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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…..

beach house – bloom – sub pop – lp/cd
-
the fourth full-length album by baltimore-based beach house. like their previous releases, it further develops their distinctive sound yet stands apart as a new piece of work. bloom is meant to be experienced as an album, a singular, unified vision of the world. though not stripped down, the many layers of bloom are uncomplicated and meticulously constructed to ensure there is no waste.
best coast – the only place – mexican summer – lp
- deluxe version of the new lp which comes with a photo booklet. “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.”
ali birra – ammalele – mississippi – lp
- in tomorrow. with the western world’s recent access to the ethiopian music of the 1970s, the focus has been almost solely on the amhara music of addis ababa. the oromo people, the largest ethnic group, hasn’t been equally represented. ali birra, the biggest oromo star and a hero to his people was so beloved that he did break into the amhara dominated record market. learning how to play the guitar using the tuning for an oud, the sound is as much arabic as ethiopian. with a prevalent joy and catchy sing along style, ali sings songs of love, misery, and beating the oppressor.
dope body – natural history – drag city – lp
- in tomorrow. dope body formed in december-of-2008-baltimore as an experiment in musical instincts, jamming and writing the simplest one-part / one-riff / one-minute little jerk-off songs that were the first thing to come to mind (most ended up on their first tape 20 pound brick). natural history is dope body in possession of what might be their most commercially accessible album ever- especially if your idea of “commercially accessible” is half-machine lips moves, psychic, powerless…, or “salad days”-era punk.
drainolith – fighting! – spectrum spools – lp

