Head-boppin', gum-chewin', outer-space freak-fuzz from these Philly riff-hawkers courtesy of the ever-reliable Richie Records! Lay it on us Richie!:

"Debut LP from SPACIN', the newly formed Philadelphia act that's bringing together kick-flippers, arm-wrestlers, and hackey-sackers in head-nodding, beer swilling unity. Inhales the same fumes that fuel the Velvets workout at the gymnasium, the Stooges sleazy-fuzz with Asheton on guitar, and the groovy zen of Nigeria '70."

We're thinkin' to ourselves, MAN this sure sounds like of Circle Pit and Purling Hiss had a jam session and LO and BEHOLD there's "Dizzy" Polizze hisself playing a solo on "Wrong Street"! Makes sense since this is the side-project of Birds Of Maya bassist Jason Killinger - BoM's signature fuzz-leads and penchant for heady jams is ALL over this record, but Killinger infuses it with some serious tweaker street jams that would make Haggerty and Herrema put down their spoons and pay attention. The repetitive nature of a few of the songs also brings to mind some space-rockin' weirdo forefathers like Hawkwind or even Chrome - ESSENTIAL slab of wax for 2012 - and limited to 320 copies (why it wasn't 420 is beyond us) - we ripped our first batch so fast, we didn't even get a chance to feature it! Take our advice and grab this now before it's extinct, as in GONE-sville, man! RECOMMENDED!

We'd like to extend a hearty THANK YOU to the Sacred Bones folks for making this available stateside!  Sacred Bones Records has the skinny:

"When Moon Duo’s last full length, Mazes, was released on March 29th, 2011, several indie retailers also received a limited edition bonus remix cd that was available to customers with purchase. Limited to 500, this remix album included six re-workings of several tracks off Mazes by Sonic Boom, Psychic Ills, Gary War, Purling Hiss, and Cave, along with one cover version of the album’s title track by Berlin based, Eagle Boston. The bonus album was so well received that retailers could barely keep up with demand and most everyone sold out of it during the first few days of release. One of the Sonic Boom tracks was featured on Altered Zones and the Psychic Ills remix was the soundtrack to an incredibly decadent Victorian era themed Chanel fashion show in Paris. Some staff members at Aquarius Records in San Francisco and Other Music in NY claimed to like the like the bonus disc as much as the proper album itself. In the spirit of Record Store Day and to honor collectors and completists everywhere, Sacred Bones has decided to make this remix album available on vinyl in North America for the first time. This is a one-time pressing limited to 1000 copies."

You all know our all encompassing love and enthusiasim for all things Wooden Shjips/Moon Duo related so when we heard that Moon Duo were offering up a remix of their stellar "Mazes" LP we were of course stoked.  Then when we were informed that some of the finest acts on Sacred Bones (i.e. Pyshic Ills and Gary War) were giving their signature sonic touch to some tracks we were nearly breathless with anticipation, and nenn they and go and tell us that Sonic Boom (Pete Kember!) is also on that list and then they let loose that Berlin disco-Kraut dealers Eagle Boston are contributing a cover tune, we were all but sure they were done hyping us up. But no, they go ahead and relay that …uh, oh yeah also just so you know, not only is our bud Purling Hiss doing a mix but also, get this, fucking Cave!?!?!?  We are through the roof over here!  We're not even sure we can hear anything anymore cuz our smiles from ear to ear have literally deafened us with pure joy.  Rip a pinner and ride these grooves like the rings of Saturn!  Essentially Recommended.

Look out below! The Vinilisssimo label has pressed up a nifty re-issue Sonic Boom's first album and here's what they have on the matter:

"Reissue of Sonic Boom's first solo album, recorded between 1988 and 1989 while Spacemen 3 were still active and with the participation of its band members. A captivating, gentle space-rock masterpiece, which includes amazing covers of Doc Pomus' "Lonely Avenue" and Suicide's "Rock'n'Roll Is Killing My Life." Reissued on vinyl for the first time. The beautiful gatefold sleeve is an op-art wonder with two swirly plastic discs. Limited edition of 1,000 copies."

