Filed under Weekly News Letters

…..news letter #525 – and so on and so forth…..

howdy all,

see, what’d i tell ya… loads of new stuff this week. a little something for everyone at that. but enough about me, how are you?

…..pick of the week…..

*derdiyoklar ikilisi – disko folk – guerssen – lp/cd

- in tomorrow. anadolu pop doesn’t get weirder than this! back in 1979, two turkish guys armed with electro-saz, guitar, drums and synthesizers were hitting the turkish market in germany where they lived, playing their sets of traditional-flavored electro-folk in weddings and circumcision feasts for turkish emigrants in germany. that’s their crazy story, and that’s their crazy sound. this is their third album, in a limited edition of 500 copies only. comes with a booklet including liner notes. you must watch this…. 

…..new arrivals…..

*robbie basho – venus in cancer – blue thumb – lp
- robbie basho’s 1969 guitar classic. basho was one of the main ’60s acoustic guitar innovators, alongside john fahey and leo kottke. gatefold 180 gram reissue.
*masaki batoh – brain pulse music – drag city – lp/cd 
- brain pulse music is the result of years of research into the bioelectric functions of the human brain combined with the traumatic aftermath of japan’s great east earthquake. when batoh initially conceived the idea for this project, it was purely out of interest to realize music from extracted brain waves.  all seven bpm tracks are a prayer/requiem  to the victims of the earthquake.
consumers – all my friends are dead – in the red – lp
- originally just three guitar players with no rhythm section-paul cutler, mikey borens and lyricist / lead singer david wiley, all bonded by love of psychedelic euro-prog jazz like henry cow, gong and robert wyatt-who’d stopped listening to rock ‘n’ roll after bowie’s spiders from mars came out around 1972. by ’77 our guys had re-discovered rock through britpunk pub raunch like the sex pistols and the damned. all my friends are dead successfully captures them as a pissed-off-yet-still-fun, no-frills, punk-rockin’ band…
*damon & naomi – with ghost – drag city – lp/cd
- “back from the abyss, damon & naomi with ghost fills an empty space in the continuously flowering discography of d&n. it was back in 1995 that damon and naomi first met ghost– but it wasn’t until 2000 that they encountered masaki batoh and michio kurihara in the studio. the sonic trip they embarked upon was a revelation for all concerned. alongside kurihara’s singular guitar style, batoh increased the peace in the mix, placing colorful and organic sounds within the dreamy conceptions of damon & naomi, mixing an ever-greater sense of deep space into the already massive songs.”
dirty three – toward the low sun – drag city – lp/cd
- “the first dirty three album since 2005′s cinder. returning to the basic formula for the band, the labor and decision-making is divined evenly and democratically as they improvise themselves into the heart of the moment. the sounds of traditional music are glimpsed in warren ellis’ violin while mick turner & jim white blow clouds that envelop the picture. don’t shade your eyes! the crusty troika are back, for the  first time ever on drag city records.”
disappears – pre language – kranky – lp/cd
- “with new drummer steve shelley now fully integrated into the group, these songs were again forged into proper shape during live shows before heading to the studio and the tape machine. never ones to dither or be indecisive, it’s a full-bore assault from the opening track to the last as disappears attack these new songs with their usual relentless determination.”
flaming lips – clouds taste metallic – warner – lp
flaming lips – hit to death in the future head – warner – lp
flaming lips – transmissions from the satellite heart – warner – lp

