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Hey everyone, There are NEW titles available for Mailorder customers located at www.stickfiguredistro.com/catalog. You can download a list of those new titles with reviews by clicking right here. take care, Gavin Stickfigure / www.stickfiguredistro.com

Hey everyone, below are the NEW titles available through Stickfigure Mailorder available at www.stickfiguredistro.com/catalog/. take care, Gavin / Stickfigure New Exclusive / Primary Titles: *Deadman’s Ghost "The Broken Zoetrope" lp (Umor Rex) – The Broken Zoetrope is the debut album of Deadman’s Ghost (formerly Deadman), the project lead by Belfast musician Jason Mills. Released on transparent limited edition vinyl and digital format, it features four new compositions produced in collaboration with sound engineer David Baxter (aka Kab Driver) and four remixes by Northern Irish electronica artists. The cinematic scope and stylistic experimentation which was acclaimed by reviewers of Cerebral Frontier, drawing comparisons to Beck and David Holmes, is further refined on The Broken Zoetrope. Post-rock instrumentation and electronic soundscapes coalesce with all manner of other ingredients; samples of random people recollecting their dreams and nightmares, shuffling funk drum breaks, apocalyptic lyrics and overdriven pop hooks burst out of the speakers with sub-bass energy. On the flipside, remixes of Cerebral Frontier tracks by Defcon, Barry’s Electric Workshop, T-Polar and The Crimson Underground span from blissed-out electronica to dark, brooding psychedelia. Instruments and vocals from the original songs are processed and used as a catalyst for exploring new sonic territories. *Ending People "Fill Your Lungs" lp (Cash Cow Productions) – “When I listen to Ending People I imagine I’m riding on the back of Falkor.”– Colin Bricker, Audio Expert. Ending People, from Denver, CO, play dream-filled pop layered with new-wave inspired guitars and droning synthesizers. Their debut effort, Fill Your Lungs, is a six-song journey through a post-utopian maze of nostalgia and mystery. The apparent bleakness of their name masks a contrarian playfulness echoed through sleek songwriting and production that is danceable yet haunting. Ending People will sooth the weariness of fans who’ve been searching for the perfect combination of Lionel Richie’s infectious melodies and Metric’s modern sensibility. Recorded in their hometown and mastered by Bob Weston at Chicago Mastering Service. *From The Depths / Next Victim “From The Depths / Next Victim” split cd (Crimethinc / Nikt Nic Nie Wie) - "I can't believe that two phenomenal bands in crust scene have BOTH come together to create such a wonderful bond of music. The split consists of 7 tracks of axe-grinding tracks spanning almost 30 minutes long. Alrighty so lets get down to FtD's side. From The Depths are an anarcho-punk/crust/MELODIC AS FUCK (LOVE THEIR VOCALS) band featuring ex-members from Catharsis and Requiem. They released their first full-length on Crimethinc. I have thrown them up on my blog once before and I'm proud to say that they're taking another turn up on it. Now, if you know anything about Next Victim they are closely similar to FtD and have ex-members from Mind Pollution in it. I wouldn't say their side is as good as FtD's but it's definitely not forgettable. It seems Next Victim is focusing a lot more on the guitar work and dual vocals unlike their first album, The Cold Gust Of Wind, that even had an intro spoken word track all done by the female vocalist. This almost reminds me of Mammoth Grinder a bit but with more uhhh... I don't really know. It just has that sound but it doesn't. It's still fucking great and full of raw hatred. It's just heavy as fuck and very very instrumental. This by far has been my favorite release so MOVE ASIDE Hatred Surge and Mammoth Grinder, Downfall of Gaia and In The Hearts Of Emperors!!!!" - ryonikis.blogspot.com *Normal Love “Survival Tricks” lp (UgExplode) – THE NEW STUDIO ALBUM FROM THIS UNCOMPROMISINGLY DENSE UNIT. MINDBENDINGLY MODERN, DETAILED CHAMBER SKRONK. A DEVASTATINGLY BIONIC MUSICAL VISION! NORMAL LOVE creates bracingly intense modern music of shrewd density and unique imagination orchestrated for processed voices, guitars, violin, drums and various electronics. Everything about the band displays a cultivated air of alien logic, from their densely detailed sonic conception to their surreal, blacklit live presentation. “SURVIVAL TRICKS” is their second full-length release, a culmination of years of work and progression following their self-titled debut released in 2007 on High Two Records. Their sound evokes an epicurean fusion of influences as varied as Modern Classical, “Rock In Opposition” prog, Extreme Metal, Noise, Improvised Music and No Wave. There is little use in pigeonholing Normal Love: Their sound will appeal to all those seeking the true cutting edge of contemporary experimental rock music. The group formed in 2005 and its members currently reside in New York City and Philadelphia. “Normal Love don’t simply fuse noise, skronk, live electronics, fire-breathing and new music for the sake of genre-killing or academic posturing, but aim to build majestic, well fortified sound-castles for the post-nihilist movement of emerging experimentalists to dwell.” -Philadelphia Weekly *Ricer "XXX + Size" lp (We Destroy The Family) – “Roughneck cork-stalls connected to marble shawls dripping with the itch of complexity from an absinthe overhang. Definitely could qualify as being RadioDisney-ready, laced with noteworthy flatout word-wads as Alice on the way down dies small and frozen. If I had to guess, this is gnawed from both ripened Halo of Flies and Flyleaf as an apothecary of disturbed, chinless, mitigating factors. Yeah, but do you like it? Yeah, but I do, as an anthemic superlative of opposing forces, as waifish vibrato sacks unchecked, clamorous guitars. "Ladyfingers" at one end, "Bleeder" at the other. "1 on 1" is a compact Arvo Part meltdown. "Strangers" sounds like a deconstructed Doobie Brothers coin-toss – deliberate, detrimental and gutsy as hell. The heaviest of quaint, XXX+Size features the tension of blank space merged against a faded depth-charge played by those who drink lots of coffee. Yeah, but do you like it? Yeah, but I do!” – David Lindsay / Stomp & Stammer *S N DY P RL RS "Rex" lp (Umor Rex) – S ND Y P RL RS (or less hermetically, Sunday Parlours, Berlin) projects a vaporous, indeterminate soundscape inside the black resonance chamber that is Rex. Neither noise, loosely anchored in barely sketched, skeletal song structures, nor conventional guitar and voice songs, mystified and buried underneath thick blankets of stylized feedback, Rex exists and slowly drifts in a very peculiar region of sound and intent. The listener is invited to drift accordingly, to patiently adapt his or her senses to the tenuous light and rarified air, and to gradually discern melody, form and emotion from what at first may appear to be a distant mass of black billowing clouds. Yet, as vaporous and indeterminate as this rocking haze may seem, it has all in fact been filtered, layered and grown with method and care. These protracted rivers of sound-dust in which the sun splinters and hums have been shaped by Malte Cornelius Jantzen, who rewards the silent concentration of the listener with subtle and nuanced songwriting. These are songs, no doubt about it, and they wait there for the listener to catch and discern them. Rex will not pummel you into obedience, or force anything down your throat; there are no instructions on how-to-listen properly. Rex bets, humbly and without self-assertion, that the deep mood and enveloping flow of these tunes will carry you away. And you’ll be together, for a while, you and the deep, lonely sound, melting into each other in the quiet darkness. And the melody will project a very distinct and powerful shadow inside you. And it will feel, perhaps, like a profoundly familiar thing, and also, profoundly strange and unknown. And if it all works, and this album speaks to you (and you feel your own shadow stretching inside its resonance chamber) you will know, for sure, for a fact, that this, this, is something special. *Trophy Wife "Sing What Scares You" lp / cd (307 Knox) – Trophy Wife formed in 2008 when guitarist/vocalist Diane Foglizzo and drummer/vocalist Katy Otto met in Washington, DC while working together on a punk fanzine GIVE ME BACK. The two began playing together and developed an instinctual language musically – it became clear early on that any band to emerge from their jam sessions would be a duo. They began crafting songs that would later become their first album. “Patience Fury,” recorded by Devin Ocampo (Smart Went Crazy, Faraquet, Medications) and released on Raleigh, North Carolina’s 307Knox Records in 2010. The band had developed a regional following, and began extending its reach, playing frequently in the South, East Coast and mid-West. Drawing comparisons to both riot grrrl aesthetics Diane had never heard and dude-metal persuasions that Katy could never embody, the two were steadfastly determined to eke out a liminal space in between – with an interest in politics and poetry, metal and Americana, identity and society. Their sophomore release, “Sing What Scares You,” moves away from the overtly political. There is less yelling on this record and the two have begun to weave their voices into melodies and harmonies. This release, recorded by Steve Roche, also includes lyrics in German and French, Otto and Foglizzo’s ancestral tongues, respectively. *V/A Ten Year Anniversary Omnibus compilation 7" (Tor Johnson) – This release is a thank you to all of you. This is 10-Years of awesome underrated bands and credit card debt. This record includes unreleased/rare songs from Saint Jude, Now Denial, Pretty Faces, & A Fine Boat That Coffin. Includes a download code with more unreleased goodies from Weak Teeth, Jesuscentric, and more! Comes with recycled, hand silk-screened packaging designed by Providence's infamous Scoots from CultureVoid. Limited to 300 randomly mixed vinyl. *Your Heart Breaks "Harsh Jokes and Bong Tokes" lp (This Will Be Our Summer) – In the spare, messy style of Your Heart Breaks, "Harsh Tokes and Bong Jokes" is a nostalgic chronicle of the twins of youth: romance and rebellion. With the perspective that years bring, songwriter Clyde Petersen weaves melodies out of teenage trouble and innocence, songs in which we can all recognize ourselves. Imagine yourself getting high on a playground merry-go-round, having snuck out the first floor window of your ranch house in your neighborhood with no sidewalks because it was built during a time when people believed no one would ever walk anywhere again. Imagine enjoying it. New Records: *Dinos Boys “Play Dead” 7” (Die Slaughterhaus) – “Dinos Boys make their 7-inch debut on Die Slaughterhaus with the rollicking one-two whack of “Play Dead” b/w “SCAB.” Taut, persistent, old school punk rock jostled by the familiar lager splatter of young hooliganism.” – Stomp & Stammer

Hey everyone, NEW titles are now available through Stickfigure Mailorder at http://www.stickfigu...o.com/catalog/. Also, the new titles are listed below as well. take care, Gavin / Stickfigure New Exlusive / Primary Titles: *Assembly Of Light “Assembly Of Light” cd (At A Loss) – Providence, Rhode Island-based ASSEMBLY OF LIGHT choir is a secular all-female choral faction, unifying their incredible range of voices into beautiful, and often undeniably eerie, ethereal hymns, which blend classical styles through their own artistic experimentation. Chrissy Wolpert formed A.O.L. in 2008 and also handles the writing of all unconventional choral songs for the rotating cast of 20+ women which includes artists, scientists, gardeners, and teachers and musicians. The choir have collaborated with other vocalists and musicians often; the most notable of these collaborations .and appearances on record would inarguably be the choir’s massive inclusion on the 2010-released All The Waters Of The Earth Turn To Blood, the acclaimed sophomore LP from apocalyptic doom duo, The Body. Live, the choir have played everything from the Carnegie Library Theater, St. Stephens Church to D.I.Y. warehouse spaces and punk houses, and have sometimes included covers of Judas Priest (with The Body) and The Velvet Underground. Their self-titled full-length is equally as unconventional!!! Angelic vocal harmonies with piano and melodic drone lulls one into peaceful state only to be lead to erie vocals, violin and cello and a explosion of plodding percussion, low-end dirge and the juxtaposition of the piercing vocals of Chip King (The Body) against those of Assembly Of Light. The journey continues down the more melodic path with the addition of voice of Alexis Marshall (Daughters) building to a triumphant culmination of crashing cymbals, beautiful choral harmonies, and the combination of Marshall and King. The three parts of the album closer "Into The Woods" however, shows the true power of the voice of the Assembly Of Light minus without all the extras - beautiful!!! *Christian Cosmos "Enthronement By God As The First-Born Of The Dead" lp (Hospital Productions) – Released first as a limited 4 x cassette box set now condemned to vinyl. Among the trinity of electronic projects of dominick fernow's studies in anxiety and fear from the mythic natures of rainforest spiritual enslavement, the info wars of vatican shadow and the creator's observation of christian cosmos. Lightning drums pound the rhythms for lost souls as the fall from paradise abounds and the trumpets of the heavens command the threshold. imagine a voiceless dead can dance sent through a black hole hence the ancient notes and structures are scrambled and returned with information loss while the cathedral floor is flushed with his sacraments. but there is a beauty in submission to belief. some have said the book is not about self improvement but faith. *Eleventh He Reaches London "The Good Fight For Harmony" lp (Hobbledehoy) – AUSTRALIAN IMPORT - Remastered and on vinyl for the first time, all first editions come hand-numbered. Originally self-released in 2005, Perth’s Eleventh He Reaches London debut album sat atop the local charts for months with pressings continually selling out across the country (Australia). A truly unique band that draws on inspiration from all corners – it’s an orchestra of unease, an anti-manifesto of poetry and personal history that is unquestionably Australian. Every song oozes of despair, each minute – unpredictable. *Eskatologia “Stormens öga” cd (Halvfabrikat) – War, war never changes. This is how this release is set; and thus there are bands like Eskatologia, Gothenburgs force of the apocalypse. This is how Eskatologia sounds in 2012, this is their first fullength release. Ten new songs of misery and despair; d-beat and booze throughout 30 minutes of sheer and raw mayhem. *Esseiva, Kiko C. "Droles d'Oiseau" cd (Hinterzimmer) – Kiko C. Esseiva is a composer with Swiss and Spanish roots who lives in Lausanne, Switzerland. He creates electroacoustic sound pieces that are, not unlike those of the French master of the genre Luc Ferrari, warm, non-academic and colourful, spreading a humanity and richness that is far away from the sterility of a lot of today’s electronic compositions. He creates very diversified atmospheres which combine acoustic instruments, noise, human voices, field recordings and static sheets of sound with a stunning freshness and musicality that also brings to mind the very narrative nature of some older Nurse With Wound works. Four years after „Sous Les Etoiles“ – his second full length album –, Hinterzimmer Records comes up with another great work of this fine composer whose musique concrète is without any doubt „cinéma pour l’oreille“. Purists might deem it pop concrète, but I haven’t tittered so much since I first heard Nurse With Wound’s “A Sucked Orange” and praise doesn’t come higher than that.” (Wire about ‘Sous Les Etoiles’) “Every incident is placed exactly where and when it should be, episodes succeeding according to a far-sighted architecture that nonetheless tends to forget rules every once in a while in favour of a healthy anarchy (…) This is the kind of listening experience that often leaves with the mouth agape, wanting more when the disc is over. Then it’s back to the miserable normality of ‘regular’ everyday noise.” (Touching Extremes about ‘Sous Les Etoiles’). *Fowler, Luke / Richard Youngs “Yellow Gardens” 7” (Fourth Dimension / Lumberton Trading Company) – The first entry in Fourth Dimension’s new Singles Club sees the prolific avant-folk and generally self-styled Richard Youngs making his first appearance on the label since his collaborations with Simon Wickham-Smith in the mid-1990s. This time, he collaborates with Luke Fowler on a couple of incredible synth jams based around modulations, atmospheric splurge and stuttering rhythms. Limited to 250. *Krigskontrast “Krigskontrast” 7" (Halvfabrikat) – Krigskontrast is a crust/punk/mangel band from Gefle 02666, Sweden. In the year of 2006 Krigskontrast rose from the ashes to become a warmachine to fuck up the society. Three warriors filled with anger and hate, fighting against all kinds of fascism, sexism, homophobia and filthy rich bastards. Krigskontrast from Gävle deliver käng a la 1980. Think Mob 47, think Moderat Likvidation. Furious, fierce, brutal! Like a fistfight on the whole harsh and bleak society. Awesome! *M:40 "Diagnos" cd (Halvfabrikat) – New songs from the Lidköping crust/hardcore unit known as M:40. The band started back in 2002 over a totally improvised recording. Their second fullength, Historiens svarta vingslag, was released as CD in 2007 on Halvfabrikat Records. Since then the world has not quite been the same. A long time, bands such as Disfear, Tragedy and Totalt jävla mörker led the way of crust/punk entirely. As the summer of 2012 approaches, the tables will turn. M:40 are back with their third fullength, titled "Diagnos". Diagnos does not only gives us the brutal side of Disfear, the raw side of Tragedy, or even the fierce side of Totalt jävla mörker. Diagnos also proves that crustpunk can infact be diverse; in contrary to the before mentioned. Imagine yourself arriving at the barren no-man's land, with no way back to safety; warmth, love or affection. This is the soundtrack to that exact moment. *Mott, Nick "Almost Entirely of Nerves and Blood" 7" + cdr (Lumberton Trading Company) – Originally due to appear in 2007, this release finally appeared in late October 2011 in an edition of 100 with a signed and numbered A4 print by Nick Mott. However, these all sold out within two months via mail order and are no longer readily available. As such, a second edition of 150 will now appear sometime in April 2012 along with a bonus professionally reproduced CDR featuring some bonus material never previously released. Comprising of several solo pieces by Nick Mott (ex-Volcano The Bear, Spectral Armies and Skeleton Birds And The Number Of God), this version of the release will represent the final one. *Ocean As Mistress, The “Insulation Resistance Test Record” cd (Pacific Ridge) – Rock with slight emo overtones, prior to the term becoming synonomous with brooding amateurish monotony. The emphasis on the writing and vocals is comparable to the days when emo was significantly more influential and delved into insight and philosophy in a similar fashion to that of Mineral and onelinedrawing. *Passiv Dodshjalp "Skit Pa Repeat" 7" (Halvfabrikat) – Passiv dödshjälp (Gävle, Sweden) is back. This time they have put four new tunes on black vinyl. This is a sort of a theme record; an outcry on the cops actions in the society of today. No one is free until everyone is free! *Tazartes, Ghedalia "Ante-Mortem" lp (Hinterzimmer) – Ghédalia Tazartès was born 1947 in Paris, where he still lives. He is praised as being one of the most creative European experimental artists and is often mentioned as an important influence on a lot of todays underground music exponents. Of course he was on the legendary Nurse With Wound-list… Ghédalia Tazartès’ music has always been a mystery. It switches from musique concrète to – existing or invented – ethnic music, from poetry to noise, or from loops and collages to sad and extremely beautiful tunes in a second, but it constantly is in flux and coherent. Or like André Glucksmann wrote: „Ghédalia Tazartès is a nomad. He wanders through music from chant to rhythm, from one voice to another. He paves the way for the electric and the vocal paths, between the muezzin psalmody and the screaming of a rocker (…) Ghédalia is the orchestra and a pop group all in one person; the solitary opera explodes himself into an infinity of characters. The self is multitude and others. The author and his doubles work without a net, freely connecting the sounds, the rhythms, his voice, his voices. The permanent metamorphosis is a principle of composition, it escapes control, refuses classification. Off Limits, music descends, cries and screams when it touches the ground.“ Hinterzimmer Records is extremely proud to release one of Ghédalia Tazartès’ major works of the last 20 years, Ante-Mortem. Although simply named 1 to 23, it bears a collection of very diverse tracks, a couple of them connected in a thematical frame, others simply standing for themselves. What holds them all together is first and all Tazartes’ archetypical voice. One could say that Ante-Mortem contains some of his harshest ever tracks as well as a couple of his most humorous ones. Generally it is more than exciting to hear that some parts of Ante-Mortem could as well have been created around the same time as his masterpiece Une Eclipse Totale De Soleil - his music sounds as timeless as it did 30 years ago. Nobody else ever sounded like Tazartes. Ante-Mortem sounds like Tazartes at its best. *Transmontane "Staring Back At You" lp (Sick Room) – Transmontane is a mystery. It points to the other side, across the mountains. Our breath, visible. Our soul escapes in the mist. We follow behind. Through peaks and valleys, ascent after decline, our muscles twitch with pain and exhaustion. We still endure. We must go on. We have no other choice. The songs on this record do speak with an air of desperation, of longing, feeling lost, but then the echoes return. These tiny gems roll around in your head, and a sense of hope emerges. New energy resounds. The response is overwhelming. One voice becomes a chorus of thousands, and amid so many different reflections, the same emotions that once isolated us are revealed as universal. For his second solo record, Ryan Duncan, co-founder and owner of Chicago’s Sick Room Records LTD, turned to masterful engineer Luke Tweedy at Flat Black Studios in Iowa City, IA. Luke has worked with the likes of William Elliott Whitmore, Peaking Lights, STNNNG, and many other fine midwestern bands. The result is an excellent 11-song album available in a limited edition of 300 colored LPs w/CD. Musically, friends and others have kindly compared his work to Dean Wareham(Galaxie 500), Smog, Peter Jefferies and even Neil Young. *V/A Gypnosis compilation lp (Gypsy Farm) – GYPNOSIS (GF003) is a Garage Rock, Scooby Pop and Poppin Punk compilation record from Athens, GA based label, GYPSY FARM. Featured are the freaks that will soon steal the hearts of all the scoundrels you thought your mother threw out years ago! The Rodney Kings, These Magnificent Tapeworms, The Humms, Uncle Skunkle, The Ice Creams and Ghost Lights! Compiled and produced by the same funky folks that brought you THE HUMMS / LEMONLAND in 2010. Do the sinister shuffle, the tainted tango. GYPNOSIS is a fantastically vicious piece of wax! *V/a More World, Less Band 3: No Borders, No Banks compilation 7" (Halvfabrikat) – Have you ever wondered if there are a thing such as the perfect compilation? Well, look no further! The world has so far stopped twice; once in 2003 and oonce in 2005. Now it's time again for what might be considered the best alternative compilation record ever. Hereon you'll find all killers, no fillers. This EP is filled to the brim with the best of the best. 8 bands, 8 tracks - all exclusive! Why ever change a winning concept? For the first time in six long years, here it is - an almost 16 minutes long compilation just waiting to be heard. For the common people, not just the punx of today - against the world bank and against the state borders everywhere. In a world where networks such as Ingen människa är illegal/No one is illegal is becoming more and more important. Here is the More world, less bank part 3: No banks, no borders! Featuring: Misär, Krimtänk, Slaktrens, Eskatologia, Passiv dödshjälp, Insidious process, Moderat likvidation and End of all. *Your Heart Breaks "Harsh Jokes and Bong Tokes" cd (This Will Be Our Summer) – In the spare, messy style of Your Heart Breaks, "Harsh Tokes and Bong Jokes" is a nostalgic chronicle of the twins of youth: romance and rebellion. With the perspective that years bring, songwriter Clyde Petersen weaves melodies out of teenage trouble and innocence, songs in which we can all recognize ourselves. Imagine yourself getting high on a playground merry-go-round, having snuck out the first floor window of your ranch house in your neighborhood with no sidewalks because it was built during a time when people believed no one would ever walk anywhere again. Imagine enjoying it.

