…..news letter #538 – grand…..

howdy all,

considering the sheer amount of stuff in last week, it should come as no surprise that there’s a lot less this week, but still some really sweet stuff in this week. perhaps you are coming over to the ‘hood tonight to check out the launch of the 124 street grand market up the road on 108th ave, if so you should drop by the shop after and peruse the stacks….

…..pick of the week…..

*suzanne ciani – voice of packaged souls – dead-cert – lp

- in tomorrow! “the inquisitive minds behind pre-cert home entertainment and finders keepers combine to bring you the results of some of their most subaqueous vinyl, tape and film excavations yet for this brand-new label: dead-cert. taking the combined obsessions of all its collaborators and applying it to an intensive research model investigating vintage outsider music, sound sculpture, spoken word, ethnological documents, art-trash, early computer music, neotantrik music, tape manipulation, non-pop and vinyl voyeurism, the label aims to investigate and recontextualize previously un-heard recordings from sources that transcend and eclipse the limitations of the record-collecting trend and the commercial music industry. all scheduled recordings are pressed on vinyl lps mastered in accordance with the original creators’ instructions and cut at the most relevant volume and playing speed, duplicated in modest quantities and housed in a variety of bespoke or homemade packaging, faithful to the original pressings. the first archival release on the label is a new pressing of an original vinyl run of around 50 copies only made in 1970 for an art gallery exhibition in brussels documenting a sound sculpture collaboration between hard material artist harold paris and fledgling electronic composer susan (suzanne) ciani. this original limited gift/art-artifact is officially the rarest tangible recording of ciani’s music, who is now recognized in the press as “the delia derbyshire of the atari generation” on account of her groundbreaking developments in the commercial evolution of synthesizer music as one of a small number of female composers in the field. paris created an original mylar cover for the album, which is now an almost impossible-to-find collector’s item. ciani produced this, her first album, at radio station kpfa in berkeley, ca, where she was given access to the tape machines from midnight until 6 am, gratis. she owns only one copy of this work in its original vinyl form. made in an edition of 1,000 copies only, housed in individually screen-printed silver foil sleeves faithful to the original pressing.” (sorry, can’t find a clip of this one…)

…..new arrivals…..
(* indicates staff picks)

