howdy all!
hope you didn’t miss us too much. to make up for our little holiday break, there’s a TON of new wax in this week, and while on holidays i bought a nice little collection of classic vintage vinyl as well. i’ve got a small list of stuff below to give you an idea what i’ve got here for ya…
…..pick of the week(s)…..
since this is the first real news letter in 3 weeks, i guess it’s ok that i’ve got 3 picks…
egisto macchi – voix – roundtable – lp
– italian avant-garde and film composer egisto macchi (1928-1992) produced a large and largely forgotten catalogue of astounding music during the 1960s and 1970s. at the crest of that incredible body of work stands voix – an lp of intense contrasts – haunting, dissonant choirs collide with dexterous musique concrete manipulations and other worldly soundscapes while guitars buzz and strings scrape violently. the world of voix is a frightening and beautiful place. there are echoes here of macchi’s friend and famous collaborator (in the avant composer’s collective ‘il gruppo di improvvisazione nuova consonanza’) ennio morricone, yet egisto macchi existed in a musical universe truly all his own, and the time for a reappraisal of this undiscovered cosmology has surely come. presented as an exact replica of the incredibly rare 1970 gemelli library lp, remastered from the original master tapes and complete with scholarly liner notes as an insert. some consider egisto macchi to be an unheralded genius…and here is more evidence.
*bunalim – s/t – pharaway sound – lp
– super stoked to see this get a vinyl reissue… turkish band bunalim (turkish for “depression”) is a true legend: they were the absolute wildest and crudest band from the anatolian rock scene. under the wing of cem karaça, who was their manager and producer, they released a few singles which are all collected here. fierce turkish folk-flavored psychedelic fuzz-rock circa 1970-1972. remastered sound, including an insert with liner notes and pictures.
*n.racker – flock toxicant – pre-cert home entertainment – lp
– after delivering a limited edition cassette release that sold out in a couple of hours, n.racker unveils his vinyl debut for pre-cert home entertainment, a label run by demdike stare and andy votel. we’re not at liberty to divulge his real identity for fear of the pre-cert wrath, however, we can tell you he hasn’t previously appeared on the label; his roots reach further back into one of cottonopolis’ most cherished imprints. the sound he makes is full of rumbling gloom, misery and arcane folk mystery, think somewhere between sunn o))), the haxan cloak and morricone/gruppo di improvvisazione nuova consonanza — albeit with a distinctly northern english slant. the material on flock toxicant is based on an imagined alternative history of a sinister, pre-industrial pestilence among the ovine population and the people who work in wool processing, ending in complete devastation and dereliction. the atmosphere is chokingly heavy and nocturnal throughout, making use of self-constructed devices, antique electronics and altered acoustic contraptions made by the artist himself, designed to blacken every surface. you could think of it as a soundtrack to a low-rent steam-punk-sci-fi-horror, or just the latest in a line of immersive, conceptually-opaque transmissions from this ever-intriguing label.
…..new arrivals…..
acid mothers temple & the melting paraiso ufo – son of a bitches brew – important – lp
– “a true electric jazz record from the acid mothers temple. rooted in the sound of miles davis’ electric era this record melds jazz, funk and psych with amt’s synth swoops, space whispers and cosmic acid vibe. tsuyama atsushi replaces wayne shorter on soprano saxophone. cotton casino rejoins & amt goes all in. the only joke here are the titles. recorded at the acid mothers temple between december 2011 through 2012.”