- in tomorrow. it’s important to keep listeners on their toes and spectrum spools is fully psyched to hit you with an album of delusional blues — littered with fractured synth, feedback and seriously cryptic personal content. one of spectrum spools’ first releases with strong lyrical focus, alex knocks it out of the park with his synthetic voice resonating like a wasted robert ashley on ambien. the tracks rage with a one-man twin infinitives style, with guitar riffs so fucked that they make neil haggerty sound like les paul. damaged, random syn-drum triggers and ms-10 crackling go fully ballistic over dark and personal narratives. if you miss bands like shadow ring and royal trux, but wonder where the logical next step would be in their absence: step in this direction — we promise you’ll be pleased.
*father yod and the source family – the thought adjusters – drag city – 2lp
- in tomorrow. during his time on our planet, father yod understood that beauty and joy, the things of heaven, were meant to inform and inspire our time here on earth. with the thought adjusters, the focus is on extended rhythms created not only by yahowha13 but all the family musicians. the focus is on extended rhythms created in support of father as he made his teachings, with all the jams integrating both aspects; music and wisdom. musicians on this record include pythias sunflower, djin, octavius, rhythm, vibration and zoraster, with backing vocals from ahom aquariana, cinderella and anastasia.
josephine foster & the victor herrero band – perlas – fire – lp
- in tomorrow. “following their album of spanish folk songs anda jaleo, josephine foster and the victor herrero band have created a superb follow-up entitled perlas (pearls). it is a jewel of a collection, with songs and poems selected by josephine herself, gathered from dusty old scores and brought vividly to the present with warm performances full of flesh-and-blood emotion. made with a variety of stringed instruments and simple percussion, the songs were re-corded live in the studio on to analogue tape by paco loco in puerto de santa maria, spain. foster breathes new life into timeless traditional melodies, drawing from the spanish-folk traditions of castile, the basque, santander and the costa brava. elemental themes of love bind the collection together, with a melancholy joy that casts a shadow of desire and loss.”
*hiss golden messenger – poor moon – paradise of bachelors – lp
- in tomorrow. hiss golden messenger is durham, north carolina-based songwriter m.c. taylor, in partnership with multi-instrumentalist and recordist scott hirsch, who lives in brooklyn, new york. the pair have been playing music together for nearly two decades. poor moon, featuring members of black twig pickers, d. charles speer & the helix, and brightblack morning light, is the fourth proper hgm release, and serves as the best summation thus far of taylor’s lone journeys through the dark night of the soul
*king blood – vengeance, man – richie – lp
- in tomorrow. second offering from hing blood & it’s a motherfucker. throbbing, claustrophobic, triumphant, room shaking, and chiming electric guitar worship. the type of record that’ll lodge into your head & reduce your mind to a luminous toxic jelly. enters the static void alongside earth, skullflower, & les rallizes denudes.
fela kuti – live in detroit 1986 – strut – 2cd
- the first new fela kuti material to be issued since his final studio album, ‘underground system’, in 1992. recorded live at the fox theater in detroit in november 1986, the concert marked a triumphant return to the usa for nigeria’s afrobeat master, fela anikulapo kuti. “it was like seeing bob marley, frank sinatra, michael jackson, marvin gaye, and james brown all rolled into one. fela captured the revolution of marley, the love of marvin gaye, he sung with a rare and exquisite charcoal voice like sinatra but he would scream himself out and go hoarse by the end of the three hour marathon show. all the while he danced like michael jackson or a ballerina, and captivated the crowd with the showmanship of james brown.” 3lp version soon.
led zeppelin – mothership – rhino – 4lp
- in tomorrow. for the first time ever, led zeppelin’s greatest songs are available in one place. handpicked and sequenced by the band. fortunately, the sound on this superior box does indeed do the iconic band justice. half-speed mastered and pressed at rti, with the painstaking remastering supervised by the band, these LPs sound fantastic, revealing every last bit of detail, dynamics, and soundstage dimensions. every aspect of mothership is held to the highest possible standard!
moss icon – complete discography – temporary residence – 3lp
- in tomorrow. “in the mid-late 1980s, moss icon pioneered a progressive, highly emotive sound that stood in stark contrast to just about everything even remotely considered punk-rock at the time. in retrospect, they more resembled an inspired marriage of the bleak post-punk leanings of joy division with the raucous riffage of the wipers, albeit considerably less accessible thanks to moss icon’s more sinister tone, exploratory arrangements, and frontman jonathan vance’s almost stream-of-conscious sociopolitical rampages. this collection — compiling the group’s entire official catalog — serves to permanently document the very important contributions of one very important group from a very formative era of underground music.”
nice face – horizon fires – hozac – lp
- in tomorrow. from the shreds of sickening pop abrasion as evidenced in their first singles, to their mind-blowing immer etwas debut lp on sacred bones, nice face is a force not easily contained, as you’ll soon find yourself revisiting each track’s endlessly hypnagogic grooves..
*padang food tigers – ready country nimbus – bathic – lp
- in tomorrow. comparable to feathers floating in the breeze, this london-based duo make their gentle passage via sublime vignettes to set up residence in pastures new. theirs is the sound of dirt and cobwebs being swept from the corners of childhood memories. the world weeps tears of knowledge, comfort, concentration, enlightenment, while handing flowers to a parade of beautiful women. ready country nimbus is an emotional sepia-tinged blend of tones, gospel, and spirit. for fans of: scott tuma, the hired hand soundtrack, derek bailey, loren connors, tetuzi akiyama.
*charlemagne palestine & janek schaefer – day of the demons – desire path – lp
- in tomorrow. “through the unending fog and beyond the impassable door, a voice emerges. charlemagne palestine, writhing in uncontrollable terror, moves to ward off the demons for the sake of the listener by howling through the void. janek schaefer bellies a haven, a cocoon for the listener to hide in, to grasp some semblance of life that remains and hold on to it dearly. bells chime ominously to help dispel the haunting and are yet another stark reminder of the impending doom. what hath wrought them? what can be done against them? on this day, charlemagne palestine and janek schaefer have faced the darkness surrounding us, traversed through the fog, waded into the murky waters, and encountered demons that have surfaced from the dark recesses of the earth. herein lies the hope that was gained through facing the horror that was left unchained. each lp comes with a demon mask that is full color and custom die cut on 12 point card stock with elastic straps.”
annette peacock – i’m the one – future days – cd
- in tomorrow. “i’m the one, you don’t have to look any further. i’m the one. i’m here, right here for you,” oozes jazz, rock, and electronic music pioneer annette peacock on the leadoff title track of her solo debut lp. the album’s wide range of vocal emotions and diverse sonic palette (featuring robert moog’s early modular synthesizers, which the singer actually transmitted her voice through to wild effect) places it firmly at the forefront of the pop avant-garde. originally released by rca victor in 1972 to widespread critical acclaim — the disc grooves easily from free jazz freak-outs and rough and rugged blues-funk to gently pulsing synthesized bliss.
rayon beach – this looks serious – hozac – lp
- in tomorrow. the swirling cloud of deranged noise emanating from the highly radioactive inner core of rayon beach has once again reared its head up, bucking wildly and shattering the iridescent thunder of the heavens into shards of wonderfully damaged sound. dragging the trembling scraps of electronic punk slime through a kaleidoscopic garbage can and out into the light, where they can cook properly in the blinding texas sun.