best coast – the only place – mexican summer – cd
- now in on cd… “their second album finds the proudly suthern californian duo of bethany cosentino and bobb bruno maturing in both their sound and perspective. while crazy for you was a nostalgic tribute to teenage feelings, this new album finds front woman cosentino transitioning into adulthood, with the feeling of uncertainty and self-doubt at the emotional center of the album.”
burial – street halo/kindred – beat – cd
- “one-off repressing of the limited cd compiling both of burial’s steet halo and kindred eps, originally produced exclusively for the japanese domestic market. all six tracks in their full length versions, totaling 50 minutes of music not previously available on cd, packaged in full size jewel case with japanese obi-strip overlay.”
*the damned – machine gun etiquette – drastic plastic – lp
- their third album, ‘machine gun etiquette’ was the album that brought the damned into the uk charts and opened up their music to millions more than hard core punk fans. ironically, the massive hit from the album was “smash it up” – as punk as you could possibly get!
flashback # 1 – mag
-
in tomorrow. flashback is a new full-color quarterly music magazine, covering ’60s and ’70s music in detail. edited by richard morton jack (co-founder of sunbeam records and editor of the galactic ramble and endless trip books). includes: mad river; david axelrod; linda hoyle & affinity; “the 100 most under-rated guitarists of the 60s & 70s”; and more…
lightning hopkins – dirty house blues – not now – 2lp
- 28 classics from the legendary texas bluesman, spread over 2 hunks of 180 gram vinyl and packaged in a gatefold sleeve.
mf doom – operation doomsday – metal face – 2lp
- in tomorrow. “this special edition 2lp package comes housed in an all new exclusive jacket featuring doom’s infamous metal mask icon ebbossed out of a metallic silver foil. each record is pressed on special ‘gun metal’ colored vinyl. the long awaited reissue of doom’s first solo gem, remastered from the original fondle ‘em 1999 issue.
jonas munk – pan – el paraiso – lp
- in tomorrow. this is the first solo effort from jonas munk released under his own name. with pan‘s motorik analog synthesizer patterns and its warm, fuzzy drones, the influence from 1970s german synthesizer and new age music, such as early kraftwerk, ashra and popol vuh, is apparent from the first note. but there’s also definite traits of american styles running through this album, from the flowing optimism of alice coltrane and terry riley to the modern-day psychedelia of comets on fire and bardo pond. pan is all about analog machines, 30+ year-old synthesizers, detuned guitars and heavily-cranked vacuum tube amplifiers weaving together in fuzzy, pulsating glory.
conor oberst & the mystic valley band – one of my kind – team love – cd+dvd
- phil shaffart was not hired by conor oberst to make the film ‘one of my kind’. he was hired to make sure the guitars stayed in tune. but phil had a video camera with him as the mystic valley band came together for the first time at valle mistico in tepoztlan, mexico in january of 2008 and so he started filming what he sensed was something special, capturing the evolution of a group of musicians that started out as not much more than an idea for a different way to make a record and ended up being a fully realzied rock band. to accompany this, eleven songs are added from the outtakes of both mystic valley sessions on cd and 180 gram vinyl. vinyl soon.
arvo part – tabula rasa – vinyl passion – 2lp
       – concerto for two violins, prepared piano and chamber orchestra (1977), as well as symphonies from 1964 and 1966.
sonny rollins – saxophone colossus/tenor madness – not now – 2lp
       – sonny rollins’ 1956 classic ‘saxophone colossus’ accompanied by another classic from the same year, ‘tenor madness’.
nina simone – my baby just cares for me – not now – 2lp
- 20 tracks from the much loved (and difficult to classify!) singer/pianist on 2 180 gram lp’s. packaged in a gatefold sleeve, the collection includes classics like “i loves you porgy”, “my baby just cares for me”, “black is the color of my true love’s hair”, “summertime”, “he’s got the whole world in his hands”, and many more.
sleepy sun – spine hits – the end – lp
       – recorded under the big skies of the california high desert, the jams on ‘spine hits’ are alternatingly precision whittled and moodily muscular. guitars adroitly move from steamroller heavy to beachside airy and bouncing to interstellar – tinkering with texture and dynamics like never before. the rhythm section is a super-cohesive, tricky, and tough-as-hell unit that keeps the sleepy train on track as it teeters, creeps and runs wild across the land.
spectrum – soul kiss – vinilisssimo – lp
- in tomorrow. after the break-up of spacemen 3, sonic boom formed spectrum with guitarist richard formby and bassist mike stout, along with a number of collaborators. their 1992 debut lp, soul kiss (glide divine), explored sonic boom’s trademark sound further into a soulful, blissed-out state and stands as one of the highlights in his discography. reissued on vinyl for the first time. limited edition of 1,000 copies on 180 gram vinyl.
squarepusher – ufabulum – warp – 2lp+cd
- in tomorrow… “presented as a limited edition deluxe vinyl release, the 2lp comes boxed and decorated in glow-in-the-dark ink and individually sleeved with a 12 page 12″ booklet, album download card and three track cdep, enstrobia. widely heralded as a ‘return to form’ legendary electronic artist squarepusher has designed his latest lp as the next stage in his iconic lineage and as an awe inspiring live show.”
*witch – havoc – now again – 4cd
- in tomorrow. “the complete works of zambia’s legendary garage, psych, prog, funk, afro-rock ensemble. 1972-1977. witch’s five albums and rare 7″ tracks presented as a 4cd box set, restored and remastered from the original tapes. contains a twenty-four page booklet with never before seen photos and ephemera; extensive liner notes and annotation; an interview with bandleader ‘jagari’ chanda.” vinyl version soon!
*various – spiritual jazz vol 2 – jazzman – cd
- in tomorrow. “a heady mix; stirring jazz overtures with orchestra and choir, festival performances recorded live from the grassy heartlands of central europe, modal montages inspired by pilgrimages to asia and africa, experiments in rhythm and sound where modern jazz meets traditional balkan and flamenco folk music. this is spiritual jazz, european-style. all tracks fully licensed and digitally restored from the original master tapes. 16-page color booklet with in-depth liner notes, album cover scans and previously-unpublished photographs.”

…..restocks…..

actress – r.i.p. – honest jon’s – lp
*ash ra tempel – s/t – mg art – cd
*carol of harvest – s/t – guerssen – lp
*earth – angels of darkness I – southern lord – cd
*earth – angels of darkness II – southern lord – lp/cd
florence & the machine – lungs – island – lp
howlin’ wolf – moanin’ in the moonlight – chess – lp
*shin jung hyun – beautiful rivers & mountains – light in the attic – lp
joy division – les bains douches – get back – 2lp
madvillian – madvilliany – stones throw – lp
mastodon – remission – relapse – lp
mastodon – leviathan – relapse – lp
*necks – mindset – recommended – lp
nirvana – nevermind – geffen – lp
*oneohtrix point never – replica – software – lp
*david orphan – songs for hannah henley – pre-cert – lp
p.s. i love you – death dreams – paper bag – lp
*annette peacock – i’m the one – future days – lp
radiohead – in rainbows – tbd – lp
*ike reiko – kokotsu no sekai – bamboo – lp
sun ra – angels & demons – saturn – lp
sun ra – strange strings – saturn – lp
sun ra – sound sun pleasure – saturn – lp
sun ra – my brother wind volume 2 – saturn – lp
sun ra – bad & beautiful – saturn – lp
*this heat – s/t – this is – cd
timber timbre – creep on creepin’ on – arts & crafts – lp
velvet underground – loaded – cotillion – lp
*volcano the bear – golden rhythm – rune grammofon – lp
tom waits – mule variations – anti – lp
tom waits – real gone – anti – lp
neil young & crazy horse – live in san francisco – vinyl passion
zomby – where were u in ’92? – cult – lp
*various – bipp – born bad – lp
*various – killed by death #2 – kbd – lp