- finally! these three classic flaming lips albums are available on vinyl again for the first time in oh… forever!
golden calves – collection: money band & – woodsist – lp
- collection gathers pre-wooden wand and the vanishing voice material from james jackson toth’s golden calves project. originally released in 1996; reissue is limited to 1000 copies. “it was really all about the godz, jandek, the shadow ring, strapping fieldhands, swell maps and tower recordings.”—james jackson toth
howlin’ rain – russian wilds – birdman – lp
- howlin’ rain emerged in 2004 from the incendiary embers of san francisco’s underground noise-psych legends comets on fire. a rag-tag trio of soulful chooglin’ and fuzz-box triumph, the band forged their own trails into the cosmic california sound with their 2006 self-titled debut on birdman records. a dynamic din of deep grooves, soaring harmonies and blazing fuzz guitars, and the album’s breadth and scope recalls great, sprawling albums of the late ’60s and ’70s.
nicolas jaar – space is only noise – circus company – lp
- finally available again on vinyl after the removal of an unauthorized sample. you want this.
*kink gong – xinjiang – discrepant – lp
- in tomorrow.”special limited vinyl pressing of kink gong’s xinjiang soundscape. sublime frequencies contributor, laurent jeanneau, concocts a melting pot of ethnic weirdness packed with mind blowing virtuoso recordings. for fans of angus mclise, tony conrad or william burroughs’ sound collages. all tracks were recorded on location in the ili prefecture, xinjiang province, china by laurent jeanneau.”
sophia knapp – into the waves – drag city – lp/cd
- unlike any record you have heard in the past or will hear in the future. sophia’s voice appears first and foremost-sensual, emotive, relaxed, and loaded with personality. baroquely fingerpicked guitar, smooth piano, crystalline synths, and a down and dirty rhythm section complete the picture. aspects of this place bring to mind melodic psych pop of the ’60s, tropicalia ballads, chilly new york dance records of the ’80s, the seduction of stevie nicks or franoise hardy-but make no mistake, this is a pop vocal record of our time.
*sato kunitaka – wandering shadow of southern streets – em – lp
- a collection of music recorded in the 1970s by sato kunitaka, a blind japanese itinerant musician. sato often played a hand-made koto, played vertically instead of the usual horizontal position. although he was a fine instrumentalist, sato’s real power resides in his voice: a powerful, wailing, howling sound dredged up from the depths of his being. some have likened the impact of his voice to that of charley patton — a dark, intense sound-world most unlike the relatively smoother, sunny vocal styles of other ryukyu/okinawa singers.
lambchop – mr. m – merge – lp/cd
- a collection of meditations on love and loss and the detritus of everyday existence. as on past lambchop records, many of the songs on mr. m are framed with lush strings, and there’s a restrained undercurrent of distortion and discord. the core of the music remains the cyclical picking of wagner’s guitar and the soft, warm croaking of his voice. the songs are spacious, even dreamy, as on the countrypolitan instrumental “gar,” while the lyrics and titles are rich with allusions, some of them obvious, others seemingly unknowable. lp includes four bonus tracks.
lindstrom – six cups of rebel – smalltown supersound – lp/cd
- “with the latest album from dance producer hans-peter lindstrom, norway’s latest entry in the space race has been launched out of the wooded outskirts of oslo. six cups of rebel, lindstrom’s fourth solo album (his first to feature vocals), is a super-sized cosmic disco rocket that burns up a galaxy of eclectic influences in its wake, from bach to deep purple, from prog rock and arpeggiator disco to acid house, while sounding sleek and utterly contemporary.”
mark lanegan band – bubblegum – beggars – lp
- to coincide with the release of his new album, here’s a repress of his last album.
mallard – yes on blood – castleface – lp
- an inside-out-echo-laser-garage-psych-rock trio from san francisco. their home fried songs harness the naked abandon of ’60s punk (think earliest syd barrett era pink floyd), but inject the form with a deranged spirit all their own. close attention to texture and dynamics allow the band to explore unusual terrain-to grant access into unexpected realms of beauty and terror… with dessert.
*mind spiders – meltdown – dirtnap – lp
- the second album from mark ryan’s (marked men, high tension wires) mind spiders, and it’s a meltdown, alright. this is a very different beast from the s/t, meltdown is the first mind spiders recordings to feature the full live band. and what a band it is: members of the bad sports, high tension wires, marked men, uptown bums, etc etc. great sounding guitar tones. happy, warm organ. mean, buzzing synth. 60′s pop sensibilities. snotty garage rockers. dark, brooding postpunk. weirdo sci-fi soundtrack stuff. nods to krautrock.
*neurosis – enemy of the sun – relapse – lp
*neurosis – souls at zero – relapse – lp