Hey Everyone, There are new titles available for mailorder customers at http://www.stickfigu...tro.com/catalog Below is a list of those new titles with reviews. take care, Gavin / Stickfigure New Exclusive / Primary titles: *Aeroflot “Santa Muerte” cd (Head) – Aerôflôt are brats : they borrow but never give back. They damage, they twist and turn, they dismantle and then make their own stuff… Mixing the early Horst Tapper’s “Derrick” gloomy aesthetics with the fierce urgency of the Modern lovers and the Stranglers, their epileptic post-punk rips Devo’s sexy outfits with Black Sabbaths fingers-cutting riffs and a touch of the ESG sisters’ funky mood. Call this whatever you want : retrofuturistic cubist kitsch? After their Que te Den LP and disco negro, a split EP and many, many non-sensical noises with other bands (Calc, Déjà Mort, Year of no light…), here comes their new album santa muerte, recorded at the Amanita studios by Stephan Krieger and mixed by Cyrille Gachet ( years of no light , Crane angels). No more chuckles. Or maybe they are laughing like crazy. Who knows ? Get used to these songs before they get punched in your face by the band, directly from the stage, red and square like some weird Rothko exhibition. Flying with the Aerôflôt team is like sharing a bottle of vodka with a drunken russian pilot in his very own cockpit : statistics show that you might reach your destination safely, but you’d better be prepared for severe turbulence. *Aries "La Magia Bruta" lp / cd (BCore) – The stars lined up and the melody emerged. When man made her his (Brian Wilson, The Zombies, Harry Nilsson) nobody was interested in knowing about her cosmic origin. Isabel Fdez. Reviriego has the gift of lining up those stars inside herself. She can do it at her wish. She clicks her fingers, touches her hips and the melodies just come out. Isabel is a lightning conductor. She concentrates the Cosmic Melody Rays (CMR) and transmits it to us in the form of a song (or an album). These CMR rays give us warmth in winter, and cool us down in the summer. They are the best. They muck up our hair and pinch our cheeks. They put their arm around our shoulders and protect us like a super shield against imbecility, just as if they were one of those capes super heroes wear. We saw how she did it as the front woman of Charades, a band that marked a before and after in the astrological becoming of the Barcelonan label Bcore (and Ultramarinos Costabrava), and now she’s doing the same with Aries. Her sister Virginia helps her tune in to the right frequency, she also collaborates by playing the drums on the album. A wise druid that lives in a cave in Sant Feliu de Guixols (Santi García) was the man in charge of recording most of the songs and the bass guitar; while others were recorded at the Estudios Pastora in Vigo with the helping hand of José Vazquez. In “Magia Bruta” the melody dominates it all, it’s the centre of the universe. All that instrumentation that manages to tickle our senses are at your service: Spanish guitars and castanets that dance with synthesizers and delays, bongos, pianos and beat boxes… Isa’s warm, lightning conductor voice, recreates an ethereal and psychedelic effect, similar to what Brian Wilson looked for with the Beach Boys, as if both had the gift to sing while floating in the air. A few details of the album (the use of reverberation on the vocals, the subtle rhythmic section, the electronic arrangements, the Spanish guitars) help to make the whole album have a sensation of in gravity, as if those melodies had always existed, floating calmly around the universe in a magical harmony. Maybe that, is what really happened *Betunizer "Boogalizer" lp / cd (BCore) – To dance with a bit of punch is ok, but to punch while your dancing is quite cool too, and Betunizer can prove it. Betunizer are here to show us how to work their noise, their groove and their euphoric bad temper. Here's BOOGALIZER (Bcore, 2012) and the name already gives us a hint of what we'll get. Betunizer need more time, they see your time and double it. They know that the end of the world is near and because of this in just two years they have played more than 100 concerts, three European tours and now, they bring to us their second studio album, recorded yet again with Santi Garcia in the Ultramarinos Costa Brava Studios. And hold on, they already have enough material for a third one. Boogalizer is a snapshot of this frenetic rhythm, a photo finish so you can see how well they've beaten you up without you even realizing. If their first album “Quién nace para morir ahorcado, nunca moriará ahogado” (BCore 2010) was a punch in the face, this time, Betunizer open up their fists and smack you in the face with their hand wide open. It's a more rhythmic smack with a larger sound. It hurts the same like Street Fighter II's E.Honda's attack of a thousand palms. Boogalizer will be in the shops from march on and Betunizer will present it through Europe to show us what would have happened if Howlin' Wolf had been born in Jaén, if Claypool did math classes or if Tito Puente played with Insane. Betunizer are Jose Guererro (guitar and vocals), Pablo Peiró (bass guitar) and Marcos Junquera (drums). They come from Valencia, a city with no laws, where the corrupt are honoured with statues and where the best concert hall is a squat in the Zona Franca. They'll soon be in your city. And its gonna do you well. *Big Sleep, The / KNTRLR “The Big Sleep / KNTRLR” split 7” (Goodnight) – Somethings just go together: gin and tonic, beer and tacos, scotch and a fireplace. Well you can add this 7’ featuring The Big Sleep and KNTRLR to that delicious list. Sonya Balchandani and Danny Barria started cutting demos in the former's Brooklyn kitchen; demos that eventually shifted from a loose shoegaze sound (the You Today, Me Tomorrow EP) to the iridescent instrumentals and groove-locked guitar anthems of the Big Sleep's debut album, 2006's Son of the Tiger and 2008‘s Sleep Forever LP. The band took an extended break after the years of ceaseless touring but returned with a vengeance this year releasing the hefty hooks and sugar-spun noise pop of their strongest work yet, Nature Experiments. Sonya described the writing process for their latest LP as follows: "This band's always been about what comes out of the two of us working together. I think it's normal to write a little past the edge of your capabilities, so then you have to deliver, and the next time around, you end up pushing yourself again. We are always just looking for and editing ourselves towards what feels right, what we can both agree is putting across a feeling in a style that's truly 'us'." The Big Sleep’s creative fires have been burning so brightly that the writing process didn’t stop once their latest LP came out, and this is exactly how the gorgeous song “Gas Up the Jets” came to be. As Danny puts it: “One day I woke up with a song in my heart, recorded it that night and sent it to Sonya. She was feeling jealous of birds and had a song called Gas Up The Jets ready the next day. It was weird, just happened really fast.” KNTRLR is Charles and Michael. Charles grew up in the LA area and had a career high in the early 90’s with appearances on popular game shows like “Wild Animal Games with Ryan Seacrest” and made for TV movies. After becoming disenchanted with acting, he focused all of his creativity on music and learned to play the drums - a choice which yielded strange rewards like opening for 80's new wave one-hit wonders Missing Persons and having psychedelic philosophical discussions with Rick James. Michael on the other hand grew up a strict Christian in Oklahoma and was groomed for Seminary School until a change of heart lead him to abandon that path. He has lived in a number of different places around the country and worked a variety of jobs from taxi driver to vineyard worker in California where he learned to play mariachi songs from his guadalajareño co-workers. On a chance encounter, Charles and Michael met at the ever-popular Russian Bath House in New York City’s East Village and starting playing Music together. After initially performing with other bands, the two decided to work together separately and KNTRLR was born. “Kursk” a hauntingly beautiful song inspired by an account of a letter found on a dying submariner that was written to his wife as he waited to die is the duo’s first release. *Birds Build Nests Underground "So As" cd (Lumberton Trading Company) – So As is Birds Build Nests Underground’s first studio album after three years. It features four songs/compositions created exclusively with turntables and prepared vinyl records. The first of them, Sintordin, is BBNU’s attempt to add something to the “jazz from hell” niche. And the idea of clashing marching bands… Ossifying Tongues started, as the name implies, as a sonic description of the ossification of the mouth: the human voice material was slowly changing into white rhythmic and repetitive skeletons. However, over the years, the song has changed into a different kind of a monster and can be read as a comment on BBNU’s industrial/ambient past. Axe Loop is a rock song – intro, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, instrumental break, chorus… somehow it is sixteen minutes long – after the band decided to leave out one verse. And finally there is Smoking Sun, a short interpretation of the band’s long-lost loop. New Romance meets clarinets on a nicely decorated dissecting table with some flowers in the pot. The fifth is a video track – a 10 minute part of BBNU’s performance from the autumn 2011, the day Freddie Mercury died. Martin Jezek shows his skills of 16mm improvisation here while Petr Ferenc and Michael Brunclík are locked in their favourite groove. Birds Build Nests Underground (BBNU) is a Prague-based trio working in the fields of found sound and vision. Their basic tools are a double DJ set and 8mm, 16mm, 35mm and KP8 film and slide projectors. Their goal is, however, not standard DJ/VJ entertainment muzak and screensaving but a deep dive into the very nature of sound and image. The turntablists of the band – Petr Ferenc and Michal Brunclík – manipulate records by keeping them out of their covers, placing stickers on them, cutting, scratching and piling them on turntable plates in order to allow all the ‘mistakes’ and coincidental sound events equally important to the end result. Martin Jezek, the filmmaker of the band, treats (not only) found footage the same way as the turntablists treat their records: he juxtaposes, collages and edits the image to create a wholly new visual experience. Birds Build Nests Underground (BBNU) are not one of the few bands that create ‘live soundtracks’ to an already existing filmwork. Their music and images interact, coexist and are created at the same time. *Body, The “The Body” cd (At A Loss) – The long out-of-print self-titled full length from The Body is finally available again. Before choirs, and collaborations w/ orchestral/drone rock bands, The Body's first album set the stage for what was to come. The band had been together since 1999 with only a four song tape (released by the awesome guys at Armageddon shop) until the release of this now infamous full-length in 2004 was released. Nine minutes of crashing cymbals/percussion built upon by slowed samples all over one constant riff accented by distortion. Repetitive grooves with shrieked vocals lead to interludes of piano and upright bass bowing takes the listener to tracks of the sludged-out and the chaotic, instrumental breaks ending with a behemoth 14 minute closer! *Brontide “Coloured Tongues” 12” (Holy Roar) – Brontide return with a 2 song 12" vinyl - the brand new lilting, looped, epic, dancey monster that is 'Coloured Tongues', backed with the first ever proper recording of live set-favourite 'MFBT'. *Bushwalking "First Time" lp (Army Of Bad Luck) – Australia’s Bushwalking is made up of Ela Stiles (of Songs), Nisa Venerosa (of Fabulous Diamonds) and Karl Scullin (of Kes Band). Their debut album “First Time” is a mix of rock jams, dark ballads, melodic drone, shredding guitar and haunting dual female vocals. The release of their track “Visual Jam Donut” on The Fader generated an instant buzz in anticipation of the truly brillian things to come from this band and this first release doesn’t disappoint. As their name would imply, the tracks lead the listener through moments of stark loneliness and pure joy. With a second lp already in the works, Bushwalking are surely just getting started. *Café Flesh “Lions Will No Longer Be Kings” lp / cd (Head) – "Arghhhhhhhhhhh! For their fourth album, Cafe Flesh deals a heavy blow of Jarnac and freezes the listener in the posture known as the Scream by Edvard Munch sporting a variety Ouch Scream Wes Craven reviewed and modified by Tobe Hooper! Terrifying! Cafe Flesh, is the school Captain Beefheart, punk trend, obedience Barjot, Cows and other crap like inbred. Add to that a few 70's vicious deviance cut format Nirvana - Cosmic Psychos, please understand that it is safer not to cross the security perimeter defined by your own tolerance level. It was there until Lions Will No Longer Be Kings (Head Records). The beast enters the enclosure. This ensures the strength of barriers, not persuaded that we should not raise the son of electrified barbed wire. Let's go for a rodeo. Will there be in the saddle during the 42 minutes of the program? We find the Cafe Flesh known, the Charles Perrault's post-atomic blues, this time, an ambition to big boy instead of enthusiasm not always content to trace the source, to Captain Beefheart. This sax melodies that lacerates has something disturbing, like a howl of a werewolf in a pigsty. Even when it is disconcerting to Masto in Bérurier Lucrate Milk or Black. Cafe Flesh is deep-sea adventure happily point to take a cruise speed surprisingly. We did not expect as neurotic as the genial and totally ignored Toulouse trio of My Own Private Alaska or crazy Piranhas Detroit, followers of the Lighthouse West disturbed the jar, the Phoenix of these woods, Tom Waits. Let's add to that a pinch of involuntary Leatherface (the group, not the movie, although for the next freak ...) probably due to prolonged exposure to Hüsker Dü. We say this new album he is the alpha and omega of a racy rock, deranged, depraved, debunked, ragged, ramshackle, offline and so delicious! Indeed, it is no longer the prevailing lions, but the jackals and the farmyard, Cafe Flesh serves as Grand Chamberlain. Cafe Flesh is beautiful, Cafe Flesh is great, washes whiter Cafe Flesh, Cafe Flesh, is now!" - patrickfoulhoux blog *Colomo, Joan "Producto Interior Bruto Vol 2" lp / cd (BCore) – In fateful times our ancestors would read the future by looking in to a birds warm guts. Heir of DIY, Joan Colomo opens himself up and crawls down into he's own mine, where there's no sun and everything is dark and gloomy. -At night I can't dream, and to sleep is like dying- where you can only find doubts and sorrows - fishing in the dark in this noble art of going mad- where he discovers all is a lie -this grotesque mission of being just another human being / to learn how to deal with this sterile modernityand he's way of surviving -music is my Prozac-. Obsessive, this pale-faced miner from Chinatown exploits with a pick and gimlet all the songs he's dirty inside produce. For distraction he speaks to himself or kills whole families of underground rats just with he's laugh. Delusions caused by the abusive use of he's loop station, the pernicious influence of the bizarre cd's taped by Mau, the gin tonics mixed with radio formula, the latest indie crops from the USA, the cut downs and infected TV programs we are meant to swallow everyday. While wandering around the subsoil he picks he's nose and voila! Inspiration - drunk with wine, with poetry and virtue, drunk with songs that talk of maisons, drunk with the night and to infinity-, he scratches he's armpits and joins two sentences -How do we end this madness? / If we don't stop it now we might as well go to mars- He farts and that's it, we have a hit -The destilats and the constitution, 2 -. He doesn't need a budgie: Joan Colomo, the melody maker, digging away since 1992. *Crocus “Our Memories Dress Me In A Dead Lust” lp + cd (Holy Roar) – Crocus have been kicking around the UK and Europe for some time now. But that is in no way presented to you as a negative fact. The best things come to those whose wait, those who build and nurture music, to achieve the best possible result. Don’t believe me? Only interested in whatever hyped-sloppy-bullshit-that-hasn’t-even-played-live-yet is cool this week? Well fuck off then. Look at Throats and Rolo Tomassi – contemporaries of Crocus who built their reputation over a multitude of low-key releases over years of practice and refinement…. Crocus’ history lies in a classic screamo lineage that encompasses everyone from the intensity of p.99 to the epic melodicism of Daitro to the crazed, brutal schizo insanity of The Assistant. However, over time, this is a band that has grown ever more heavy, without ever losing their ‘turn-on-a-dime’ time-changes or melodic nature. We are talking classic rock riffage funneled through octave pedals and metallic distortion. Peaks, troughs and breaktaking undulations. A true power-quartet, no one element of this band stands out more than another. Frantic (bordering on) virtuoso guitar and bass playing jostle with manic edge-of-sanity but ever-solid drumming, iced with a vicious, angry emotional onslaught of a vocal. With ‘Our Memories Dress Me In A Dead Lust’ Crocus have presented a concise, epic album that will leave you reeling. It WILL take a few listens to get your head around. But don’t all the best albums? *Cuzo "Alguimia Para Principiantes" lp / cd (Bcore) – The return of this Barcelonan power trio Cuzo is like travelling back in time, a seventies orgy where the band infects us with their passion for different musical references a lot more diverse than you would believe at first sight. A superficial description of their music would reduce it to psychedelic hard rock, but that wouldn't be enough 'cos all the members of Cuzo have eaten mushrooms found in the most unsuspected orchards. The bands leader Jaume Pantaleón and his musical wisdom is legendary and in this project the ex-member of 12Twelve (also a current member of Atleta) lets most of his musical obsessions fly free. The result, a kaleidoscopic and psychedelic album that surprise us with landscapes that flirt openly with scores and soundtracks - something that already happened with 12Twelve-. Music from films like “Suspira” by Darío Argento, “The Beyond” by Lucio Fulcir or “Phantasma” by Don Coscarelli - always with the Italian band Goblin high up on the pedestal- Has a strong high within Cuzo's music. Another cornerstone to understand the bands sound would be German krautrock bands like Can or Faust, already present in previous albums (not in vain the band collaborated with Damo Suzuki - vocalist of Can in such emblematic albums as “Tago Mago” or “Future days”- in the joint album “Puedo ver tu mente” (Alone Records/Kromatik Musik, 2009) - and this event has a strong presence in “Alquimia Para Principiantes” (Bcore, 2012). This LP -third by the band and first for the Barcelonan label- was recorded between the months of March and April of 2011 with the help of Marco Morgione. Coming from a beginning of being strongly marked by Goblin and the seventies rock bands like Blue Cheer or Black Sabbath, the band – with more than 100 concerts on their backs- has evolved bit by bit towards a more personal and imaginative speech, that doesn't at all lose sight of their references. In “Alquimia Para Principiantes” the trio formed by Pantaleón (guitars and keyboards), Pep Caravante (drums) and Fermín Manchado (bass) embark on eight instrumental adventures that suggest a refreshing revision of progressive hard rock and 70' psychedelic, with moments for nostalgia and festive leisure (with mind blowing Hendrixians like “Mundo Subatómico”), but also for personal exploration. A true musical trip, that massages all your senses, and makes us fly towards the sun. *Debeli Precjednik / Fat Prezident "Bruto Slavo / VBK" split lp / cd (Moonlee) – You see, there's a little band of mine, well, not that little anymore as they are rocking out since 1994, that earned a special recognition on the scene throughout the years. Born in Osijek, the capital of Slavonia region, which is musically to Croatia kind of what 90s California is to the world, Debeli Precjednik / Fat Prezident have established themselves as one of the best hardcore punk bands from this part of the globe, and rightfully so. 12 songs from the album, the "Bruto Slavo" part, represent the good old Fat Prezident that we all know and love – think of Propagandhi guitar riffage meets Descendents on speed. The rest, named "VBK" (short for Vijenac Borisa Kidriča, former name of a district in Osijek where the guys grew up), has a bit mellower, brighter sound and it's sung in Croatian – take it as a mini-EP integrated into the album. Lyrically, "Bruto Slavo / VBK" is as insightful, deeply emotional and socially engaged as Fat Prezident records have always been. All in all, if you dare to call yourself a fan of bands in the vein of Strung Out, Good Riddance, Rise Against, Satanic Surfers, Poison Idea and SNFU, you will love this album by default. *Destroy This Place / Hospital Garden “Destroy This Place / Hospital Garden” split 7" (Forge Again) –DESTROY THIS PLACE could be from anywhere - Minneapolis or Boston in the 80s. Chapel Hill or Seattle in the 90s. Maybe even England. But as it stands, they’re from the suburbs of Detroit - and you’re right,you can’t hear it - and all four of them have been at this shit for awhile. They’re just moving forward, making loud-ass rock songs with big drums, big guitars, big low-end, and big melodies, made by big boys (age-wise, 30 is the new 20). As the Deep Cutz blog points out, “This is what happens when musicians are done fucking around.” For a very brief period before it was swallowed whole, gutted, and repackaged by the corporate music leviathan as “indie rock,” a term so oxymoronic it makes the brain swim just thinking about it, the socalled “Alternative Nation” was free to explore different combinations between punk and whatever could be smooshed in to soften that tired warhorse’s increasingly rigid boundaries... HOSPITAL GARDEN sound like they just time-warped from the moment that whole scene hit its apex, when the edges were coated with a perfect amount of pop to make the poison go down. You get Hüsker-aggressive guitars, laid back Stipe-ish vocal delivery, and a blend of harmony and dissonance that recalls both the punkier edge of early grunge and bands like POSTER CHILDREN. This killer new split 7” is the bridge to each band’s eventual upcoming full lengths and features two brand new songs from each band on clear vinyl with full color covers and limited to 300 copies with a free high-quality download code. *Dulce Pajara De Juventid “Dulce Pajara De Juventid” lp (Bcore) – Friends since kinder garden, Dulce Pájara de Juventud is a band born in the industrial belt of Barcelona (El Baix Llobregat). They bet for both epic and psychedelic songs. With a tight balance between the vocal parts and the instrumental development (that the band use as a field to express emotions) the compositions of this album stick to your skin like mosquitos in September. The presence of expanding keyboards, chorus lines that don’t brush away the idea of epic and “uouoooos”, and a solid rhythmic base could bring to our mind present bands like Deerhunter, Arcade Fire or Fang Island. One listens to “Gigalove” on the subway and can’t stop turning up the volume and hitting the floor to the rhythm of the drums. The tube seems to go upwards instead of sideways; the bands songs look you in the eyes and remind you that the sun will come up tomorrow. The band seems to have a contagious wish of freedom in their souls. That feeling of letting go that makes life worth living. Songs that always look forward, with an internal epic that portraits the emotional roller coaster we all live with post adolescence. Emotion, desire, lack of control (“Dear Bruno”), mysticism, fear (“The Fear”), death (“Junior vs. Death”), sadness, love (“Ani”) and disenchantment… All this palette of emotions are present on the album (In fact Daniel Johnston -The small, giant emperor of showing sincere emotions- is one of the bands artistic reference). Santi García wise production on the album highlights the expressive versatility of Dulce Pájara de Juventud’s compositions. The band shows its easiness to add different instruments (keyboards, strings), vocal lines and all types of atmospheres (incredible instrumental interlude “Nacer 3” with vocals by a mad south American TV preacher used as a crescendo) so that