'em up quick before they are gone for good.
