Permanent Records Update 6.23.14

LP - Parka Bruthuz UK - ^H - $11.99 - BUY - LISTEN

We've been blowin' through those Pentaject Corporation LPs lately and since we got them directly from the band it's no surprise really that those folks hipped us to this mysterious Chicago duo that features a member of Pentaject. 

Parka Bruthuz is a collaborative effort between two individuals with wildly exciting musical tastes.  This music is utterly unique; totally far-out weirdness while simultaneously super catchy.  Strange synth-pop fuses with psyched out guitar effects, pulsing beats, sexy bass lines, looped oddities and some eerie almost whispered vocals to create some truly original sounds.   Circuit bent electro industrial funk that is lush, hypnotic and cool as a cucumber!

It's really hard to compare Parka Bruthuz to other groups but if you dig stuff like Can, Bowie/Eno years, ONO, Yellow Magic Orchestra, Cheveu, Gonjasufi, Smalts or Residents/Ralph Records then you should definitely check out Parka Bruthuz pronto.  Some truly fried weirdo outsider tunes for the strangest of trips.  "^H" is Parka Bruthuz second album originally released in 2010.  Massively Recommended.

LP - Dentists - Some People Are On The Pitch They Think It's All Over It Is Now (Black vinyl) - $13.99 - BUY - LISTEN

BACK IN PRINT!!!

Holy Cow!  The lovely ones over at Trouble In Mind have gone and reissued a loooooong overdue U.K. pop masterpiece.  Get the full story direct from the label babes:

"Trouble In Mind is honored to be reissuing this remastered version of U.K. band The Dentists’ debut album from 1985, “Some People Are On The Pitch They Think It’s All Over It Is Now” - available for the first time on vinyl since its original issue!
The Dentists emerged from the infamous “Medway” scene that had already spawned The Prisoners and Billy Childish’s band, The Milkshakes - whose raw sound and stage craft played a crucial role in molding the band’s ferocity.
The Dentists set themselves apart early on, not content with only drawing upon the sixties for inspiration, they looked to current bands like The Smiths and R.E.M. as kindered congwriting spirits, but as guitarist Bob Collin’s says, ”we thought they were getting the sound all wrong”. After releasing their debut single in 1985, the band quickly followed it up with this stunner of a long-player, fusing the aggression of British post-punk with the burgeoning jangle of the eighties underground rock scene and the band’s core, paisley-tinted influences of The Beatles, Love and The Byrds.
This 2013 edition of “Some People Are On The Pitch...” has been lovingly remastered from the original tapes by Jason Ward at Chicago Mastering Service and pressed onto 150gm vinyl and housed in a near-faithful re-creation of the original jacket. Long live The Dentists!"

Brush-brush-brush… brush-brush-brush…ggrrrrr MAD DOG!  Hee Hee!!!  Around every turn the Trouble in Mind label continues to blow our collective minds here and this new reissue of the Dentists debut is yet further proof of the quality TiM is sportin'.  This remastered edition is the first domestic pressing ever and the first time it's been in print on vinyl since its original release in 1985!  They've hand delivered this amazing reissue for a whole new generation of listeners and for that we thank them wholeheartedly!  Our bottom libbups are in our labbups! Recommended three times a day along with flossing!

LP - Frantix - My Dads A Fuckin Alcoholic - $13.99 - BUY - LISTEN

Incredibly SWEET and absolutely necessary anthology of Denver, Colorado punk pioneers Frantix recorded output! Alternative Tentacles have done the world a favor by collecting the tunes here, so crack a sixer and kick back a pint of what AT's pouring:

"Aurora’s Frantix transfixed the early 1980s Colorado punk scene with their unique sound and chaotic live show, releasing just two 7-inch EPs before evolving into the equally renowned grunge band The Fluid, Sub Pop’s first non-Seattle signing who helped lead the label’s grunge invasion of the mainstream. The group’s complete recorded works—both EPs plus rare, unreleased and great-sounding demo and live material—are collected here, most tracks appearing on vinyl for the first time ever. Though many people mistakenly believe that Mudhoney’s well-known version of “My Dad’s a Fuckin’ Alcoholic” is an original, this is the true KBD classic! The mix of Ricky Kulwicki’s unstoppable, lava-flow guitar, Matt Bischoff’s droning, carpet-bombing bass, Davey Stewart’s train-wreck drums, and Marc Deaton’s teenage-zombie vocals is downright legendary. Frantix were never just hardcore, and one can hear it on their very first recordings from 1980: beneath the songs’ amphetamine stutter and sonic tachycardia are strands of rock ’n’ roll DNA belonging to Johnny Thunders and Keith Richards. “Dancin’ to Punk” and “FM Ear” are smeared with lipstick traces of the Modern Lovers. The classic “My Dad’s a Fuckin’ Alcoholic,” equal parts Black Flag and Flipper with a touch of the New York Dolls, sports a simple but unforgettable bass riff and sing-along chorus and was a local favorite that grew to national underground prominence after its original release. Frantix shared the stage with national acts and punk legends like Black Flag, TSOL, Circle Jerks and Dead Kennedys." - Alternative Tentacles

Most will know their KBD Vol. 6 "hit" 'My Dad's a Fuckin' Alcoholic', but the remainder of the tunes are worth a listen or twelve! Earworms like "FM Ear", "Dancin' To Punk" and "My Dad's Dead" (lotsa daddy issues in play here - ha!) will stick in your brainhole for weeks after! Given Denver's proximity to California, it's no surprise to hear the influence of Seventies/Eighties San Fran and Los Angeles punk on the band's sound, with echoes of Flipper, Black Flag, The Weirdos, The Dicks (Cali-version) all rearing their heads; damaged, feral and ugly.