- available on lp for the first time in nearly two decades and for the first time ever in their full form on vinyl, relapse is pleased to release neurosis’ landmark records souls at zero (originally released in 1992) and enemy of the sun (originally released in 1993). the influence that both of these albums had over the entire world of heavy music cannot be possibly understated. fully remastered and presented with expanded artwork. pressed on 180-gram vinyl.
of montreal – paralytic stalks – polyvinyl – lp/cd
- paralytic stalks’ musical and lyrical directions are infinitely more personal than anything of montreal frontman kevin barnes has written since 2007’s hissing fauna, are you the destroyer? a stimulating array of densely packed ideas presented with stunning agility. each track feeds off the last in what seens a singular album-long movement that never allows you to rip your ears away. paralytic stalks at times resembles modern classical with its intricate compositions, while at others echoes of neo-prog, pseudo-country and ‘60s pop.
*elias rahbani – music of the orient – arabesque – lp
- in tomorrow. “elias, who at this time was recording music for films, is regarded as the godfather of modern lebanese music. a mix of eastern sounds and western rhythms, with haunting melodies, nice drum breaks and using instruments like the nai (a type ofa rabic flute), bouzouki, flute, guitar, double flute, kanoun, tabla, drums, tambourine, electric organ and an oriental rhythm section.”
rockin’ horse – yes it is – sing sing – lp
- critically hailed as one of the true lost british power pop relics. when the late greg shaw (bomp records & magazine) created his voxx subsidiary, the first single he decided to reissue was rockin’ horses’ 1971 magnum opus single, “the biggest gossip in town.” the power pop sounds of yes it is have been favorably compared to the best of the beatles’ let it be era and badfinger’s early 1970 efforts. locating a copy of the original album is close to impossible and very expensive. now you can own one of the greatest power pop recordings of all time on vinyl with its original hypgnosis sleeve design..
frankie rose – interstellar – slumberland – lp/cd
-  “we were all knocked out by the s/t album in 2010; the effortlessness of its gorgeous girl-pop mantras, the intimate immensity of its spector-esque walls of reverb, the beauty of a song sung sweetly over the most graceful two-chord vamps. but are we ready for the new frankie rose? interstellar is a revelation, an album that floats free of its maker’s history-time spent with vivian girls, dum dum girls and crystal stilts-and offers the listener something strangely other, as alien as it is familiar, as compelling as it is enchanting.
andy stott – passed me by – modern love – 2×12″
andy stott – we stay together – modern love – 2×12″

- in tomorrow! finally repressed, these two eps caused a lot of fuss last year, and you missed them! so here’s your second chance, don’t blow it.
terry malts – killing time – slumberland – lp
- after careful, weeklong consideration, this san francisco trio went forth to record a debut lp as per the request of slumberland records. displaying a slick, intelligent take on modern chainsaw pop, killing time certainly lives up to its name! the terrys’ gospel is succinct, direct, sincere and timed expertly with next year’s looming apocalypse: life is hopeless, enjoy!
*tonetta – 777 vol 3 – black tent – 2lp+2cd
- prior to the first release in the 777 volumes, tonetta, the feminine alter ego of 60-something canadian tony jeffrey had been working in relative, if not total obscurity for almost 30 years. but over the past 2 years she has become a cult legend to the queer and transgendered communities, contemporary and outsider art enthusiasts, the generally online youth and to the fans of his skewed, bizarre, and bare it all approach to pop song writing and video art. the last of the 777 volumes.
windy & carl – we will always be – kranky – lp/cd
- “the first new recordings from windy & carl in more than three years.” a group so minimal, that’s all the label even has to say about the new album.
*ahmad zahir – volume 2: afghan 70s psychedelic folk-pop – guerssen – lp
- in tomorrow. following the success of guerssen’s first ahmad zahir release, here’s a stronger second chapter: a full double lp set. a new, exciting selection from this afghani legend’s proud discography, with his very own sound blending folk with pop and hits of psychedelia, the afghan way. this second volume features a surprising marriage of western music with afghan melodies, and at the center, the crooning voice of a one-of-a-kind artist that happened to shake his country’s musical and cultural foundations forever.
*various – qat, coffee & qambus: raw 45s from yeman – parlortone – lp
- in tomorrow. a compilation of rare yemeni vinyl singles, showcasing the little-documented, evolving local music styles in the 1960s and 1970s. vintage oud and vocal music inspired by the qat-chewing, coffee-sipping, qambus-playing culture of yemen. although part of the classical arabic musical tradition, the music of yemen takes its rhythmic lead as much from the east african coast (a mere 20 miles across the red sea) as the surrounding arab peninsula. little has been written about the music and culture of one of the world’s oldest civilizations, and each 45rpm disc gives a small glimpse of the poetic tradition, the unique local oud styles as well as an insight into people’s day to day lives, or the highs and lows of human relationships.