The swirling plastic discs that are attached to the cover creating an op-arty candy mind fuck go perfectly with the often hypnotic pulsating sonics within the 2 sides of this record.  "Spectrum" which in time became the moniker under which Sonic Boom aka Pete Kember of Spacemen 3 started releasing titles, is a bit of a one off as far as Sonic Boom albums go.  It was recorded while Spacemen 3 were still active and features contributions by the other members.  "Spectrum" dialed back the extreme volume and sonic assault of Spacemen 3 and ushered in a more gentle ambient drone with sweeping guitars while oscillators modulate and Kember's drawling spoken invocations meander through the intoxicating vaporous sounds.  If you haven't caught on by now to how much we love Spacemen 3 and all its associated projects, then listen up:  WE LOVE SPACEMEN 3 AND ALL ITS ASSOCIATED PROJECTS!!!  Drop what you're doing, grab this record and dose up on some amazingly hallucinogenic sounds.  Ridiculously Recommended

The Bizarros were the unheralded missing link between Ohio and New York City in the late-Seventies. Along with their peers and fellow Ohioans Rubber City Rebels, Rocket From The Tombs / Pere Ubu and The Dead Boys they pioneered a sound that was influenced by The Stooges, Alice Cooper and The Velvet Underground concurrently with their NYC counterparts like The Voidoids, Television and The Ramones. Well just in time for the sell out of all the Bizarros titles from our recent Clone Records warehouse find, comes this 2xLP complete discography from Washington DC's Windian Records! Here Windian's ALL-CAPS lowdown of the contents therein:

"AKRON OHIO'S BIZARROS EXPERIMENTAL POPPY DRIVE WAS SOMETHING VERY NEW IN THE EXPLODING MIDWEST PUNK/NEW WAVE SCENE. THE END RESULTS WERE A HAND FUL OF BONAFIED CLASSIC RECORDINGS. INCLUDES THE SINGLES, SPLIT LP WITH RUBBER CITY REBELS, THE LONE LP RELEASED ON MERCURY RECORDS, 6 UNRELEASED LIVE RECORDINGS AND NEVER BEFORE HEARD DEMOS THAT WERE RECORDED FOR THEIR SECOND LP THAT WAS NEVER RELEASED. PRINTED ON REVERSE STOCK, EXTENDED SPINE WITH DOUBLE SIDED INSERT, PLUS, FULL BIO WRITTEN BY JEREMY CARGILL OF UGLY THINGS MAGAZINE. MP3 CARD W/ 2 BONUS TRACKS INCLUDED."

A really sweet package right here, collecting all the band s releases, including their self-titled Mercury LP, the two singles, and the tracks from their side of the split LP with Rubber City Rebels re-sequenced for playability. GODDAMN. Not sure to what lengths Windian went to remaster these tracks, but HOLY HELL they sound really great, showcasing what a great band The Bizarros were and making it all the more baffling why they've gone largely unknown up 'till now. Crystal-clear audio and a truly great reissue of 2012, and well worth your time and money - essential and RECOMMENDED!

Fan Death brings the ruckus with Baltimore, MD's Roomrunner "Super Vague EP" and here's what they're saying:

"Super Vague is outing number two for Baltimore's ROOMRUNNER, and their first to be released on vinyl. Fans of off-kilter guitar abuse in the vein of U.S. Maple, Chavez, and Polvo, and huge radio rock riffs alike will have a new favorite band after hearing these new tracks, written and recorded in Baltimore by DENNY BOWEN, formerly of Double Dagger and Yukon. The 12" features four tracks, clocking in at 12 minutes, cut LOUD at 45 and mastered to blow out the Best Buy floor-model speakers you just installed in your Civic.Three out of the four songs, "Super Vague," "Undo," and "No Wait," were recorded during the same sessions as their debut EP, and showcase the huge-riffed alternative guitar crunch Roomrunner has been turning heads with. The final track, "Petrified," is the earliest scrap of Roomrunner that's been unearthed, from a four-track recording dating to 2006. It's barely over a minute long, and carries on in the tradition of "Tourette's" or "Nic Fit," a blown-out exclamation point to this EP. Look, you like guitars, you like rock music. Roomrunner are a rock band . Enjoy the rock music. As a bonus, the Super Vague 12" comes with a download code including the tracks from the 12" and selective live tracks from the bleeding edge of their catalog, featuring tracks from the self-titled EP, Super Vague, and as yet unreleased material."

"Super Vague EP" is immediate, brash and catchy as fuck!  Thick guitars churn above a propulsive rhythm section while buried vocals struggle to make it through the noisy din.  And did we say catchy?  This is some super infectious noise pop, like an over blown Superchunk that sears a white hot path of feedback ecstasy infused with tuneful hooks that evoke a sweaty basement show with yer buds!  Recommended.