*alessandro alessandroni – prisma sonoro – roundtable – lp
– undoubtedly one of the central figures of 1960s/70s italian film music. renowned for his pioneering reverb guitar sound, sitar exploration and a phenomenal whistling technique, (perhaps best known for his contribution in shaping the famous ‘spaghetti western’ sound) alessandroni’s vast and innovative contribution to italian soundtracks is unparalleled. one of the most desired sessions (and reported to be his own favourite recording) is prisma sonoro, a mythical library lp issued as a micro press for the highly collectable sermi label. this record is exquisitely crafted italian mood music; propulsive bossa infected with mild lysergic delirium. enchanting harpsichord melodies measured against scowling giallo style guitars, mournful string arrangements and the sublimely plaintive voice of edda dell’orso. long regarded as the backbone of the italian ost sound, here is maestro alessandroni in all his own lush psychedelic glory.
oren ambarchi – sagittarian domain – editions mego – lp
– “recorded in a single inspired studio session, sagittarian domain displaces ambarchi’s trademark guitar sound from the center of the mix, its presence felt only as an occasional ghostly, reverberated shimmer. endlessly pulsating guitar and bass lines sit alongside electronic percussion and thundering motorik drumming (familiar from his work with keiji haino) at the core of the piece, locking into a voodoo groove, like faust covering a ’70s cop show theme. ”
oren ambarchi – audience of one – touch – 2lp
– now available on vinyl… a four-part suite which moves from throbbing minimalism to expansive song-craft to ecstatic free-rock. includes a cover of ace frehley’s “fractured mirror”….
fiona apple – the idler wheel is wiser – epic – lp
– now in on vinyl, her first album in seven years.
*archers of loaf – all the nations airports – merge – lp/2cd
*archers of loaf – white trash heroes – merge – lp/2cd
– the archers of loaf reissue campaign closes with all the nations airports, originally released in 1996, and white trash heroes. like recent reissues icky mettle, vee vee, these deluxe editions build on the classic versions with reimagined cover art, new liner notes and bonus audio. lps are limited edition and pressed to white vinyl.
*beak> – >> – invada – lp/cd
– hot on the heels of his quakers hip hop project ,and the judge dredd inspired / drokk soundtrack collaboration , geoff barrow (of portishead) unveils the second beak> album ,the krautrock inspired band. one rainy afternoon in bristol after many tortured, truly terrible recording sessions something changed. their bleak, wobbly anti-blue note sound had returned, but this time with added synthesizers.
black past – pitch black – dangerous age – lp
– dangerous age is a new label from john elliott (emeralds, imaginary softwoods, etc.). “alternatively titled a soundtrack for a deranged motorcyclist, pitch black is a bleak narrative pulling no punches. utilizing an array of drums, percussion, synthesizers, guitars, and other various sound making devices, boyd creates a damaged repertoire of haunted motorik songs and ghosted void stasis. bizarre fidelities resonate throughout which perplex with old school, truly d.i.y., private basement session sound.”
buffalo killers – dig. sow. love. grow. – alive – lp
– an album that stampedes with the ferocity of their first two albums, yet it also incorporates much of the loose, organic nature from last year’s highly-praised album “3”. from late ‘60s psychedelia, blues, americana, garage rock and the folk-rock sounds that rolled out of laurel canyon in the early ‘70s like a sweet cloud of acapulco gold, brothers zachary and andrew gabbard along with joseph sebaali have brought them all together to create an intoxicating album that sounds as timeless as it does remarkably fresh… and quite unlike anything else being released today.
burning love – rotten thing to say – southern lord – lp
– recorded by converge guitarist kurt ballou at his infamous godcity studio. the recording and the production of rotten… shows a extreme improvement from the bands past recordings. vocals are clearer which amplifies their vicious and venomous delivery. guitars are as raw as ever and blatantly cranked to rip off your face. the songwriting reveals a band at their peak with riffs and melodies as infectious as tuberculosis. featuring cursed vocalist chris colohan.
cooly g – playin’ me – hyperdub – lp
– on ‘playin’ me’ she displays the full spectrum of her sound, plummeting from her sometimes melancholy, sometimes romantic songs through to her more menacing, trackier style. recorded without any frills in her home studio, the album simultaneously recalls a legacy of black british music, filtering the female pressure and reggae lilt of lovers rock’s kitchen sink dramas, the sweet seduction of ‘80s-flavoured ‘quiet storm’ soul, through to sour, bitter-sweet synths, and the polyrhythmic dub decay of early jungle and tough tribal drums.