…..restocks…..

adele – 19 – xl – lp
olaf arnalds – living room – erased tapes – cd
*mulatu astatke – timeless – mochilla – lp
*mulatu astatke – afro-latin soul – worthy – lp
*mulatu astatke – mulatu of ethiopia – worthy – lp
beirut – flying club cup – ba da bing – lp
beirut – march of the zapotec – pompeii – lp
*berrocal/fenech/tazartes – superdisque – sub rosa – lp
black keys – rubber factory – fat possum – lp
clash – s/t – drastic plastic – lp
cloud nothings – attack on memory – carpark – lp/cd
demdike stare/hype williams – meets shangaan electro – honest jons – 12″
charlie feathers – long time ago – norton – lp
*ben frost/daniel bjarnason – solaris – bedroom community – cd
*serge gainsbourg – historie de melody nelson – universal – lp
serge gainsbourg – jane et serge – universal – lp
gonjasufi – mu.zz.le. – warp – 2×10″
*bruce haack – electric lucifer – omni – cd
*bruce haack – electric lucifer 2 – qdk – cd
*bruce haack – electronic record for children – mississippi – lp
*shin joong hyun – beautiful rivers & mountains – light in the attic – lp
*abner jay – true story of… – mississippi – lp
junior kimbrough – you better run – fat possum – lp
lcd soundsystem – sound of silver – dfa – lp
*mammatus – s/t – holy mountain – lp
*metallica – ride the lightning – elektra – lp
*metallica – master of puppets – elektra – lp
*michael & the mumbles – s/t – de stijl – lp
*stevie r. moore – meet the… – get back – lp
olivia tremor control – dusk at cubist castle – chunklet – lp
*om – conference of birds – holy mountain – lp
om – live at jerusalem – southern lord – lp
ty segall – goodbye bread – drag city – lp
ty segall – lemons – goner – lp
ty segall – melted – goner – lp
*kurt vile – childish prodigy – matador – lp
*kurt vile – constant hitmaker – woodsist – lp
tom waits – bad as me – anti – lp
tom waits – real gone – anti – lp
*ween – chocolate & cheese – plain – lp
*keith fullerton whitman – generators – editions mego – lp
*pari zangeneh – series of music for young adults: iranian folk music – ks – lp

thanks for listening…..

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

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

…..news letter #524 – holy sit…..

howdy all…..

finally! new releases are starting to trickle in. a bunch of stuff this week and more on the way for monday. now that you’ve finished with valentines day, you can get back to spending money on yourself….

…..pick of the week…..

*slant azymuth – s/t – pre-cert – lp
- yes! new release from one of my favorite labels… “slant azymuth expand on the concepts shared on 2011′s virtually unobtainable series of releases on andy votel and demdike stare’s pre-cert home entertainment label. slant azymuth is more than likely a joint venture between label heads demdike and votel, once again exploring fake-loric nonlanguage/electric codes and forbidden information to create an archive of sonic and poetic commentary (evidence) concerning corruption in pre-war local industry, perverted belief systems and scientific invention. part music concrète, part folklore, part-pulp-fictitious, part neorealism — this indulgent patchwork of mechanical folk/pop and non-music combines essential influences of electric smithsonian releases, sound poetry, zdeněk liska, ilhan mimaroglu, basic carnatic music, lettrism, pierre henry, oramics in ardwick, massiera, lloyd m. williams, stella crenshaw, bruno nicolai, suzanne ciani, eastern european fiction, agitprop, l.s. lowry, j.g. frazer, gurdjieff, kommune pop groups and futen theater. limited to 700 copies.”

…..new arrivals….. Continue reading

…..news letter #523 – to drop ceiling, or to not drop ceiling…..

howdy all,

you know, every week make this news letter, and it takes me a varying amount of time depending on how much is in (or coming in), how busy i am in the store that day, and how motivated i am to get to it. and nearly every week i wonder, ‘does anyone even read this damned thing’. and then i put out a list like last week full of some nice used goodies, and a week later most of it is all gone, so i guess it does get read after all. this week finds not a huge amount in, but some real top notch stuff not to be missed. we are slowly sorting out the void left by the loss of one of our suppliers and hope that some of the new sources we’ve drummed up will work out even better going forward.. only time shall tell though. in the meantime, here’s what did come in this week that you should buy…

…..pick of the week…..