new colours appear with each listen. The cut that opens this collection of songs, “Feel”, is an invitation to taste their world of feelings and brings to our memory the Boo Radleys of “Giant Steps”. In other moments of the album we can find landscapes surprisingly reminding us of Flaming Lips or the first Mercury Rev (the good ones we mean). The use of psychedelic melodies that made these bands big is one of Dulce Pájara’s identity signs. “Gigalove”, is for example, a giant balloon filled with helium that goes up to never come down, like the best songs by the Pixies. We wish all the Young bands around now had the same ambition, boldness and rhythmic and melodic sense as Dulce Pájara de Juventud. *Franklin, Adam & Bolts Of Melody / Heaven “Adam Franklin & Bolts Of Melody / Heaven” split 7” (Goodnight) – Swervedriver’s Adam Franklin and new Brooklyn dream syndicate Heaven team up for a split 7”. Limited to 600 copies on pink vinyl. Adam Franklin & Bolts of Melody: From 1990 to 1998 Adam Franklin was the singer, guitarist and main songwriter for London-based Swervedriver; contemporaries of and label mates with My Bloody Valentine and Ride but with a more adrenalized rock 'n' roll sound, showing flashes of Husker Du and Sonic Youth. From 1999 to 2006 Adam recorded and toured as Toshack Highway, a gentler but no less inventive folk/electronic/film soundtrack-like hybrid, releasing a full album and a flurry of EPs. 2007 saw the release of Bolts of Melody - the first album billed simply as 'Adam Franklin' and was followed in 2009 and 2010 by Spent Bullets and I Could Sleep For A Thousand Years respectively. These records marked a return to predominantly song-based sets that built on the soundscapes of all of his previous bands and projects, with occasional surges of Swerve-like guitar energy nestling alongside all manner of melodious, hazily hypnotic instrumentation. Heaven: “Heaven is a Brooklyn dream syndicate planted firmly between the 1985 crossroads of Paisley Underground shamble and noisepop blast. These three New York veterans have no shortage of experience with things that swirl and gaze and lilt along hazily...an abrasive blast of sheet-metal feedback doing its noble best to hide some spectral, Spectoral harmonies." - Village Voice NYC trio Heaven, comprised of Matt Sumrow (The Comas, Dean and Britta, Ambulance LTD), Mikey Jones(The Big Sleep, Adam Franklin, Snowden), and Ryan Lee Dunlap (Fan-Tan), just finished a week of stand-out sets at SXSW '12. Heaven will continue to tour throughout the country with London-based Swervedriver. In the most perfect combination, Heaven have put their own stamp on psychedelia and new wave, giving a nod to the artists they have respected and played with, while also creating something modern and unique. With art and passion, Heaven brings you a loud psychedelic show. They must be both seen and heard. *Friend Roulette “Hi, Hello” 10" picture disc (Goodnight) – "Their songs are eclectically and musical in the purest sense of the word, the way Van Dyke Parks's music is real musician's stuff." - The Austinist SXSW 2012 live review Got lemons? Sure you could make boring ass lemonade, or if you are Matthew Meade and Julia Tepper you could make the most oragsmically delicious MDMA-laced lemon tart imaginable. In the summer of 2010, Matthew got hit by a bus and found himself facing 2 months of recovery without the use of one of his hands (a prickly pickle for a guitar player). But instead of catching up on the latest in day time paternity test results and class action lawsuit commercials, he spent the time writing songs on one-handed piano with his friend and violinist Julia Tepper. The pair knew they had kindled something special and soon added John Stanesco on bass clarinet & ewi (“electronic wind instrument”), Nate Allen on bass, and Tlacael Esparza and Kyle Olson on percussion. What do they sound like? Well at one of the first shows I saw Friend Roulette play, I heard someone describe their music as “Parisian”. Now for the record, we rednecks here at Goodnight naturally bristle at anything Franco-fied (ie anything that contains the slightest hint of refinement, beauty, or “terroir”) as much the next red blooded American. But to my surprise, the description didn’t bother me, in fact I found it to be rather fitting. As the night went on the word “Parisian” remained draped across my mind and resonated like an aeolian harp with each note Friend Roulette played. However, I had taken a good deal of angel dust that night, so upon further reflection, I think the more accurate term that Parisian hints at is “elegant”. And not Judy-Denchin- white-gloves elegant, I mean elegance as unadorned effective beauty, like the elegance of a geometric proof (thanks Wikipedia). Friend Roulette are master chefs, taking only the tenderest cuts of meat from classical, pop, and rock music, discarding the gristle and presenting you with the most succulent tastefully-plated moan-inducing meal you’ve ever eaten. The arrangements are complex but effortlessly digestible; the hooks are sticky without being cloying; the grooves have rock swagger without the stuffed crotch; and the execution by these skilled musicians dazzles without pretension. Their songs are immediately emotionally affecting, gently seductive, and transportive; listening to them leaves me pining for loves I never actually had, lost in cities I’ve never been to. *Fruiting Bodies, The "Wilderness Pill" 7" (Suburban Sprawl Music) – Plainly stated, The Fruiting Bodies are a 5-piece instrumental post-rock band, mixing Touch & Go-style post hardcore with modern, heavy psychedelia. Initially, the band was known for the excessive and oppressive use of volume in its live shows. As anyone who has ever rock and rolled knows, it's fun and quite a thing to experience from time to time, but when the volume becomes obfuscating instead of illuminating, it is time to move on. Instead, The Fruiting Bodies are focusing on what they do right. Unlike many so-called noise-rock bands, they embrace consonance, celebrating not darkness, but The Light. For the most part, the sound speaks for itself. Hawkwind might come to mind. But this reference is more of a conversation starter with men of a certain age than a reflection of the band's individual record collections. The Fruiting Bodies grew up worshiping at the altar of DIY hardcore, but even as children they were secretly consuming a steady diet of spacy and blissful rock. Consequently, the group has no aversion to wah wah guitar or other classy modulation effects. The band's early recordings have never quite been "officially" released. The Wilderness Pill seven inch is the first proper offering by the band, put out by a real record label, a record label with an actual office. *Future Idiots “Future Idiots” cd (Pacific Ridge) – There are only a handful of artists that could actually lyrically construct songs about Christina Hendrick’s breast, making hardcore porn with Katy Perry and finding consolation in still having your hand to masturbate with when you get dumped and yet still maintain a semblance of meaning. In fact, I would say the particular feat of being able to weave an impactful story with an immature yet still hilarious subject matter is more difficult than simply going for the usual pretentious dramatic flare that most artists aim for. Making the Future Idiots somewhat of a fresh experience as opposed to the typical stale, hackneyed approach of whining about girl problems that seems to permeate the market of Pop Punk these days. Now if you’re looking for a synopsis of this album, here it is: it’s more polished, has a more varied sound and doesn’t stray from the usual spunky Future Idiots lyrical style and content manner. Add in a female guest vocalist and a couple of quasi-serious tracks and you have potentially the best record Future Idiots has ever recorded. *Grazes / Jackals “Grazes / Jackals” split 7” (Holy Roar) – The new split from Norwich heavy weights Jackals and your new favourite band- Sheffield's Grazes. *Human Touch “Human Touch” 7” (One Percent) – Debut five song EP featuring members of Running For Cover, Coworkers and Bestower from Buffalo, NY. Split release with Feral Kid Records. *Last Witness “Mourning After” lp / cd (Holy Roar) – Now is truly the time for the next chapter in Last Witness’ career, with brand new album ‘Mourning After’ marking a significant and undeniable step-up for the London quintet. Set for release via Holy Roar on February 20th, 2012, ‘Mourning After’ is without a doubt the strongest, most ambitious, compelling and downright nasty Last Witness material to date - an iconoclastic mesh of crushing discordance and ethereal melody. A postmodern lament of a generation without hope, ‘Mourning After’ will leave listeners both floored and begging for more. *Mallwalkers / White Whale “Mallwalkers / White Whale” split 7” (One Percent / Subject) - “White Whale play pissed garage punk with trace amounts of snot. It’s quite conducive to bopping your head up and down to, whether or not they want you to enjoy it. The driving bass lines are the clinchers. Fans of Chicago garage punk bands take note. Mallwalkers are Buffalo, NY’s answer to Black Randy & The Metro Squad, only thirty years later. Soul-inspired punk (with horns) that must mandate a party. Finishing up their side of the split with the finger pointing track “Lo-fi Losers,” you just get the feeling that they must absolutely kill live. Contains members of Everything Fall Apart, Unwelcome Guests, Get Bent, and other Buffalo punk bands.” –Daryl Gussin (Razorcake) *Microwaves "Psionic" lp / cd (UgExplode) – THE ASSAULTIVE NEW STUDIO RELEASE BY THIS DISSONANT, FUTURISTIC NOISE-ROCK INSTITUTION FROM PITTSBURGH. A GNARLY GLIMPSE INTO THE FUTURE OF ROBOT DIRT! ‘PSIONIC IMPEDANCE’ IS MICROWAVES NEWEST SALVO OF DYSTOPIAN GUITAR RIFFING, OFFKILTER DRUMMING, WARPED ELECTRONICS AND MANIC VOCALS. IT IS HEAVY, BUT IT IS NOT METAL. THE MUSIC ROCKS, BUT IT IS NOT ROCK IN THE SENSE THAT IT EMBRACES MORONS. THE COMPOSITIONS ARE SHORT AND TO THE POINT. THIS THING IS FURIOUS AND UGLY. THE DUO, CONSISTING OF STRING-MUTILATOR DAVID KUZY AND OBJECT-BATTERER JOHN ROMAN, ELICITS FIFTEEN SUCCINCT ODES TO TECHNOLOGICAL PARANOIA AND DECAY ON THIS PAINSTAKINGLY DENSE PRODUCTION. SINCE THE TWO DON’T CURRENTLY EMPLOY A BASS PLAYER, THEY TEND TO TRIGGER SAMPLES OF BASS AND ELECTRONIC SOUNDS ON ELECTRONIC DRUM PADS. IT IS AN INGENIOUS SOLUTION, AND THEY EFFORTLESSLY SOUND THE SAME WAY LIVE AS THEY DO ON THIS RECORD. THEY ARE LOUD, THEY WEAR UNIFORMS AND THEIR EQUIPMENT LOOKS GOOD. THE MATERIAL ON THIS RELEASE CONSISTS OF INTELLIGENTLY CONSTRUCTED SERIES OF ANGULAR PHRASES COUPLED WITH OBLIQUELY VISCERAL LYRICAL REFERENCES, DELIVERED IN A HIGHSTRUNG, AGITATED MANNER. ONE MIGHT SENSE A WHIFF OF CHROME, A SMATTERING OF DEVO, A GRAIN OF GRINDCORE, PERHAPS A GLINT OF AMREP - WHATEVER SIGNIFIERS YOU WANT TO TAG ON THEM, THIS KIND OF GRIMY, FUTURISTIC NOISE IS IN SHORT SUPPLY THESE DAYS. MICROWAVES ARE PREPARED TO GIVE THIS DYING MUDBALL FULL OF INSIPID DRONES WHAT THEY NEED: RIGOR AND DISCIPLINE. IF YOU MUST KNOW, MICROWAVES FORMED IN 2000 AD IN PITTSBURGH, PA. THEY HAVE TOURED MANY TIMES. THEY HAVE SOME OTHER RELEASES OUT. SOMETIMES THEY HAVE AN EXTRA PERSON AND THEY BECOME A TRIO. THESE EXTRA GUYS HAVE INCLUDED PERSONS WHO WERE ALSO IN THE GROUPS ZOMBI AND DON CABALLERO. THE BAND HAS ALSO REQUESTED THAT I POINT OUT THAT THEY ARE “DISASTER PRONE” AND THAT THEIR MUSIC IS “BLUES FREE”. *Nibiru "Earthbreeder" 7" (Holy Roar) – In the bands own words "Nibiru play hardcore bone-crunching mayhem psychedelic sex-funk from heaven.." Whilst this is essentially true, for the less esoteric of us, Nibiru could be described as prog-grunge hardcore. Imagine Cro-Mags, Leeway and Only Living Witness playing Pearl Jam and Tool songs and you are halfway there. *Normal Love “Survival Tricks” cd (UgExplode) – THE NEW STUDIO ALBUM FROM THIS UNCOMPROMISINGLY DENSE UNIT. MINDBENDINGLY MODERN, DETAILED CHAMBER SKRONK. A DEVASTATINGLY BIONIC MUSICAL VISION! NORMAL LOVE creates bracingly intense modern music of shrewd density and unique imagination orchestrated for processed voices, guitars, violin, drums and various electronics. Everything about the band displays a cultivated air of alien logic, from their densely detailed sonic conception to their surreal, blacklit live presentation. “SURVIVAL TRICKS” is their second full-length release, a culmination of years of work and progression following their self-titled debut released in 2007 on High Two Records. Their sound evokes an epicurean fusion of influences as varied as Modern Classical, “Rock In Opposition” prog, Extreme Metal, Noise, Improvised Music and No Wave. There is little use in pigeonholing Normal Love: Their sound will appeal to all those seeking the true cutting edge of contemporary experimental rock music. The group formed in 2005 and its members currently reside in New York City and Philadelphia. “Normal Love don’t simply fuse noise, skronk, live electronics, fire-breathing and new music for the sake of genre-killing or academic posturing, but aim to build majestic, well fortified sound-castles for the post-nihilist movement of emerging experimentalists to dwell.” -Philadelphia Weekly *Old Gods “Old Gods” lp (Forge Again) – Inspired by THE JESUS LIZARD, obscure horror movies, and Mudgie's Deli, OLD GODS have pulled together an almost entirely live-recorded introductory self-titled EP. Consisting of Jeff Tuttle (DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, HEADS WILL ROLL), Randall Kupfer (THE ARMED), Tony Wolski (THE ARMED), and Derek Swanson (HEADS WILL ROLL, 7000 DYING RATS, Solid Dudes Kitchen), OLD GODS is a crushing union of Detroit punk veterans. This record runs the gamut from loud, heavy riffs drenched in feedback and aggression to spaced-out noisy freak-outs…drenched in feedback and aggression. Raw and urgent music at its finest. LP limited to 530 hand-numbered copies on red vinyl with a silk-screened B-side with a full color jacket, insert and download code. “OLD GODS have released a zinger of an EP that slips you a mickey and will have you waking up somewhere strange feeling like “Loose Nut” Black Flag meets The Outer Limits. This is good, spastic, antagonizing and dirty shit. Explosive, mostly short songs with lots of groove even though the riffs are jagged.” - MetalRiot.com “Looking to re-discover the meaning and roots of what hardcore music is all about, OLD GODS has unleashed a self-titled EP that should really give the masses a grand idea of what stands out as a truly spirited musical genre.” - Highwire Daze *Orca Team “Restraint” cd (Happy Happy Birthday To Me) – “ORCA TEAM is a 1960s Post Punk Beach Party from the confusing waters of the Pacific Northwest. They make the music of a punk trio if everyone in the band decided to keep their volume low and their tones clean. Leif Anders and Jessica B. created ORCA TEAM with a sparse minimalistic spirit to song writing. Each song is short, sung with a lonesome croon, equipped with a melodic bass line, and drenched in reverb. Songs topics range from wearing a retainer, traveling to foreign cities, being a boring person, letting go of past feelings for a lover, and being a spoiled trust-funded baby. ORCA TEAM began in Portland, OR, but has migrated up to Seattle, WA. The TEAM now consists of Dwayne Cullen, Leif Anders and Jessica B. Top influences include Dusty Springfield, Young Marble Giants, The Flamingos, The Slits, Pylon, Del Shannon, The Smiths, Jan and Dean and The Raincoats.” - Hasitleaked.com *Oso "Sealand" lp + cd (Bcore) – The coming-out of OSO is great news. After the EP, “Songs About God”, produced by themselves and that moved between crude and minimalist ambients, the band from Barcelona formed by ex members of groups like Her Only Presence, Tetsuo or Puerto Esperanza leave the trio format behind and move towards a sound much richer in detail. With newcomers Ignasi Carrer (Puerto Esperanza), Natalia Escaño (keyboards) and Mario Patiño (guitar), Oso have taken a giant leap in terms of the quality with which they express themselves, something that the listener will appreciate when sitting down with “Sealand” (BCore, 2012). If Oso's songs used to look you straight in the eyes, now they embrace you from every corner. The ten songs that make up the album show us a versatile band with a fantastic intuition for finding sophisticated musical arrangements, suggestive melodies and an alternative country feeling. Capable of mixing electric and acoustic sounds and using an amazing amount of instruments the bands expressive palette surprises us for its richness and fullness. With a sound that reminds us of American folk rock bands that have marked the indie world these last few years (The Decemberists, Iron and Wine or Fleet Foxes), Oso show us an unquestionable skill for filling their compositions with warm textures that don't feel afraid of contained epic or getting close to mixing frontier influences. The albums production gets all the juice out of the bands new direction and their songs. “Sealand” was recorded at “La Atlantida” Studios by the experienced hands of Mario Patiño and Edgar Beltri. Both the mix and master of the ten songs were finished in the USA, a first class luxury that has given an even more positive impact on the songs. Like a ray of sun in the middle of winter or a cup of hot coffee at dawn, Oso's songs stand out for their warmth and closeness, turning the moment you listen to “Sealand” into something intimate and emotionally inspiring. *Penny Cocks "Do It Cock" lp / cd (BCore) – Penny Cocks are classic. They sound classic and they look classic. Their band is classic: two punks and two skins. Pure mathematics and sharp angles, pure punk rock trigonometry. Their trousers are classic too; the first time I saw them, the first thing I noticed was their trousers. What's with the belt buttoned above the belly button? You don't see anyone wearing trousers up so high anymore. May be in museums. Memories from 1979. Sta press in glass cabinets with alarm bells. But Penny Cocks are the opposite of museum pieces. Their strangled voices talk of how they have just reached their youth and how they have left behind their teenage years. You won't find deception on their faces, no traces of betrayal or suffering, nothing showing us they are about to give up: Their features are tense, shiny and polished. Young. Punk rock has to be young; this is, maybe, its only demand, a solitary law. You can have tentacles, purple skin with yellow dots, you may be missing a foot; but punk rock will open up its arms and let you stay. Poor, rich, blind, clever, stupid or from Sant Boi; it doesn't matter, as long as you are YOUNG. About the Young idea, they would sing. The first thing, is to be young, and burn that youth; waste it: that's what it's for. One of Penny Cocks songs actually talks of that: “Burning down my youth”. The message has no double meaning, no metaphors. What it is, it is. I like everything about Penny Cocks. I like their name and their logo. I like, as I said, their youth. I like the fact they don't know who Vampire Weekend or MGMT are. I like the fact they come from a lost world that seems to be my own lost world. I like that Adri - small, nervous, well built, pretty faced - looks like a tiny mod torn from Purple Hearts; That Marc -tall, wide and open legged, with ten metres of socks showing - is like a Paul Simonon from 1978; That Ignasi and Pablo are “by the book” skinheads, clean and traditional, part of a glorious army that resists to die. I like that Penny Cocks are a revival: I have nothing against revivals. Some of histories best songs are revivals. Even so, revival is not a good word: Classic is better. Penny Cocks have songs that are classics in the making. To find the influences in their songs you don't need no John Deere excavator. Their loves are right before us. There is SLF and Undertones and revival Mod in their hymns, “Down the underground”, with its fantastic break-with-building-tension in the middle. There's also a break in the hymn “Burning down my youth” that sounds like Generation X, the lyrics are like Generation X and everything in it reminds you of Generation X. “I like it” flaunts drums like Sham 69/Rejects, that sweeten up a 1977 punky pop melody. “Playing with fire” Is titled just like one of TV21 songs, but its not the same; Its theirs, but its still shines like mod 1984, with airs of The Blades and The Moment, those celestial poor mans trumpets. “Obsession girl” has trumpets too, just as rickety and marvellous and hasty: like Small Hours in a rush. What the hell: Like The Saints when they incorporate a wind section and like Iain Shedden, who was also in The Jolt and of course Small Hours. Everything fits in. Those names, riffs and stories? You have to remember them. Penny Cocks go down memory lane in “ Don't look at me”, this song has the same riff as “No Reply” by the Buzzcocks. It's a great riff and so I think: Why change it? What need is there to camouflage it? Penny Cocks should think the same way. Penny Cocks are, lets get to the point, classic and Young. Now is the moment to capture them. Punk rock has never aged very well, or with a lot of dignity. This album is an snapshot of a band at their moment of highest power, burning ships and not thinking at all of their future or musical evolution. If you blink you'll miss them, you'll miss them forever. The moment is now, so lets stop talking about it. *Petit, Philippe "Eugenie" 10" (Alrealon) – Internationally acclaimed French sound-artist Philippe Petit, the self-described, "musical travel agent" in conjunction with French/Swiss label Alrealon Musique, announce the release of 'Eugenie'. Comprising four stellar tracks of avant-garde/classical/soundtrack and released as a 10-inch vinyl record and digital. This stunning piece of musical modern art entitled 'Eugenie' (ALRN029/ALRN-VL002) will be available on May 28, 2012. Philippe Petit describes 'Eugenie' as "a cinematic adventure, where luscious string arrangements convey a whole world of emotion and the organic sound of the instruments is never overshadowed by the machines. The EP came to mind with the birth of my daughter Eugenie who is now 4 and its' artwork was made by her under the guidance of her mother." *Sunglasses, The “The Sunglasses” 10” (Army Of Bad Luck) – The Sunglasses sound has been described as a garage band set on fire. Others say they’re a “deranged Dead Kennedys descendants with broken forms and blurred tones” (Raleigh Independent Weekly). While others call their music “brash and arty post-hardcore” with songs that “swing wildly between noise rock, grunge and drug-damaged pop, with math rock leanings” (Creative Loafing Atlanta). This self titled 10” barrels through eleven songs that can’t quite be described as frenetic but carry a visceral purge where obtuse sound and doom-laiden rhythms collide. Lyner’s stream-of consciousness rants bleed into the distortion, sanding off any sense of meaning or discernible narrative” (Creative Loafing Atlanta). Stream of consciousness vocals over groovy, yet demented guitar riffs. Let’s just say The Sunglasses are a beautiful wreck. The sustained discordance of Godflesh mixed with the best Seattle ever had to offer. These kids are too young to remember grunge and thank goodness for that. This not a rehashing of the glory years but instead a creation that builds upon and makes you forget about flannel. This is basements, living rooms, sweaty crowds, beer, weed and a fuck you all attitude. *Taylor, Cecil and Pauline Oliveros “Solo – Duo – Poetry” dvd (Deep Listening) – Cecil Taylor, piano; poetry; Pauline Oliveros, accordion; Recorded live at the Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center, October 5, 2008, this DVD presents two musical giants: Pauline Oliveros and Cecil Taylor, each performing a solo set, plus a first-time ever duo performance. Also included is Taylor performing his own poetry as well as the EMPAC Opening Festival. Pauline Oliveros's life as a composer, performer and humanitarian is about opening her own and others' senses to the many facets of sound. Since the 1960's she has profoundly influenced American Music through her work with improvisation, meditation, electronic music, myth and ritual. Many credit her with being the founder of present day meditative music. All of Oliveros's work emphasizes musicianship, attention strategies, and improvisational skills. She has been celebrated worldwide. During the 1960's John Rockwell named her work Bye Bye Butterfly as one of the most significant of that decade. In the 70's she represented the U.S. at the World's Fair in Osaka, Japan; during the 80's she was honored with a retrospective at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C.: the 1990's began with a letter of distinction from the American Music Center presented at Lincoln Center in New York: In 2000 the 50th anniversary of her work was celebrated with the commissioning and performance of her Lunar Opera:Deep Listening For_tunes. Oliveros’s work is available on numerous recordings. Composer, pianist, poet, Guggenheim Fellow, MacArthur Genius Award winner, and one of the most singular voices of the last century, Cecil Taylor is widely understood to have created a new language for the piano - treating the centuries-old device as the complex pitched, percussive object that it is - coaxing it to sing, scream, and orate in a wide-ranging style from the quietest of whispers to the roaring of a wild cat. While his music is widely known, he has for decades been writing astonishing poetry and only occasionally performing it in public. His poetics transgress any particular historical imagination, creating ritual-like bridges between bodies of reference that span astronomy and genetics to Yaruba and Aztec cosmology - the sound and rhythms of his speech applying layers of warmth and nuance only a near-octogenarian visionary could muster. *We'll Die Smiling "The Green Walls" 7" (Holy Roar) – We'll Die Smiling finally return, almost 2 years on, from the 'Avant Garde' EP with 4 new recordings. Whilst it is a terrible cliche to say so (whilst often inevitably being true) - this ep shows the band become more streamlined and coherent, yet heavier and more out-of-control than before. 