Los Angeles tunesmith Tim Presley has never done things the traditional way - from his unmistakeable guitar slinging in groups like Darker My Love and The Fall (yes, THAT Fall) to this group right here - White Fence, his solo recording project-cum-live touring act. After concocting two albums of tuneful, ramshackle psych-pop (2010's s/t album and 2011's "Is Growing Faith") Presley takes it upon himself to create a molehill out of a mountain - trimming down an alleged cache of 80 songs into 28 tunes spread across two albums; Family Perfume Vol. 1 and 2. Volume One was a stunner, with Presley exuding a more focused attack on tunes, sounding like the bastard child of Dylan and Ayers backed up by Neil Young and Crazy Horse. Just when we let our guard down, lo and behold merely a month later, we have Volume 2, also released on Woodsist. Here's Presley's short tale of self-examination:

“Wake up. Write. Write. Record. Tweak. Write. Record. Swallow. Tweak out. Tweak. Bounce. Write. Wake up. Record. Sex? No. Sleep. Wake up. Record.  “I hardly have anything but this anymore.... I had 80 songs, then chopped it to 60 and now to 30. It’s a collection, and an album. I have some important things to say to myself. I’m a rock ’n’ roll soldier forever. I melt music. When people talk to me, I’m thinking about some song to do. I think I’ve been cursed. I have no say in the matter. A rainbow Vex. It’s OK though; it’s for the greater good.  “A song can make someone feel so good, or make someone want to write a better one. And sometimes, it could make you rob a liquor store. These are the songs of a man in a bag, and his blue pen.”

Murky and poetic to be sure, but fitting with what we've come to expect from Presley's hazy genius. This guy's on a definite roll in 2012 - aside from Family Perfume Vol. 1, Presley's much lauded (deservedly so) collaboration with San Francisco wunderkind Ty Segall has been on repeat here in the shop since it's release. Volume 2 of Family Perfume is a mellower affair, decidedly darker and obtuse when compared to Volume One's guitar heroics - Presley's a shredder at heart, so it's cool to hear him kick back, rest his feet for a minute or two and get weird. Like 'Madcap Laughs' kinda weird, with a hint of the effects-laden acoustic moments of latter-day, half-in-a-bag Spacemen 3. We hear he's also already got a new single out too - WTF. Let's try to not give Bob Pollard a run for his money o'er here! All kidding aside - if it's all as consistently great as everything he's done so far, Presley can put out an album a month as far as we're concerned! We sold out of Volume One before we could properly feature it - that one's apparently sold out at the source - and Volume two seems to be headed that way as well, so we'd advise you to grip this quick. Limited to 1000 copies and RECOMMENDED, ya heads.

Well, far-fuckin' out man, these boys from Kent, UK are crankin' out some authentic sounding U.S.A. West Coast folk-rock on their 3rd album, "Freakout At The Gallery", released in the US on Austin TX's 13 O-Clock Records! As if the band 's paisley shirts on the back cover weren't enough to clue you in, these guys clearly worship at the altar of prime Sixties psychedelic groups like The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield or the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, mixed with some prime-era psychedelic rock like The Hollies or The 13th Floor Elevators! Jangling Rickenbackers, 3-part harmonies and some Eastern-tinged flair permeate these grooves and could definitely take one to a 'higher state' if imbibed with the right lysergic assistance. Strangely enough though, despite the band s attempt at recreating an authentic Sixties sound and look, the music sounds incredibly fresh and in tune with the hazy jangle of contemporary band s like White Fence or The Resonars! Tack up the black-light posters, dim the lights and break out the gravity bong - it's gonna get weird in here! RECOMMENDED!

The Bureau B folks are delivering some decidedly choice reissues these days "Inland " by Pyrolator is getting plenty spins on our turntable.  We'll hand it off to the Bureau B label peeps for the backstory:

"Pyrolator's Inland (originally released in 1979) provides musical commentary on the late '70s in West Germany, with its undercurrent of paranoia and violence. Inland is one of the most radical, modern and unconciliatory albums of its, or any other, time. The cover for Inland illustrates this atmosphere: tones of grey and brown instead of '70s bliss. The political situation in West Germany is at its most volatile. The war between the Rote Armee Fraktion (RAF) and the State escalated two years before. The spirit of departure which characterized the early years of government by Willy Brand t and the socialist-liberal coalition, dissolved in the so-called "years of lead." Taking part in a demonstration against occupational bans could lead to the very same, and the chances of falling into a terrorist manhunt or staring a gun in the face were not so slim, particularly for young people. Pyrolator's aim was to make a protest album, one detached from all convention. A total absence of common musical structure and an unfiltered rush of sound recordings create a nightmarish, claustrophobic atmosphere. Pyrolator used a Korg MS20, SQ10 sequencer, B20R home organ, a Davolisint synthesizer, a Logan string orchestra and a dual-channel tape machine. Inland is both a rejection of the new form of protest song, the throaty, despairing scream of punk rock, and a rejection of the traditional form of protest song as nurtured far into the 1980s by the bards of the green, alternative milieu. Furthermore, there is another side to Inland : a desire for something new, a passion for experimentation, seeking to extend one's own horizon and that of others. This desire runs through all of Pyrolator's work, from his Inland debut to his 2011 release Neuland (BB 084CD). Thus Inland remains, in spite of its protests and rejections, a positive album. For inherent in every "no" is a "yes" to something else. Maybe something better."