thanks for listening….

listen records
10443a – 124 street
edmonton, ab
t5n 1r7
780.732.1132

www.listenrecords.net
www.facebook.com/listenrecords

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…..news letter #537 – valtari hour…..

howdy all,

well, as you can see from below, there’s a lot in this week, however most of it isn’t showing up until tomorrow… but don’t let that stop you from coming down to the shop in about 2 hours… at 7 pm we will be participating in valtari hour! we will be playing the new sigur ros album in it’s entirety at 7 pm off of a special advance test pressing of the vinyl! come on down, bring a beverage and chill out for an hour and browse the stacks.

…..pick of the week…..

*david orphan – songs for hannah henley – pre-cert – lp

- in tomorrow. “david orphan’s devon folklore tapes is a research and cultural heritage-based community label in the vein of smithsonian records, founded by finders keepers’ david orphan. although the label has been releasing music on special edition/customized books and cassettes for some time, this contribution to the pre cert home entertainment label sees orphan deliver his long-awaited vinyl debut. the soundtrack to hannah henley sees a mechanical hybrid of old soviet electronic organs, looped field recordings and found vocals lost in an immediate and tensely hypnotic narrative to an account of opposing forces that is as unsettling as it is captivating. field recordings were utilized and integrated within these pieces, adding more flesh and providing a sense of place. the lp becomes a sound portrait blurring the lines between documentary, music, and artefact. the cover art features an inverted letter-press coded graphic using the text from the story of hannah henley as its visual source along with a bone found and utilized within the recording itself. the words to the tale are included in the accompanying sleeve notes, for those interested in those dark details. limited to 500 copies only.” soviet electronics… field recordings… pre-cert… yes please!

…..new arrivals….. Continue reading

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….news letter #536 – bend it like bender…..

howdy all,

well, not nearly as much in this week as last, thankfully, as the bins are over flowing at the moment. still, we can’t go even a few days without at least something showing up. this morning i received my much awaited box from vinyl-on-demand which made my week…. so much so that i finished this news letter at 3pm… 3pm!!! perhaps it will make yours as well.

…..pick of the week…..


*john bender – memories of mindless mechanical monologues 1976-1985 – vinyl-on-demand – 7lp book folder
- i’m going to say it… REISSUE OF THE YEAR!!!! “this outstanding deluxe box-set delivers an excellent and extensive overview of john benders music-output recorded between 1976-1985. john bender is without any doubt, the protagonist, if not the inventor of a whole musical-genre known as cold minimal wave/synth. his synthesizer-sounds already carried elements of techno and acid-beats while techno was still to be invented a decade later. his voice and his partially sentimental and mourning lyrics made his music to something outstanding and extraordinary, unheard before in this mixture. his three self-released lp’s “i don’t remember now” (1980), “plaster falling” (1981) and “pop surgery” (1983) are a must-have for every serious collector and interested person in such cold-wave/minimal-synth/techno-sounds. the lp’s “plaster falling“ and “pop surgery“ contain selections from several tape-releases known as “plaster: the prototypes“ (1981), “packing list” (1982), “at the 4th street cage 1/83″ (1983) & “do the cage” (1983) which compiled many of his recordings done between 1979 and 1983. the 7lp-folder-set includes all and even extended versions from those three lp’s released on his own label record sluts plus most of his recordings from the 4 official tape-releases mentioned. in addition to these official vinyl and tape-releases the box also contains an extract of the soundtrack-recording to “johnny vortex” (1985) as well as tracks from two archive-tapes with previously unreleased material recorded in 1976 (pre record-sluts) and 1978.” if you’ve ever seen a vinyl-on-demand boxset you know that these things are made with the highest attention to detail. beautifully packaged sets shipped with the lps outside the box so that nothing gets damaged before you get your hands on it. this set is even more astounding seeing as until now, john bender was essentially a phantom, but now there are notes from john himself! highest recommendation!!!!