'Safe' is never a word to use in the vacinity of this band. Fans of Daughters, Rosa Valle, Rolo Tomassi, No Coast et al will find much to love here! *Will Haven "Voir Dire" lp (Holy Roar) – At this point it would perhaps be entirely fair to consider Will Haven to possess legendary status. Forming in 1995 and releasing such classic album as ‘El Diablo’, ‘WHVN’ and ‘Carpe Diem’, not to mention having shared the stage with the likes of Coalesce, Vision of Disorder, Neurosis, Slipknot, Earth Crisis, Dillinger Escape Plan and Deftones, Will Haven really have done it all. Or so it would have seemed….. Now returning with ‘Voir Dire’, their first album in 10 years with Grady Avenell on vocals, Will Haven have taken a darker, deeper, hell-tuned direction. Building upon the bands sonic history, this is by far the biggest, most ominous, riff-laden Will Haven album to date. The album also marks the debut of Chris Fehn (Slipknot) within the bands ranks on bass. Cash Cow Productions has joined the Stickfigure Exclusive / Primary roster: Stickfigure is proud to announce that Cash Cow Productions has joined the Stickfigure Exclusive / Primary roster. Cash Cow Productions is a small label which has been releasing records since the early 90’s. *Accordion Crimes "Songs To Drive Wives Away" lp – Accordion Crimes formed in Denver the fall of 2009, from three friends with a mutual appreciation of bands attributed to Touch & Go/Quarterstick Records. They have self-produced and released 2 projects: Academy 7-inch (2010) and A Higher Quality Version of This EP (2009). Their latest effort, the seven song debut LP Songs to Drive Wives Away, will be available both digitally and in record stores. This record was mastered by Bob Weston at Chicago Mastering Service. *Buildings “Melt Cry Sleep” lp – Buildings is a band hailing from the northern tier of the Midwest. Formed in 2006 in a shitty basement Travis Kuhlman and Brian Lake started working on songs that would soon become the band Buildings. These songs are powerful loud thrashy tunes designed for a nervous breakdown. Buildings Released a record in 2008 Braille Animal a 10 song punch in the face. Their new record Melt, Cry, Sleep was released in December of 2011. For fans of Jesus Lizard, Melvins, Nirvana, Unwound....Their latest effort, the ten song LP Melt Cry Sleep, will be available both digitally and in record stores. This record was mastered by Bob Weston at Chicago Mastering Service. New Records: *Trickey, Ben “Open The Sky” 7” (Pygmy) – “Ben Trickey always sounds lonesome no matter what he’s singin’ about. Part of that’s the natural trill in his voice, part of it’s the sparse musical backing and part of it’s the undeniable fact that a lot of his songs are mighty darned lonesome. His new 7-inch is out now on Pygmy Records, the second of a planned four-single series he’s recording for Jordan Gum’s local indie. Like the first, this one offers two desolate originals and a nice cover song, this time it’s Daniel Johnston’s “True Love Will Find You in the End.”” – Stomp And Stammer

Hey Everyone, New TITLES for Mailorder customers are available at www.stickfiguredistro.com/catalog. You can download the attachment for the list of the new titles with reviews. take care, Gavin / Stickfigure

Hey Everyone, New titles are now available through Stickfigure at www.stickfiguredistro.com/catalog. The attachement lists ALL of the NEW titles with reviews. take care, Gavin / Stickfigure

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Hey, sorry about the delay. Blake is in a band called Dead In The Dirt - http://www.facebook.com/deadinthedirt - sxe fastcore / grindcore Aaron is performing with O'Brother - http://www.facebook.com/OBrotherMusic and also performs solo as Harken The Hands Askew - http://www.stickfigurerecordings.com/artist_page.php?artist_id=162 if you are looking for material similar to Me And Him Call It Us check out Dead In The Dirt ok? take care, gavin / stickfigure

Hey everyone, The Mailorder section at www.stickfiguredistro.com/catalog has been updated. attached is a list of reviews of the new titles. take care, gavin / stickfigure

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hey everyone, new titles @ www.stickfiguredistro.com/catalog check out reviews below. take care, gavin / stickfigure New Exclusive / Primary Titles: *Abrams, Muhal Richard and Roscoe Mitchell “Spectrum” cd (Mutable Music) – Janácek Philharmonic; Petr Kotik, conductor; Thomas Buckner, baritone; Muhal Richard Abrams, piano; Roscoe Mitchell, saxophone Spectrum features an improvised performance by Muhal Richard Abrams and Roscoe Mitchell entitled Romu. This recording is also the first to feature Abrams’s and Mitchell’s work with orchestral forces. Mutable Music is very proud to be able to offer these premiere recordings. Abrams’s Mergertone was commissioned by the Ostrava Center for New Music and premiered at the opening concert of the Ostrava Days 2007 festival by the Janåcek Philharmonic, Petr Kotik conductor. Mitchell’s Non-Cognitive Aspects of the City was commissioned by Mutable Music for baritone Thomas Buckner, Petr Kotik and The Orchestra of the S.E.M. Ensemble and was premiered at the Willow Place Auditorium in February 2003. Muhal Richard Abrams is one of the most highly respected musicians in the contemporary music scene. He is co-founder of The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), founder of The AACM School of Music, and the first recipient of the grand international jazz award, The JazzPar Prize, by the Danish Jazz Center (1990). Except for a brief period of study at the Chicago Musical College and Governors State University in Chicago where he studied electronic music, Abrams is predominantly a self-taught musician who, as a result of many years of observation, analysis, and practice as a performing musician, has developed a command of a variety of musical styles both as a pianist and composer. Abrams and members of the AACM are responsible for some of the most original new music approaches of the last three decades. Since the early 1960's composer Roscoe Mitchell remains a vital force in American music. An acclaimed saxophonist, Mitchell tours regularly throughout the United States and overseas. He is a member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians and a founder of the Art Ensemble of Chicago. Recently he appeared to great critical acclaim with the Art Ensemble of Chicago and The Orchestra of the S.E.M Ensemble as soloist and composer on tours in the United States and Europe. Recent compositions include Variations and Sketches From The Bamboo Terrace for chamber orchestra (1988), Contacts, Turbulents (1986), Memoirs of A Dying Parachutist for chamber orchestra with poetry by Daniel Moore (1995), Fallen Heroes for baritone and orchestra (1998), The Bells of Fifty Ninth Street for alto saxophone and Gamelan Orchestra (2000), 59A for solo soprano saxophone (2000), and Non-Cognitive Aspects of the City (2002) with text by Joseph Jarman. *Architeuthis Rex "Dark as the Sea" cd (Utech) – Architeuthis rex. Leviathan. King. Magnificent sea dweller and haunter of the dreams of Italian artist Antonio Gallucci. Dark as the Sea is that dream, each of the seven recordings an aperture into a horrific underwater world filled with the fear of what lies outside. Together, the album is a kaleidoscope of Don Cherry's Brown Rice, backward masked King Tubby acetates, strange strings, outer space broadcasts of unholy funeral rites, Native American percussion and metaphysical drone. Illustration by John Rockwell. Edition of 500. *Bisio, Michael and Connie Crothers “Session At 475 Kent” cd (Mutable Music) – Connie Crothers, piano; Michael Bisio, bass CONNIE CROTHERS is known for her wide range of expression, originality and her uncompromising spontaneous improvisation. MICHAEL BISIO invariably astounds audiences with the beauty of his tone and the intensity of his very personal musical language. Together they make an absolutely outstanding duo. The four improvised works on this recording radiate intensity and beauty. As Connie writes: “One paradox of the improvising musical art is that after the music is created, it is gone. The musicians don’t really get to listen to it. We hear and create the music in an instant, then move on to the next instant. Michael and I had wanted to record just to hear the music. My loft is 1,000 square feet of open space. The concrete pillars and ceiling, the tile floor and the raised wood platform in the center of the space where the piano is all cause the resonance to be greatly enhanced (the platform is even a kind of vibrating soundboard). This room is ideal for recording. I set up informally. I only used two mics, but they are great ones--my Neumann U87s. I placed them, we gave it a test, then just played. And played and played. From the first second (in fact, from the soundcheck), we were in another place altogether. What is it? Some dimension of energy, sound, feeling, beauty--every note a surprise. Michael is amazing. When we listened back, we were two astonished and very happy musicians. I couldn’t believe the recording sound. After all, I can’t monitor when I am also playing. And the music. It’s wonderful when you listen and are so drawn in by the music itself that you don’t think, I’m doing that? Although I could know that I’m the one on the piano and that it’s Michael, with all his resounding non-stop individuality, there was a merge. It was just music itself, an intrinsic organism, just meant to be? We at Mutable Music could not agree more: The music it’s wonderful. CONNIE CROTHERS is known for her wide range of expression, originality and her uncompromising spontaneous improvisation. After attending the University of California in Berkeley, CA, she moved to New York in 1962 to study with Lennie Tristano, who presented her in three solo concerts at Carnegie Recital Hall; the Lennie Tristano Jazz Foundation presented a fourth concert in that venue. She also performed there with tenor saxophonist Warne Marsh, Roger Mancuso, and bassist Joe Solomon. She co-led an engagement with Marsh at the Village Vanguard, with bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Peter Scattaretico.In 1982, she recorded a duo with Max Roach as part of his historic duets recording project Swish (New Artists). She co-led an engagement with Roach and dancers Bill T. Jones and Arnie Zane at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. More recently, she performed duo with Roach in Bologna, Italy, the New Orleans Jazz Festival, Tokyo, Japan and Harvard University where she was co-honored as Visiting Jazz Artist. Her quartet features alto saxophonist Richard Tabnik, drummer Roger Mancuso and bassist Ken Filiano and their latest CD, Music Is A Place on New Artists (with bassist Ratzo Harris) was chosen by Stuart Broomer, Bill Shoemaker and All About Jazz/New York for their best-of-the-year list, 2007. Conversations, a duet CD with clarinetist Bill Payne (New Artists), was selected by Art Lange and Bill Shoemaker for their best of the year list, 2008. Five of her other recordings have appeared on critic?s 10 best lists, one of them getting the #1 record of the year spot in Wire from Jack Cooke - Love Energy (New Artists). Her quartet, co-led with tenor saxophonist Lenny Popkin, featuring bassist Cameron Brown and drummer Carol Tristano, toured Europe and Canada and appeared at the Blue Note, Sweet Basil, Birdland, and the Spoleto Festival. She recently formed a trio, Trance Formations, with singer Andrea Wolper and Filiano. Recent solo performances include the 2008 Vision Festival, the "Interpretations" series, Northampton Center for the Arts, the Berlin Jazztage, Cooper Union, the New Music America Festival, the DuMaurier International Jazz Festival in Toronto, the Middleheim Festival in Belgium. MICHAEL BISIO invariably astounds audiences with the beauty of his tone and the intensity of his very personal musical language. His music has received 4 stars from DownBeat, Jazz Times states his music "resonates with intelligence, emotional depth and probing virtuosity." Seminal studies in creative music processes were with Bill (William O.) Smith and Stuart Dempster.Early tenure with trumpeter Barbara Donald and saxophonist Carter Jefferson left an indelible mark on Michael's music and spirit. Another major influence is Joe McPhee. Joe and Michael have created a body of work that includes two duo cds, Finger Wigglers and Zebulon, (CIMP) in addition to over a dozen other releases including: Port of Saints, (CJR), Joe Giardullo's Shadow and Light, (Drimala), and Angels, Devils and Haints, Joe Mcphee and the World Bass Quartet, (CJR). As a composer Michael has been recognized with nine project grants from various arts organizations, in 2003 he was awarded an Artist Trust Fellowship. As a recording artist Michael appears on over 50 cds, he is leader on 10 cds and co-leads 7 duet recordings. His recorded output has consistently met with critical praise. Michael's first international release, In Seattle, (Silkheart), was chosen as one of the "Best Jazz Records of the 1980's" in the Village Voice. The cd connections, (CIMP), 2005, as reviewed in Cadence Magazine. "...this is another important disc from Bisio and company that highlights Bisio's talents as a musician, composer and bandleader." Fourteen new releases in 2009 include two MBQ cds on the CIMP and Not Two labels, two cds by Tomas Ulrich's Cargo Cult, and Old Dog, By Any Other Name, (Porter Records). Other artists Michael has collaborated with include: Wayne Horvitz, Charles Gayle, Bob Nell, Sunny Murray, Louie Belogenis, John Tchai, Pauline Oliveros, Vinny Golia, Julian Priester, Eyvind Kang, Diedre Murray, Rashied Ali, Jim Nolet, Saadet Turkoz, Dominic Duval, Tomas Ulrich, Oluyemi Thomas, Matthew Shipp, Karl Berger, Warren Smith, Connie Crothers, Sonny Simmons, Jay Rosen, Avram Fefer and Stephen Gauci. *Burned Up Bled Dry / Deadbird split 7” (At A Loss) – The rumored split 7” by these two Arkansas bands does actually exist. All tracks were recorded by Chuck Schaaf in 2006. Rumors of various labels releasing this split 7” abounded. Finally it was announced that At A Loss would release this record in 2008. Now two years later after numerous technical difficulties the record is now out. Deadbird contribute one track complete will all the tempo changes and somber regret filled lyrics that one would expect. Fast screams lead to somber heaviness leads to hardcore sing along anthems all together in a way few bands make work. Burned Up Bled Dry provide four tracks of pissed off fastcore / powerviolence / punk-hardcore or whatever everyone calls it now. The sleeve is full color which wraps all the way around the seven inch record. Full color labels and all copies of the seven inch are on various shades of opaque colored vinyl. *Death Domain "Toxoplasma Gondii" 7" (Army Of Bad Luck) – “Adam Stroupe left Atlanta in the summer of 2007 to pursue a Ph.D. in molecular microbiology and immunology at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. When he moved, the abrasive and confrontational synth-punk dirges of his band S.I.D.S. were put in a holding pattern, resurfacing only for occasional holiday shows or Internet collaborations. But when Stroupe comes home for the holidays this year, he's returning to celebrate a new 7-inch release with Death Domain, a solo project that's served as his main musical outlet since he landed in Baltimore. "When I moved here I didn't know anyone who had similar interests as me, so I started doing my own thing," Stroupe says. Although he's been recording Death Domain ideas and rough demos since his undergrad days at UGA during the mid-2000s, the project has grown symbiotically with his scientific studies. Even the name Death Domain refers to a cellular process by which contaminated cells in the body are programmed to commit suicide. This cold, systematic motif is underscored by the balance of gloomy, clinical aesthetics in his low vocal droll and mechanical drum machine beats of "Program Cell Death." Other songs, such as "Toxoplasma Gondii" and "Watching From My Window" on the Death Domain debut (released by S.I.D.S. and Deerhunter bassist Josh Fauver's Army of Bad Luck) fill the sonic gap between industrial noise and electronic pop music. A lo-fi haze surrounds every analog beat, blurp and demanding lyric with a cold, stripped-down ambivalence that'd sound campy if it weren't so mesmerizing. A second 7-inch via the San Francisco label Dark Entries will follow the ABL single. Stroupe warns that what you hear is what you get, and his live shows are boring when compared to S.I.D.S.' chaotic performances, which often spilled into the audience. But it's all part of the musical process. "S.I.D.S. was a punk band. This is not punk and that's kind of the point," he says. "It's awkward dance music; it has a beat but you're supposed to feel uncomfortable about dancing to it."” – Chad Radford / Creative Loafing Note: Toxoplasma Gondii is a species of parasitic protozoa. *Hasegawa-Shizuo "Lift" cd (Utech) – It was on a night when sleep simply would not come, not matter how long I sprawled on the grass or how many pages of my book I leafed through. The black shaggy 'thing' expelled all the breath in its body. Phu phu phuu. And as it did so, something glowed softly at the crown of its head. "Ahh, what a beautiful light! I should put a hat over it to stop it flying away." The black shaggy thing took his favourite hat, the one he had hung from a tree branch, and popped it onto his head. "Perfect." Hirotomo Hasegawa and Shizuo Uchida. Hasegawa was the lead singer of seminal early eighties Japanese punk/hardcore group Aburadako (Greasy Octopus), while Uchida was a long-term member of Haino's Nijiumu medieval dream-drone unit. The recording is the result of unedited improvisation. A beatific recording filled with light and avidity. Edition of 500. *Ho, Fred and The Green Monster Big Band “Celestial Green Monster” cd (Mutable Music / Big Red Media, Inc) – On the new release Celestial Green Monster, Fred Ho and the Green Monster Big Band - assembled from Ho’s favorite musicians with whom he had the pleasure and honor to work with since embarking upon a professional career in music in the 1980s - perform both original compositions by Ho (Liberation Genesis; Blues to the Freedom Fighters; The Struggle for a New World Suite) as well as arrangements of two pop culture classics (Spiderman Theme; In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida). The quintessential American orchestra is not the symphony, but the big band. Retaining the essential features of swing and African-descended rhythmic vitality and complexity, improvisation (both individual and collective) with sophisticated compositional imagination, elasticity and experimentation with timbre and harmony, expansive and epic themes, the big band makes for as much a "joyful noise" as the ubiquitous small band. Though the composer/arranger may start with sketches and minimally notated material, the opportunity and challenge for a broader and more extensive palette of orchestral voicing, contrapuntal techniques (both melodically and rhythmically), and magnified excitement, intensity, energy and explosive dynamic range ("from a whisper to a scream") continually make for the big band form an ideal vehicle of serious extended composition. Over the years, Mr. Ho’s influences in big band writing have included composer/arrangers such as Duke Ellington, Thad Jones, Count Basie, Sun Ra, RoMas (Romulus Franceschini and Calvin Massey), Toshiko Akiyoshi, Charles Tolliver, Don Ellis, Frank Foster, Melba Liston, Shorty Rogers, Lalo Schifrin, Charles Mingus, and Tadd Dameron, among others. The popular "jazz-rock" horn bands also contributed mightily to Ho¹s musical consciousness, including Chicago Transit Authority, Blood, Sweat and Tears, Tower of Power, Azteca, Malo, Flock, Cold Blood; as well as black funk and soul bands such as Mandrill, Crown Heights Affair, Brass Construction, Earth, Wind and Fire, The Pyramids, and Kool and the Gang. And his oeuvre also included the blazing salsa bands led by Eddie Palmieri, Mongo Santamaria, Ray Barretto, Bobby Paunetto, Willie Colon, and Celia Cruz. All of this is reflected in this amazing and amazingly joyful recording. THE GREEN MONSTER BIG BAND: Fred Ho, leader/baritone sax; Bobby Zankel, Jim Hobbs, alto sax; Hafez Modirzadeh, Salim Washington, tenor sax; Stanton Davis, Brian Kilpatrick, Amir Elsaffar, trumpet; Taylor Ho Bynum, cornet; Robert Pilkington, Marty Wehner, Richard Harper, trombone; Earl MacIntyre, David Harris, contrabass trombone; Art Hirahara, piano, electronic keyboard; Wes Brown, electric and acoustic bass; Royal Hartigan, drum set. Guest Artists on In A Gadda Da Vida: Abraham Gomez-Delgado and Haleh Abghari (vocals); Mary Halvorson (electric guitar) *Run, Walk! “I Hope This All Works Out So I Can Stop Standing On Even Amounts Of Manholes In The Street” cd (Holy Roar) – “Run Walk have been bubbling away quietly on the south coast for a couple of years now, self-releasing cd-rs, playing shows around the country and generally making a name for themselves amongst those that count. Let’s not beat about the bush – run, WALK! are the UK’s first band that can stand toe-to-toe with Lightning Bolt, HEALTH, No Age, Bloc Party as well as the lineage of Fugazi, Shellac, Jesus Lizard and Big Black. None of the aforementioned names should however detract from the uniqueness that this pair of 18 year olds possess. How they arrived at such a sound at such a young age is beyond comprehension – I blame the internet. Equally informed by noise-rock and fuck off bastard bass noise as they are by The Maccabees and Bloc Party in terms of songwriting chops and gruff melody, run,WALK! stand a unique position. Far from a one trick pony that just so happens to occupy new musical ground, run,WALK! can be heavy as fuck, epic as fuck, punk as fuck, subtle as, err, fuck and as poncey and arty as an everyman could be. All under one coherent musical umbrella. Worth hearing, non? Loud and energetic enough to play with any metal band whilst also subtle and melodic enough to play with any indie band, run, WALK! should be all-conquering champions, but will probably confuse as much as they delight. Those of an eclectic disposition and a truly open-mind will find a band to cherish here, one that ticks many of the boxes of what we want from music, rather than just one.” *Screaming Secrets “Second Story Man” lp / cd (Noise Pollution) – In 1998, the bohemian-suburban intersection of Louisville, KY, was rocked by the inhuman birth of Second Story Man. The band, named after a term for thieves, began as a revolutionary two woman / two man tag team tandem, a mash-up of 1967 idealism and 1977 DIY punk rock righteousness. In a town that has always reflexively run to the next hardcore show, Second Story Man's melodic, dynamic, heartfelt, independent, all ages rock & pop was destined to stand out. Today, 11 years later, they thrive as leaders and inspirations for citizens both older and younger. Justin Davis replaced Kelly Scullin on bass in 2004, but otherwise the power trio of drummer Evan Bailey and guitarists Jeremy Irvin and Carrie Neumayer have remained bonded together by music. Having toured with influential favorites such as Sebadoh and Shipping News, Second Story Man continue to expand the parameters of the possible and the pogo-able. 2009's Screaming Secrets is their third full-length album and their first for Noise