"Inland " is a dizzying affair of frightening sonics that just begs to be spun and respun.  Pyrolator is the project of German synth experimenter Kurt Dahlke of Der Plan and he has constructed a paranoid synthesis marrying together elements of Throbbing Gristle, D.A.F. (of which he was once associated with as well), Robert Turman and just a touch of early Einsturzende Neubauten.  "Inland " is at times robotic, cryptic, harsh, intimate, ethereal, sparse and thoroughly compelling.  Each track never overstays its welcome before moving onto the next mesmerizing head-scratcher of sonic industrial collage.  Super Recommended.

The Bureau B folks are delivering some decidedly choice reissues these days "Ausland " by Pyrolator is getting plenty spins on our turntable.  We'll hand it off to the Bureau B label peeps for the backstory:

"Just two years separate Pyrolator's 1979 debut Inland and the 1981 album Ausland . Nevertheless, they could hardly be more different from one another. If Inland reflects the industrial decay and politically-explosive atmosphere of 1977 and the years thereafter in the Federal Republic of Germany, then Ausland is a buoyant, playful and yet groundbreaking pop album. There had been some significant developments since 1979. The Ata Tak label, which Pyrolator had co-founded, had hit a rich vein of form with the debut album by Der Plan (Pyrolator was also a band member), And reas Dorau's hit single "Fred Vom Jupiter" and Holger Hiller's debut single. Pyrolator made his first trip to the USA, travelling the land from east to west over a period of three months. This all paved the way for the production of Ausland and pointed the way ahead for the Ata Tak label as well. On the West coast, Pyrolator met up with the Los Angeles Free Music Society (LAFMS), a collective in the process of exploring the frontiers between noise and industrial on the one hand and easy listening on the other. It was the influence of such free spirits which opened up the Ata Tak world and that of Pyrolator to "Schlager" and its American equivalent, easy listening. This mix of electronic elements and supposedly left-field pop music of times past runs through the Ata-Tak oeuvre and , with the benefit of hindsight, can be identified as the label's trademark. A further difference to Inland is that a long list of musicians participated in the Ausland recordings. In the USA, Pyrolator played together with designer Chris Lunch and his brother as support act for the likes of DNA and X. This moved Pyrolator to decide that he would not produce his next album alone, but with other musicians and technicians. With the help of the genius Werner Lambertz, inventor of "Brontologik," a forerunner of midi systems, and Ata Tak and Der Plan cohort Frank Fenstermacher, Pyrolator recorded the backing tracks on which other musicians would subsequently play their overdubs. The critics were in agreement when Ausland was released. From the progressive Sounds to the rather more traditional Musikexpress, all the way to the British New Musical Express (NME), the album met with universal praise. NME heralded Pyrolator as a "great pioneer" and quite right, too. He is still a pioneer today. Vinyl contains 6 bonus tracks, mastered from the original tapes."

Pyrolator keeps you on your toes and turns you on your ear.  "Ausland " couldn't be more different from the previous album "Inland ", yet it is still very much Pyrolator.  Where "Inland " was all moody grey industrial minimal ennui, "Ausland " leaps out of the speakers with revelry and joy, an early work German New Wave dance music that has proven influential since its 81 release with its nods of electro-pop and synth-y collage leanings and Krauty/kosmische musik stylings.  And now some 30 odd years on, "Ausland " still sounds as fresh and as baffling as it must of sounded to uninitiated ears upon its initial release.  Super Recommended.