*pye corner audio – black mill tapes volumes 1 & 2 – type – 2lp
- got this last week, but didn’t spin it until after the news letter went out….. “not much is known about the shadowy figure of the head technician, the man supposedly behind pye corner audio. there are rumors that in another life he was an engineer to the stars, and while that can’t be verified, there’s certainly an air of expertise in this bumper set of productions. black mill tapes volumes 1 & 2 were originally released by the technician himself, and have been picked up for a very special vinyl release. these collect the first handfuls of tracks from the pye corner audio vaults, and are a perfect introduction to the head technician’s fuzzy radiophonic funk. while pye corner audio might be loosely associated with the much-lauded ghost box collective, his music is more difficult to pin down. at times, the dusty soundscapes bring to mind the flickering intro to mid-’60s doctor who, but at others, you’re catapulted into a dodge-driving, neon-flecked u.s. road movie circa 1979. it’s an enviable concoction of genres, with the muted 4/4 pulse of theo parrish sitting happily alongside the wired electro of the other people place and the cracked, home-spun ambience of early boards of canada. somehow though, our head technician uses his technical know-how to pull it off, and emerges with a collection of tracks that is far more than an exercise in retro-fetishism. black mill tapes are a collection of long-lost club records, engineered solely for the woozy drive home — 4 a.m., long highways and bright lights. just leave ryan gosling out of it. cut at dubplates & mastering and pressed up in an edition of 700 copies only. ” killer library/bbc meets electroc kinda vibes… straight up 80s b-movie soundtrack action.

…..new arrivals…..