LP - Radar Men From The Moon - Strange Wave Galore - Import - $29.99 - BUY - LISTEN

BLACK AND WHITE SPLATTER VINYL

Netherlandish spacerockonauts have returned in their silver machine with another brilliant batch of sonic assaults.  Once again brought to you by the fine folks at Fuzz Club Records, Radar Men From The Moon unleash seven cuts of searing cosmic heaviness on "Strange Wave Galore" and we have been spinning it non-stop round the shops.  We were over the moon for Radar Men From The Moon's "Echo Forever" and now they've upped their game and return to the fold with another killer album of instrumental space rock insanity.  Blazing guitars, burly bass tones, spiraling electronics all held together by a pusling motorik beat makes for a thrilling journey to the outer reaches of furthest galaxies to say the least.  So paddle out and hop on board the "Strange Wave Galore"; you'll be glad you did.  If you dig the far out sounds of White Hills, Cave, Hawkwind, Telescopes, Oneida and Mugstar then grab a copy of "Strange Wave Galore" pronto!  Pressed up on beautiful black and white splattered wax and ready to blast off these are sure to be gone very very quickly so get to the gettin'.  Savagely Recommended.

LP - Robert Turman - Three Parts - Import - $24.99 - BUY - LISTEN

The Cejero Records folks have pressed up a beauty of a release with this never before available material from P-Rex fave Robert Turman.  Here's what the label is supplying:

“Now the previously unreleased material recorded in El Cajon, California, 1991 is ready for release via Denmark’s Cejero. The three pieces are among Turman’s most hypnotic and sparse recordings. Layers of mystical tones wind in and out of each other in off-center patterns, creating a simple, yet spatial and truly unique atmosphere. No one but Robert Turman could have created this music.” – Cejero

We lost our minds over previous Turman release "Way Down" reissued by both Dais and Burka For Everybody and now to get another installment of Robert Turman's unique minimal synth workings is a total joy round these parts.  "Three Parts" is just that, three tracks titled only by the time of their duration that slither and glide into ethereal dark washes of intertwining harmonic hypnosis.  And although all tracks are beatless, they still flutter and pulse with churning repetitive rhythms supplied by arpeggiating overlapping keywork while laser-like drones quibble overtop.  Any and all fans of Bitchin Bajas, Terry Riley, Klaus Schulze, Chris Carter and Cabaret Voltaire take notice!  Super Recommended.

LP - Tobacco - Ultima II Massage - Yellow Vinyl 2xLP - $17.99 - BUY - LISTEN

Ghostly International welcomes Tobacco back to the fold with "Ultima II Massage" and here's what their saying about this special occasion:

"On his third album, TOBACCO, the Pennsylvania snake-synth-charmer deepens his approach to aural depravity. At 17 tracks, Ultima is stacked with beautifully perverse hits - from the sickly sticky Eruption, to the wobbly demon swaggerer Face Breakout, to the distorted punk spazz of Dipsmack, to the apocalyptic sepia ambience of Spitlord. You may hear disembodied bits of Boards of Canada, early Def Jam records, and Gary Numan, or maybe just public-access TV and bad VHS dubs of '80s horror flicks. Or the sun exploding and everything you've ever loved melting.
"This might be my most purposely difficult album yet," he says, "but I promise if you let it in, it can fuck you up."
Ultima II Massage. No happy ending."

It's been a hot minute since Tobacco last tweaked our brain his signature weirdness and "Ultima II Massage" shows that he's lost none of his patentedly unique je ne sais quoi.  These 17 tracks are 45 minutes of digital smears, video game glitch dance party, vocoder invocations, scotch guard huff fest and given the chance this album will permanently alter yer dome.  Do It!

 

LP - Gas Rag - Beats Off - $13.99 - BUY - LISTEN

Beach Impediment Records wrangled the unruly beasts in Gas Rag into recording a full length, named "Beats Off" and if you blink you might just miss it.  So read on:

"The anarcho-prostitutes of Chicago's GAS RAG return with the "BEATS OFF" LP, featuring 11 more tracks of the hardcore punk that you dingles have come to know them for. Following up the "HUMAN RIGHTS" EP (and their demo "Six Track EP") that lit up all the interwebs and print media rags with a plethora of praise and hate from all kinds of bloggers, "music journalists," and other assorted dimwits; the gang is back with their first 12" that continues to pay homage to their Midwestern homeland whilst sending warm regards to the distant land of Scandinavia all the while churning out a special brand of aggressive rock. This is a platter full of frantic yet tasteful riffs, a savage vocal delivery, and professionally executed pre-teen drumming - producing an end result that will inevitably aid in the listener's self destructive course of choice. Try not to freak the fuck out."

"Beats Off" is one frantic / violent slab of crust / d beat inspired lightspeed punk mayhem, packing 11 songs in under 11 minutes.   Which seems like more of an EP, but we sure don't wanna quibble with these guys.  After all we'll probably just flip this one at least three times every listen.  Fans of local punks, Culo and Sea Of Shit, as well as Profane Existence / Maximum RnR junkies, and those into hardcore punk, powerviolence and thrashcore need some Gas Rag now.  This shit is sick, extremely brutal and WAY FUCKING RECOMMEDED!!!!!!!!  Just don't buy this lp for yer mom!