*neung phak – 2 – abduction – lp

- yes!!!!! “in the pantheon of western-tilted south east asian tribute groups, oakland, california’s neung phak (pronounced: “noong pahk”) have carved out a decade’s worth of inspired and unique recordings and performance since their 2001 debut, (birthed as a spin-off from legendary bay area group mono pause). galvanized by exposure to thousands of south east asian cassette tapes, lps and radio broadcasts harvested during years of travels (co-founder mark gergis is a key conspirator with international record label sublime frequencies), the 7-piece group play folk and pop sounds from thailand, cambodia, laos, indonesia, vietnam and elsewhere, using a variety of western and non-western instruments. neung phak delivers international sounds that trade the gloss and sheen of so-called “world music” for the energy and unpredictability you can find when you’re somewhere else. after two releases on abduction and several performances and tours, neung phak have returned with their second full-length studio lp. 2 showcases molam-folk pop and acid-rock hauntings from thailand’s yesterday and today, javanese dancefloor dangdut, and cambodian instrumental dramas — all retold in inimitable neung phak parlance. the stunning indonesian pop gem, “bang toyib,” features guest alan bishop (sun city girls) on bahasa vocals. thai dance-pop cuts “poot” and “poo jud” feature veteran singer diana hayes. the damning “fucking usa” was purportedly recorded in a north korean studio — and the epic retelling of the classic southern thai-styled “sat chatri,” closes down the lp in sprawling, psychedelic form. limited edition one-time pressing of 500 copies with download card.” super rad.

…..new arrivals….. Continue reading

…..news letter #522 – ugh, sanding…..

howdy all,
     welcome to february, the month in which stuff finally starts to come out again. sadly, yesterday one of our main suppliers called it quits. so hopefully not too much gets missed while we pick up the pieces and find new sources for everything. who knows, maybe this will turn out to be a good thing. maybe….

…..pick of the week…..

*keiji haino/jim o’rourke/oren ambarchi – imikuzushi – black truffle – lp
- limited gatefold double lp version with printed innersleeves. “the yearly summit of keiji haino, jim o’rourke and oren ambarchi continues with imikuzushi, which finds the group extending the power-trio strategies of 2011′s highly-praised in a flash everything comes together as one there is no need for a subject and bringing to them a newly-sustained intensity. for this performance, haino limits himself to electric guitar and vocals, forming complex networks of slashing rhythm work, noise squall and chromatic shredding, moving at times to near-silent passages of howled vocals and isolated, hanging guitar strums. the tendency towards driving free-rock which surfaced on moments of the trio’s last release is cemented here, with o’rourke’s fuzzed-out, non-linear bass riffing moving the music into almost garage-rock areas, combining with ambarchi’s drums to form a bedrock of hypnotic, metronomic pounding which transforms itself effortlessly into passages of flowing free-time. like all of haino’s best work, the trio transcends any ‘rock’ genre exercise to enter a non-idiomatic zone of ritual intensity, creating a music formed purely out of instrumental and group-mind possibility. presented as four unedited excerpts salvaged from an epic show that lasted well over three hours, the sometimes raw nature of the recording only adds to its directness and harshly emotive quality.” –francis plagne, melbourne, november, 2011. design by stephen o’malley (sunn o)))) with high quality live shots by ujin matsuo and stunning images by tokyo-based photographer and sound artist shunichiro okada.

…..new arrivals….. Continue reading

…..news letter #521 – ick…..

howdy all…..

in what is becoming the ups standard, we’re still waiting on a box here, but i guess they still have a bit of time. not that there’s a huge amount in that box. next week there should be a lot more in this little list, as i know of a few things that are en route. anyway there’s still lots to catch up on anyway, right?

a little reminder too, that tonight i’ll be over at the common spinning records for a little while, starting around 9:30. come down and say hi…

…..pick of the week…..