Pollution. Recorded with Kevin Ratterman (Elliott, Wax Fang) in his family's funeral home, it has been rumored that this album is their most definitive work to date. *Shedd, Tracy “EP88” 10” (Eskimo Kiss) –“Everyone wants something to believe in.” – Tracy Shedd Multi-instrumentalist Tracy Shedd provides just that with her piano debut EP88, as seductive guitar melodies and string arrangements whirl around her silky, plush vocals. The grandeur of Tracy Shedd’s follow-up to Cigarettes & Smoke Machines (Teenbeat, 2008) proves she is only, as she sings in “How Your Eyes Affect Me,” “scratching the surface.” While she was growing up in Jacksonville, FL, Shedd’s parents (her mother a Country Singer and her father a Fisherman) readied her music career with piano lessons at age six. Perhaps the world should have paid more attention to Shedd then, as she spun her own takes on classical arrangements by Bach and Beethoven. In 1990, her affair with the piano came to a sudden halt as her family grew apart, and Shedd was forced into a world of independence, youthful experimentation, and an innocent revolt that fueled her music to date. Fast forward to 2007… KXCI 91.3FM, in Tucson, AZ, where Shedd had been living for the past year, was planning their Winter Solstice Radio Broadcast, an on-air show where artists perform their favorite Holiday jingles. Shedd was invited to perform, but hesitated since her self-taught guitar training did not enable her to learn such standards. Remembering the confidence she once possessed with reading music as a young pianist, Shedd ran to a local music store to acquire a new (old) instrument. That evening, as Shedd recaptured old lessons, she knew this romance would not escape her again. EP88, Shedd’s first release written on piano, includes a supporting cast of standout Tucson musicians: husband James Tritten on guitar, and friends Becca Hummer on bass guitar, viola, and cello, Michael Hummer (Becca’s husband; PH8) on drums for “How Your Eyes Affect Me,” and Tasha Sabatino (Loveland, Lemon Drop Gang) on drums for “Husbands & Wives.” Stomp And Stammer felt Shedd’s “tales of the desire to fight through a strained relationship” on Cigarettes & Smoke Machines were autobiographical. If this was true, then Shedd has gained much wisdom and is now here for you, as she gloriously proclaims “tell me it all” on “City At Night,” “I’ll listen to all your ideas” on “How Your Eyes Affect Me,” and “If you ever need a friend, I’ll be the one that you can come running to” with “West Inn Love.” Shedd’s truthfulness with her lyrics has never been as forthcoming and prospective. The packaging of EP88 is also a woven quilt of influence; from the cover art that is an accolade to Shedd’s own father, and was discovered in Shedd’s 95-year-old best friend Renee (Ree-Nee) Olson’s house; to the Bossa Nova-inspired design that is a tribute to Renee herself. EP88’s release on blue vinyl is in memory of Gerhardt “Jerry” Fuchs (Maserati, !!!, Moby, MSTRKRFT, The Juan Maclean), because it’s precisely the sort of format he would have suggested. The song “West Inn Love” itself is Shedd’s actual wedding gift for friends Tim & Becky Kelly of Jacksonville, FL, Shedd’s former hometown. Her music pulls from years of exposure to artists like Cocteau Twins, Rachael’s, Smog, This Mortal Coil, Trembling Blue Stars, and Red House Painters – anything via the 4AD and Sarah Records catalogs. As Shedd professes in the closing track “Husbands & Wives,” “Every second counts.” EP88 undeniably coveys this, and Shedd’s choice to premiere her old talents with five astounding tracks demonstrates her “simplicity of style that leaves nothing behind.” *Skull Defekts, The / The Sons Of God "Received in Studio Dental, Gothenburg" cd (Utech) – For the recording, Henrik Rylander and Joachim Nordwall of drone operators The Skull Defekts got together with the legendary performance and noise duo The Sons of God - consisting of conceptual artist and self-proclaimed king of the Kingdoms of Elgaland-Vargaland Leif Elggren and electro-acoustic sound artist Kent Tankred. The place for the meeting was Rylander's Studio Dental and the album was received in one night. The process developed immediately and there was no struggle to find a common idea of sound. Rylander and Nordwall on no-input mixing desk and analog synths and Elggren and Tankred on amplified metallic rakes, an old fan and FX. Something was caught on tape. That something is what you are now listening to. Photograph by Carley King. Edition of 500. *Tealights “Take Us By Sea” mcd (Tealights) –“Hello my Indie lovers, I have some news from the mothership. I have made contact again with a new species of music. This time having delved into an electric candlelit dream of classical revelation and electronic revolution. TEALIGHTS is an indie-electronica band with classical infusions founded in June 2008. Early into its conception, the band found itself experimenting with vox harmonies, electronic beats, live drums, synths, pedals, keyboard, guitar, bass, cello, flute, melodica, and bells. Mary's luminous brand of vocals twined with lead singer Nancy's delicate, droning tone sets the perfect balance for Tealights. To accentuate Mikey's electronic brilliance, Brett creates another dimension using gadgets and live drums. Tealights began debuting their sound locally in September 2008 and have grasped comparisons to the likes of The Cranberries and Portishead. They have since graced the stage as opening acts for the Octopus Project, Parenthetical Girls, the Evangelicals, Starfucker, and Asobi Seksu. In March 2009, Tealights officially released their demo. The official debut EP entitled Take Us By Sea will be released on Sept 29 at the Drunken Unicorn, followed by an east coast tour in October and southwest tour in November. Actually having penetrated electronica with classical music, this is not ear garbage. Interesting and never off-putting, the sound is emotional and desperate. Transcending the sound of music, moving like the waves through the inscription of electric sound smoothed out with the sweet sound of a woman's request. I am a fan already. Having only heard suggestions of the music but never heard them combined in such a way. With influences like Portishead, Björk, Dido, Feist, Radiohead, múm, Sigur Rós, Imogen Heap, Frou Frou, etc…you will resolve yourself to the fact that imitation did not birth this music. If you are at all familiar with their influences you will not be surprised to hear combinations of what sounds like church music, electronic delights, and in some cases a very sweet almost ENYA sound that somehow (and we have yet to figure out how, and I'm sure when it happens, the cloning will begin) the music seems to make sense, like opposites attracting. This music does not ask you to try, it does not expect you to figure out why it is yours, but only to listen in awe of the magnificence. I am not surprised the band has been so graciously received by their fellow indie artists and reviewers alike. Anyone who has heard TEALIGHTS has been seeking the next fix ever since. From sullen to sexy in a moment, the transitions of each song can get away with what other bands have not. The sounds are so multi-faceted that a flute can play and you will immediately be reminded that you typically hate the flute..but somehow (still asking?) it is just where it belongs in the music. Now is the time and this is the place. Go forth on your pilgrimage seeking to be inspired and check out "Take us by Sea" — the album will bless you with a new view. I won't say a bad word about them. I wont give a warning. Just listen to a the new species and welcome them to the indie music universe. There's room enough for all of us.” Kristin Anderson / Indie Music Universe *Teeth, The “Clatter & Jive” 7” (Noise Pollution) –“Reviewing EPs can be a tricky proposition — does one afford the same considerations of scope and gravity typically associated with a full-length? If you’re dealing with one of the format’s undisputed masterpieces (Signals, Calls and Marches, Chronic Town) you certainly do, and if Clatter & Jive doesn’t quite reach the heights of those landmarks, it’s still an effective, concentrated blast of energy much weightier than its three-track length would suggest. The band includes Lucky Pineapple guitarist Matt Dodds, but that band’s expansive experimental rock is miles away from The Teeth’s lean, jagged post-hardcore. Best is “Huevos Cubanos,” a down-tempo instrumental that contrasts the band’s other Archers of Loaf-style compositions without stealing their power. Rarely has both a band’s name and the title of their record been so appropriate.” - Eric Condon *Ural Umbo “Ural Umbo” cd (Utech) – Ural Umbo is Reto Mäder (Sum of R, RM74) and Steven Hess (Fessenden, Haptic) electrifying internal music through a broad spectrum of instrumentation. Horns, piano, organ, harmonium, bass guitar, strings, electronics, drums and percussion guide the formation of black, subliminal melodies and slow feedback accompaniments. Each piece consumes the organic and dynamically balanced process that created it. With a nod to 1960s horror movie scoring Mäder and Hess displace sound from the veil of the supernatural and coax it back to our world. Presented in a heavy black/white sleeve with white translucent paper overlay. Photography by Rik Garrett. Edition of 500. New Records / CD’s: *American cheeseburger / religious as fuck split lp (no idea) - Oh my gawd, is this record really out?!? Yes, it is... and that is why you are crying. Embrace your fear. Nut-tacular split-colored vinyl for anyone brave enough to order it before they turn grey. Or grey- ish-purple. Whatever the case may be. Get on it or get on’d by it! *battlemaster / inter arma split 7” (mirror universe) - New material from two of Virginia's finest up and coming shred monsters extolling the virtues of everything blackened and metal! Between the two bands, members of Lord By Fire (Sword), Cannabis Corpse, and Arsis lay down some serious brutality *birds & wires s/t lp (amor y lucha) - Birds & Wires is a band conceived by four friends in Washington, D.C. that began writing songs together in the fall of 2007. Although formed by musicians now residing in three different cities (Washington, DC; Brooklyn, NY; Philadelphia, Pa), Birds and Wires consider themselves a Washington, D.C. band and a part of the city!s DIY-inspired music/arts scene. Members of B/W play or have played in other projects such as 1905, Aghast, Midvale, Lotus Fucker, The Black Light Collective and Redencion Nueve Once (from Chile). This self-titled four song 45 rpm EP takes the literary, symbolic and lyrical influences of Uruguayan author Eduardo Galeano (Open Veins of Latin America), the emotional and socially-conscious passion of murdered Chilean folk-singer Victor Jara, and over a century of American musical tradition (folk/gospel/blues/country) and filters them through mid-tempo punk/hardcore. The four songs on this EP were recorded by Hugh McElroy (Black Eyes) at Inner Ear and Swim two Birds during the spring of 2009. The EP was mastered by John Golden. *bored to death s/t 7” (sorry state) - Hailing from Sapporo City, Japan, Bored to Death are named after a song on Government Issue's Legless Bull EP and it definitely shows in their sound. The production on this platter is so spot-on that you could add these tracks to future pressings of Dischord's 1981: The Year in Seven Inches CD and no one would ever notice; however, it's the simple, catchy-as-hell songwriting that will keep you spinning this one over and over again. With eight tracks in less than 9 minutes you know this one is a rager. *bukkake boys “elite self interest” 7” (sorry state) - 2nd EP by this vicious hardcore band from Atlanta, Georgia, and while the Bukkake Boys call their hometown the "City of Pop" you won't find any of that here. If you heard Bukkake Boys' self-released first EP, Splendid Thoughts, then you're already a fan. If not, prepare yourself for some of the most violent and aggressive hardcore you've heard in a long time. This one is all frantic riffs, vocals that sound like they're going to eat you alive, and one of the meanest-sounding drummers out there. 7 songs and not a second wasted. *Christian club “final confession” 7” (sorry state) - San Diego's Christian Club play fast, tight hardcore like you've come to expect from Sorry State Records. These guys are separated from the pack by two throat-shredding vocalists, great production and vehemently anti-Christian lyrics. Recommended for fans of early Dr. Know, Strung Up and Direct Control. *cloak / dagger “don’t need a…” 7” (grave mistake) - Brand new three song 7" EP from cloak/dagger! This single charges through the title track "DON'T NEED A" which is taken from their upcoming LP "LOST ART" (JADE TREE), and is rounded out with two non-LP tracks on the B-side, only available on this single. *cross laws “ancient rites” 7” (sorry state) - After 2 much-talked-about EPs, North Carolina's Cross Laws are back with another 6-song slab of ferocious hardcore. Yeah, they're still fast and mean as fuck, but this time the riffs are a little more complex and melodic, bringing to mind Totalitar, Poison Idea and occasionally even Articles of Faith. Fuck all of the soundalike bands, this is raw, in-your-face hardcore. *crossed eyes “rattled” 7” (sorry state) - Raleigh's Crossed Eyes (who, incidentally, share a bassist with Cross Laws) are somethinig a little different for Sorry State, but this EP is so damn amazing that I couldn't resist the offer to put it out. It's like Crossed Eyes took all of my favorite punk subgenres and put them into a blender of awesomeness... there are elements of Lookout!-style pop punk, '77 British stuff, US hardcore and even a little '60s influence here and there, but somehow it all comes out sounding seamless and original. Seriously, this disc will make you feel like you're 16 again, hearing Singles Going Steady for the first time. Recommended for fans of the Zero Boys, Marked Men and peak-period Screeching Weasel. *devour s/t 12” + cd (sorry state) - Raleigh, North Carolina's Devour were born from the ashes of Cross Laws, but rather than simply picking up where that band left off, the remaining members expanded to a 5-piece and followed the long southern tradition of adding traces of metal into our hardcore. What emerged was a record that is remarkably dense and complex, recalling the very best of the mid-80s trend of hardcore bands "going metal;" think Corrosion of Conformity's Animosity LP, Final Conflict's Ashes to Ashes and Septic Death's Need So Much Attention. There's also a heavy Japanese influence; people who have seen Devour live have compared them to Judgment, Lip Cream and Bastard, a connection only made clearer by this record's astonishingly heavy and powerful recording. In a scene where so many bands simply want to replicate something that has already happened, Devour sound remarkably fresh and progressive, and without losing a single thing you loved about hardcore in the first place. *direct control “nuclear tomorrow” 7” (sorry state) - Direct Control return with their latest time warp back to 1983 featuring five of the best tracks from their much talked about demo re-recorded faster, tighter and with better sound quality. Think Mecht Mensch, Poison Idea, the Fix, etc. *double negative “raw energy” 7” (sorry state) - Following up their already-legendary debut full-length on No Way Records, North Carolina's Double Negative return with this blistering 3-track EP. While the full-length offered a more polished representation of the band, this EP is much closer to their noise-drenched live sound. In fact, the title track was recorded live with a single microphone and no overdubs whatsoever. The EP also features over-the-top packaging, including a 4-panel metallic print sleeve that can be used as a stencil of the band's logo. Highly recommended for fans of bullshit crust punk and by-the-numbers hardcore who need to hear how it's really done. *girls at dawn s/t 12” (captured tracks) - Right on the the heels of their debut 7" on HoZac comes this 4-song 12" EP. Drawing from post-punk, psychedelic and 60's pop influences, these three girls from Brooklyn make haunting melodies bridged with there/not-there ghostly arrangements. *high on fire “snakes for the divine” 2 x lp (e1 entertainment) – “The Riff Supremacy of High On Fire Has Been Reaffirmed Okay. So I am a huge High On Fire Fan, but I am also a journalist student studying to become a music critic. So although I love most of their work, I am going to try and be as unbiased as possible in my review of the band’s latest release, “Snakes for the Divine.” The album kicks off to a romping start with the eight minute title track intro’d by an Iron Maiden-esque lead line evolving into a galloping thrash metal rhythm. Jeff Matz shines on this song and shows why he was chosen as the bassist for this awesome band. His bass is distorted yet punchy and his technical skill is easily on par with the best. My only complaint with this first song is that the buildup to the first verse sounds very similar to “Turk” from Death is This Communion. Frost Hammer, the pre released single, is another classic HOF riff bonanza. Des Kensel’s galloping drums carry over to drive this song through all of its parts. Matt Pike’s controlled screams are some of the most impressive things here going from guttural to falsetto in one smooth slide. I also like that the band shows its progressive side during the bridge reminiscent of “post-metal” acts like Mastodon and Baroness. Also, Pike’s solos continue to blow me away with his mixture of exotic scales, bluesy pentatonics and his trademark “looseness” which solidifies him as one of the great Iommian disciples. However, despite being well rounded overall, my critique of this song is in regard to the harmony section of the bridge. It sounds like Jeff and Matt end their phrases at different times and in my opinion Matt’s rough voice just does not fit well with Jeff’s smoother one. I’m sure he or Jeff could have harmonized with themselves and achieved a much better effect. Continuing the heaviness, “Bastard Samurai” is about as close to doom as HOF have been since “The Yeti” and “Thraft of Canaan”. An FX laden intro showcases the bands progressive tendencies before evolving into one of the most furious riffs they’ve ever written. After a few bars of aural annihilation, another unexpected dynamic change yields a subdued verse with delayed guitars and soft vocals. After another verse and couple measures of the riff from hell, the rhythm changes and a chorus is revealed along with more riffing and a solo played as if by a demon. Matt’s lyrical skills, like his playing and songwriting, have improved as well and fit perfectly with this song: “Son of a bitch should realize… Bastard Samurai!” The following song, “Ghost Neck” has a hard time competing with the supremacy of the previous, but is successful in showcasing a more technical side to the bands development. The riffs continue to be incredibly creative and impressively varied. Matt’s voice screams out its terrifying battle cry in full force over a thrashing rhythm that harkens to “Silver Back” and “Devilution”. My only complaint here is that the overall structure is a little too similar to previous tracks “Snakes” and “Bastard” which causes momentum to lag slightly. However, the songs technicality and intensity make up for this and keep the listener engaged. The next two songs, “The Path” and “Fire, Flood & Plague” are a tag team in blow your face off. The one minute intro is far better than anything similar offered on Death Is This Communion, while “Fire, Flood & Plague” is one of the most impressively written songs the band has ever conjured. An interview with Matt Pike leading up to this albums release quoted Matt as saying listeners should expect “extreme speed and many interesting stops and turns.” Well, this would be the song he was talking about. There are so many riffs and key changes to be had in its six minute body that it would be hard for any metal fan not to headbang. On top of that, the riffs feature some extremely complex and intuitive note structures that pull the listener in and evoke an emotional response not typical of songs associated with such apocalyptic themes. Don’t hold your breath, because the wind is still to be completely knocked out of you by “How Dark We Pray.” Like “Bastard Samurai,” this song sees the guys going back to their Sabbathian roots for some serious doominess. Des’ signature tribal tom-tom is in full might and Matt’s melodic guitar lines during the intro and refrain make this song reminiscent of the Sabbath classic “Wheels Of Confusion.” The first in the massive rhythm progression is a somewhat optimistic riff playing off both major and minor scales. The sense of optimism imbued is short lived, however, as the band surges on through more pounding rhythms with Matt spitting lyrics at a furious pace. Towards the end, lyrical rhythm is omitted altogether in favor of reciting evil incantations as if from an ancient tablet of metal. I recall in another pre-release interview Matt talked about the band getting back to their roots of Black Sabbath. I think it is easy to say that this was the song they were jamming on at the time of that interview. The pace picks back up for album finisher “Holy Flames of The Fire Spitter.” More classic heaviness is put on display while hordes of demons chanting “Ooh-Ah” in the chorus are sent by the gods to help HOF decimate the battle plain. Seriously though, the chanted vocals do add yet another dynamic to an already musically diverse album. Also, a phaser intro continues to remind the listener that this band has evolved immensely since Death Is This Communion and have absorbed from the many bands they’ve toured with. Only complaint here is that the verse riff sounds a bit like a rehash of “Return To NOD.” Overall impression of Snakes For The Divine is that this is High On Fire at their best producing material which is more creative and challenging than anything they’ve done previously. Songs like the title track, “Bastard Samurai” and “How Dark We Pray” pay homage to their roots of NWOBHM and Black Sabbath. Similarly, tracks such as “Frost hammer” and “Fire, Flood & Plague” delve into the effects, dynamics, and key changes of “post metal” acts Mastodon and Baroness. By mixing in Pikes honed riffage, Des’tribal drumming, and Jeff’s distorted bass, they have shown that they are one of metals most impressive acts and this is their definitive album. Unlike many other bands who always claim that their newest album is their “best yet,” High On Fire backs up on this claim and takes it to a whole other level. Looking forward to the spring tour and many more albums in the future!” – Tricaliber / Stoner rock *holopaw “oh glory” lp (obscurist press) – “We're very excited to see Holopaw back at it with their third full-length, Oh, Glory Oh, Wilderness. After two acclaimed records with Sub Pop, Florida natives John Orth and Jeff Hays changed their strategy in favor of a more scaled-down, home-grown approach to creating music. What you have here is Holopaw's second coming: ten tracks of lulling guitar and meaningful lyricisms that encompass the struggle and hard work of putting a band back together. "Little Stallion With A Glass Jaw" elegantly exemplifies the sense of urgency behind Holopaw's new line-up (including Patrick Quinney of Fiya/Nervous Dogs) to the tune of added strings, drums & horns. Tales spun together through encounters with "Boys On Motorbikes" and "The Lazy Matador" unwind perfectly with lyrics about sweetness, longing and the potential for some violence. Oh, Glory Oh, Wilderness sees Holopaw at their best that fans of Destroyer, Fruit Bats & Califone will instantly find something to love with Holopaw's new offering!” *instangd “mitt svar pa…” 7” (sorry state) - Sweden's Instängd are a new band featuring members of Regulations and Tristess, but they don't sound anything like the melodic punk of those bands. On Mitt Svar På Ingenting, Instängd take as their main influence old, barbaric Scandinavian punk like Headcleaners / Huvudtvätt, Missbrukarna, or S.O.D. (the Swedish one, not the one from New York). If you need a less obscure comparison, Urban Waste would make a good reference point since this has a completely blown-out, blistering guitar sound and catchy, punk-as-shit vocals. Needless to say, this six-song rager destroys everything in its path. *japantherninasonik s/t 7” (wantage) - Friend-bands Japanther (Screamers/Misfits/Beach Boys worship) and Ninjasonik (self-described punk/club/crunk) decided at some point early in 2009 to record a couple songs together. The results are presented here. And how. We're extra proud of this thing because A) it's a hand-screened gem we did right here in the ol' Wantage cellar with some Plastijet ink, too