The 20 Buck Spin label has all the ghoulish goodies behind this dark and morose split LP:

"20 Buck Spin released the debut album from Oakland ’s Alaric in late 2011, a dark and hauntological re-imaging of old post-punk, goth and anarcho-punk. The LP astonished all who were exposed to its brooding, memorable songs, Killing Joke-esque rhythms and wild, Banshees-like sheets of electric guitar. Some called it the album Amebix should have made. Zero Tolerance Magazine proclaimed without hyberbole, “Morbid, threatening and obsidian... Album of the Year by a long shot.” Portland ’s Atriarch released their debut LP Forever the End in 2011 via the Seventh Rule label. With a harrowing amalgam of death rock, black metal and doom, the group was quickly considered one to watch. Featuring past members of 20 Buck Spin alumni Graves at Sea and Trees, Atriarch is currently in the studio recording their second LP for Profound Lore. This split 12-inch represents a stop-gap for both Alaric and Atriarch in between full-lengths, with songs crafted not as after-thoughts but specifically with this joint release in mind. The two band s have been closely entwined since their beginnings, touring together on multiple occasions and sharing a kinship beyond most artists that share a split release. Each has its own spin on their dark craft that is unique, and complimentary to the other. On the A-side, Alaric contributes three tracks, drearier perhaps and draped further in introspective despair than those on their LP. On the B-side, Atriarch contributes two tracks, their best so far; cataclysmic apparitions of creeping goth atmospherics and black metal aggression with an incredible vocal performance."

An Oakland /Portland pairing of like minded band s bringing on the darkness is what this split LP consists of and the 20 Buck Spin folks laid out the details rather nicely we think.  Alaric deal in gothy post punk proto industrial misanthropy with blurry guitars and acrid atmospherics.  The above comparisons to Killing Joke, Siouxsie and the Banshees and Amebix are totally apt and we might add a hint of Bauhaus bat wing flap.  Alaric's three tracks dim the lights and lurch along at an eerie pace while fueling your ears with utterly memorable tracks of dark craft.  Atriarch bring the death rock doom-laden post punk vibes on side opener "Oblivion", but their closer epic "Offerings" up's the ante considerably as it steadily intensifies to an unhinged pitch-black metal free-for-all with demonic screams and unholy power.  If you like unhinged metal than this last track is gonna be the big payoff, but if that sort of thing is not really your chalice of goat's blood, don't fret cuz all the other material contained herein is of the Joy Division, Killing Joke, Blue Cross, Alien Sex Fiend late 70's/early 80's UK variety and this split album is fucking mega-solid from end to end.  Super Recommended.

The Residents are quite possibly the only band that we can think of that has made a career out propagating anonymity. In an industry where everyone wants everyone else to know who they are and what it is they do, these kooks have aggressively stayed OUT of the limelight - wearing costumes and their signature eyeball-head masks to hide their identities. They've done a pretty great job of it too - we're still not sure who's who in this band! 'Fingerprince' is their fourth album and it marks a crossroads for the band, Side one still lingers on their earlier, kitchen-sink style, primitive warped pop and off-kilter melodies and song structure. Side Two gets a bit more interesting, hinting at the longer, repetitive, conceptual style (an almost deconstructed "field recording" sound) adopted on following records like The Mole Trilogy and 'Eskimo'. Remastered and reissued here by The Cryptic Corporation in conjunction with MVD Audio for the band 's 40th (yes, 40th) anniversary - here's what the CEO's at The Cryptic Corp. have to say:

"The Residents' fourth album back on vinyl! Recorded in 1976, Fingerprince is The Residents' fourth album. However, when it was being recorded it was not called Fingerprince. In 1976 it was called Tourniquet of Roses and was so long that it would have consumed three LP sides. The album was cut back to the stand ard length of two sides, which was renamed Fingerprince. Thanks to the length of CD, the original Tourniquet of Roses was restored. The title Fingerprince is still in use for the longer version however. Vinyl version includes digital download card featuring everything on the CD version!"

SUPER important and influential recordings - one can even hear the influence of (or would that be the INFLUENCING OF) Brian Eno in tunes like "Boo Hoo". Keep your ears open for frequent collaborator Snakefinger on guitar! We don't need to tell you (but we will) that if you don't have this record by now, you need it. Yes - NEED it. RECOMMENDED in the grandest sense of the word! Get it!

"The Residents' third album, originally released in 1976. People have speculated whether the Residents were hinting that rock 'n' roll has brain-washed the youth of the world. When confronted with this possibility, they replied, 'Well, it may be true or it may not, but we just wanted to kick out the jams and get it on.' The Third Reich 'n' Roll consists of two suites, Swastikas on Parade and Hitler was a Vegetarian. Both are semi-phonetic interpretations of top forty hits from the sixties. 'Our roots,' say the Residents, a bright orange carrot clutched lovingly in their hand s."  - MVD Audio

"A million years ago, a big rock fell out of the sky and land ed right in the middle of Louisiana. Well, it wasn't Louisiana at that time. But that rock fell, and it hit hard making a giant dent. It gradually filled in but no matter what, it still left a dent. And that dent held just enough water that it became a primeval swamp known as Coochie Brake. Some young guys used to camp in Coochie Brake. They climbed the massive granite boulders that common sense said should not be there. They explored the caves. They sat still and let the Brake speak to them as only the Brake can. Those teens grew up to become the Residents."  - MVD Audio