*evan caminiti – night dust – immune – lp
- “with night dust, his debut for Immune, caminiti shifted the focus away from amplifier worship and the desert themes his work is often associated with to focus on texture, fractured dub techniques, and spacious electric guitar compositions. recorded entirely to 4 track cassette, caminiti embraced the limitations of the medium and warped the original sound sources with analog electronics, searching for beauty in the hazy and degraded sounds. inspiration came from smokey blue hues and washed out lights of some of the ’80s best vampire movies which contributes to the visually evocative narrative flow the album possesses.”
*clock dva – horology 1978-1980 – vinyl-on-demand – 6lp book folder
- includes clock dva’s first four official tape-releases released plus additional 78-80 archive-material. it covers the earliest stage of clock dva, a time of extreme sounds, noises and subversive ideas & images that will definitely be a mind-blowing revelation to all those that think to know clock dva’s work and history and leads you to the earliest s roots of new wave and industrial music, a time when only a handful of true pioneers where working such as throbbing gristle, pere ubu, the pop group.
david daniell & doug mccombs – versions – thrill jockey – lp
- “david daniell and douglas mccombs’s first collaborative lp, sycamore, was assembled from seven hours of in-studio improvisations. daniell and mccombs sifted through the material looking for their favorite moments, then combined, cross faded, mixed, and matched those moments into something that made sense to them as a long player. for their new release, the double lp versions, they gave the same seven hours of material to noted recording engineer and producer bundy k. brown (ex-tortoise), who was given free rein to assemble an lp of his choosing (subject to approval, of course).”
heavy blanket – s/t – outer battery – cd
-  j mascis rounds up a couple partners-in-crime from his adolescence with an eye – and ear – towards shredding harder, wailing louder, and generally melting faces even more brutally than ever before. stoner dirtbags cloaked in mystery, j’s longtime buddies pete cougar and johnny pancake lay down the heavy rhythm base for j’s massive licks and blistering guitar mastery. ever wondered what ‘band of gypsies’ would sound like if you mixed it up with japanese hard psych and smoked it through a giant power bong? well, now you know. don’t say we didn’t warn you.
*ilaiyaraaja – fire star: synth-pop and electro-funk from tamil films 1985-1989 – bombay connection – cd
- indian film music invariably manages to take you by surprise, time and time again. hard electro-funk and sweet synth-pop are not genres you would expect from india. yet, in the late ’80s, electronic beats and synths were eagerly embraced by the film industry of south india along with kung fu fights, aerobics, sunglasses and jogging outfits. the rich and funky tamil grooves of the early ’80s transformed into stripped electronic synthesizer music. composer ilaiyaraaja aka “the maestro” used minimal beats and synthetic arrangements to create an addictive and captivating electro synth-pop sound. his experimental mind, unfailing pop instinct and advanced harmonics make the songs a feast for the ears that will grow with every listen.
*t.r. mahalingam – portrait of a prodigy – em – lp
- the music on this release consists of the earliest recordings by flautist t.r. mahalingam, a legendary figure in the carnatic music of south india, one of the world’s great musical traditions. mahalingam, known as “mali” to his legions of fans and admirers, was a musician who revered these traditions yet opened new realms, raising the flute to levels of voice-like expressivity. portrait of a prodigy: his early years, 1940-50s reissues, for the first time, recordings from the mid-1940s to the mid-1950s and show mali at the peak of his powers, his acclaimed technical skills and rich tone at the service of his immense melodic and rhythmic gifts.
nurse with wound/graham bowers – rupture – united dirter – lp
- the first collaboration of steven stapleton’s nurse with wound and composer/sculptor graham bowers is now available as a very limited double vinyl lp in a special edition for record store day 2012 (well, it was pressed a couple weeks late, sorry). rupture is an attempt to create a musical illustration of the “goings-on” in the brain during the last hour and three minutes of life after suffering a major stroke. it is multi-layered and is primarily concerned with the internal chaos caused by the loss of control of thought processes, responses and consequential actions, with all types of incoherent disjointed memories and present real-time events — as well as moments of lucidity, panic and fear — clashing, merging and evolving. limited to 500 copies.
orchestre super borgou de parakou – the bariba sound – analog africa – lp
- now in on vinyl! analog africa presents a collection of ’70s afro sounds from benin’s defining and seminal orchestre super borgou de parakou. combines bariba and dendi linguistic folklore with soul, pachanga, breakbeats, afro-beat and rumba. remastered to recreate the energy of the band’s live sound and includes analog africa’s signature full-color booklet.
micah blue smaldone/big blood – split – immune – lp
- “this brand new split lp features new sides of material from both micah blue smaldone and big blood. this is the first new material from micah blue smaldone since his acclaimed album the red river. he is currently working on a new full length album. the lp is limited to only 500 copies pressed on high quality virgin vinyl at rti and presented in an uncoated stock lp jacket with a free download card.”
squarepusher – ufabulam – warp – cd
- “widely heralded as a ‘return to form’ legendary electronic artist squarepusher has designed his latest lp as the next stage in his iconic lineage and as an awe inspiring live show. from the inception of ufabulum, he has worked simultaneously on sound and picture. the project features a development of a longstanding aspect of his live work since 2005, the bespoke ‘video-synthesiser’ that generates imagery according to control data and audio input. custom designed himself, the imagery for each piece has two components, one represented on a large LEDled screen and the other on a screen mount.”
sugarman 3 – what the world needs now – daptone – lp/cd
- “after years of research, ten to be exact, it came to our attention that everyone’s favorite funky instrumentalists, the sugarman 3 hadn’t released a new lp in some time. well, of course!!! how could we have been so neglectful to our fans? within hours of this epiphany daptone brass had the boys back in the studio. with only eight tape tracks, a handful of peanuts, and a bottle of high proof dutch schnapps these gentlemen flexed their musical maturity–writing and tracking the entire album in four days. there were tears shed, and blood spilled over those four fateful sessions, but we’re happy to report that what went down is some of the finest instrumental tunes ever laid to tape.”
sidi toure – koima – thrill jockey – lp
- “koima is the natural progression from sahel folk, as sidi has moved from an album of duets, recorded all in one take in his sister’s home in gao, to a quintet recorded in a studio in bamako. with koima, the intent was to record a different side of songhai music from the style captured on sahel folk. thanks to the simplicity and the sobriety of sahel folk, listeners heard the songhai music in its purer form, its sparse soul exposed to everyone. on koima, the music is still distinctly gao, but represented this time in a much richer and luxuriant way.”
patrick watson – adventures in your own backyard – secret city – lp/cd
- new album from this polaris prize winner. made at home after a grueling five-year run that saw patrick and his band tour the world in support of two critically-acclaimed and successful albums. in patrick’s own words, adventures… is an effort on the band’s part to “make the kind of music we would want to listen to at home.” the album’s title is an obvious nod to this.
the wire #340 – mag
- “on the cover: r stevie moore (matthew ingram charts the remarkable life of the lo-fi pioneer through 35 years and over 400 releases of homemade radio rock and warped power pop). features: annea lockwood (julian cowley hears about protest, process and psychoacoustics); bass clef. invisible jukebox: jan jelinek (which of the many aliases of the berlin based electronic music polymath will respond to the wire’s mystery record selection?)”

…..restocks…..