LP - Dark Matter - Dark Matter - $15.99 - BUY - LISTEN

BRAND NEW album from New Zealand scene veteran (and former member of The Terminals, Victor Dimisich Band & Vacuum) Stephen Cogle! Released on long-time NZ-flag bearer Siltbreeze Records - heed the words of LAX:

"Hold the tidings, reconnoiterers. This is a new set of songs from Stephen Cogle of Vacuum, The Victor Dimisich Band and The Terminals. Dark Matter stands with contemporaries The Renderers and The Puddle in exemplifying a “late” style of New Zealand post-punk—more concrete, more distilled.
Cogle’s vocal flourish stills reminds one of Roxy Music—a band that, recall, is only ten years older than Cogle’s earliest projects. The continued relevance of an ensemble like Dark Matter over Roxy Music can only be attributed to the richness of the musical moment that birthed it. Trusted names like Cogle, John Christoffels, John Billows, Joanne Billesdon, Nicole Moffat and Michael Daly continue into the 21st century in new combinations with new aspects to notice. But more than just an update on the Christchurch Sound, Dark Matter plays with punk nostalgia to craft an overwhelmingly romantic (with a lowercase r) pop record.
Too cat-like to be reflective, totally immersed in the garage rock impetus, their flat, gothic psychedelia is equal parts Chills, Television Personalities and Scientists, with the intimacy of Wreck Small Speakers on Expensive Stereos or Small World Experience. With a breadth of material fitting to the subject of “getting older,” Dark Matter is perhaps the most finessed document of Cogle’s vision yet."

While we hesitate to call this a more "mature" outing than The Terminals or Victor Dimisich Band, as both were from a more learned or "intellectual" perspective (at least lyrically), but there's definitely an air of stately reserve about this self-titled affair. The Roxy Music comparison is apt, particularly in Cogle's vocal delivery, but many of the songs jangle & sway heavy in the air like those mid-tempo Roxy burners.  We're diggin it hard. It's on Siltbreeze, so it's pretty much a no-brainer that you need this. RECOMMENDED to the maxxx.

7in - Neil Norman - Phaser Laser b/w With You My Love - Original Stock - $9.99 - BUY - LISTEN

Garage and mutant rock junkies take note cuz we've scored ANOTHER KILLER BATCH OF ORIGINAL DEADSTOCK SINGLES, this time from LA's Neil Norman.  And trust us yer gonna need to grab both "Phaser Laser b/w With You My Love" and "Wild Boys b/w Tits From Mars" ASAP.   But for a little backstory of Mr Norman, Pure Pop UK has us covered -
 
"The son of GNP Crescendo founder, Gene Norman, Neil was given proverbial free reign over the empire that Pushin’ Too Hard built. And what’s the first thing he goes and does, but pal & partner up with Kim Fowley! Boy oh boy…kids today!
After recording his first single, Phaser Laser, an epic of damaged Alice Cooper rock/horror and suggested violence, Neil decided to give the king of Canter’s Deli a try at penning some tunes. As always, Kim wrote about what he knew. Fresh off the heels of recording as Jimmy Jukebox, Kim fired back with ‘Wild Boys’ - a fairly typical, Fowley-esque, grope-trope of perpetually erect males wreaking havoc across a vulnerable, all-female city-scape that is rocketed to the stratosphere via Neil’s fine, Punky, lead fuzz break.
And it’s in the upper atmosphere we stay for the instrumental b-side, Tits From Mars. Stinking all over of residual Barrett fumes or possibly presaging the coming of Simply Saucer, ‘Tits’ is an oppressive, Mandrax messterpiece. Instellar Overdive’ meets The Nazz Are Blue according to one learned scholar of such things." - purepop1uk.blogpsot.com

"Phaser Laser" just might be that missing link between Sky Saxon's unruly band of Seeds and Alice Cooper's glammed out damage.  Equal parts art bent garage and scuzzy Sunset trash rock, fans of Simply Saucer, Chocolate Watch Band, Electric Prunes and George Brigman and the like need to start getting stoked now.  We didn't even know this single existed til we got our hands on some.  "Phaser Laser" got comped on "Sklash- Rare Tracks From The Psychedelic Area" in the early 80s, but that is the one and only time these tracks have ever popped up.  And we certainly don't know why, cuz both songs on this 45 are early LA psych / proto punk rippers!!!! These songs shoulda made Neil Norman a household name, but at least now you can grab a NEW copy of this way hard to find single.  Don't sleep on it.  RECOMMENDED LIKE A MOTHER!!!!!!!!!!!

Permanent Records Update 6.16.14

LP - Zig Zags - Zig Zags (Limited Colored Vinyl) - $19.99- BUY - LISTEN

We're big BIG TIME Zig-Zag's fans over here at the shop for a while now, gripping every copy of their singles one-by-one and we're STOKED to see this new full-length out NOW on one of our fave labels In The Red Records! Ride the lightning courtesy of the erudite heshers o'er at ITR:

"In the year 2014, in the ruins of the city once known as Los Angeles, three underworld dwellers with one job, one hot tub and one unkillable riff between them knew they had to make a ripping record—or die trying. This is their story.
Guitarist Jed, bassist Patrick and drummer Bobby started in a room lit by a single green light, which changed them from humans to Zig Zags in the summer of 2010. Within the next four years, they’d record a song with Iggy Pop and an album with Ty Segall and go from playing house parties for pizza to staring off the stage at the Fillmore West. Before them had come giants—bands like Kiss and Sabbath whose names were carved into desks in detention for decades. Before them had come mutants, heavy metal and punk bands like the Dictators and Pentagram that spun into the void of history after failed orbital rendezvous with the fame they’d deserved. And before them had come freaks, one-known-copy private-press insanities like J.T. IV, White Boy and the Average Rat Band—the bands that happened when someone with a guitar thought fuck it loud enough for the tape to pick up. Those were visionaries, each of them, even if most of them paid—or never got paid—for it.
And Zig Zags had a vision, too. It was a dark and weird one, the kind of thing you see flickering on the monitor when your stolen spaceship wakes you up from cryo-sleep, or the kind of thing that flashes across the inside of your forehead when you wake up hungover from sleeping in your van. Theirs was the nightmare of the insane and the all-too-normal, the Bermuda Triangle between sci-fi and lo-fi and no-budget, the Twilight Zone twist ending where it turns out everyone else was an alien the whole time.
When Cliff Burton wore that Misfits shirt—Zig Zags. When the Emergency Broadcast System interrupts that John Carpenter movie—Zig Zags. When a soggy pile of Thrasher mags and Jack Kirby comics spill out of a dumpster behind the Sunday School—Zig Zags. When the Ramones were scared of the basement and the Angry Samoans couldn’t find the right side of their mind—Zig Zags. When a kid breaks his elbow copying a WWF heel’s piledriver and starts laughing instead of crying—Zig Zags. And when the electricity goes off forever and torchlight reflects off chrome—Zig Zags.
All of this and more becomes real on the Zig Zags’ self-titled debut LP, recorded and produced by Ty Segall for In The Red. In twelve songs, they chainsaw through weirdo film and caveman rock and space noise and make smart sound so dumb it turns inside-out and becomes brilliant. Their very first 7-inch had a song called “Scavenger” cuz that’s what Zig Zags do—dig through garbage to find genius. In 2014, it turns out they did make their ripping record. But it’s up to you to figure out the twist ending."