school of seven bells – ghostory – vagrant – lp
- in tomorrow. ghostory exemplifies a fervent progression of sviib’s growth as artists, preserving the common themes found on their last two releases but exposing them in different fashions. the familiar ethereal and enigmatic tones are omnipresent, surrounded by layers of influences from `80s pop, shoegaze and ambient electronic sounds. however, ghostory comes with a story in mind; the tale of a young girl named lafaye and the ghosts that surround her life.
*sleep – dopesmoker – southern lord – cd
- ‘dopesmoker’ stands as one of the towering achievements in recent metal history – a mesmerizing, intoxicating, and incredibly complex song that is still unrivaled in the annals of (stoner) metal. features brand new artwork by long time sleep artist arik roper, who created something specifically special for the album’s rebirth. the biggest difference between this new version and the old releases is the phenomenal remastering job, which enhances the original recording without changing it drastically. the epic opus sounds invigorated, more powerful with renewed clarity and all-around unbelievably mammoth.
spiritualized – sweet heart sweet light – fat possum – lp
- “when you make a record, it has to be the single most important thing in your world. this time around, i wanted to do something that encompassed all i love in rock ‘n’ roll music. it’s got everything from brotzmann and berry right through to dennis and brian wilson. i’m obsessed with music and the way you put it together and i don’t believe there are any rules.” so says j. spaceman.
*suum cuique – ascetic ideals – modern love – lp
- in tomorrow. “the second album from suum cuique, the analog noise/experimental project from miles whittaker, one-half of demdike stare. what differentiates this project from all the others whittaker is involved with is that the material recorded under suum cuique was made using analog hardware only, often recorded straight from the mixing desk with no overdubs or edits. although there are obvious sonic threads running between suum cuique and demdike stare, the material on ascetic ideals is much more stark, at turns recalling the work of mika vainio, eleh, maurizio bianchi and even john carpenter, whose nightmare visions lurk somewhere deep in the mix.”
*swans – we rose from your bed – young god – 2cd
- in tomorrow. note from michael gira: “thanks to all of you who attended the swans shows during our recent tours. the experience, for us, was life-giving and nourishing. represented in these discs are the best recordings we could provide of the (ever-evolving) shows.if you choose to acquire this two-disc set, in my view it would behoove you to listen to the music at a generous volume level.” strictly limited to 2,000 copies for stores only.
trapist – the golden years – staubgold – lp
- in tomorrow. trapist is the vienna-based trio comprised of joe williamson on bass, martin siewart on guitars and electronics and martin brandlmayr on drums. “restraint” is a key word in the trapist musical vocabulary, which is no wonder, as the group’s name relates to the trappist fraternity whose devotion is demonstrated by their silence. whereas on previous albums the group often relied on drastic editing and melodic ornamentation in order to escape restraint, the golden years displays a newly-gained maturity which is breathtaking: trapist bring the attack and release game to a climax never heard before. sharp shocks of black and white with some golden silence in between.
inigo ugarteburu – back & forth – foehn – lp
- in tomorrow. “gorgeous, downbeat, giddy with reverie, longing and loss. led by inigo’s guitar, banjo, ukelele or harmonium; with classic brass-band charts. recorded by james blackshaw’s engineer; mastered by rashad.”
*ugly things #33 – mag
- in tomorrow. “with love as our major cover story, this issue is sure to fly off the shelves. in an extensive, soul-baring interview, guitarist johnny echols (arthur lee’s right-hand man throughout love’s classic period) tears down the mystery and the myth to reveal the true story of this seminal band. we also have a pile of other amazing stories: dutch psychedelic freaks group 1850, destructive ohio proto-punks the electric eels, english freakbeat giants wimple winch and the craig, plus the leopards, the syndicate, the reekers, the hangmen, barrence whitfield, wildwood, illes and more. also, the san francisco beat, a brand new column by cyril jordan of the flamin’ groovies, and of course our extensive review sections covering all the latest reissues, rock’n'roll books and dvds.” 176 pages, perfect bound/full-color glossy cover.
*mv & ee – space homestead – woodsist – lp
- in tomorrow. “mv & ee” is slang for zero gravity, and even though they’ve been doing it consistently better since forever, they still want to give you more of their best. the diy wall of sound of space homestead was recorded over the course of a year in nine different studios, presenting as clearly as circumstances permit a living idea right here and now of what it is all about. these are sonics in motion, the satiate plural perfect supply of the hunger unusual, the picturesque in sound. grab a shuttle for your spectra-sound furniture any time in any aeon and dig the volume of their trip.
west coast natural gas – two’s a pair – rd – lp
- in tomorrow. “an album full of vintage 1966-1968 music by the band that brought you the incredible ‘hashish’ on the legendary san francisco sampler fifth pipe dream. first ever release of this killer west coast psychedelic monster that took many years to complete!!! west coast natural gas started in 1965 in seattle. in early 1967 they went to san francisco to work for a local music manager named matthew katz. katz was the original manager for jefferson airplane, moby grape and later also it’s a beautiful day. he talked wcng into signing a contract with him but being young and stupid, they didn’t realize at the time that they had basically signed everything over to him. a pinnacle of the west coast psychedelic acid scene.”
white fence – family perfume vol 2 – woodsist – lp
- in tomorrow. wake up. write. write. record. tweak. write. record. swallow. tweak out. tweak. bounce. write. wake up. record. sex? no. sleep. wake up. record.  “I hardly have anything but this anymore…. i had 80 songs, then chopped it to 60 and now to 30. it’s a collection, and an album. i have some important things to say to myself. i’m a rock ‘n’ roll soldier forever. i melt music. when people talk to me, i’m thinking about some song to do. i think I’ve been cursed. i have no say in the matter. a rainbow vex. it’s ok though; it’s for the greater good.”
various – eccentric soul – a rbg production – numero – lp/cd
- “the ultimate fantasy low-rider soul collection. nineteen tracks cruise through soaring falsettos, luminous harmonies, and sweeping strings, all cultivated from pristine original master tapes. red, black & green productions compiles the best of producer r. hosea williams’ most personal work. featuring skip mahoaney & the casuals, the summits, promise, dyson’s faces, east coast connection, and the exceptions featuring mark greene. teardrop tattoo not included.”
various – long live boogaloo – secret stash – lp
- in tomorrow. “in the mid 1960s latin teenagers in new york’s spanish harlem neighborhood created a new style of music called latin boogaloo. the sound was a mix of the cuban music they grew up with and american r&b like james brown and hank ballard. it quickly caught on and before long; the young purveyors of this new sound were taking business from the likes of tito puente, tito rodriguez, and edie palmieri. each track has been selected with the help of veteran boogaloo producer bobby marin.
various – wedding songs – domino – lp
- in tomorrow. “originally released on philips ethiopia in 1973, this seemingly impossible to find lp is available once again to the lucky humans of the world. with a mix of modern and traditional instruments these fourteen songs go through the progression of an ethiopian amhara wedding sung in amharic. with the trio of singers, lemma g. hiwot, zenebech tesfaye, and selamawit g. selassie, alternating turns at the microphone, and sharing call and response duties, a relentless frenzy of hand clapping incites dancing and smiles. the consumption of tedj (honeywine) and the swirling love of a wedding was captured in the studio with euphoric energy to take away to play over and over again when the festivities are over.”