Morr Music has details on their latest release, the self titled album by Orcas:

"The courtship of ambient music and traditional songform has been a long and tenuous one, almost to the point that their differences seem irreconcilable. Spanning decades with only a few points of obscure intersections, the occasions on which the two styles have met and crossed into the pop culture lexicon have often yielded a contrary, oil-and -water form. The abstract nature of the "ambient" genre and instant gratification of the "pop" song require deft hand s for successful cohabitation, thus it is little wonder that there are so few practitioners of its delicate equilibrium. Orcas -- comprised of haze-pop auteur Benoît Pioulard and post-minimalist composer Rafael Anton Irisarri -- is an imaginative return to that narrative. Theirs is a style deeply rooted in personal variations on songform and ambient craft, and as a duo they bridge the furthest outlying aspects of their previous solo work published on Kranky, Touch, Miasmah, Room40, and Ghostly International. Here, song and abstraction become one entity, condensing the spaces between to generate an arching trajectory. This co-mingling of contrasts is even coded into their moniker; Pioulard and Irisarri have chosen an iconic symbol of the American Pacific Northwest, a methodical sea hunter that is also a totem of the open oceans' expanse. The so-called "wolf of the seas" that evokes a quiet, stately, yet powerful nature. Appropriately, their music is a careful balance of chiaroscuro elements, where pop hook and spatial ambience converge. In its environs, lyricism flows as a time-distended dynamic, rising and falling, proceeding almost antithetically to pop's typical gratification ethos. Orcas has taken an immersive, fluid vector for their passions; a resonant call, like sonar from the depths. Includes a free mp3 download, including two previously-unreleased bonus tracks."

"Orcas" offers up a gentle and floating journey of delicate sounds with deep emotional resonance.  Blurring the edges of ambient and soft airy pop, Orcas have created an album of ethereal beauty and haunting escapism in the vein of Stars of the Lid, John Maus and Kid A era Radiohead.  Drop the needle on this one and set yourself adrift in a hazy lullaby of hushed grace.  Recommended.

The Kimi label has the specifics on this one:

"The Heavy Experience is an Iceland ic 5-piece electric rock group. The Heavy Experience play dynamic and understated music, a blend of saxophone-driven drone, Spaghetti Western and divine doom-blues. Featuring well-seasoned members of Reykjavik's grassroots scene, their eponymous debut EP features two impeccable sinister compositions in a special limited 10" release. Previously only available in Iceland ."

"The Heavy Experience" has two monumental pieces of instrumental dynamic dexterity.  A hint of later period Earth, a splash of Morphine sultriness, the sheer power of Stinking Lizaveta and the grand iose scope of Thee Silver Mt. Zion minus vocals all swirl into each other creating a huge sound with a subtle darkness and a menacing pace.  Finally available stateside, The Heavy Experience is true to their name and what the Kimi label describes as "divine doom-blues" really nails the overall sonic mood of this 10".  As by now you've probably guessed, this is seriously Recommended.

"Between sleep and the void lies the electronic interzone of Actress. Following the noted 2010 album Splazsh (HJR 049CD/LP) (voted #1 in The Wire magazine's "Top 50 Releases Of The Year") South London producer Darren Cunningham returns with a suite of electronic laments, tone structures and dream-time rhythms which all carry his unmistakable fingerprint. R.I.P. comprises 15 tracks painstakingly crafted by Cunningham in his London studio over recent years, with a conceptual arc taking in death, life, sleep and religion. Right from the debut album Hazyville, Actress' music has carried deep tinges and pockmarks of London's rave music heritage. But after the angular dynamics of Splazsh, R.I.P. heads out into deep space. The rhythms and pulses are smudged or blurred, or are hinted at by their absence. Two-step garage is collided into gamelan, and freeform interludes explore microtonal spaces and imagined string instruments. The fifteen chapters of R.I.P. begin with ascension and the Book of Genesis, played out through gardens, serpents and mythological caves. Appropriately for exploring the myths of creation, the sounds Actress creates are completely sui generis. There are no soft synths or plug-ins, and instead he uses meticulous manual sound-tinkering to create tones, tunings and textures. The ghosted rhythms and free tunings of these tracks live in a parallel universe to the conventional rigors of the dancefloor. Unlike the sterile sound-spaces rendered in so much laptop sound-product, these tracks carry traces of the endless mouse strokes that made them. The album begins with the title track, a short tonal requiem for the dead, before drifting into another beatless meditation, the rippling minimalist structure of "Ascending." "Holy Water" and "Marble Plexus" introduce rhythm, although these percussive tics could be equally sourced from sub-bass speaker stacks or marbles rolling around a bowl. "Jardin" and "Serpent" are origami-like constructions which orbit around what could be pizzicato strings or harps. Last-but-one is "IWAAD," whose pulsing 4/4 rhythms and warm hits of low-end vibration hint at a return to the real. R.I.P. underlines Actress's reputation as one of the most eloquent voices to emerge from the sub-bass nexus of London dance music." - Honest Jon's Records