With riff after riff these dudes scratch our sweet spots with denim-decked, speed-soaked thrash. This is real rock made by real weirdos, not some product-placed sponsor-rock - we're talkin' greasy haired, pock-faced, comic-book readin', socially awkward, misanthropic losers. Their s/t album sits pretty right in that zone when punk and thrash were riding stallions side-by-side, geeking out on rocking out to tunes about sci-fi and monsters, barbarians and dystopian futures, with the Zig-Zags head-banging mercilessly like they're the house band at the Thunderdome! Recorded to scuzzy perfection by Ty Segall too! These are the LIMITED to 200 TOKE-SMOKE CLEAR WAX VERSIONS, so don't snooze or you will LOSE. GUARANTEED. This shit rules. RECOMMENDED!!!!

7in - Zig Zags - Brainded Warrior (Limited Colored Vinyl) - $5.99- BUY - LISTEN

HOO BABY - a brand new single from PRex shop faves The Zig-Zags, this time on their new home of In The Red Records! We've got the 411 straight from music-info site Pitchfork, who previewed "Brainded Warrior":

"On their forthcoming 7", Los Angeles' Zig Zags have delivered a potent dose of galloping, cartoonishly vicious rock'n'roll—material previously perfected by bands like Motörhead and Megadeth. Over chugging, scuzzy guitars, vocals arrive with a biting, demonic, over-enunciated urgency. "Try to run, try to hide," they sing, but it's futile: "You're all gonna die!" And impressively, it's a song that follows a few detours before they wrap it up—they slow jam an alternate, palm-muted melody (in the vein of "Seek & Destroy") over an impressive bass groove. It's a bruiser recorded by fellow Lemmy disciple Ty Segall at his Los Angeles studio Sweat Lodge, and there's a full LP of Segall-recorded Zig Zags songs coming later this year."

"Branded Warrior" is pure NWOBM-cum-Motorhead riffery, with shredding guitars and hot-wired vocals, while the flipside "So Stoned" is a dum-dum choogler that would make Iggy wet his short shorts (if he hasn't already). This is a no-brainer ya'll grip this and grip it TITE. RECOMMENDED. Oh - and did we mention we have the LIMITED RED WAX? Well we do.

LP - Alice Coltrane - A Monastic Trio (2014 Superior Viaduct Reissue) - $21.99 - BUY - LISTEN

Superior Viaduct continues their all killer no filler reissue hit streak with Alice Coltrane's debut lp "Monastic Trio."   YES!!!!  You might be as stoked as we are already, but read on -
 
"Born Alice McLeod into a musical Detroit family, Alice Coltrane began playing piano at age seven and later studied with Bud Powell in Paris. Upon returning to the States, she joined vibraphonist Terry Gibbs’s group and eventually shared a bill with the John Coltrane Quartet. In 1965, the two wed in Juárez, Mexico, and played alongside one another until her husband’s last performance in May, 1967.  A Monastic Trio, created in the year following her husband’s passing, is Coltrane’s first recording as a band leader and features six original compositions. While John’s spirit can be felt throughout—from the song titles (“Ohnedaruth” was his adopted Hindu name) to the personnel (Jimmy Garrison, Rashied Ali, and Pharoah Sanders were frequent collaborators)—the album showcases Alice’s immense talent for fusing spiritual free jazz and new age with classical, Eastern, post-bop and gospel. As the late Amiri Baraka writes, “‘I Want to See You’ is a monastic piano concerto. With echoes of Europe..., it has a solemnity and majesty to it.... Yes, monastic is the word. The piano broods in its earth imagination.” - Superior Viaduct

Out of all the Alice Coltrane albums this might just be the best and certainly the most difficult to track down.  Originals regularly go for over $50 and even at that price, they're gone before you blink.  And you wanna know why?  Cuz "Monastic Trio" is on another plane altogether.  Part spiritual awakening, part free jazz, Alice Coltrane's first lp as a leader is quite the mind blowing statement.  On the first track she's backed by Pharoah Sanders, Ben RIley and Jimmy Garrison, and on the rest of the lp, the trio is her, Rashied Ali and Jimmy Garrison again.   A couple of fiery, in sync lineups, that had plenty of time together in John Coltrane's band blazing new trails in jazz, and here they do the same.  "Monastic Trio" showcases Alice's way out their piano and introduces the world to her mesmerizing harp chops, and shows she was always more than a back up player.  We could and might just listen to this lp all day long at the shop.  And we promise you will too, now that Superior Viaduct has put it back on wax where it belongs.  MYSTICALLY RECOMMENDED!!!!!!!!!!