…..restocks…..

*13th floor elevators – music of the spheres – international artists – 8lp box
a tribe called quest – low end theory – jive – lp
alabama shakes – boys & girls – ato – lp
*aphex twin – selected ambient works ii – 1972 – 3lp
arcade fire – neon bible – merge – lp
dan auerbach – keep it hid – nonesuch – lp
beach house – s/t – heart break beat – lp
beck – odelay dlx edition – geffen – 4lp
black keys – brothers – nonesuch – lp
black keys – el camino – nonesuch – lp
james blackshaw – love is the plan – important – lp
james brown – live at the apollo – polydor – lp
james brown – sex machine – polydor – lp
*daft punk – tron legacy ost – emi – lp
miles davis – bitches brew – legacy – lp
eric dolphy – out to lunch – blue note – lp
*faust – s/t – virgin – lp
foo fighters – s/t – legacy – lp
foo fighters – the colour and the shape – legacy – lp
ghostface killah – ironman – get on down – lp
great lake swimmers – new wild everywhere – nettwerk – lp
grizzly bear – veckatimest – warp – lp
*gun club – fire of love – munster – lp
pj harvey – white chalk – island – lp
*lee hazlewood – lhi years – light in the attic – cd
tim hecker – harmony in ultraviolet – kranky – lp
*tim hecker – ravedeath 1972 – kranky – lp
junior kimbrough – god knows i tried – fat possum – lp
junior kimbrough – all night long – fat possum – lp
*takehasi kosugi – catch wave – phoenix – lp
kuedo – severant – planet mu – lp
*loose fur – born again in the usa – drag city – lp
m83 – hurry up we’re dreaming – mute – 2cd
metallica – s/t – rhino – lp
charles mingus – oh yeah – atlantic – lp
modest mouse – we were dead before the ship… – epic – lp
the national – boxer – beggars – lp
the national – alligator – beggars – lp
ol’ dirty bastard – return to 36 chambers – get on down – 2cd
*om – god is good – drag city – lp
pearl jam – vitalogy – epic – lp
pearl jam – vs – epic – lp
wilson pickett – wicked pickett – atlantic – lp
wilson pickett – exciting wilson pickett – atlantic – lp
*pye corner audio – black mill tapes 1 & 2 – type – lp
*rocket juice & the moon – s/t – honest jons – lp
ty segall – lemons – goner – lp
small faces – first step – 4 men with beards – lp
smashing pumpkins – siamese dream – virgin – lp
smiths – meat is murder – rhino – lp
smiths – s/t – rhino – lp
smiths – the queen is dead – rhino – lp
smiths – strangeways, here we come – rhino – lp
sonic youth – dirty – goofin – 4lp
sonic youth – goodbye 20th century – syr – lp
swans – my father will guide me – young god – lp/cd
*talk talk – spirit of eden – universal – lp+dvd audio
van morrison – astral weeks – rhino – lp
*kurt vile – god is saying this to you – mexican summer – lp
white stripes – de stijl – third man – lp
white stripes – icky thump – third man – lp
white stripes – s/t – third man – lp
white stripes – under great white northern lights – third man – lp
white stripes – white blood cells – third man – lp
wilco – being there – nonesuch – lp
*gary wilson – forgotten lovers – feeding tube – lp
*wipers – box set – zeno – 3cd
yardbirds – roger the engineer – music on vinyl – lp
thom yorke – the eraser – xl – lp
neil young – chrome dreams II – reprise – lp
neil young – dreamin’ man live ’92 – reprise – lp
neil young – everybody knows this is no where – reprise – lp
neil young – greatest hits – reprise – lp+7″
neil young – zuma – reprise – lp
*various – those shocking shaking days – now again – 3lp
various – time to go – flying nun – lp