*nord – lsd – pcp – lp
- super cool early 80s japanese synth explorations. “the first of two requested nord lp’s, l.s.d. features rough hewn sheets of ominous yet trippy pulsating textural electronics with an obvious debt to the stark teutonic soundworlds of kluster and (especially) seesselberg. any glimmers of transcendence are immediately offset by a deadzone ambience that reeks of maurizio bianchi. hiroshi oikawa’s solo explorations of the galactic void seem considerably more enticing to these set of ears than the more formalized quotidian post-industrial con-structs he was fabricating under the nord moniker with satoshi katayama on their pinakotheca label debut lp from three years earlier. if this is cos-mic, than it’s the cosmos as viewed from the vantage point of a burned out cinder drifting into entropy. gripping stuff!“ limited repress from germany.

…..new arrivals….. Continue reading

…..news letter #520 – winter much?…..

howdy all…..

well, it’s definitely january. -30 and slim pickin’s for new releases. but as usual, despite the lack of releases, that doesn’t mean a lack of quality. there’s some top notch stuff in this week, and it’s warming up again too so get out of your cave and get down here.

oh ya, if you’ve missed it in past, next week i’ll be djing again down the street at the common next thursday night. come on down, after 9, i’ll be spinning some cool fuzzy funky library and soundtrack tunes along side some folks from other local shops. come show your love for listen!

…..pick of the week…..


*eddie callahan – false ego – time-lag – lp

- first ever reissue, deluxe & legit, of this quite rare 1976 southern california private press gem. it’s a strange, fantastical, and totally distinct album that will have you sucked in almost instantly. this one is extremely hard to pin down – think something like a loner powerpop rock opus, heavy on the psychedelic production values, studio dreamer vibes, and timeless hooks. the songs are unusual but infectious, the production is breezy & expansive but not polished, and the vocals are constantly morphing yet always effective. in fact, the hazy chameleon-like personality here might be one of the best things going for the album, as not only does eddie seem to be channeling a handful of different vocalists, but the whole mood & sound shifts around unexpectedly as well. even the potential low points somehow work, and there’s surprises around every turn. the often questioning, self-reflective lyrics add yet another layer of mystique to the trip. musically the most mellow points hover around gorgeous, airy, rural-tinged, floating psychedelia with beautifully layered acoustic & electric guitars, tinkling keys, and lush mellotron. when things pick up they’re truly rocking, with tight punchy rhythms and eddie firing off big chunky guitar riffs like he’s playing to the packed stadium behind his third eye. all the studio tricks at hand are put to full use with sweet leslie guitar effects, special tones, backwards solos, elaborate multi-tracked sound fields, and some of the most wonderfully bent synthesizer soloing ever laid to tape. the perfectly strange & beautiful cover art seals the deal… mastered from the artist’s well preserved & great sounding master tapes. pressed on highest quality 180gm virgin vinyl, and packaging in an exact reproduction heavy old-style cover, with exact repro labels. also includes a double-sided heavy stock insert with a bunch of great vintage photos of eddie rockin’ the marshall stacks at the ‘false ego’ sessions, plus new notes from eddie, his wife donna-davi, and album producer robert berry. one time pressing of 700 copies.


*ghedelia tazartes – works 1977-1979 – vinyl on demand – 4lp+10″

- in tomorrow… back in stock!! “4lp-box with 10″ tazartes’ transports, tazartes, diaspora, une eclipse totale de soleil, and quelque part quelqu’un. the french artist and autodidact ghedalia tazartes who is born in paris in 1947 is a true nomad spending more than 30 years within musical practice and experimentation. ghedalia is the orchestra and a pop group all in one person: the self is multitude and others, freely connecting the sounds, the rhythms, his voice, his voices. the extra-european music opens the ear to ghedalia’s intra-european exotism. the permanent metamorphosis is a principle of composition; it escapes control, refuses classification, diametrical to the purists of synthetic culture and technocrates of noise. he wanders through music from chant to rhythm, from one voice to another. utilizing magnetic tape recorders, he paves the way for the electric and the vocal paths, between the muezzin psalmody and the screaming of a rocker. he traces vague landscapes where the mitre of the white clown, the plumes of the sorcerer, the helmet of a cop and parisian anhydride collide into polyphonic ceremonies. this box concentrates on his early works from 1977-1979 and his four officially released vinyl-lp’s plus a 10″ of an unreleased work from 1978. all the material is superbly remastered for vinyl by anders peterson of ghostsounds.net, pushing the overall quality and dimension in sound to an amazing new level and experience.”