LP - Pye Corner Audio - Black Mill Tapes Volumes 3 And 4 - Import 2xLP - $25.99 - BUY - LISTEN

THANK HEAVENS! Type Records has repressed this VERY EXCELLENT album from Pye Corner Audio that disappeared in one second flat earlier this year when it was originally released! Read the lowdown straight from the label. Don't believe the hype? Well, you best BELIEVE 'DA TYPE:

"Limited repress. Pye Corner Audio corner has finally completed his follow-up to the crushing Black Mill Tapes Volumes 1 & 2, and unsurprisingly it's just as faded as its predecessor. While Volume 3 has been available via the mysterious producer's Bandcamp page, this is the first time Volume 4 has ever been heard, and marks the completion of the series that has catapulted him into acclaim. These two diverse full-lengths have been re-mastered and slotted together on one record, and mark a transitional period in the Head Technician's production history. Eschewing the whimsical ambience of the previous chapters, there's a notable shift into beat-laced darkness on Volumes 3 & 4. "Electronic Rhythm Number Five" is maybe the producer's most obvious nod to classic house yet with its punchy square-wave bass line and dusty disco snare. Elsewhere, we're treated to a slice of sizzling darkwave with "Inside the Wave," and gloomy John Carpenter-influenced rumblings with the sparse "Dystopian Vector Part One." Black Mill Tapes Volumes 3 & 4 is yet another expertly-crafted collection of electronic vignettes, handled by a producer whose veteran's touch can be heard in each note. This is the soundtrack to the flickering neon light outside your bedroom window, and should be approached with caution. Mastered and cut by Matt Colton at Alchemy. "

"Black Mill Tapes 3 & 4" definitely lays it all out from song #1 - dark, claustrophobic electronic earworms that pulse, squiggle and throb, whetting our whistle for mellow, darkwave electro and any other, more esoteric electronic itches we might have. We're not sure how Pye Corner Audio's mysterious "head technician" is able to conjure up the spirit of Tangerine Dream, BBC Radiophonic Workshop, Boards of Canada, John Carpenter and "Autobahn"-era Kraftwerk in one sitting, but it's all there. We're also getting the same sorta vibe we got from the "Drive" soundtrack (but without the 80's kitsch-iness). The mysterious nature of the artist most likely lends the more "studious" nature to these tunes, but rest assured there's more than enough throb for all you beat-heads out there. This guy also has an album out on Ghost Box, so that should give you some idea of where he's coming from. We're digging this one a whole helluva lot, and since the first pressing disappeared quicker than we could even grab some, so we'd recommend you snag this limited repress REAL QUICK. This one gets our HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION. Get it!

Permanent Records Update 6.10.14

LP - Black Bombaim - Far Out - Import - $19.99 - BUY - LISTEN

KILLER NEW PSYCH JAMS ON CARDINAL FUZZ!!!

Our reissue of Black Bombaim's first lp "Saturdays and Space Travels" for RSD didn't quite quench our thirst for their interstellar psych jams, but we're all in luck cuz Cardinal Fuzz Records just released their brand new third album, "Far Out."  YES!  We couldn't be more stoked!!!!!

"Far Out" is the summing up of all their travels, and the true identity of a unique band in Portugal. A band that bases its history on being on the road, while meeting different people and exchanging views and experiences. "Far Out" is an improved recipe, cooked over time in trial and error. Most of all, it reflects three guys who grew up together playing a certain kind of rock. "Africa II", as the title suggests, finds them in the mother continent and is an ingenious way to resume both the band’s legacy and career, as well as setting up an instruction manual for this kind of music. With virtuous Lisbon based Rodrigo Amado blistering the tenor saxophone with melody breaks and improvisation, in one song only Black Bombaim seem to converge various points of view in which we categorize them, such as explored by the likes of Maserati, Causa Sui, the indescribable Earthless and in a certain way, deliberate or purely casual, Electric Masada.

The second and final track, slightly sloping towards the Middle-East, is a clear demonstration of energy, following the challenge set by "Titans", their previous release. With the contribution of Luis Fernandes, aka "The Astroboy", the band mixes infectious guitars, dynamic drums and a dense bass with the Astroboy’s master touch, enforcing its modular synthesizer in the echoes and voids of these eighteen minutes of music.

So far, you have realized that I am biased writing about this band, but the truth is that Black Bombaim have returned with a new album. This fact alone will save a list of accolades for many people who have become accustomed, naturally, to the quality level of these three dudes. Paulo, Ricardo and Tojo, did it again. To conclude, I'll leave you with a sentence that I wrote in 2012 for the previous album, "Black Bombaim are the ultimate instinct of playing music on its primary spectrum, the skeleton and flesh of this album in blood transfusion with every guest'. - Manuel A. Fernandes

Yeah these are some powerful freak out jams!!!!!   Black Bombaim must've locked themselves in their practice space and played to their fingers bled, cuz "Far Out" is some in sync, mind destroying improvisational psych rock.  Fiery as the best of early Hawkwind, as mind melting as "Fun House" era Stooges, as locked in the groove as White Hills and as all out assaulting on the senses of Assemble Head Of The Sunburst Hand, Verma or Comets On Fire.  Manic guitar solos undergirded by a propulsive rhythm section, some wailing sax and some kosmische synth, all building up to two soaring lysergic / feedback caked climaxes, each that'll leave you and yer stereo completely and utterly transformed.  "Far Out" is right and with this new lp Black Bombaim delve further into the outer realms then most would dare.  And that gets a HIGH FIVE FROM US AND RECOMMENDATION TIMES INFINITY!!!!!!!!!