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 #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…..
Image
*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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…..news letter #529 – interweb killed the radio archive…..

howdy all,

huh, snow. and me and the boy biked to school this morning. oh well. not a heck of a lot of new stuff in this week, but that’s quite alright cuz you should be more interested in the used stuff we got this week anyway. read on….

…..pick of the week…..


cbc archives!!!
- you may have read or heard in the news that the cbc was liquidating their music archives. what maybe wasn’t clear in what you may have read, was that a lot of stuff was being sent to toronto to keep one centralized and as complete as possible. so after that happened, i was able to go in and pull some stuff for the shop. now, contrary to what one would think, and likely due to the fact that this archive has been moved a few times prior to this location, it was not necessarily the treasure trove that one would expect, not to say i didn’t pull some pretty cool records, but there were not any truly mega rare canadian gems or anything like that. but there are over 500 really cool used records sitting here just waiting for you to rifle through and take home a part of the cbc’s edmonton archive. everything i grabbed is in vg+ or better condition as far as the vinyl itself is concerned. hell, many of these things have never been played. the covers are a different matter, while they are all intact and in reasonably good condition, they did come from a radio archive, so they are taped along the spines and have cataloging stickers on the covers. some a lot more than others, some it all peels off and leaves nary a trace, others it’s on there for good, but things are being priced accordingly, so as long as you are more concerned with listening to the record than putting the cover in a frame on your wall, there are some really great lps here at really nice prices. due to the quantity of stuff, i’m not going to list everything, but i have listed some below in the …..used….. section to give you an idea of what is in here to motivate you to come and dig through this stuff before it’s all gone.

…..new arrivals….. Continue reading

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