*13th floor elevators – psychedelic sound of – charly – 2cd
*ilyas ahmed – with endless – immune – lp
*mahmoud ahmed – ere mela – l’arome – lp
*art fleury – i luoghi del… – die schachtel – cd
jane birkin – di doo dah – light in the attic – cd
*big black – songs about fucking – touch & go – lp
black flag – my war – sst – lp
black flag – the first four years – sst – lp
black flag – slip it in – sst – lp
*brast burn – debon – phoenix – lp
mac demarco – rock and roll night club – captured tracks – lp
*drive like jehu – yank crime – swami – cd
dr john – locked down – nonesuch – lp+cd
*thonghuad faited – diew sor isan – em – lp
husker du – zen arcade – sst – lp
jade – fly on strangewings – guerssen – lp
sharon jones – 100 days, 100 nights – daptone – cd
sharon jones – soul time! – daptone – cd
*fred mcdowell – alan lomax recordings – mississippi – lp
neutral milk hotel – in an aeroplane over the sea – merge – lp
john k samson – provincial – anti – lp/cd
*mustapha skandrani – istikhbars & improvisations – em – lp
sonic boom – spectrum – vinilisssmo – lp
*sunn o))) – monoliths & dimensions – southern lord – lp
*tinariwen – tassili – anti – lp
ugly things #32 – mag
*scott walker – 4 – fontana – cd
*various – eight trails, one path – three lobed – lp
various – minimal wave tapes vol 2 – stones throw – lp
*various – prix italia – die schachtel – 6cd+book

thanks for listening…..

listen records
10443a – 124 street
edmonton, ab
t5n 1r7
780.732.1132

listenrecords.net
facebook.com/listenrecords

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…..news letter #535 – wax piles…..

howdy all,

well, we may have sold half the store on record store day, but have no fear… it appears that i’ve pretty much completely refilled it this week alone. tons of awesome new stuff in this week, as well as a slew of restocks. as you can maybe guess from below, i’ve got plenty of receiving to do so i’ll leave it at that. enjoy…

…..pick of the week…..

*aphex twin – selected ambient works volume II – 1972 – 2lp
- massive classic of the genre…. “aphex twin’s 1994 masterpiece selected ambient works volume II includes barely anything resembling a beat or any sign of typical song structure, yet the album continues to garner adulation generally reserved for holy music. fans have been testifying on its behalf for nearly two decades, as if it were capable of curing ills or healing the soul. its synthetic construction belies the intuitive, human, melancholic and uplifting nature of the music. some have speculated the album was intended by aphex twin’s richard d. james as a farce, as if its uber-minimalism was a joke played on an electronic community that relied so heavily on the beat; an expectation-defying statement from ambient-house’s young hero. the album induces varied responses and often from the same person. a listener may go from being incredulous to drenched in tears within the span of a single track. music critic frank owen described the music as “veering between an eerie beauty and an almost nightmarish desolation.” james himself described it as “like standing in a power station on acid.” the album’s raw emotional power is built upon the influences of brian eno, erik satie, steve reich, terry riley and the orb. each of its tracks has an elegiac and desolate feel far removed from the tooth-rattling, drill-’n'-bass or abstract electronica for which james was originally known. the soft, nimble flow leaves one in a tranquilized state. throughout the album, james resists the temptation to layer the sound with beats or samples. instead, he relies on swathes of sound and harmonics and almost-implied pulses. when the music does incorporate subtle industrial sounds, rhythmic drums or muted samples, it is only to affect a menacing feel in the textures. remarkably, for an album that is often perceived as difficult, selected ambient works volume II is quite accessible. featured in films, commercials and video games, the music continues to offer an entry point for listeners new to the ambient genre while remaining a classic touted by connoisseurs.”

…..new arrivals….. Continue reading

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…..news letter #534 – can’t stop the rock…..

howdy,

wow, what a weekend! our best day ever followed by a real fun day full of records at the record fair. thanks to everyone who came out on saturday, and those that stopped by our table on sunday… i’m still burned out and probably will be for another week… and to top it all off, tons in this week! so much so, that i’ve got 4 picks this week. so read on….

…..pick of the week…..


*suzanne ciani – lixiviation – finders keepers – lp/cd

- finally in on vinyl! “amazing comp of classically trained/avant-minded commercial composer suzanne ciani, the “american delia derbyshire of the atari generation.” ciani stands alongside the likes of pauline oliveros, daphne oram, and ursula bogner in the continuum of female early electronic knob-twiddlers that would’ve never gone out on a date with you. “with a sonic portfolio that boasts commissions for the xenon classic pinball machine, the sounds for the meco star wars theme, the atari tv commercials and the electronic sound effects in the original stepford wives film (amongst many others) the mutant electronic music cv of suzanne ciani is proof that in a 1970s commercial world of boys toys, monopolised by a male dominated media industry, a woman’s touch was the essential secret ingredient to successful sonic seduction. a classically trained musician with an ma in music composition this american italian pianist was first introduced to the synthesizer via her connections in the art world when abstract sculptor and collaborator harold paris introduced suzanne to synthesizer designer don buchla who created the instrument that would come to define ciani’s synthetic sound (the buchla synthesiser). cutting her teeth providing self-initiated electronic music projects for art galleries, experimental film directors, pop record producers and proto-video nasties suzanne soon located to new york where she quickly became the first point of call for electronic music services in both the underground experimental fields and the commercial advertising worlds alike. counting names like vangelis and harald bode amongst her close friends suzanne and her ciani musica companybecame the testing ground for virtually any type of new developments in electronic and computerized music amassing an expansive vault of commercially unexposed electronic experiments which have remained untouched for over 30 years… until now.” totally rad! highest recommendation….