little ventilation, and it features an absolutely cool piece of text-graphic from Japanther bro Kevin Bouton-Scott. It's a translucent, label-less 7" with a hand-screened, limited and numbered print on each copy. This was a hard-fought 7", and After a friggin' heapin' helping of bullshit with the pressing plant, we've got these things, finally. Japanther need no introduction around these parts, and Ninjasonik have been busily making a name for themselves in the u.g. hip-hop/punk rock realm like few others. This record deals topically with the ease with which the internet is used primarily as a tool for shit-talking, and Pop Rocks candy. Limited to 550 numbered, hand-printed copies and 550 clear blue copies in covers (released once the hand-printed copies sell out. *led er est “poll gorm” 7” (captured tracks) - Led Er Est add an organic and warm element to synth/drum machine-based music, all with good songwriting at it's heart. The a-side is manic and the b-side melodic. These two songs are not on their current LP, and they're two of their best. *logic problem s/t 7” (sorry state) - Following up their well-received 2007 demo, the debut EP from North Carolina's Logic Problem is like a split 7" between two sides of the band. The A-side, recorded by Myriam Martian and -/-EPIC WARFARE-/- (Double Negative's Raw Energy EP), is a rough-and-ready DIY job with harsh, clipped vocals and a mean distorted bass tone, perfectly suiting the more atmospheric songs on that side of the record... just imagine Articles of Faith playing through the Jesus and Mary Chain's equipment. The B-side, on the other hand, features two tracks of complex and catchy hardcore with a cleaner, yet still powerful, pro recording. These tracks recall the Stooges' sonic wall of intensity Raw Power fed into frenetic, crushing hardcore punk. *marked men / this is my fist split 7” (no idea) - Over two years in the making and worth every goldanged millisecond! (Colored vinyl! Includes download code!) *melvins "sludge glamourous" 12" (from the nursery) – A brand new three track 12-inch on silver/gray vinyl with original cover artwork by Steven Parrino. Limited to 2000 copies. Side A features Dies Iraea (long version), 6:53 and It Tastes Better Than the Truth (remix), 5:14 Side B features Youth of America (the Wipers) 9:16 Dies Iraea and It Tastes Better Than the Truth are different versions of songs recorded for the album, Nude With Boots. Youth of America is a cover of a song by the Wipers, written by Greg Sage. All three tracks are on vinyl for the first time. *morpheme s/t 7” (prank) - Six tracks of rampaging noise! Torrential waves of guitar distortion blast as vocals shout and swirl through the burning chaos, fueled by rapid fire drumming and thundering bass charges. This San Francisco band makes an explosive combination of Japanese- styled noisy hardcore ( KURO, GAI, CONFUSE, DISCLOSE) and heavy early 80's Finnish Hardcore influences - ( KAAOS, BASTARDS, KANSAN UUTISET ), with lyrics sung entirely in Japanese by a Tokyo transplant and Japanese- American. MORPHEME's debut solo release after a quickly sold out demo tape and recently released a split 7" EP with Nagoya Japan's DCLONE, Recorded by Greg Wilkinson at Ear Hammer studios in Oakland, it captures the bands wild live delayed vocal effects and distorted attack. Comes in a hard pocket sleeve with an insert. *nervous systems “needs medicines” lp (obscurist press) – “It seems Averkiou aren’t the only ones immersing themselves in the sweet sounds of noise-pop/shoegaze in Gainesville, Florida. I recently picked up a copy of Needs Medicines from Nervous Systems and was met with a catchy offering of fuzzy pop songs that captures a lot of the charm that made a lot of similar bands during the 90’s endearing due to some of their imperfections in combination with their enthusiasm. Not exactly sure where it fits in, but there definitely hints of Guided by Voices, Henry’s Dress, etc. to be found here. Those who enjoy quick and to the point noise-pop should definitely give this a try.” – Built On A Weakspot *newsom, Joanna “have one on me” 3 x lp (drag city) - 'It's been a highly entertaining indie-rock parlor game these past few years, wondering how harpist/lyricist Joanna Newsom would follow up 2006's Ys - arguably one of the most rewarding releases of the decade just concluded, and certainly one of its most unusual. How could she top that strange masterpiece? Now we have our answer: with a triple album. Newsom's Have One on Me [is] a three-CD package, as well as a three-LP vinyl set, if that's your thing. This announcement confirms rumors that have been circulating since Drag City posted a mysterious cartoon hinting at the album's imminent arrival . . . though the triple-album part comes as a surprise. Have One on Me's spare, contemplative "'81" [has the] opening lyric: "I found a little plot of land in the Garden of Eden/It was dirt, and dirt is all the same." All further details, including the rest of Have One on Me's track list, remain under wraps. Triple albums can be divisive, and this one will surely be no exception. Speaking as someone who loves Ys, though, I'd say that album proved that Newsom does exceedingly well with creative gambles. If there's any artist from whom I'd like to hear three full discs of new material at once, it's her.' - Simon Vozick-Levinson / Music Mix (EW.com) *prurient “the history of aids” lp (hospital productions) - massive, textural, throbbing, destructive, electronic, feedback drenched, power electronics and industrial noise with heavily processed vocals and field recordings dealing with vulnerability. Uses some of the thirteenth century love poems of the persian poet rumi as lyrics. Originally created in 2000 on cd with armageddon label this was the first widely distributed prurient full length and appears on vinyl for the first time now. *pygmy shrews “the Egyptian” lp (wantage) – Pygmy Shrews are sort of like some wounded Sikorsky chopper on a doomed final mission, chugging across debris-filled skies in search of a final way out, or howbout similar to some kind of post-apocalyptic wheeled conveyance, part lawn tractor, part tiller, all menace and powered by some greasy substance you don’t want to even consider, but running somehow, and fast, albeit on the verge of total failure and collapse. Howabout it? This Brooklyn group has an aggressive, fatalistic task at their capable hands: to add a musical vocabulary to feelings like desolation, despair and distrust. If the emotion starts with a “d,” it might be applicable, and this band might make appropriate sounds for it. Pygmy Shrews members come from bands like Drunkdriver, Zs, Cutter, the Fugue, Queening, Neon King Kong, Little Women etc. They play the sort of desolate noise rock that Greg Ginn somehow fathered. And frankly, that grimy torch still gets carefully passed, periodically. Past recipients may include Texas' Cherubs, Olympia's Behead the Prophet No Lord Shall Live, and just a few other blown-out scuzzers. the Pygmy Shrews debut LP, The Egyptian is a raw example of the genre's most well-executed. These 10 songs were recorded by Colin Marston (Krallice, Behold the Arctopus) in his Queens, NY dungeon. *sand creek massacre / years of decay split lp (emergence) – FRENCH IMPORT – 6 songs of anarko/crust from Rennes/France with female vocal (years of decay) vs 4 songs of mélodic crust from Zwolle, Overijssel/Netherlands (sand creek massacre). *scold for wandering / stellardrive split lp (emergence) – FRENCH IMPORT - Scold For Wandering means French screamo with some postrock, and epic influences in the vein of Daitro, Mhai Edrish. Melodic but still heavy. Stellardrive plays some intense and heavy postrock like Mogwai, Explosions In The Sky or maybe Cult of Luna. Dark and stirring but still soaring, concise and cheery. *shitty limits “beware the limits” 12” (sorry state) - After a string of brilliant singles, England's Shitty Limits return with their debut full-length, and it easily blows away all of their previous material. While their music is still a unique combination of 50s rock, hardcore, and 70s UK punk, this time around they've added a post-punk-ish element a la Gang of Four or the Fall that allows things to run at a slow boil for a little longer before they bubble over. Easily one of most brilliant, diverse and engaging punk records of 2009. *silk flowers “as above so below” 12” (captured tracks) - Six track EP by this current NYC live staple. Eerie and experimental electronic pop. *sofy major s/t lp (emergence) – FRENCH IMPORT - yet another promising French act that delves into the noisier realms of metallic/post-hardcore with loads of caustic guitar textures and clashing chord phrasings, harsh vocal screams, and a solid rhythmic core that drives the bulk of the songwriting. Beautiful screen printer covers. *sourpatch “crushin’” lp (happy happy birthday to me) - Romance is a tumultuous place, filled with feelings almost always unspoken and rarely understood. If pop music does anything at all, it helps the painful awkwardness that romance breeds and promotes a certain unmatched sincerity. San Jose natives, Sourpatch, know all about this dynamic. They play with a rough, but beautiful indie pop/punk sound that grabs at influences from both Britain and Coastal United States. A cross between the chicken and the egg, Sourpatch exists in the giant realm of 90's pop worship, where honesty (no matter how unflattering) reins supreme. Initially comprised of three members: Nicole Munoz on guitar and vocals, Christine Tupou on guitar and vocals, and Rich Gutierrez on drums-- joined shortly after their first show by Mandi Ferrell on bass; The band started as an idea for a Go Sailor/Tiger Trap cover band, but quickly took flight as a project of it's own. The four have been playing beautiful noise together for over a year and a half now--in which time, they've managed two small U.S. Coastal tours (East and West), self-released a seven song demo, a single on WIAIWYA from England, and played the San Francisco Pop Fest. The band's newest venture is a LP released on HHBTM Records. The thirteen song release, appropriately titled "Crushin'", is predominately about the perils of confused romance, feelings unrelinquished and blurred friendships, content reminiscent of songs written by Pam Berry, Rose Melberg and Amelia Fletcher over a decade and a half ago. A great majority of the original set list were songs that Munoz, previously in the San Jose all girl band Miss Flo, had written and been working on with Tupou a few years prior to the Sourpatch's existence. *southside stranglers “too much tv” 7” (grave mistake) - Debut 7" from Richmond's Southside Stranglers slashes your face with six cuts of raw, bare bones rock and roll! Mix equal parts of '60s garage rock and '70s punk rock and you'll get an idea of what the Southside Stranglers are serving up. *stalin, the “sakahalin smile” lp (absolute power) – ENGLISH IMPORT – Well put together compilation lp featuring tracks from the first flexi, the “Stalinism” 7”, the “Rominichisuto” 7”, the “Arerugii” 7”, the “Nothing” 7”, the “Go Go Stalin” 12”, the “welcome to 1984” comp lp and the “Fish Inn” flexi. Excellent booklet featuring pictures and interviews with this classic 80’s Japanese hardcore band. *thee silver mt zion “kollaps tradixionales” 2 x 10” (constellation) - Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra (SMZ) returns with its sixth full-length recording and first since the band's line-up change in summer 2008. Following a debut performance as a quintet at All Tomorrow's Parties in upstate NY, the band embarked on an extensive European tour through the fall of 2008 and entered the studio during winter in Montreal. As Kollaps Tradixionales demonstrates, the band has lost none of its raw and frazzled anthemic power and continues to forge bold new ground in its search for a unique hybrid of punk, blues, psych, folk and modern orchestral idioms. Driven by the fried electric guitar, plangent voice and devastating lyrical conjurings of Efrim Menuck (previously co-founder of Godspeed You! Black Emperor), Kollaps Tradixionales is one of the band's strongest and most dynamic albums. Songs of complex, desperate and thorny hope. *this bike is a pipe bomb “convertible…” lp (no idea) - How the world changes around us. When This Bike Is A Pipe Bomb started years back, who’d’ve thunk that an entire subgenre would have sprouted from their seeds by the time this record rolled around? Having seen them quite a few times over the years, and not only owning, but actively listening to, much of their previous work, Convertible is—for better and for worse—what their fans will dig, and what they’ll expect. (The first time I saw them, they opened up for The Causey Way, and if I remember correctly, they were touring in a cab.) Lyrically, TBIAPB is much darker than most may realize. The first four songs are about deaths and elegies, spanning from Willie Junior (a local vagrant whose death remains a mystery) and Andreena Kitt (a neighbor, shot repeatedly and killed by police), to Joe Hill (Wobblie organizer) and Fatty Arbuckle (an entertainer who was blackballed and smeared for life on the unsubstantiated claim that he raped a woman with a bottle). Convertible is like an audio scrapbook: of home, of friends, of shared history, of complicated love, of mental illness and physical sickness. Convertible covers a broad range deftly, from wanderlust so deep that the narrator imagines faking his own death to start up a new, anonymous life. And there is still a deep fire inside this trio; they don’t roll over when gentrification takes out a community church, and sing: “When those saints come marching in, I hope they’re carrying guns.” All of that is great, and genuine, and honest, and I do enjoy this record. But here’s the string in the back of my throat on this record: there’s no outright flashpoint on it—some song on the first several listens that’s careened from the grooves and raised my awareness and appreciation of the entire record. In Front Seat Solidarity, it was the firecracker of a song, “Body Count,” that I couldn’t shake loose. In Three Way Tie for a Fifth, it was the epic, expansive “The Ballad of Sonny Liston” that I couldn’t wait to hear at the end so I could flip the record over and listen to it again. Reviews like this are the most troubling for me. I’ve only listened to this record ten or fifteen times; and there may be that sleeper song in Convertible that watersheds it all together, that snaps the puzzle into place. I have faith that there is… and will continue listening for it. –Todd Taylor / Razorcake *thou / haarp split 7” (mirror universe) - Man alive are these some burly jams, and the content of this is pretty much outlandish: classic apocalyptic woodcut imagery, a huge poster insert, a bigass booklet stapled to the interior of the jacket, and cool orangey red "fire" colored vinyl too, not to mention two of the hottest sludge bands going right now. *thurneman “tegelsten” 7” (sorry state) - 3rd EP by this Stockholm, Sweden quartet, and it blows their other two outstanding efforts out of the water. Defying easy sub-sub-genre categorizations, Thurneman take the raw materials of straightforward 80s ha

hey everyone, there are a bunch of new titles for mailorder customers @ www.stickfiguredistro.com/catalog ! please read through the reviews below. take care, gavin / stickfigure New Records / CDs added to the Stickfigure Mailorder site New Exclusive / Primary Titles: *Analena “Inconstantinopolis” lp / cd (Moonlee) – SLOVENIAN IMPORT - ANALENA is not one of many: ANALENA is an absolutely unique wave of sonic fantasy, rousing your imagination as it rolls uncompromisingly from the beginning to the end of the record. Therefore it is difficult to fit ANALENA’s poetics into a single mould – yet that does not mean that they disintegrate into a hundred pieces. On the contrary, on their new album ANALENA is compact and balanced. So take the journey through Inconstantinopolis – through the full frontal scream of lead vocal Ana, disciplined by sharp cuts of guitar and thickened by a thundering bass, which never escapes the focus of precise and sovereign drumming. Don’t miss the well-concealed melodies, nor the lucid guitar interplays. Abandon yourself to a music at once forceful and atmospheric, uncompromising and dreamy, precise and chaotic, playful and tense – to this complex and harmonious interweaving. A fixture on the map of the underground scene for over a decade, ANALENA has not fallen asleep on the laurels of its past. On the contrary, ANALENA is now even stronger and more determinedly persistent in its do-it-yourself activism. *Bernays Propaganda “Happiness Machines” lp – (Moonlee) – SLOVENIAN IMPORT - Macedonian band BERNAYS PROPAGANDA could be shortly described as danceable newwave/post-punk band with charming and attractive female vocal. Firm drum beats accompanied with thick and groovy bass lines are the base upon which layers of funky and broken guitar chords are placed, and above all comes unique, strong and remarkable female voice as a cherry on the top. Were lunatic enthusiasm, bursting energy and catchy athmosphere already mentioned? BERNAYS PROPAGANDA praise the postulates and attributes which many post punk and new wave revivalists have forgotten. With their best intentions they mantain the ideas and attitudes of a long line of bands such as Gang Of Four, Slits, Fugazi, Submission Hold, !!!, Gossip, LCD Soundsystem... Their edgy lyrics subtly avoid Edward L. Bernays' school instead of being hypocritical and agitprop-direct. Their danceable fpunk doesn't try to escape reality, but also refuses to accept status quo. BERNAYS PROPAGANDA don't want escapist entertainment – they're utopistically but honestly fighting for a better world. Dance, clap, sing and celebrate civil disobedience, human rights and freedom! *Betty Pariso / Manuscripts split 7" (Holy Roar) – ENGLISH IMPORT - Betty Pariso play discordant hardcore for fans of the_Network, Throats, Gaza, Phoenix Bodies and the like....ex Cutting Pink With Knives, The Defeat, Heroics, Wild Stallions etc... Manuscripts are horrifically young Midlanders who take the best bits of Cursed, Pelican, His Hero Is Gone, Throats, Converge etc... *Black Audio “Live At Torvi” 10” (If Society) – FINNISH IMPORT - The LEGENDARY Black Audio playing a LIVE rock n' roll show in the even more LEGENDARY Torvi in Lahti in front of the most LEGENDARY crowd of 16 paying customers. This shit is LEGENDARY! It's all here! The insanely cool jam for Lissu's cigarette break, the incoherent in-between songs chatter and the weird train crashes that somehow get turned into fills and riffs. This is the ROCK and the ROLL melding into one sweet thing we call... ROCK and ROLL. "Miltei mannermainen meininki" -Jarttu *Cesar Bolanos “Peruvian electroacoustic and experimental music (1964-1970)” 2 x cd (Pogus Productions) – CD 1: Intensidad y Altura (1964); Interpolaciones (1966) for electric guitar and tape; Flexum (1969) for woodwind instruments, strings, percussion and tape; Divertimento I (1966) for clarinet, flute, bass clarinet, trumpet, clave, piano, double bass and percussion; Divertimento III (1967) for clarinet, flute, bass clarinet, piano, and percussion instruments; I 10 AIFG/Rbt-1 (1968) for 3 performers, horn, trombone, electric guitar, 2 percussionists, 2 projectionists and 9 projectors of slides synchronized by automatic system, and tape. CD 2: Sialoecibi, ESEPCO I (1970) for piano and a recitator-mime-actor; Canción sin Palabras, ESEPCO II (1970) for piano (2 performers) and tape; Ñacahuasu (1970) for a small orchestra of 21 instrumentalists and a recitator. César Bolaños is one of the leading artists of the Latin American avant-garde of the mid 20th century. Born in Lima, Peru in 1931, he was part of an astonishing generation of Peruvian composers: Edgar Valcárcel, Olga Pozzi-Escot, Alejandro Núñez Allauca, Leopoldo La Rosa, Enrique Pinilla and Celso Garrido-Lecca, among others. After studying piano at the National Conservatory in Lima, and following classes with the Belgian composer Andrés Sas (who after leaving Europe settles in Peru), he would join the group "Renovación" (together with Valcárcel, Pozzi-Escot, Pulgar Vidal and Sas); with them Bolaños began a series of presentations and edited a music magazine. He had already composed brief pieces for piano and music for a chamber orchestra. At that time Bolaños is interested in the work of Stravinsky, Bartók and Schoenberg. But he's still far from the sound radicalism that he would reach in the future. In 1957 he traveled to New York City to study composition at the Manhattan School of Music and electronics at RCA. He met the Argentine composer Alberto Ginastera, who offered him a scholarship to study at the Latin-American Center of High Musical Studies (CLAEM) in Buenos Aires, Argentina. On his arrival in 1963, Bolaños became involved in the design and development of the electronic music laboratory of the CLAEM. There he composed his first electronic piece and the first work generated in the above laboratory: ?Intensity and Height? (1964), inspired by a poem of César Vallejo. Bolaños also composed “Interpolations” (1966) for electric guitar and magnetic tape, “Spaces I” (1966), “II” (1967), “III” (1968) for magnetic tape, the experimental audio-visual cantata “Alpha-Omega” (1967), instrumental and mixed pieces like “Flexum” (1969), “I-10-AIFG/Rbt-1” (1968), and, with a commission from Radio Bremen (Germany), ?Nacahuasu? (1970), inspired by the Che Guevara diaries. Bolaños also experimented with computers, and composed two pieces with the mathematician Mauricio Milchberg. “Sialoecibi” (1970): ESEPCO I (computer sound-expressive structure)* for piano and a recitator-mime-actor (a work that satirizes the organization language initials from the 1950's) and “Song without words”, ESEPCO II (1970) “Homage to the unpronounced words” for piano (2 performers) and tape. For the composition of these pieces Bolaños and Milchberg introduce into the computer parameters to have the machine generate a composition from the information obtained by the composer's production. These recordings bring together for the first time a definitive edition of his work on CD. *Chatham, Rhys “The Bern Project” cd – (Hinterzimmer) – SWISS IMPORT – The Bern Project is a brand new Rhys Chatham album. In the summer of 2008, Rhys Chatham visited Bern, Switzerland for a Guitar Trio performance together with local musicians that the club had recruited for him. They rehearsed during the day and played a fabulous show that night. Rhys was blown away by the skills of the drummer and bass player and talked about plans to form a trio - half a year later he was back in Bern and introduced Julian Sartorius (drums) and Mago Flueck (bass) to new compositions he brought along. Beat Unternährer on trombone joined as guest musician. Reto Mäder (RM74, Sum Of R, Ural Umbo) recorded many hours of these sessions on a multi-track machine. Over the next few months, Mäder listened to the recordings, separated the wheat from the chaff, selected the best parts and made pre-mixes. He even mixed different parts of the takes together and sent them to Rhys, who noted what he wanted to have changed or replaced. After more than 100 hours of work, a brand new Rhys Chatham album was finally mixed and mastered. Some tracks are only slightly modified from the original recordings, with just a few effects added or small sections from other parts of the recording sessions mixed in. Other sections emerged purely in the mixing studio and were created from different parts of the sessions. And some sections were complemented by extra instrumental tracks played by Mäder himself. The result is an album of new Rhys Chatham tracks with this band - something you haven't heard since the Die Donnergötter recordings of the 80s... Tracklist: 1. War In Heaven 2. A Rite For Samhain 3. Scrying In Smoke 4. My Lady Of The Loire 5. Is There Life After Guitar Trio? 6. Under The Petals Of The Rose. - Total playing time 44:52 *Coletti, Mattia “Pantagruele” cd (Wallace) – ITALIAN IMPORT - Beautiful psych/weird-folk album, most of the tracks are guitar driven bucholic neo-freaksters keep reading!. While playing this psychedelic-melodies many names came to mind, basically: Red Krayola, John Fahey, Syd Barret, Devendra Banhart and obviously his mentor, mr. Marc Bolan. *Echo Is Your Love "lion tamer versus tigers" mcd (If Society) – FINNISH IMPORT - Echo Is Your Love’s first follow-up to 2006’s “Humansize”. Three all new tracks, one remake of a song from 1999 and a remix by Boys of Scandinavia = one hot package. *Elder “Reflect” 2 x cd (Forge Again) – Following their three song self-titled 10" introduction, Philadelphia's ELDER (featuring members of Philly stalwarts Towers and Balboa) branches out and expands upon the thoughts and ideas that brought them together. Reflect