…..new arrivals….. Continue reading

…..news letter #519 – prog actually is a four letter word…..

howdy all,

well, it may be january, but there are still some cool new things in for your listening pleasure, and we are slowly starting to see some much needed restocks as well. also, to make up the difference, we bought a few used records this week to keep you busy. if you trust the weather man, it’s supposed to get much colder next week, so stop in before you’re afraid to leave the house…

…..pick of the week…..

*bruce haack & miss nelson – the way-out record for children – mississippi – lp
- “recorded in 1968, a true psychedelic masterpiece for the kids. ms. nelson (a child educator) and bruce haack (an early electronic music pioneer) designed this record to open the minds and hearts of children to deeper levels of insight and culture. not condescending in the least and with a childlike sense of wonder, bruce and ms. nelson lay into some heavy songs about everything from robots to indian mysticism to motorcycle riding fantasies. it’s all in here. the music is all generated by bruces’ homemade electronic instruments which churn out proto hip hop beats and straight up avante garde moments left and right. the kids in ms. nelson’s community chime in with their voices here and there and the record ends with a haunting existential twist that’ll leave you screamin’ for more. a great record for children and adults of all ages.”

*bruce haack & miss nelson – electronic record for children – mississippi – lp

- “recorded in 1969 , early electronic music pioneer bruce haack and child educator ms. nelson go bravely and deeply into psychedelic music compositions designed to open the minds and hearts of the young. truly far out electronic music that evokes a space age alternate universe. bruce and ms. nelson are joined by pianist praxietellis pandit and their relaxed sounding friend chris to bring you songs about everything from ancient folk tales to outerspace to what the world sounds like when you listen with your inner self. real great stuff, not for the faint of heart. avante garde music by and for the people.”

…..new arrivals….. Continue reading

…..news letter #518 – in the cold january rain…..

howdy all,

hope you all survived new years… i know it’s early in the year, but fortunately, a bit of stuff has started to trickle in. it’ll still be a few weeks before a lot of out of stock stuff will all be back in, but in the meantime, here’s some cool new stuff for you to enjoy….

…..pick of the week…..

*ash ra tempel – s/t – mg.art – cd
*ash ra tempel – schwingungen – mg.art – cd
*ash ra tempel – join inn – mg.art – cd
*ash ra tempel – starring rosi – mg.art – cd
*timothy leary & ash ra tempel – seven up – mg.art – cd
*manuel gottsching – inventions for electric guitar – mg.art – cd
*manuel gottsching – e2-e4 – mg.art – cd
- what a way to start the year! it’s not very often i hype cds, but this stuff is sooooooo essential that it has to be done. some of the absolutely best kraut-rock/kosmiche music to ever be released is finally available again and has been completely remastered by manuel gottsching himself, as well as released on his own label. these albums date from 1971 – 1981, and bands today still can’t pull off what gottsching and crew (and what a crew… klaus schulze, hartmut enke, conny plank, etc) were able to pull off on these records 30-40 years after the fact. the first ash ra tempel is a blistering guitar freak out of the highest order… completely mind-melting. inventions for electric guitar is a staggering feat that sounds like it was made in a room full of synthesizers, yet there is only guitar used to create these early dance sounding tracks. then of course you have the seminal e2-e4, which is considered to be one of the most influential electronic pieces ever recorded. needless to say, these are must haves for any collection, and considering the price of original lps of this stuff, these cds reissues are your most economic way to acquire these albums. highest possible recommendation!!!!

…..new arrivals….. Continue reading

…..news letter #517 end of an (y)ear…..

it appears that it’s that time of the year again… days off, lots of food and drink, and year end lists. so once again i deliver to you my little list of things i loved this year. as usual, i’ve stuck to things that are a little less talked about, cuz well, i think that’s what y’all like about what we do here… so with out any further adue….

alvarius b – baroque primitiva - poon village/abduction – lp/cd
- if i were to rank this list, this one would be at the top. hands down. the first solo record from alan bishop of the sun city girls in 6 years, consisting largely of ennio morricone tracks, this is easily alan’s finest solo outting to date. sold out on vinyl in the blink of an eye, but still around on that smaller silver disc. just plain awesome.