*bbc radiophonic workshop – doctor who sound effects – bbc audiobooks – lp
- “get back behind the sofa! confront your early years head-on with this back-to-the-future collection of creative soundscapes, the audio backwash of some of the iconic doctor who series of the sixties and seventies. chilling stuff! a record store day exclusive on electric blue vinyl.” record store day? just got em… now you can avoid the crowds!
*bbc radiophonic workshop – out of this world: sci-fi sound effects – bbc audiobooks – lp
- “the background sounds that powered the sci-fi output of bbc programming in the 1970s, collected here and available for the first time in nearly 30 years. the bbc radiophonic workshop was a team of pioneers in the musique concrete genre, creating noises and ambient music for a burgeoning demand of sci-fi programming. besides, they don’t make cover artwork like this these days. a record store day exclusive on orange vinyl. one thousand units available, worldwide.” record store day? just got em… now you can avoid the crowds!


*ike reiko – kokotsu no sekai – bamboo – lp
- finally a reissue on vinyl!!! one of the sexiest records ever! “although ike reiko was a mere 17 years of age when she recorded 1971′s kokotsu no sekai, she was already a star in the world of japanese erotic movies. despite the tough-gal image, the music is pretty darn life-affirming, so don’t think for a second you’re getting an easy listening album here — this is about as sexual as music can get. throw “french kiss” out of the window and give a kiss goodbye to your serge gainsbourg records, ike reiko is more sizzling than a branding iron as it makes its mark on the farmer’s herd. the sex is literally dripping from every note on this record — the style is “iroke kayôkyoku” or erotic kayôkyoku (kayôkyoku being a style of japanese pop) but the sort of naïve jazz and pseudo spy theme movie music is all draped in a shroud of sexual shouts, screams and coos from the clearly excited reiko. one must assume that she was in some kind of state of euphoria in the recording studio from the evidence on offer here, either that or she’s a pretty realistic faker — it’s a smouldering collision, and that’s about all that needs to be said. kokotsu no sekai has to be one of the finest gifts for the music fan in search of that killer oddity. first 180 gram vinyl reissue.

…..new arrivals….. Continue reading

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…..news letter #533 – record weekend…..

howdy all….

unless you’ve been living under a rock, you are probably aware that this saturday is RECORD STORE DAY! as usual we’ve got a big sale on all day saturday, but more importantly, we’ve got a massive pile of rsd exclusive releases in for your purchasing pleasure, and of course lots of these are super limited and we don’t receive even close to how many we ordered. so my advice to you, if you want something on this list than get here early.

here are a few things to note…. Continue reading

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…..record store day 2012…..

this saturday, we will be celebrating record store day once again. we’ll be opening at 10 am and be having a sale all day long. more importantly, we will also have a ton of the limited exclusive record store day releases available. below is a list of nearly everything we’ve ordered (there are probably more than a few things that i forgot to include on this list).  there are is a good chance that some things on the list won’t show up at all (or perhaps next week). if there is something on this list that you must have, then get in here early. there is no limit to how many of these item you can buy, but we will limit each item to one per customer. Continue reading

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…..news letter #532 – price, price, price…..

howdy all…..

oi… with the busiest weekend of the year quickly approaching, things are getting a bit hectic around here, so as a throwback, i’ve gone back to the long descriptions this week… let me know if you prefer this much info. and with that, i’m going to get back to work. lots of stuff coming in for record store day next week as well as we’re going to have a bunch of nice used goodies for the record show the following day. so this might be a good time for you to sell that spare kidney you don’t use…

…..pick of the week…..