"Alma Negra - All original heavy, genre-bending, female-fronted Chicago quartet for fans of metal, psych, noise, and punk. "The quartet's lineup is like the ultimate marriage of local garage and metal" - J.R. Nelson, Chicago Reader. Himalayan -  former members of Raise the Red Lantern and owners of Emperor Custom Guitar Cabinets team up for a new, bombastic project. Split 12", limited edition, silk-screened sleeves by Kill Hatsumomo, colored vinyl - run of 300."

"BIRTHMARK’s third full-length, Antibodies, became NATE KINSELLA’s outlet for adverse thoughts both musically and lyrically. Kinsella (the sole songwriting force behind Birthmark) earnestly examines his perceived fears and shortcomings on a truly amazing record. Antibodies unfolds to the ebb and flow of a gentle, unhurried cadence to form a record comfortable in its own skin. Kinsella’s reverberating vocals often result with songs that are undeniably captivating in their sublime simplicity. Produced by JASON CUPP, Antibodies features organic instruments throughout, from vibraphones to violins, cellos to clarinets, even the stunning backwards string section on “Shake Hand s” was painstakingly composed and performed in reverse by a live string quartet." - Polyvinyl

"A Different Ship is Here We Go Magic's most remarkable and captivating album yet, with an emotional and musical arc that is alternately calming and anxiety-inducing, and often both at once. "I Believe In Action" and "Make Up Your Mind" sound like they're being beamed in from outer space, while more earthbound tracks such as "Miracle of Mary," "Over The Ocean" and "Alone But Moving" amble in a somnolent haze, with Temple's cool timbre cutting through the fog. Recorded and produced by Nigel Godrich (Rodiohead, Beck), the ten songs of A Different Ship carry a consistent thematic concern -- what the band describes as an "unresolved tension between valuing being alone and valuing being connected." Says Temple: "The music is beautiful, but feels like it's brittle and about to crack. It's always suspended in between major and minor, happy and sad, trying to find that middle ambiguous place."" - Secretly Canadian

"A double-LP collecting singles and comp tracks, with an additional nine songs that were not on the original CD release, from one of the most heralded and influential band s of the 90s SF Mission District scene. HICKEY was a genre-evolving punk band that combined melody and noise with politics, drugs and humor and released some of the most unique records of the last 20 years. Probably the most highly anticipated release on 1-2-3-4 Go! Records, it Includes the previously unreleased song "Lady Naugahyde" and an unheard alternate version of "The Naked Cult," in addition to 7 other songs left off the original release. 32 songs total! All songs have been remastered and taken from as many of the original tapes as were available. Comes in a gatefold sleeve with a 6”x6” reproduction of the original CD booklet, a patch and a download code!" - 1-2-3-4Go!

"Julia Holter's second album, Ekstasis, is a collection of songs written and recorded across the span of three years in Los Angeles, California. Ekstasis marks a return to the playful searching of her 2007 Eating the Stars EP, but guided by newly-learned disciplines, slightly better technology, and nearly limitless home recording time. Holter's songwriting stems from a mythological reverence of that which is incomprehensibly beautiful. Stars was a first attempt at musically transcribing this beauty, while discovering the honest enjoyment of unadulterated creativity. Holter's critically acclaimed debut album Tragedy (Leaving Records, 2011) embraced Stars strains of shimmer, but used sparser textures in a narrative context. While Ekstasis reflects the conventions of her classical training, the album is also uncannily, if unknowingly, poppy. Holter's approach to crafting the songs of Ekstasis centered around what she describes as, "open ear decision: what seemed to sound best for that moment." This blindness to reverence unintentionally steers Ekstasis along the experimental pop spectrum most commonly associated to New York's Downtown music micro-universe of the 80s, specifically the works of Laurie And erson and Arthur Russell." - RVNG INTL