2xLP - You're Smiling Now But We'll All Turn Into Demons - Contact High - Import  - $31.99 - BUY - LISTEN

KILLER NEW PSYCH JAMS ON CARDINAL FUZZ!!!

Cardinal Fuzz is one a helluva roll and one of their newest and most dear to their heart releases is the double lp reissue of You're Smiling Now But We'll All Turn Into Demons' 2009 album "Contact High":

"One of the main reasons we at Cardinal Fuzz entered the choppy waters of record making was with the sole intention of doing justice to this gloriously fuzzy psych/garage monster on the format it truly belongs – 2 slabs of vinyl. Originally released on CD by Function Records in 2009, Contact High is a rhapsody of thundering biker fuzz evangelizing! Naming themselves after a late night TV programme about Japanese female wrestlers, You're Smiling Now But We'll All Turn Into Demons carved a name out for themselves a force to be reckoned with.
Over 4 sides of vinyl, The Demons bring forth massive grooves and dreamy vocals shot through with wah wah, tremolo and fuzz mania - sounding not unlike Blue Cheer, Black Sabbath and Mudhoney stuck in a revolving door. Sides C and D are given over to one track on each side, both of which are psychedelic dirges that channel Hawkwind at their most strung out collapsing into a blizzard of wah wah and fuzz chaos. For the first time includes a new track ‘The Plague’"

YES, we're sure glad the folks at Cardinal Fuzz got this Demon's album onto wax where it belongs.  "Contact High" is four epic sides of fuzzed out / supercharged psychedelia that leans on the greats and might just bust through to the front of the current line of go-to psych bands.  You got yer Blue Cheer riffs, yer Flower Travellin Band extendo jams, Pink Fairies' interstellar drive and plenty of guitar droning feedback that'll make Earthless, and the Heads jealous.  So yeah fans of Fuzz, Acid Mothers Temple, Hawkwind, Black Bombaim, Naam and Amon Duul take note!!!!  We mean it.   Everything is gonna get better once you get "Contact High."  RIGHTEOUSLY RECOMMENDED!!!!!!!!!

LP - Mugstar - Sun Broken - Import - $21.99 - BUY - LISTEN

KILLER NEW PSYCH JAMS ON CARDINAL FUZZ!!!

The almighty Mugstar has been turning heads (and turning "Heads" on) for years now and their latest is on U.K. label Cardinal Fuzz (who are on a HOT STREAK, we tells ya); a VINYL reissue of their 2010 (CD only) album 'Sun Broken'. Stand at attention & heed the words of the Cardinal:

"Over the past year Cardinal Fuzz has brought you some great original releases. However, there are a few releases that for one reason or another never made it onto vinyl. If there is one album that deserves the Cardinal Fuzz vinyl treatment then it would surely be Sun, Broken by Mugstar.
Mugstar are without a shadow of a doubt THE premier space rock act in the United Kingdom, if not the world. Their potent brew of punishing riffing, krautrock grooves, clattering surf guitar and post punk urgency all filtered through an intergalactic pulse has ensured them a place on all the major psych-rock festivals throughout Europe.  Sun, Broken was originally released on Important Records in 2010 – but contains songs that are still staples in their set to this day. From the neuron destroying opener ‘Ouroborous’ , all the way through to the spacefaring ‘Furklausundbo’, Sun,Broken offers no let up from start to finish .
Released on stunning intergalactic black/white swirl and housed in a redesigned embossed cover printed in metallic ink with hand numbered insert all designed by longtime Mugstar cohort, Sam Weihl – this could well be the re-release of the year!"

A true stunner - even in the canon of Mugstar's already stellar oeuvre of heady, cosmic riffage! The A-side starts off real mellowand& ambient, before settling into a comfortable mid-tempo, repetitive groove (not unlike local heroes Cave), but the B-side really knocks it home - lurching off the platter with "Labrador Hatchet" - an organ-drenched, prog-tinged beast of a track and doesn't really stop from there. Six tracks in all, but you know - it's Mugstar, so those tracks are 5-6 minutes each! A stellar band that really gets very little props (at least in the U.S.) - limited to 500 copies on glorious white/black haze vinyl - sweet revised album art too! All-in-all beautiful package! GRAB THEM CAKES NOW before it's all sold out (and it WILL sell out). RECOMMENDED!

LP - Oscillation - Cable Street Sessions - Import - $19.99 - BUY - LISTEN

KILLER NEW PSYCH JAMS ON CARDINAL FUZZ!!!

New EP from U.K. psych act The Oscillation, released by the killer Cardinal Fuzz label! Read on:

"Hot on the heels of last year’s "From Tomorrow" LP, which saw The Oscillation continue their progressive mutation into one of the most hallucinogenic bands on the scene today, The Cable Street Sessions adds a further shot in the arm to these claims. Anybody who has managed to catch The Oscillation live will confirm that their brand of liquid psyche is some of the heaviest and best kraut-a-delic music out there.

Although The Oscillation was originally the brainchild of Demian Castellanos, he is now joined full time by the rhythm section of long time cohorts - bassist Tom Relleen and drummer Valentina Magaletti. The Cable Street Sessions gives extra breadth and depth to the rhythm section, allowing their telepathic improvisations to drive a pulsing miasma under Demian Castellanos’s unholy hail of effects. All too often bands are tagged with references made to Can, Pink Floyd and Spacemen 3 but here on these live in session tracks The Oscillation meld that holy grail together on a trip to the outer limits.
Features a cover of The Deviants classic - "Somewhere to Go"

We've had nothing but good things to say about these guys' previous efforts and the "Cable Street Sessions" is no exception - an amazing 4-song head-bopper! The thing we've dug about The Oscillation (and what we feel sets them apart from their fellow U.K. cosmic brethren) is that these guys don't necessarily pull from the "head-down, pedals on" school of psych, there's a real palpable layer of soul in the tunes. Main-man Demian Castellanos has a real knack for letting the grooves breathe a bit, thereby letting the bass guitar in particular really propel the songs forward.  Pepper that with some killer guitar work and beguiling synthesizer noodling and we're sold, baby! Sweet cover of The Deviants' "Somewhere to Go" from their "Disposable" album too! Housed in an amazing-looking mirror-board jacket and limited (of course) - grab this one now before "we told you so"! RECOMMENDED!