volcano the bear – golden rhythm/ink music – rune grammofon – lp

- in tomorrow. well it’s about time! finally a new album from this singular band! “rune grammofon presents the brand-new studio album from volcano the bear, a calculated, hysterical melting-pot of this heat, robert wyatt, faust and the residents, of musique concrète and ethno-folk, all seen through a prism of theatrical improvisations and unhinged set pieces. formed in 1995, and after several self-released tapes and cd-rs, vtb so excited nurse with wound’s steven stapleton, that he brought his united dairies label out of cold storage to release their first album proper, the inhazer decline, in 2000. since then they’ve released music on such labels as misra, beta lactam ring, textile, digitalis, pickled egg, alt vinyl as well as their own imprints volucan and volfurten with the exceptional classic erasmus fusion from 2006 being a possible highlight. on record, vtb offer stark and stunning absurdities in the most bizarrely beautiful way. recycling and re-contextualizing their material is an innate habit, and the variety of recording options they might choose (be it a highly-equipped professional studio or a second-hand dictaphone) allows their craft to be formed in a myriad of different ways. vtb have toured extensively throughout europe and north america and in concert they are the duo of daniel padden and aaron moore. absurd humor and eclectic ways of producing sounds are characteristic of their live performances and their extensive knowledge of the traditions of experimental and folk music makes the band difficult to categorize. the band record everything they play and will often use these recordings as raw material for their albums. vtb have released a number of records since the start, often mixing studio, live and home recordings. golden rhythm/ink music is their first more or less “proper” studio album since amidst the noise and twigs back in 2007. largely based on the sonic fault-line between aaron moore and daniel padden, it’s also the most focused and driven of vtb’s prolific output so far, showcasing the duo’s unique musicality and interplay, while retaining their trademark eccentricity and humor throughout. it presents “rock music” as seen through vtb’s skewed eye, featuring more of padden and moore’s drum/guitar combination than on previous albums. taking the bizarre energy of their live duo performances into a studio environment, and combining it with vtb’s eclectic instrumentation and clarence manuelo’s singular audio-work, gr/im shows vtb making their most vital work to date. includes mp3 download code.”

…..new arrivals….. Continue reading

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…..news letter #531 – snow bunny…..

howdy all,

weird, despite the snow, it’s been a busy day around here. not a lot of new stuff in, but lots of restocks and still some really great stuff in left in the cbc crates, although that stuff has thinned out pretty quick. being that this weekend is easter, we will have some holiday hours that you should probably take note of…..

friday (april 6) – 12 – 5
saturday (april 7) – 11 – 6
sunday (april 8) – closed
monday (april 9) – 11 – 6

…..pick of the week…..

*wil malone – s/t – morgan town – lp

- yes!!! this amazing and unbelievably rare album worth well over $1000 is now available as a nice affordable reissue. “not surprisingly, the debut solo album by the major creative force behind the group orange bicycle is similar in nature to the latter group’s music. almost self-consciously pretty in a manner closer to art-rock (or theater music) than psychedelia (despite its richly hued multi-colored cover), the overall feel of the album, between wilson malone’s introspective vocals and the reed- and horn- dominated accompaniments with low-volume guitar, is somewhere midway between baroque pop and singer/songwriter-style reflection. it’s all rather dark and brooding but also very beautiful in its execution, and filled with haunting melodies and rich timbres, all of this despite the narrow range and limited expressiveness of malone’s voice, which — even with all of the help he seems to get from the studio in this setting — seems to reach only about half-an-octave. you might find yourself thinking of wil malone as a british equivalent to david ackles’ american gothic, which it predated by two years, but that’s not a bad benchmark to have hit, even if it didn’t bring malone much success in 1970. ~ bruce eder, rovi”

…..new arrivals….. Continue reading

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…..news letter #530 – spring cleaning = more records…..

howdy all,

yikes, this is a lot later than i’d hoped. but there’s a lot to write about this week, and piles of records everywhere. some of you have made it in and rifled through the cbc stuff i grabbed last week, but there is still lots here and some really great stuff. see below for some more highlights that are still here. loads of new stuff to today and more tomorrow. and i bought more used stuff, but that will have to wait for a bit as there’s just too much right now. anyway, some great stuff for your listening pleasure, i’m super stoked to have a reissue of ‘joy of a toy’ in, definitely one of my favorite records.

…..pick of the week…..
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*kevin ayers – joy of a toy – vinilisssimo – lp
- yes! finally a vinyl reissue of this amazing album. i dare say this album is perfect. “in 1968, after a u.s. tour with the jimi hendrix experience, the soft machine’s founding member kevin ayers decided to leave the band. unsure about their artistic direction, worn out by an exhausting schedule and reluctant to become another part of the music business, he sold his bass to noel redding and moved to ibiza. however, soon after he started writing the songs that would make up his first solo lp, joy of a toy. his departure from the soft machine had been amicable and robert wyatt, mike ratledge and hugh hopper all took part in the recordings at abbey road in july 1969. the resulting album meanders in and out of its own affecting mood, taking wonderful pop, folk, psych and prog turns during its course. It starts with the joyful, circus-like title track and veers from the gentle beauty of “girl on a swing” and pastoral gems like “eleanor’s cake (which ate her)” to ominous, experimental moments like “oleh oleh bandu bandong,” based on a malaysian traditional song, and the driving jam of “stop this train.” it also features “the lady rachel,” a beautifully-arranged track with a haunting atmosphere and one of ayers’ most representative tracks. on 180 gram vinyl; housed in a gatefold sleeve.”

…..new arrivals…… Continue reading

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