exhibits a culmination of hard work and determination and a retrospective look at the world through the band members' eyes. Described by listeners as encompassing a strong early 90's indie / screamo sound, ELDER pull their influences from all areas to create music for themselves and lyrics and ideals that are socially and politically aware. Each song and lyric expresses the band's understanding and viewpoint on their lives and expands upon the limitations of what life brings them and what life still has in store for each and every one of us. The 2xCD version includes a free bonus copy of Elder's self-titled debut, previously only available with the 10" EP. *Frivolvol “Who Needs Maps When We Got Time” lp / cd (If Society) – FINNISH IMPORT - “I don't have money to burn, but if I did, I'd put out a comp with the best, most nihilistic, purely negative and dystopian-minded bands Scandinavia has to offer. And I don't know about how things look from where you sit, but I consider it to be the sound of our current zeitgeist and guess what? There are more than a few excellent specimens that fit the bill – Haust and Hebosagil are two prime examples I've brought up in this context before; Frivolvol makes it a trinity. Listen, it takes a lot of effort to sound this ugly and it's obvious these dudes are pissed. Musically speaking, this is actually one of Frivolvol's more tamer moments (that instrumental section is almost... pretty), but those vocals sound like gargled glass; from the high-pitched screeches to the harsher, more forced low notes. His pain is yours to share. Unfortunately I wasn't provided a lyric sheet with my copy of their new album "Blades of steel", so I can't compare and contrast with the utter hopelessness expressed on previous record "Who needs maps when we got time", but my gut feeling is that things have not improved. All the better for us, the listeners, probably not so much for the guys in the band.” – It’s A Trap *Fuzz Orchestra “Comunicato n 2” lp + cd – (Wallace) – ITALIAN IMPORT - They were born in 2005. Starting from radical improvisation, the band achieves to forge a sound which, today, is built on strong rock textures, guitar and drums based, on which a fluxus of outer sounds (old movies, old vinyl cut ups, noise streams and real time audio manipulations) ties and rages. *Gebbia, Gianni / Miss Massive Snowflake “Phonometak Series 6” 10” (Wallace) – ITALIAN IMPORT - This is a split 10" released by Phonometak Laboratories, a collaboration between Milan, Italy's SoundMetak store and The Wallace Record label. This series of 10" records is populated by international avant superstars, and Miss Massive Snowflake is so proud to join the ranks of, OVO, Sinistri, Xabier Iriondo, Zu, Damo Suzuki, Mats Gustafsson, Paolo Angeli, Talibam!, The Jealousy Party, and Iceburn. All of whom have a side of super thick 10" vinyl. This release marks the first songs with the full band MMS line-up of Shane de Leon, Zacery Stanley, David Chaparro, Caroline Chaparro, Bill Horist, Gilles, and Jeanne Kennedy-Crosby. Recorded at Studio Olivia. Limited to 500 copies. *Gerda “Gerda (III)” lp + cd (Wallace) – ITALIAN IMPORT - Violent, rage-core, post-metal, screamy-emo, fast, rage, kicking-ass drums, singing in italian, with a voice next to an aneursym. Enough? It comes in LP + CD. *Ghost Of A Thousand “This Is Where The Fight Begins” lp + cd (Holy Roar) – ENGLISH IMPORT - With absolute brutal honesty, the relationship between The Ghost of a Thousand and Holy Roar co-founder Alex Fitzpatrick has been a strange, rocky road until recent times. To cut a long story short, bad webzine reviews by Holy Roar staff and refusals of a tour between TGOAT and a certain Holy Roar band left TGOAT and Holy Roar unlikely bedfellows. This changed when ex-Roarers Rolo Tomassi toured with TGOAT in December 2008 and friendships and mutual respect was forged between Alex Holy Roar and TGOAT. With TGOAT riding high at the moment with their incredible second album ‘New Hopes, New Demonstrations’ out on Epitaph, it seemed like a no-brainer for Holy Roar to give ‘This Is Where The Fight Begins’ a fresh coat of paint (aka all-new artwork by frontman Tom Lacey), its first ever vinyl release, amazing gatefold packaging and the usual high production values expected of Holy Roar. Even more interesting is the exclusive collection of 9 b-sides and demos included on a CD within the packaging. This is the first time many of these recordings have been widely available, charting the band’s early evolution as they found their feet heading towards their debut album. From rough diamonds come great things, clearly……. If you don’t already know what this band is musically capable of, then that rock you have been living under must have been seriously warm and comfy or something. TGOAT sound like a hardcore band from a time before hardcore; brittle vintage guitars, vocals screamed with wild, wide-eyed party-time fervor and a classic energy. Punk rock’n’roll for the clued-up masses. *Girls On Film “Mental Image” cd (Girls On Film) Hailing from the capitol of Florida, GIRLS ON FILM are an all-female three‑piece band whose music is one part lipstick synth-pop and one part icy-cold new wave. Their fashion fueled combination of high-energy stage antics and Dancetronic Glam Wave - their signature sound - have earned the band a reputation as one of the hottest new wave acts out of the Southeast. The 9-song EP is chock full of memorable hooks and perfectly exhibits the band’s new-wave inspired sound that straddles the line between retro and postmodern. It also features several remixes by high-profile artists including Macutchi, Mike Lange and DJ F. Song themes cover such topics as unrealized love, obsession, and self-doubt, but lead singer, Rio’s, carefully calculated lyrics are sharp shooting and sophisticated. The EP’s two singles, “Pitiless Friend” and “Metrosexual”, feature the driving rhythms, icy synth-wave hooks, and quirky vocals for which Girls on Film have become known. Over the last few years, Florida’s Girls on Film have polished their signature sound, “Dancetronic Glam Wave,” the fashion-fueled combination of high-energy stage antics and synthpop beats that have made the band’s live show a must-see in the Southeast since their inception in 2002. Within the last 2 years, the Girls have seen several songs from previous releases licensed for various film and TV projects including commercial spots on the AMC TV Network promoting the movie, “Working Girl”, as well as “Honey Nut Cheerios”, in addition to airplay on MTV Italia and inclusion in the documentary, “Liquid Vinyl”. Overall, the Mental Image EP combines a rhythmic, sensual whiff of nostalgia with progressive ideas and is a surprisingly modern-sounding album that brings a rock-and-roll attitude back to dance music. *Grim, Larkin & Rosolina Mar “Grim, Larkin & Rosolina Mar” 7" (Wallace) – ITALIAN IMPORT - Two Larkin Grimm songs and a cover of 'Los Angeles' by Old Time Relijun recorded together with Rosolina Mar after having shared the stage for some shows in Italy to present 'Parplar' (Young God Records), rightly recognized as one of the best albums of the year. About her, Michael Gira said: 'Larkin is a magic woman. She lives in the mountains in north Georgia. She collects bones, smooth stones, and she casts spells. She worships the moon. She is very beautiful, and her voice is like the passionate cry of a beast heard echoing across the mountains just after a tremendous thunder storm, when the air is alive with electricity. I don't consider her folk though - she is pre-folk, even pre-music. She is the sound of the eternal mother and the wrath of all women'. *Holy State / Pulled Apart By Horses split 7” (Holy Roar) – ENGLISH IMPORT - There was a time in the not too distant past that Pulled Apart By Horses hounded Holy Roar with their debut demo recordings. We loved the band, but as is par for the course with us, we were adamant that we should see the band play live before seeing if the band would be up for working with us. This was OUR LOSS as the astute Kevin at Big Scary Monsters charged in and snapped the band up for a 7” single. The band promptly followed this up at the beginning of this year with another beautifully presented 7” dose of their patented party-grunge on Puregrooves’s Too Pure label. Lets not forget that live this band have also established themselves as an absolute force to be reckoned with – Download, Reading &Leeds, tours with Future of the Left, Sky Larkin, Blood Red Shoes an upcoming tour with Biffy Clyro and an album on the not-too-distant horizon….. Similarly, Holy State should need no introduction right now. With a very low-key debut ep on Holy Roar at the beginning of 2009 that garnered a Kerrang! introducing piece off the back of just 3 live performances, the band have had incredible 9 months. Offset festival, Leeds Festival, touring with the Tupolev Ghost, a tour of France, an appearance at Incubate Festival in the Netherlands, shows with Rolo Tomassi, Nine Black Alps and many many more…..not to mention a split 12” on Dance To The Radio and split 10” on BSM/Holy Roar. Phew! A meeting of minds, two great bands on the cusp of so much more, brand new material from both bands, and all housed in a full-colour, art-only 7” picture disc. It doesn’t get much better for British rock music surely? *Hope For AGoldenSummer “Hours in the attic – live 2009” cd (Hope For AGoldenSummer) – We are so very excited to present our new album! Folks have been asking for a live album for years, and we finally made one: An 18 track CD of songs recorded at odd times in special places. The packaging is covered in art by our own Page Campbell. They were screenprinted by Anthony Gentile at Satisfactory in our hometown of Athens, GA. “Fronted by sisters Claire and Page Campbell, the band trucks in an intimate, ramshackle sound informed as much by Southern R&B and gospel as it is by what's traditionally considered American folk music. And while Hours in the Attic runs through a number of Hope songs off the band's 2004 debut I Bought a Heart Made of Art in the Deep, Deep South and its 2007 follow-up Ariadne Thread, a lot of those recordings sound a little too casually performed. Where the album shines, though, is on its covers: James Brown ("Try Me"), Little Richard ("I Don't Know What You've Got [but It's Got Me]"), Johnny Thunders ("You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory") and Paul Simon ("The Only Living Boy in New York"). The Aaliyah tune "Are You That Somebody?" (inauspiciously recorded for the 1998 Dr. Doolittle soundtrack) shows up, too; it's been a live favorite among Hope crowds for at least a few years. A lot of audiences assume it's a joke, but the Campbell sisters usually play the song straight, even working in Timbaland's rap word-for-word. (It's curious, then, that the live recording they chose for this album has them cracking up throughout the track). Hours in the Attic accomplishes what both traditional folk music and Hope for Agoldensummer do well: repurposing old songs for welcoming new audiences.” - Chris Hassiotis *Jolly Jumpers “Fantom Zone” lp (If Society) – FINNISH IMPORT - “Old Finnish rockers Jolly Jumpers have been active since 1980, but they have so far displayed a stoic atmosphere, as Fantom Zone is only the eights longplayer of the five-piece. Lately they were busier, because they have released their previous records Hometown Hi-Fi and Mobile Babylon with only two-year breaks in between. The band has been compared to artists like Dead Moon, Neil Young, Nick Cave, Velvet Underground, Johnny Cash and Tom Waits, which actually makes sense. Jolly Jumpers manage in an incomparably relaxed way to combine indie rock with Americana. Petri Hannus has a quiet yet rough voice that reminds me a at times of Tito Larriva and wouldn’t sound amiss, and it wouldn’t seem out of place to see them performing as a bar band in a Tarantino movie. It’s nearly unbelievable that guitarist Arimatti Jutila used to play with the Flaming Sideburns. Apart from the slightly punk rocking Saturday Nightmare, you shouldn’t expect raucous rock music. Instead you get solemn quite music, as on I’ll Keep To This which shows parallels to Johnny Cash. Fat King Mescaline in another recommendable track, as also the catchy I Feel Power and Yesterday Tomorrow with its hauntingn Western feeling. There hasn’t been much if any progression since the previous album Mobile Babylon, but you have to acknowledge that Jolly Jumpers perform with an undeniable conviction. Fans of sincere rock music can’t go wrong by getting this beautifully unpretentious album by one of this world’s more ambitious bands.” – Disagreement *Kickstarts “State of alert” 12” + cd (Koi) – This is punk as it should be, raw, gritty and old school. Rick, Vinnie, Christina and Kevin, from Casaulties, Kill Your Idols, Warzone and The Applicators have teamed up to show them lame pop-punk kids how it should be done! A machine gun burst of punk firepower that will have ya pogoing around the turntable. Limited Edition 12”. *La Chansons “The King And Queen Of The Dance Floor” cd (Stickfigure) - La Chansons is the Atlanta husband and wife, dance pop duo, Greg and Carson Keller. Greg and Carson grew up in Marietta, Georgia, but did not know each other until they met in 2003. They then found out that their musical tastes had taken similar paths over the years. Greg grew up on Smashing Pumpkins, Nine Inch Nails and Nirvana while Carson was listening to Nirvana, Hole, and Bikini Kill. Their tastes turned more electronic in their later teen years, as Greg got into Paul Oakenfold and Carson discovered Le Tigre. From then on they each fell in love with dance music in all it's forms, but their teenage musical tastes still seep into their songs and continue to influence them. Now they study perfect pop songs from the 80's, in attempt to create their own pop masterpieces. La Chansons was created in 2004 when Greg had just graduated from UGA, and his Athens punk band had just split up. Carson was an art student in Atlanta with a life-long fantasy of being in a band. Greg wanted to start a new music project and noticed Carson's artistic talent. In the beginning, La Chansons was comprised of Greg's songs and Carson's accompanying low-fi music videos. As their relationship grew, La Chansons became more of an equal collaboration. Now Greg writes the music, and Carson writes the lyrics and sings. In their relationship they are able to pass ideas back and forth freely, and in doing so they make each other's music and art better. They took their name from an old French children's book found at Carson's parents' house. While their sound has progressed since their inception in 2004, their name, "chansons", meaning songs, still applies. Their focus has always been on writing songs that are catchy, well-crafted, and from the heart. As for the "La" in La Chansons, they still don't know if it's correct or not, but they don't really care. They like how it sounds, and it reminds them of singing. La la la la la! Hot on the heels of La Chanson's debut "Love Love Love All Day" is "King And Queen Of The Dance Floor". With ten new tracks of catchy fun La Chansons keep the party going. "X Marks the Spot" is the perfect warm up for the dance party which then starts with "Workout Love" bringing back the 80's. "Cinderella Tonight" keeps you moving while "Sparklin'" gives you a chance to catch your breath. The seductive "Beauty Queen" relives your imaginary beauty pageant and "You Put The Moves In Me" raises the excitement level. "Totally Beachin'" makes one live for the sunny days while "Leotard Stories" seduces everyone. "Mall Magic" turns back time to when one was fourteen losing oneself in the mall and "Candy Bar Man" is the perfect delicious ending. *Leg Leg “Manta” cd (Wallace) – ITALIAN IMPORT - This power-trio plays heavy grooves like a monolith surrounded by buzzing butterflies! Accelerates, then slows down, becomes geometric, obscure,obsessive, cold and occasionally melodic. *Lid Emba “Terminal Muse: Red” cd (Stickfigure) – The first installment in the three CD Terminal Muse series, dedicated to the disease of creative impulse. Fish-eye lensed precision, prog-inflected, electrik and organik. “So mind bendingly complicated that to try and analyze it at any great length is enough to cause a brain hemorrhage for even the most decorated of polymaths.” – Subba-Cultcha “Think Autechre with a smile on it’s face and a song in it’s heart.” – Wonderful Wooden Reasons “Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” – Samuel Beckett *Maths “Descent” cd (Holy Roar) – ENGLISH IMPORT - Maths will never be a band that headline shows to hundreds of people. They will never tour full time nor will they record in a big fancy studio. What they will do is beaver away in their homes studios in Norfolk (yes – this album was recorded purely at home!) and occasionally pop up with a release and a few small tours to remind everyone else how much they suck for forgetting what screamo actually means. That sentence was wrong but it proves a point, right? Following a bunch of self-released tapes and CDRs, Holy Roar teamed Maths up with hardcore’s premier gutter-posterboys Throats for a split CD in June 2008. Almost a year and half later, following several set-backs, and a few different bassists, Maths have finally delivered their debut album. Conventionally structured into 12 songs, but flowing as a singular piece of music, any band that can put together such a wonderfully realized vision, from the comfort of their own homes, seriously deserved your attention already. Despite being just over 30 minutes long, the album’s relatively short length belies Maths’ ambition and the extent of their songwriting talents. Just how something so concise can sound so genuinely epic is dumbfounding considering that half of this record is made up of sub-two minute belters. Effortlessly flicking between discordant, melancholy pirouettes of rage and untroubled, bright passages of melodic introspection, this is a record that ebbs and flows like little before it. Passion, scope, intellect and a pure definition of what we consider to be D.I.Y. *Meeks Family, the “The Weeping Song” 7” (Moodswing) – “Brooks Meeks stresses that the two songs on the brand new Meeks Family’s debut 7-inch should not be called “country,” and he’s right. Although the idea behind the former vocalist and guitar player for long-defunct Atlanta indie rockers the Close explains that the project was initially conceived as a country/songwriter-esque project, it has come a long way over the last couple of years. The A-side on the 7-inch is a duet with Tom Cheshire of All Night Drug Prowling Wolves for a cover of Nick Cave and Robyn Hitchcock’s “Weeping Song.” Here their rendition does justice to the original’s air of darkness while draping a Southern twang over the its subtle nuances. On the b-side “The Deuce of Clubs” is a like-minded atmospheric brood where Meeks gives his nod to the lowest card in the deck, which kind of says it all. Think Neko Case, Johnny Cash and the likes and you have a good idea for the kind of non-country country style songs that are in store. The single brought old school Atlanta indie label Moodswing Records out of retirement, and is a teaser for a forthcoming self-released full-length to be titled 31 Years of Lullaby, which will be followed by another 7-inch featuring a cover of Hank Locklin’s country heart breaker “Please Help Me I’m Falling.”” – Chad Radford *Quasiviri "the mutant affair" cd (Wallace) – ITALIAN IMPORT - This is an space anthems album made by the epic trio, featuring members from R.U.N.I., Ronin, Pin Pin Sugar e Mondongo, playing synth, 8 string bass, drums and big vocals. The material on "The Mutant Affair", Quasiviri's first album, was recorded at Specktrum Studios in Zeccone, near Pavia, and was mastered by Giuseppe Ielasi in Milan. Blow Up: “A creature made of flesh and plastic, an android with the face of Gary Numan and the body of Lemmy rocking hard glorifying the cult of the machine.” (Massimiliano Busti) Il Mucchio: “The impossible meeting between Eurofestival and math-rock, impress and convince. One of the most fun records this year.” (Alessandro Besselva Averame) Rumore: “The synth of Pere Ubu, the acceleration of the futurists Brainiac or Six Finger Satellite, the absurd prog punk geometry of Cardiacs.” (Andrea Prevignano) Sodapop: “The most worthy representatives of a music that is halfway between Pacman, the prog with some sense of irony, a rock son of Trans Am, German music and punk.” (Andrea Ferraris) *Resin Hits “How To Cut A Rock” cd (Exotic Fever) – RESIN HITS’ debut full length, How to Cut a Rock is about affliction, pessimism, suicide, global warming, positivity and peace. Daniel Hukill has been deeply steeped in DIY show booking, playing and organizing for years - he started and ran a venue in Auburn, Alabama called the w6 house for several years before moving back to his home state of California where he met Jamey Anderson. Jamey and Daniel began the band the Vonneguts. Matt Bonuiuto joined the band in Portland and eventually transformed to RESIN HITS. Hukill has also made a name for himself as a notable visual artist, and released a lo-fit version of some of these songs under the name “Resin Trickster.” Borrowing from diverse influences such as The Kinks and The Lapse, Hukill's voice is emotive, lyrics are gracious, and overall, this record carves out a unique place for the band in the current landscape of indie rock. Hukill, who wrote most of these songs at the home of Exotic Fever Records owner - Katy Otto, talks about the writing process, "A lot of these songs were written while on tour so they carry a detached or third person voice. Attempting to understand my life while thousands of miles away from home, sometimes makes it easier to put things into perspective.” The album was recorded in Portland, Oregon by Marcello Spina on 1/2" 16-track tape. All songs were written by Daniel Hukill. Jamey Anderson played drums, Matt Bonuiuto played guitars and bass, and Daniel Hukill played bass, guitars and sang. “How To Cut A Rock” features contributions from Dan Eccles (Richmond Fontaine, Fernando), who on “Resin Trickster” and Joel Hatmaker (DMV, p.o.p.itilopitius), who leant guitars to “Peace is Power” and “Burning Ball and Canopy.” RESIN HITS has seen a number of incarnations and line up changes, and is currently in a process of regrowth in Los Angeles, where Hukill has taken on a troop of three brothers as his new touring band. *Rolo Tomassi/Throats split 7” (Holy Roar) – ENGLISH IMPORT - Holy Roar Records and Hassle are proud to present a unique collaboration between the two labels – a split 7” vinyl co-released between Hassle and Holy Roar Records featuring Rolo Tomassi and Throats. However, rather than simply present album tracks, b-sides or the like, both bands have recorded covers of the others work. Rolo Tomassi add synthscapes and haunting vocals to a medley of ‘Headclouds/Reign of Low’ whilst Throats turn ‘I Love Turbulence’ into a caustic blackmetalsludge nightmare. Strictly limited to 500 copies, 250 copies will come in Hassle packaging (direct from Hassle only, natch) whilst the other 250 will be in Holy Roar packaging (available direct from, surprise surprise, Holy Roar). Buy both to have all versions of this release! This release also forms the third part of the Rolo Tomassi Subs Club. All existing members will, of course, receive this as part of the subscription. The Subs club is still available from the Hassle webstore and already includes split vinyl releases with The Bronx/Fucked Up and Cancer Bats. *Separation, The “Retire Your Engines” cd – (Engineer) – ENGLISH IMPORT - London 5-piece The Separation throw an exhilarating fusion of catchy hooks, energetic riffage and frenzied vocals together in a sound reminiscent of ALL, Left Insane, ...Trail of the Dead, Rise Against & At The Drive-In. They are off-kilter indie-rock leaning towards the interesting side of post- hardcore. Their debut album ‘RETIRE YOUR ENGINES’ contains ten tracks of relentless punk rock delivered with the force of a hurricane and outstanding technical flair. Mixed and Engineered by John Mitchell and Ben Humphries (Enter Shikari/Architects/You Me at Six), mastered by Tim Turan (Emperor/Hurt Process) and with art by New York artist Adam Wentworth (Coheed & Cambria/ My Chemical Romance/Bloodhorse/Hush Sound), The Separation have produced a confident and assured debut, free from the shackles of generic convention and worthy of utmost attention. ‘A furious post-hardcore set, spooning melodic riffs over the top like whipped cream’ - ROCKSOUND MAGAZINE “If you are sick of bands who are afraid to break out of the constraints of what Punk & Rock can offer then these guys are worth checking out”. - BIG CHEESE MAGAZINE *Speakyourheart “This Is How We Communicate” cd (Engineer) – ENGLISH