LP - Anthroprophh - Precession EP - Import - $19.99 - BUY - LISTEN

KILLER NEW PSYCH JAMS ON CARDINAL FUZZ - LIMITED TO 350 COPIES!!!

New extended play EP from former (current?) Heads guitarist/keyboardist Paul Allen - previously a solo affair, but now augmented to a full-band! Released on the mighty Cardinal Fuzz Records out of the U.K. - read the steez from the Cardinal:

"With Gareth Turner and Jesse Webb (of Big Naturals) now fully assimilated into the line up, Anthroprophh {which was previously Paul Allen of the legendary The Heads’ one man output) are set to release this mind blowing prelude ahead of their upcoming sophomore platter on Rocket Recordings. With Turner and Webb on board, Anthroprophh seem to have become exponentially galactic in proportion with these two tracks, which are exclusive to Cardinal Fuzz.
With these two side long jams, Anthroprophh ploughs even further into deep space as propulsive rhythms of pure lavational joy are crowned with some of Paul A Allens masterful fuzzed out Karoli -esque tones. From the deeply meditative organ mantra reminiscent of Soft Machine and Terry Riley, through to a rhythm heavy Kraut piece that resounds with an occult Cluster vibe, this EP is not to be missed.
Anthroprophh are playing the biggest European Psychedelic events of the year at Eindhoven Psych Lab (June) and Liverpool International Festival of Psychedelia (September) and a new LP is due early Autumn on Rocket Recordings."

If you were lucky enough to snag Anthroprophh's 2013 debut on Rocket Recordings , then you know what's up here; vaguely arcane synthesized organ/guitar grooves, but a more mellow affair overall than the album. Cluster and Terry Riley are touchstones to be sure, but we definitely hear echoes of  Tangerine Dream and This Heat (or even Oneida? Especially when the drums kick in).  SUPER great extended-play 12-inch and well worth it, if only to tide you over 'til their next album later this fall. As with all Cardinal Fuzz releases - this one's pretty f'ing limited (350 copies to be exact) and word on the street is that this might be it, so grab this one QUICK.  RECOMMENDED.

LP - La Piramide Di Sangue - Sette - Import - $19.99 - BUY - LISTEN

LIMITED TO 600 COPIES !!!!!!!

Sound Of Cobra has unearthed another great psych/prog treasure, this time from Italy's La Piramde Di Sangue and their new lp "Sette."  Read on for the mystical details:

"LA PIRAMIDE DI SANGUE - "The bloody pyramid" - is a seven musician ensemble from Torino, Italy. The sound of the band is built on two guitars, two basses, one clarinet, one synth, several effects, drums and percussions.There's a rich history in psychedelic music, and we all know it. The best trip is always the one yet to be embarked upon. And each trip is different from the one before. You can't jump into the same lysergic river twice. Don't even try. Instead, prepare to be washed away by the sonic waves of „Sette“ - a sunbaked stoner trip for both the funky freshman and the psychedelic veteran. The latter may find traces of Santana's "Caravanserai“ or Embryo's "Reise“ when listening - as well as some strong Spiritual Jazz vibes, resembling the Phill Musra Group and the likes. It's all there and much more."

"Sette" seamlessly mixes eastern tinged psychedelia with elements of hard rock, jazz experimentation, European street music and the more occult end of the prog spectrum.  Hints of Agitation Free, Guru Guru, Soft Machine, and Gong all seep through, but with a sort of gypsy krautrock / hippie improv feel.  With seven members, dual guitars, wind instruments, synths and dual drummers, La Piramide Di Sangue's repetitive, droned out, super percussive collective jamming sucks you deep into a trance, one that's hard to shake afterwards.   Astral prog meets Turkish psych maybe? "Sette" defies easy categorization.  And that's a good thing, cuz killer music needs to be challenging.  Fans of Bobby Beausoleil's Orkustra, Ya Ho Wa 13, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Goat, Erkin Koray, Henry Cow and the stranger outliers in the psych / prog / kraut scene in the 70s would do themselves a favor in checking out "Sette."  This one's RECOMMENDED and guaranteed to take you to a higher plane!!!!!!!!

LP - Bent Wind - Sussex - Reissue - $21.99 - BUY - LISTEN

BACK IN STOCK!!!!

Utterly AMAZING psych-rock hailing from the Great White North! Bent Wind blazed bright for a short time in the late Sixties, self-releasing this rager in 1969 before burning out in a cloud of left-handed cigarette smoke. Luckily the SAINTS at Ugly Pop Records have taken it upon themselves to officially reissue this private-press masterpiece for our lucky ear-holes! Read the ugly truth from Ugly Pop right here:

"The Holy Grail of Canadian rock, this raw, murky slab of heavy psych was released by local indie label Trend in autumn 1970 and immediately sank without a trace. Over the decades, however, obsessive fans and collectors of the era's unsung greats gradually came to recognise the obscure Toronto band's genius, the now impossible-to-find original LP eventually trading hands for $5000+ plus in the rare vinyl market. After years of bootlegs, compact discs and pricey European pressings, this mythical Canadian LP is finally available at home in its intended format for the first time in 44 years. Fully authorized high quality pressing licensed direct from Marty Roth. "

Make no mistake - "Sussex" is an absolutely KILLER record that deftly toes the line between Blue Cheer/Sabbath heavy rock-ness and the dark, minor-key, acid-soaked excursions of folks like The Index or The Bachs. These guys really could have been big with some backing (or motivation - whichever was lacking). If you dig wailing guitars and heavy riffage, then this one rightly deserves a spot on your record shelf - we can't stop listening to it!! If you HAPPENED to even see an OG of this one, you'd have to take out a second mortgage just to buy it, but Ugly Pop have made this available again for a pittance, so grab this one now - TOTALLY essential and RECOMMENDED!