*donnie & joe emerson – dreamin’ wild – light in the attic – lp
– originally released in 1979, dreamin’ wild is the sonic vision of the talented emerson boys, recorded in a family built home studio in rural washington state. situated in the unlikely blink-and-you-missed-it town of fruitland and far removed from the late 1970s punk movement and the larger disco boom, donnie and joe tilled their own musical soil, channeling bedroom pop jams, raw funk, and yacht rock.
*donnie darko ost – death waltz – lp
– “re-mastered for especially for this exclusive vinyl release, the score is pulsing, hypnotic and captures the dark and moody nature of the film perfectly, this release also features the million selling single ‘mad world’ by gary jules. this limited edition comes with an exclusive a2 poster of the cover art by tom french. exclusively re-mastered for vinyl.”
dragonfly – s/t – guerssen – lp
– ultra-loud heavy psychedelic rock from colorado from the late ’60s with loads of fuzz guitar all over. here’s a welcome, first-ever official vinyl reissue with the original artwork and insert with liner notes. gatefold sleeve. “this album is sure to share space at the top of your shelf with plastic cloud, savage resurrection and src for those special moments when you want to teach a young, unsuspecting psych convert just what that acid rock guitar thing was all about.”
dr. no – dr. no’s kali tornado funk – five day weekend – lp
– “when cut loose on the rudy ray moore/dolemite catalog to put together the release that came to be known as ohnomite, oh no was like the clichéd kid in a candy store. oh no turned this material over to his alter-ego, dr. no, for the further finishing touches for this all instrumental outing. the result is contained here. coming at you with fists flying this full length features instrumentals and alternate mixes from the ohnomite record, thoroughly funk filled blasts that didn’t find their way into the final ohnomite project and much more.
*eleh/duane pitre – empty summer endless/feel free installation – important – lp
– “split release including a new twenty minute piece from eleh and the installation version of duane pitre’s beautiful new composition, feel free. letterpressed jackets. ‘feel free’ is a new composition by duane pitre that currently has three possible manifestations: solo performance, group performance, and sound installation. at the core of all of them is the pillar of the work, an open yet orderly system whose intention is to produce potentially infinite variations of self-generating rhythm and melody.”
emerald web – dragon wings and wizard tales – sebatian speaks – lp
– “the first release from 1979 by new age/electronic duo emerald web, composed of husband and wife bob stohl and kat epple. lots of trippy flute and synthesizer soundscapes with the odd vocal track from epple. a unique sound somewhere between tangerine dream, popol vuh, and the blade runner soundtrack, all filtered through homemade found nature sound weirdness and naive studio trickery. the sound of south florida getting kosmiche.”
flied egg – good bye – bamboo – lp
– this is the final album from the band founded by george yanagi, formed after the disbanding of strawberry path after only one astonishing album. good bye, originally released in 1972, brings together a live first side bursting with highly energetic, guitar-based loud rock. the studio side is a more sophisticated and progressive affair, with the complex and instrumentally-inspired “521 seconds schizophrenic symphony” being of a particularly high standard. an album sure to appeal fans of ’70s hard rock with marked progressive tendencies. features killer hammond organs and drums from hiro tsunoda (foodbrain, yasumi no kuni).