IMPORT -Following the release of widely praised debut mini-album ‘under these lights we are transparent’ SPEAKYOURHEART have returned. With a full length awash with the beautiful melodies and anthemic choruses of before, but now incorporating a series of complex structures and dare we say a more gritty hardcore element than was present on their previous effort. With bonafide singles in ‘This Is The Call’ and ‘If I Quit Breathing’ these guys are sure to turn heads all over the globe. Add to that the fact that every track on ‘This Is How We Communicate’ speaks strongly on it’s own, with no room for ‘filler’, a truly well crafted record that grows with every listen. It would seem the 2 years spent (between releases) playing shows and attempting to build a strong base of fans and friends has really helped to mature Speakyourheart into a team ready to eclipse their peers if given the chance and with an album like this they are well on their way. BACKGROUND: Breaking onto the UK music scene with their own refreshing blend of acousticly led melody, sat within an anthemic heaviness any post-hardcore band would be proud to attain. Taking the best parts of Emo, Post-hardcore and Pop-punk these frighteningly fresh faced young men previously crafted a 7 track mini-album worth shouting about with a loyal fanbase, building and multiplying with every energetic show they play! *Squarcicatricis “Squarcicatricis” cd (Wallace) – ITALIAN IMPORT - Ensemble of extreme dinamycs, ready to trace sketches with a paintbrush as to sculpt with the fury of a sledgehammer, on stage the band is now performing with a new lineup with cello and two basses, swimming into armolodic textures to extract the most powerful intensity. *Uncode Duello “Tre” 10” + cd (Wallace) – ITALIAN IMPORT - “This time we are really the essence of the last duel. Xabier Iriondo and Paul Cantu are alone, facing one another, blades drawn, ready to do battle. The battle is no holds barred. A brief, intense and to the death, in the best tradition of chivalry. The duo brings into play in its entirety, passion for the music loud and high propensity included two men and a soul split in two, adhering to both sides of 10" Tre. The first, primitive, aggressive, loud noise travels on the expression (the same things I did), all corners and sharp bends, faceted like a broken kaleidoscope on the brink of distortion (are our history), the second fragment mind to blows impro, electric and acoustic dig into each vein while the other items found elusive and make the whole ectoplasmic (Train Is The Place). Uncode Duello again demonstrates not only know how to walk in the streets impassable entrepreneur-rock more deformed and noisy, but also to show the way for those who want to follow.” - Stefano Pifferi *V/A Holy Monsters compilation 10” (Holy Roar / Big Scary Monsters) – ENGLISH IMPORT -Despite Holy Roar Records thinking Big Scary Monsters is made up of finger-tapping emo pop-punk poseurs and Big Scary Monsters thinking Holy Roar is a tough guy mosh label, two of the leading lights of the UK independent label scene have put aside their differences to deliver a split release comprising of four of their great white hopes on one 10” vinyl – Brontide, Shapes, Holy State and The Tupolev Ghost, with each band delivering an exclusive, brand-new song! This is available on purple vinyl from Holy Roar and on green vinyl from BSM. 250 copies in each colour. One time pressing. *V/A New Roars On The Block compilation 7” (Holy Roar) – ENGLISH IMPORT - Holy Roar would like to do its part in stopping the rot by praising new bands that dont subscribe to popular scenes or trends and whom remember a time when screamo meant Page 99 rather than My Chmeical Buttfuck and when noise-rock was not a catch-all ephemeral term. So let us waste no time at all in introducing to you the New Roars On The Block - Easy Hips, Dreamboats, Le Swing and Run, Walk! *Varjo "Ensinaytos 1997" lp (If Society) – FINNISH IMPORT - The first Shitsuck lp ever, made with love and care in warm co-operation with If Society and this wonderful post-punk/goth band itself. What you hear on this album is their promotional tape from 1997, which is one of my personal favourite tapes ever. Originally only the 3 first songs were released on "Ensinäytös" 7"ep in 1998, the ep was handnumbered and limited to 420 copies and long sold out. Now the whole tape is finally released completely as it always should have been, with four demo/live bonus tracks, and there's no words to express how happy I am to be a part of this release. This lp is also limited to 500 handnumbered copies, and the first 100 copies include an old promotional picture and a very psychedelic gig poster as a bonus. *Viola “Melancholydisco 2” cd (If Society) – FINNISH IMPORT - “If Society announces the release of Melancholydisco 2 by Viola, a Finnish duo of Riku Kärkkäinen and Tommi Forsström celebrating their tenth anniversary in 2009. The first Melancholydisco in 2005 featured versions of tracks from Viola's debut album Tearcandy (2004) by such artists as Boys of Scandinavia, Iconcrash and Verneri Lumi of Rinneradio. This second installment includes re-shaped songs from Viola's subsequent albums Anything Can Stop Us (2005) and Wonderabilia (2007). Melancholydisco 2 has four brand new electronic Viola songs and six remixes from various artists. I decided I'm really bad (meaning too lazy and undisciplined) in writing record reviews, especially in English, but I might give a few words about this album after receiving the promo in mail yesterday and having time to give it a couple of listens already. The opener, 'The Hardest Hit', is potentially the biggest, erm, hit on this compilation; a track in the best 80s Pet Shop Boys/Bobby O./hi-energy/Italo/gaydisco vein featuring "orchestra hit synthesizer sound". Of the rest of three new Viola songs, 'We Owe Love' also holds dancefloor potential; the mentioned Pet Shop Boys (with a touch of 'Blue Monday'-era New Order) probably providing one major pointer to those uninitiated with Viola's bittersweet indie-disco sound. Also remixers here seem to represent the current Who's Who of Finnish indie and underground dance scene: Hannulelauri, Turku's "chiptune ninjas" Videovalvontaa, Regina, I Was A Teenage Satan Worshipper (with a dub-wise sound here), 22-Pistepirkko's sons Black Audio and Kiva a.k.a. Teemu Korpipää (who has also mixed Viola's own tracks on this album) with a trancey "stadium house" sound.” – pHinnweb *Warning Light “Further On” cd (Stickfigure) – "Warning Light is deceptive. As the project was presented to me two years ago by a friend, the music is "loud drone music" created by a band. But since then, I've learned the project is really the collected labors of D Haddon. Unlike lots of other drone bands, the project doesn't seem to dwell on the thick and downtempo. There certainly are big swells and thick chunks of drone, but as time goes on a different sensibility seems to have popped up. There's a kind of airy atmosphere that has evolved, an almost Japanese aesthetic of zen like atmosphere. He branded the music itself to be "eternity drones" (later the title of a CDr from 2007), and claimed it was an attempt at making music a person could listen to repeatedly for days and days. The idea interested me. Somewhere in there, I started to hear composers. Classical composers. How someone doesn't hear little bits of La Monte Young, Eliane Radigue, and ms Pauline Oliveros in there I'm not sure. I'm sure you have listened to those things. My friend that had heard him before still sticks with the Brian Eno comparison, which is fair, and a little less obscure that my Radigue name drop. When I finally wrote Mr. Haddon an email, he politely revealed a few of his secrets to me. Most of which, I'm happy to keep, but I think Mr. Haddon would be more than fine with revealing that he hasn't ever taken any serious music classes. So unlike all my academic name drops and pretentious touchstones, he didn't get any of these ideas in academia. So where does the drone thing come from for Warning Light? Doom metal? Unlike the bass driven murk of a lot of other "Drone" bands, Warning Light is mostly just synthesizers. Synthesizer tones tend to be a bit different than most bass groups, separating Warning Light from your SunnO)))s and Robedoors of the underground today. The funny thing is, I could see Warning Light opening a show for bands like that, but there's still something different about the territory he's mining. There's a slight darkness in the music that could be explained as a kind of "doom" type feeling, but it's probably something else entirely outside metal. His background seems to be in noise music. The bits and pieces of other bands he was involved in (many at the same time as doing Warning Light) seem fairly eclectic but a lot of it seems like DIY noise rock. But none of that is an easy jump to something like "forever music." It's very all over the place, something not really put into any specific box. I'm stumped. I like to think that Warning Light is some studious guy who lives alone on the side of a mountain, cloistered away from people and endlessly looking for new droney tones in some dark workshop. He would be surrounded by synthesizers and effects pedals, their little lights flickering in the dark. My afformentioned friend met him last year and told me he did live in the foothills of the mountains just outside Asheville, North Carolina for a while. But nowadays he lives in Atlanta, Georgia somewhere, playing music and living life. So I suppose I'm not completely right about any of it, but I shouldn't complain. I like the music, I should just stick with that." - Curt Daniels "Delays ringing in the negative expanse just over the edge of a black hole." "Lost drones echoing through the abyss off the walls of a deep sea trench." "Further On" is Warning Light first properly released album. El Marko Recordings: El Marko Recordings has joined the Stickfigure Primary / Exclusive roster. El Marko Recordings is a new label from Cleveland, Oh. *Mr Gnome “Heave Your Skeleton” lp / cd (El Marko) - "'Rabbit' from mr. Gnome's debut full-length, Deliver This Creature, pulls a heckuva lot of noise out of a small hat, pretty much just Sam Meister's tribal drums and the reverberating vocals and sludgily atmospheric guitar fills of Nicole Barille." - Pitchfork The psychedelically syncopated sounds of Cleveland's mr. Gnome draw on a visceral mix of contrasting textures. Masculine and feminine, soft whispers and shrill yelps, pounding drums and soothing lullabies combine to form a discursive indie-rock collage. The duo's jagged symphony of sound has them compared to a scattershot of artists ranging from Portishead, Cat Power, Massive Attack, and Joanna Newsom, to Death From Above 1979, Blonde Redhead, Sonic Youth, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Heave Yer Skeleton, the follow-up to mr. Gnome's debut full-length, Deliver This Creature, (now available on vinyl) promises to be no less a musical twist than the last offering. Returning with the same basic, minimalist ingredients; a soulful, feminine power and inventive, dynamic drumming, the two are suspended in a sea of drug-induced themes pouring from their simplistic set-up. The id, dreams, silver giants, hallucinations, flying horses, the devil, Armageddon, vampires, and ghosts are just a few of the hauntingly, hypnotic subjects floating between pleasure and pain in the soundscapes of Heave Yer Skeleton. In April 2009 the duo received an invitation to record at Josh Homme's (Queens of the Stone Age) Pink Duck Studios located in Los Angeles. Studio manager and engineer Justin Smith (QOTSA, Eagles of Death Metal, Arctic Monkeys, Spinnerette) recorded the sessions and the location served as the perfect creative environment for mr. Gnome's sophomore effort. After returning to Cleveland, the album received last minute touches and additional tracking at Ante Up Audio with Adam Korbesmeyer. The album was mixed at Butch Vig’s Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin by Beau Sorenson (Death Cab For Cutie, Sparklehorse, The Secret Machines, Garbage, Tegan and Sara). Noyes Recordings Has Joined The Stickfigure Exclusive / Primary Roster: Noyes Recordings is small indie rock label from Halifax, Canada that is off to a good start. *Kestrels “Primary Colours” lp / cd – Try to imagine all your favorite sounds. Imagine melody, harmony, summer shore lines and the drones from the engines that got you there. Now, take these sounds and drive them through an endless onslaught of distortion pedals and rapid-fire drums and you've got a little bit of Kestrels - a polite mix of sincerity and guitar rock excess, of melody and vibration, of every sound you ever loved sounding like you've never heard it before. After releasing their first 7" on Noyes Records (Seaside b/w On Our Time) to high acclaim, the boys are back with their first long-player. Crafted over three years in 6 different studios, Primary Colours is a wonderfully ambitious and ambitiously wonderful debut album that begs to be listened to over and over again. An album like a charming scoundrel, making nice with your record player and then refusing to let her see other records. A skin of loud, distorted instruments hiding a layer of beautiful pop melodies just under the surface. Tracks such as "Sailed On", "Our Velocity" and "Ridicule" showcase the band brilliantly balancing noise pop and melody with a heavy rhythm section and colossal guitars. Hey, there's even a guitar solo here and there. *Got To Get Got, The “Sahalee” cd – The Got To Get Got (TGTGG) are still the Marion Barry's of incisor rock! After spending all winter in the studio they've just finished their first full-length record called "Sahalee" slated to come out in July 2009 (Noyes Records/Rewika Records). Recorded in December 2008 in various studios in Halifax and Montreal, "Sahalee" encompasses everything about TGTGG. It's surprisingly beautiful and accessible considering its pedigree (North of America) yet a record like this was almost destined to happen sooner or later. For the few who have heard the unmastered version of Sahalee, the responses have been stuff like, "catchy as balls" and "if this doesn't come out and blow minds, I'm gonna kill someone" to " I love it", "I really like it", to "I like it". Once a bi-coastal band, TGTGG are finally one unit. "Sahalee" also features special appearances by Samir Khan (Weights & Measures), Jenny and Annisa (Oh Bijou), Warren Spicer (Plants And Animals), Angela Desveaux, Ron Bates (The Memories Attack) and Leon Taheny (Sebastien Grainger and the Mountains). Vie Devant Soi Recordings: Vie Devant Soi Recordings is a new label which has been releasing albums by Columbia, SC own Death Becomes Even The Maiden. *Death Becomes Even The Maiden “Death Becomes Even The Maiden” cd – Originally released as a radio only promo cd, this eight song cd is now available for everybodyelse! Death Becomes Even The Maiden is a Columbia, SC three piece that definitely remind listeners of such bands as hose got cable, William martyr 17 and Maximillion Colby at times. “I have no problem calling Death Becomes Even The Maiden the hippest band in town. Hell, these guys probably have shit in their music collection you have only remotely heard of.” - Sound as Language “It's a beautiful thing — this is if throat-shredding vocals and a Nirvana-meets-the-Police-by-way-of-Fugazi sound is your type of music.” - Charleston City Paper “If true happiness is a gun warm to the touch, then unequivocal ecstasy – for this Capitol City triage at least – is in the wrist-breaking kickback. Side “e” from their hot-off-the-lathe Pink 7", this pillage 'n' plunder anti-anthem was a session leftover from last November's EP The Arrangement. Nuked and with enough feedback though, one man's scraps become another derelict's feast. And while you certainly can't gorge yourself here on words alone (bassist/iron shriek Eric Greenwood proffers only a quatrain's worth of transgressive tropes), by the time this one is over, a pistol whipping would be a welcome respite from the post-punk pith still knotting itself in your belly.” - Coke Machine Glow *Death Becomes Even The Maiden “The Arrangement” mcd – “On Saturday we mentioned briefly how the braintrust behind Factory Records branched out to reach the enthusiastic young group of musicians on the other side of the English Channel which led to the creation of Factory Benelux. Over two decades on from artists like Marine and Minny Pops, Death Becomes Even the Maiden found themselves in a similar situation experienced in reverse for pressings of their latest release, The Arrangement: The Columbia, South Carolina trio opted for Brussels label Vie Devant Soi. As a matter of coincidence, "Control" is the first of five songs presented here. This is by far the cleanest track on the album and, as a direct result, sounds the most like Joy Division and Factory anything. The difference is that there's no macabre monotone in bassist and lead singer Eric Greenwood's voice. The man is pure Jehu, utterly Unwound in his vocal delivery. You get that in the chorus of "Control," but for the most part clean guitar parts courtesy Heyward Sims and rapid-fire drummer Chris Powell's hi-hat madness dominate proceedings. Not too surprising when you consider Greenwood's old band was named From Safety to Where. "We Have Your Diamonds" is a better example of grimy guitars and Soda City scribe Tug Baker's accurate description of 'the Maiden as "Nirvana doing Joy Division covers." In other words, Greenwood is more willing to let his excellent screaming talents loose on this track. You'd never know it from the introduction, but eventually the song blossoms into something that would not sound out of place in Louisville or San Diego a decade ago. "Identify" follows in this same path with a lot more crashing cymbals and a ringing guitar sound piercing through the chorus. It's a vivid display of getting the most out of what you've got. As a fan of feedback, "To Your End" was a personal favorite of this particular listener. For me, "To Your End" represents the exact opposite end of the spectrum from "Control:" All of Death Becomes Even the Maiden's most chaotic elements reveal themselves for the loudest song on the EP and a perfect foil for the concluding track, "Frames." I might get a bollocking for saying this, but "Frames" also has ghosts of early Mineral with only Chris Simpson's wailing thankfully absent. The music is straight from a The Power of Failing. b-side, and I mean that in the best possible way. The point is that, between all of these musical reference points - Joy Division, Nirvana, Unwound, Young Widows, Mineral, Drive Like Jehu - lies Death Becomes Even the Maiden on their own point in the middle, balancing rigid and nervous post-punk rhythms with the raw fury of primed post-hardcore. Considering how easy it would be to simply kick back with a 40 down at the Congaree and listen to Kenny Chesney, one of Columbia's finest bands has backed up their debut 7" with a better EP that shows how alive one of the quietest college towns in the Southeast really is. Sorry, did I say quiet? Bring earplugs. You'll need them. “ - Audiversity New Records / CD’s: *agnostic front “victim in pain” lp (bridge nine) - One of the greatest genre-defining hardcore bands of all time, Agnostic Front, has changed the face of music throughout their 25-year-long career. "Victim In Pain" is a legendary NYHC release and one of the most sought after pieces of music for fans and collectors. Finally, this release is coming back to life via Bridge Nine Records. Vinyl version includes digital download. *agnostic front “united blood” 7” (bridge nine) - One of the greatest genre-defining hardcore bands of all time, Agnostic Front, has changed the face of music throughout their 25-year-long career. Originally self-released in 1983, "United Blood" was Agnostic Front's first vinyl release limited to 1,000 copies. Finally, this release is coming back to life via Bridge Nine Records. 7" includes digital download. *bane “los angeles 3:58 pm” 7” (six one) - Freed of any obligations from their longtime label Equal Vision, Bane's new material will be released on various labels throughout the world, all of which will have their own signature title, track list and cover art for the release. Various photographers were contacted in the different locations around the world where the records will be released, and at the exact minute on the same day, seven photographers took pictures of their city skyline at that moment. For some it was 7:58 in the morning, for others 12:58 at night, but they all pulled it off and the photo they took would be the cover and the title of the release for each territory, "Tokyo 7:58 AM," "Dublin 11:58 PM," "Boston 6:58 PM," "Perth 7:58 AM" and to be released by 6131 Records - "Los Angeles 3:58 PM." 7" includes digital download. *blaze x “some hope!” 7” (sing sing) – “Blaze X formed in late 1975 in Tuam. They quickly learned to play and scored support slots for touring bands such as The Radiators, The Fuze, Tony Koklin and most famously U2 at Leisure Land in Galway on December 18, 1980. In November 1980 they entered RCF Studios in Galway and recorded their self-released single which sold well locally but didn't have much distribution apart from some mailorder sales. Only 500 copies pressed and it's a tough one to find these days. Most were sold locally and some were sent out as promos -- one of which went to RTE DJ Larry Gogan, who made it his Hit-Pick of the week (though the B-side "Rippy" was banned). Despite this success, the band failed to get on TV and no more copies were pressed. They split in 1981 when they failed to achieve their ambitions.” (Eamonn Keane) *bohren & der club of gore “dolores” 2 x lp (hydrahead) – “Formed in 1992 by longtime friends Thorsten Benning (drums), Robin Rodenberg (bass), Reiner Henseleit (guitar), and Morten Gass (guitar/piano), self-described German all-instrumental "doom ridden jazz music" quartet Bohren & der Club of Gore was forged from a shared love of grindcore, hardcore, death and doom metal. Originally called simply Bohren (German for drilling), the band expanded its moniker in 1993 to reflect one of its biggest inspirations, the Dutch instrumental band GORE. In 1994, after the release of an eponymous 7" EP for Suggestion Records, the group put out its full-length debut Gore Motel, followed in 1995 by Midnight Radio, both of which appeared on Epistrophy Records. Henseleit left the band the following year, a move that resulted in the group's sound becoming even more brooding and minimalist. Composer and saxophone player Christoph Clöser joined in 1997, resulting in 2000s Fender Rhodes-heavy Sunset Mission. After a brief hiatus, the same lineup returned for 2002's Black Earth, 2005's Geisterfaust, and 2008's Dolores.” James Christopher Monger *clip’d beaks “to realize” lp (love pump) - Vinyl comes with a download code! After two woozy, psychedelic, and often-claustrophobic records that touched upon their great potential (2006's Preyers EP and 2007's Hoarse Lords), the Oakland-based Clipd Beaks have birthed something pretty damn amazing. To Realize is a turning-point. A record of personal and artistic growth. Sonically expansive, lyrically profound, and deeply moving. It recalls the societal hangover depicted in the great California rock records of the early 70's, while sitting firmly in the noisy, chaotic present day. It's a tribute to love, to moving forward, to rejecting doom. To Realize places itself as a beacon of sprawling, humanist hope in an increasingly digital world. Anyone who still believes in the transformative power of Rock n' Roll will recognize it in this record. *de cylinders “I wanna get married” 7” (sing sing) - De Cylinders, a six piece power pop band from the Netherlands, had a solid reputation as a live band in the Netherlands and Belgium playing along side bands such as the Pretenders and Ultravox. They recorded this 45, their first of three for the CNR label, in 1979 at Soundpush studios, Blaricum with Dennis Kloeth acting as producer. The playing on the 45's is tight, the production is spot on and the songs are extremely well crafted. The anthemic “I Wanna Get Married” did not permeate deeply into the personal life of the band members; as of today not more than two Cylinders are wearing a wedding ring. The back side, “Looking for work” was more prophetic: all six Cylinders are nowadays firmly employed, though five of them no longer in the music business. *de cylinders “we must pay” 7” (sing sing) - “We must pay”, an intoxicating musical mix of fun, frenzy and finances, was De Cylinders’ second single for CNR. Remarkably, the song was recorded in a single take during the same sessions that spawned the first single. As such, the sound of “We must pay” comes very close to what De Cylinders deliver