anworth kirk – avonwaith – pre-cert – lp
applehead – applehead – pre-cert – lp
– two new albums from the marvelous pre-cert label. while similar both are fairly different. the second anworth release is another great slab of vhs sound collage. applehead delivers a slab of dark library style grooves. both awesome, and both, pretty much sold out.

barn owl – shadowland – thrill jockey – 12″
- before their new album this year, they released this ep, which really out shines the album for me. maybe it’s because the tracks are longer, maybe it’s because the tracks are drone-ier,  maybe it’s because the vinyl is clear with smokey whisps, maybe it’s maybelline.
evan caminiti - when california sinks into the sea – handmade birds – lp
- this solo album from pne half of barn owl isn’t all that different from the newest barn owl album, but to these ears, it’s way better. masterful dark, brooding, expansive guitar explorations.

master musicians of bukkake - totem 3 – important – lp/cd
- the final instalment of the totem trilogy by this seattle based ethno/soundtrack/doom ensemble. this one finds the group really coming into their own and thus producing their most focused release to date.

jakob olausson - morning & sunrise – de stijl - lp/cd
- as always, there’s a late last-minute addition to these lists, and this one having only come out a few weeks ago has hit hard. real nice 70′s private press mellow folk vibes, with great layers of guitars, and olausson’s haunting voice, making this a late night winter favorite.

bill orcutt - how the thing sings – editions mego - lp/cd
- second full-length from this former member of harry pussy. easily the most original man working in the solo guitar field, with his modified four string guitar, aggressive style, and gutteral vocal stylings. the second side on this stunning.

oneohtrix point never – replica – software – lp/cd
- i was a big fan of his last album, returnal, and while the heavy use of a sampler makes this one a big departure from his more synth based sound, this one still has real cool nostalgic vibes going on.

part wild horses mane on both sides – low fired clay escape – carnival – lp
- this euro improv duo create a really lush and psychedelic soundscape with not a whole lot. percussion, voices, electronics and flute. parts remind me of the hinterland who’s who commercials. all parts are awesome.

matana roberts - coin coin – constellation – 2×10″/cd
- the other great constellation album from this year, this is a fantastic free-jazz, spiritual saga. this album mixes all sorts of jazz elements which each on their own could alienate some listeners, but the way they are mixed throughout this album makes them all utterly enjoyable.

……reissues…..

mark hollis - s/t – ba da bing - lp
index – black/red/yesterday – lion – 2cd
erkin koray – mechul – sublime frequencies – lp/cd
les rallizes denudes – great white wonder – phoenix – 5lp/4cd
talk talk - laughing stock - ba da bing - lp
ghedalia tazartes - box – vinyl on demand – 4lps+10″
throbbing gristle – 20 jazz funk greats – industrial – lp/cd
trad gras och stenar - gardet 12.6.1970 – subliminal sounds – 2lp
twinsistermoon - when stars glide through solid – blackest rainbow – 2lp/cd

…..compilations…..

bollywood bloodbath – finders keepers – lp/cd
shin juung hyun - beautiful rivers & mountains – light in the attic – lp/cd
ongaku 70: vintage psychedelia in japan – hiruko records – lp
princess nicotine – sublime frequencies – lp
thai? dai! – finders keepers – lp/cd

hopefully these little lists bring something to your attention that you haven’t heard of, or forgot about, or something to that effect. there was a lot of great stuff out this year, both new, and as reissues. it’s hard to keep up sometimes.

and that wraps up another year here… it’s been a wild one, lots of new friends, good times with old friends, and of course lots and lots of records. thank you all for your patronage over the last 12 months, with out you and your business, we wouldn’t exist, and wouldn’t that be a shame. so again, thanks, and have a happy and safe new year…..

best,

kris and staff

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

780.732.1132

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

…..news letter #516 – oh kristmas treeeeee…..

howdy and merry christmas to all!

hopefully you are all ready for the holiday and get to spend some quality time with family and enjoying plenty of good food this weekend. as usual, we will be having our annual boxing day sale! come in on monday and get 20% off everything in the store, including clearance items. sale runs 11 – 5 on monday. come and grab that box set you’ve being eyeing all year, or a whole stack of other killer wax. see you this monday, and enjoy the rest of your christmas holidays.

best wishes,

kris & staff

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

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

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