*harry pussy – let’s build a pussy – editions mego – lp
– a vinyl reissue of the long out-of-print and impossibly rare final harry pussy album, the monumental let’s build a pussy. originally released in 1998 after the band broke up, this has always been an elusive release. consisting of an hour-long piece of bill orcutt time-stretching a second of adris hoyos’ voice into a slow, shifting drone. a piece of music you will love or hate, with not much room for anything in between.
lee hazlewood – a house safe for tigers – light in the attic – lp
– a house safe for tigers is the soundtrack to one of the seven tv movies lee hazlewood made with the director torbjörn axelman during his period living in sweden in the early 1970s. hazlewood had moved there to lay low and to help his son avoid the draft, but wound up finding happiness and creative freedom. many of the albums recorded in sweden made their way no further than scandinavia, but of them all, a house safe for tigers is the holy grail for collectors, often changing hands for hundreds of dollars.
home blitz – frozen tracks – mexican summer – 12″
– six more tracks by the coolest band in the tri-state area. bespectacled guitar pop-in-the-wake-of-punk that gave rock critics the chills way back when, it’s because that’s where the heart of this music resides, the thrill of excavation and discovery of an era before one’s own, the one that speaks to you the most clearly. there is real love in these songs, five new originals and a reverent cover of game theory’s “rolling with the moody girls.” what a great time you’re gonna have with this one.
lightin’ hopkins – s/t – doxy – lp
– “although lightnin’ hopkins had known regional success as a recording artist in the late forties and early fifties, changing musical tastes soon left him without an audience. however, it was not long before a whole new generation of fans – sparked by the blues folk revival – were knocking on hopkins’ door once more. this time it was musicologist sam charters who tracked lightnin’ down. lured by a bottle of gin, hopkins took charters back to his one room apartment in houston and recorded these ten songs. the resulting album, released in 1959 on folkways, catapulted hopkins for the very first time into the national spotlight where he was soon being heralded across the country as a giant of the genre.” on 180 gram vinyl.
simon joyner – ghosts – sing eunuchs – lp
– love and death: these are the only themes. recorded on reel-to-reel in joyner’s warehouse on a sixteen- track tape machine over many months, ghosts sounds unlike any joyner record. the influence of dark, ’60s and ’70s private-press psych and folk records, as well as the noisy, transcendent music of new zealand heroes like this kind of punishment, alastair galbraith and the dead c are highlighted on this experimental, full-band songcycle that pays subtle as well as brazen homage to several influential double-albums (perhaps most obviously with its exile on main street-inspired gatefold artwork).
lego feet – s/t – skam – lp
– double vinyl edition with a nice uv-finished sleeve of the self-titled release from lego feet aka autechre. this reissue includes all the original material from the 1991 ep, plus extensive bonus material (same content as the cd reissue), re-recorded from the original mastertapes. this is the holy grail record of electronic music, but you already knew that. this four track album contains over 70 minutes of classic, mind-bending, futuristic electronic-acid-industrial-cut-up fuckery that, at the time of its release in 1991, was virtually uncategorizable.
*let the right one in ost – death waltz – lp
– “first ever release on vinyl for this modern day classic. one of the most beautiful looking vampire movies ever filmed and featuring a soundtrack loaded with dark, brooding themes that still manage to be achingly melancholic at the same time. exclusive cover art by candice tripp, sleeve notes by composer johan söderqvist. comes with a massive a2 poster.”
locust – molecular genetics… – anti – lp
– 44 tracks of hard-to-find and out-of-print material from the early years of the locust. san diego legends the locust have been blowing minds since 1994 with their unique mix of grindcore speed and aggression, mathcore complexity, and new wave weirdness. collecting for the first time all of the band’s pre-epitaph recordings.
mission of burma – unsound – fire – lp
– ‘unsound’ is mission of burma’s fifth studio album, continuing their remarkable legacy. it seems redundant now to even call it a comeback because they’re a dynamic, current band. originally together just four years, from 1979-83, mission of burma reformed in 2002 for a handful of shows…which let to more concerts, then more, and eventually the release of 2004’s “onoffon”, their first new recording in over twenty years.
harry nilsson – nilsson schmilsson – music on vinyl – lp
– finally a vinyl reissue of this much sought after gem.