LP - Rudimentary Peni - Death Church  - 2014 Official Reissue w/ Original Fold-out Poster Artwork - $24.99 - BUY - LISTEN

OFFICIAL & ESSENTIAL REISSUE WITH FULLY REPLICATED ORIGINAL NICK BLINKO FOLD-OUT POSTER ARTWORK!!!

YES!!! Southern Records and Outer Himalyan have teamed up to reissue Rudimentary Peni's first studio album "Death Church" and we're flipping the fuck out about it!  Rudimentary Peni were an anarcho-punk/deathrock group from the early 80s hailing from the UK.  "Death Church" was originally released on Corpus Christi Records in '83 and is by far their definitive release showcasing RP's utterly unique take on dark tinged UK punk.  Rudimentary Peni had released earlier EPs on Crass Records and were definitely affiliated within the anarcho/squat scene of 80's UK punk scene. Corpus Christi Records was a Crass side label set up with engineer John Loder that released records by UK Decay, Icons of Filth and Crucifix.  Rudinemtay Peni songs deal with macabre rants of sociopolitical issues and autobiographical woes of desperation and their albums feature singer/guitarist Nick Blinko's hand drawn artwork of dark and twisted forms adding to the psychotic feel of the band's overall approach.  Long considered as one of the classic UK punk bands, Rudimentary Peni pulled no punches, as in their scathing track "Rotten To The Core", an indictment of John Lydon and Joe Strummer being hypocrites.  This here reissue comes with original fold out poster artwork and a printed inner sleeve with lyrics, as well as a download code.  Done with plenty of love, just as it should be.  TOTALLY ESSENTIAL AND F'ING RECOMMENDED!!!!!!

LP - Gas Rag - Beats Off - $13.99 - BUY - LISTEN

Beach Impediment Records wrangled the unruly beasts in Gas Rag into recording a full length, named "Beats Off" and if you blink you might just miss it.  So read on:

"The anarcho-prostitutes of Chicago's GAS RAG return with the "BEATS OFF" LP, featuring 11 more tracks of the hardcore punk that you dingles have come to know them for. Following up the "HUMAN RIGHTS" EP (and their demo "Six Track EP") that lit up all the interwebs and print media rags with a plethora of praise and hate from all kinds of bloggers, "music journalists," and other assorted dimwits; the gang is back with their first 12" that continues to pay homage to their Midwestern homeland whilst sending warm regards to the distant land of Scandinavia all the while churning out a special brand of aggressive rock. This is a platter full of frantic yet tasteful riffs, a savage vocal delivery, and professionally executed pre-teen drumming - producing an end result that will inevitably aid in the listener's self destructive course of choice. Try not to freak the fuck out."

"Beats Off" is one frantic / violent slab of crust / d beat inspired lightspeed punk mayhem, packing 11 songs in under 11 minutes.   Which seems like more of an EP, but we sure don't wanna quibble with these guys.  After all we'll probably just flip this one at least three times every listen.  Fans of local punks, Culo and Sea Of Shit, as well as Profane Existence / Maximum RnR junkies, and those into hardcore punk, powerviolence and thrashcore need some Gas Rag now.  This shit is sick, extremely brutal and WAY FUCKING RECOMMEDED!!!!!!!!  Just don't buy this lp for yer mom!

7in - The Man - The Man - $5.99 - BUY - LISTEN

Tall Pat Records continues to document Chicago's seedy RnR underground, and this time around The Man get their 7 inches of wax.  Read on for their mission statement -

"THE MAN is a dynamic organization dedicated to maximizing shareholder value by changing the paradigm of producer-market-consumer relations. As a recognized leader in their field, they have consistently demonstrated their ability to add value to any brand, regardless of the constraints of content or current market share. By choosing THE MAN, you've made a savvy investment in the future profitability of your organization and/or business." - Tall Pat Records

Yes just let THE MAN TAKE OVER YER TURNTABLE!!!  Cuz they're one lean efficient punk rock machine.  Angular blown out guitars, pummeling drums, surging basslines, distorto vocals and a good Midwestern RnR work ethic all make s/t ep from The Man more than necessary.  Yes, you're right.  You'd though we'd never be schilling for the Man, but in this case these Reatards / Negative Approach / Tyrades loving musicians, HELL YES WE ARE!!!  This single is just that damn killer.   You might've heard their 7 inch or seen them slay around town, but if not now is the time to GET DOWN WITH THE MAN.  SERIOUSLY RECOMMENDED!!!!!!

7in - Gas Rag - Six Track EP - $7.99 - BUY - LISTEN

THIS IS WHERE IT ALL STARTED! GAS RAG'S DEMO TAPE NOW ON WAX!

Local label Not Normal Tapes didn't want Gas Rag's demo tape to stay out of print, outta the reach of the trouble making youth, and locked away in the hands of the collector scum.  Hence this more than necessary reissue 7 inch, "Six Track EP".  Savage, fast, ear splitting and nasty hardcore, sure to kickstart an insta mosh pit anytime it hits the turntable.   Chicagoans know what an epic punch Gas Rag can deliver, now the rest of the world will know too.  FURIOUSLY RECOMMEDED!!!!!!!