*bernard parmegiani – l’oeil ecoute/dedans-dehors – recollection grm – lp
– l’oeil écoute (1970): “from the very first moment, caught by the musical tone heard from inside a train, the trip offered by this piece, woven with different materials, triggers in us various climates able to give our imagination power over sounds: the power to guide them through our secret mazes rather than to blindly follow them like panurge” dedans-dehors (1977): “when listening to the sound material, we metamorphose the inside into an outside. this notion of metamorphosis is one of the principles that leads the course of the musical suite, reflecting changes (fluidsolid passages: water/ice/fire) or movements (ebb/flow/wave, inspiration/expiration) or inside-outside passages (door/individual/crowd).” –bernard parmegiani;
purity ring – shrines – last gang/4ad – lp/cd
– the debut album by purity ring, a halifax/montreal based duo comprised of corin roddick and megan james. purity ring make lullabies for the club, drawing equally from airy 90’s r&b, lush dream pop, and the powerful, bone-rattling immediacy of modern hip hop. megan’s remarkable voice is at once ecstatic and ethereal, soaring joyfully through corin’s carefully chopped beats, trembling synths, and skewed vocal samples. vinyl in tomorrow or monday…
the semi-colon – ndia egbuo ndia (afro jigida) – comb & razor – lp+7″
– “an lp recorded by the nigerian rock group semi-colon in 1976, was an experimental response to fela kuti’s then-dominant afro-beat sound, substituting fela’s sophisticated horn charts and jazz leanings with wiry electric guitar work and a passion for vintage rock ‘n’ roll. long fabled and coveted amongst collectors and djs alike, the album has remained one of the rarest of the nigerian 1970s ‘afro’ cycle.”
*teisco – tuscan castle and country seat – roundtable – lp
– the mysterious teisco lp is perhaps the most bizarre artefact to emerge from the phenomenal world of italian library music. originally scored for a 1978 rai television documentary, the album titled tuscan castle and country seat conforms to nothing you know or understand about library music. studying composition under maestro a.r luciani, the young teisco composed innovative home studio recordings that parallel the outsider technique of french soundtrack composer francois de roubaix.
*rob thomsett – yaraandoo – roundtable – lp
– from deep within the australian outback comes yaraandoo, the 40,000 year-old sound of antediluvian aboriginal folklore channeled through mellotron, hypnotic washes of moog oscillations, bamboo flutes and tape delay. welcome to the unearthed, unheard of and indefinable genre of australian dreamtime psych…. re-presented for the first time, a much-anticipated reissue of this mythical australian lo-fi concept recording composed by jazz guitarist rob thomsett. working in a similar impressionistic mode as other australian originals sven libaek and john sangster, thomsett sets to music the aboriginal dreamtime myth of yaraandoo, the legend of the dawn of creation.”
various – country funk 1969-1975 – light in the attic – lp
– “what in the hell is country funk you ask? the answer is a complicated one, in part due to the fact that country funk is an inherently defiant genre, escaping all efforts at easy categorization. the style encompasses the elation of gospel with the sexual thrust of the blues, country hoedown harmony with inner city grit. it is alternately playful and melancholic, slow jammin’, and booty shakin’. it is both studio slick and barroom raw. and while these all may seem unlikely combinations at first glance, upon close listen, it all makes sweet sense.”
*various – staring into the sun: ethiopian tribal music – sublime frequencies – 2lp
– a contemporary survey of the tribal music of ethiopia. recorded in 2009 by olivia wyatt, this double lp showcases an array of mind-blowing sounds from the “land of eternal sunshine.” presented in this visually stunning gatefold are audio examples ranging from remote tribes — of the ethiopian highlands, the lower omo and the great rift valley — to their electric analogues in the sweaty beerhalls of addis ababa. this collection features songs from the azmari, poet-musicians who play the krar (ancient lyre) and whose song repertoire includes everything from comic improvisation to lyrical elegiac, the borana whose work songs are a transcendental polyphonic singing that stops time, and the dirashe whose syncopated panpipes are as otherworldly as anything ever heard. other selections include music from the mursi, druze, gedeo, konso, and tsemay tribes as well as some fine examples of amplified roots music from the capital from the habesha 2000 band.
*various – traces one – recollection grm – lp
– cool collection of early electronic pieces from this series… beatriz ferreyra’s “l’orvietan” (1970), philippe carson turmac’s (1961), edgardo canton’s “i palpiti” (1966), mireille chamass-kyrou’s “etude 1” (1960).
*various – zendooni – pharaway sound – 2lp
– subtitled: funk, psychedelia and pop from the iranian pre-revolution generation. zendooni celebrates a time when pop artists in iran ruled the country. during the ’70s, before the revolution, occidental and middle east mannerisms collided and the result was a new kind of iranian pop which incorporated different genres and arrangements to its persian roots. touches of funk, jazz, latin, bossa, progressive/psychedelic sounds and morricone/blaxploitation-styled soundtracks can be heard on this collection, culled from miraculously survived vinyl and cassettes. a surreal voyage back to the golden age of persian pop.
…..used goodies…..
beatles – white album – capitol – 2lp
beatles – 1967-1970 – apple – 2lp
beatles – help! – capitol – lp
crosby, stills, nash & young – deja vu – atlantic – lp
bob dylan – another side of bob dylan – columbia – lp
bob dylan – bringing it all back home – columbia – lp
bob dylan – highway 61 revisited – columbia – lp
bob dylan – new morning – columbia – lp
bob dylan – s/t – columbia – lp
flying burrito bros – airborne – columbia – lp
flying burrito bros – the gilded palace of sin – a&m – lp
marvin gaye – live! – motown – lp
marvin gaye & tammi terrell – superstar series – motown – lp
grateful dead – workingman’s dead – warner bros – lp
grateful dead – live dead – warner bros – 2lp
led zeppelin – iv – atlantic – lp
john lennon & yoko ono – double fantasy – geffen – lp
pink floyd – meddle – harvest – lp
smokey robinson – the tears of a clown – pickwick – lp
rolling stones – exile on main st. – atlantic – 2lp
bruce springsteen – nebraska – columbia – lp
bruce springsteen – darkness on the edge of town – columbia – lp
neil young – s/t – reprise – lp
neil young – everybody knows this is nowhere – reprise – lp
neil young – after the gold rush – reprise – lp
neil young – harvest – reprise – lp
and about 150-200 more….
…..restocks…..
*bliscappen van maria – s/t – fourth dimension – lp
*john carpenter – escape from new york ost – death waltz – lp
*crystalline – axe music – guerssen – lp
*drive ost – invada – lp
earth – the bees made honey… – southern lord – cd
flying lotus – los angeles – warp – lp
future of the left – plot against common sense – xtra mile – lp
*lee hazlewood – lhi years – light in the attic – lp
lialeh ost – light in the attic – lp
*kim jung mi – now – lion – lp
harry nilsson – the point – get on down – lp
*emmanuelle parrenin – maison rose – lion – lp
wilson pickett – wicked picket – atlantic – lp
wilson pickett – in the midnight hour – atlantic – lp
*pye corner audio – black mill tapes volumes 1 & 2 – type – 2lp
refused – shape of punk to come – epitaph – lp
rodriguez – cold fact – light in the attic – lp
rodriguez – coming from reality – light in the attic – lp
*jack rose – dr. ragtime & friends – tequila sunrise – lp
thin lizzy – s/t – light in the attic – lp
*peter thomas orchestra – orion 2000 – roundtable – lp
upsetters – return of django – sunspot – lp
white hills – live at roadburn – roadburn – lp
*various – holy fuzz – lion – lp
various – summer records anthology – light in the attic – lp
thanks for listening…
listen records
10443a – 124 street
edmonton, ab
t5n 1r7
780.732.1132