"Finally the fifth KTL studio album is ready for release. Whereas their previous album IV (EMEGO 089CD) was recorded and made in a relatively short period in a more traditional rock environment, V turns full circle, takes its time and tackles the complex working processes of the European avant-garde. Rooting themselves in such legendary electronic music studios such as EMS in Stockholm and GRM in Paris, Stephen O'Malley (SunnO))), Khanate, etc.) and Peter Rehberg (Pita, etc.) have delivered a rich set of sound experiments far removed from the harsh metal/noise blizzards of their early albums. They took a step further by inviting Iceland ic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson to orchestrate "Phill 2" (performed by City of Prague Philharmonic, conducted by Richard Hein), resulting in a towering storm of monumental classicism. Finally, "Last Spring: A Prequel" turns the whole album on its head with the abstract alien textures of the Gisèle Vienne installation of the same name, with text by Dennis Cooper spoken with devout intensity by long-term Vienne collaborator, Jonathan Capdevielle. With full-color artwork by Mark Fell, V is KTL's most sophisticated work to date. Produced by KTL. Photo by Estelle Hanania. Stephen O'Malley (guitar, bass, modular synthesizer, computer, contact mics), Peter Rehberg (modular synthesizer, computer). Recorded September 2010-October 2011 at EMS, Stockholm; Tinitus, Bergen; Ina GRM, Studio 116, Paris; Smecky, Prague; Centre d'Art Passerelle, Brest; Twisted, Wien. Mixed at Twisted, Wien, May 2011 - January 2012." - Editions Mego

"Led Er Est emerged from a series of jam sessions that core members Shawn O'Sullivan and Sam De La Rosa started having in early 07, using bass guitar and some cheap drum machines and synths. They were inspired to record music largely by 70's synth prog, and 80's lo-fi electronics and industrial music. Owen Hutchinson joined the band for their first live show, at the Wierd party that December. In November of 09' Wierd Records released their debut full length. In spring of 2010, they toured Europe with Xeno and Oakland er, playing shows in the UK, Belgium, Germany, the Czech Republic, and Italy. Subsequently they released a 7" and then the May EP on Captured Tracks. Led Er Est did a brief west coast run with Soft Moon last fall and just played SXSW. On stage and in the studio Led Er Est create a thick wall of atmospheric soundscapes using vintage analog recording devices, samplers and synths using sci-fi soundtracks and cold wave as reference points." - Sacred Bones Records

"From their inception in 1988 until their hiatus in 2006, the LUNGFISH music band released 11 full-length albums and played concerts across the United States and in Europe. The band is renowned for intense creative productivity, releasing albums annually from the years 1992–2000. But what is not generally known is that volumes of Lungfish material never saw the light of day. The 1999 A.C.R. session offers a rare glimpse into some of this elusive material and by extension, into the Lungfish creative process. These 10-songs were recorded and mixed by CRAIG BOWEN at Baltimore’s A.C.R. Studios but never released. After the session the band decided to continue writing new songs—ultimately recording at Inner Ear Studios what became Necrophones (2000). Six of these songs were re-recorded and released on Necrophones, while four others remained unreleased, until now." - Dischord

"The Meat Puppets classic second album, remastered and pressed on 180 gram vinyl with a playing speed of 45RPM for maximum fidelity. Also includes a digital download card with the full album and seven bonus tracks! Originally released in 1984, this one still blows minds over 25 years later."  - MVD Audio

"In the mid-late 1980s, Moss Icon pioneered a progressive, highly emotive sound that stood in stark contrast to just about everything even remotely considered punk-rock at the time. In retrospect, they more resembled an inspired marriage of the bleak post-punk leanings of Joy Division with the raucous riffage of the Wipers, albeit considerably less accessible thanks to Moss Icon's more sinister tone, exploratory arrangements, and frontman Jonathan Vance's almost stream-of-conscious sociopolitical rampages. In the decades since Moss Icon's disband ment, bootlegged t-shirts and patches have been easier to come by than actual recordings, and the Internet is filled with misconceptions and misinformation, incidentally lending an enigmatic, almost mythical status to the band . Rather than attempt to pull back the curtain, this collection ? compiling the group's entire official catalog ? serves to permanently document the very important contributions of one very important group from a very formative era of underground music." - Temporary Residence Ltd.

"“MV and EE” is slang for zero gravity, and even though they’ve been doing it consistently better since forever, they still want to give you more of their best. The DIY wall of sound of Space Homestead was recorded over the course of a year in nine different studios, presenting as clearly as circumstances permit a living idea right here and now of what it is all about. These are sonics in motion, the satiate plural perfect supply of the hunger unusual, the picturesque in sound. Grab a shuttle for your spectra-sound furniture any time in any aeon and dig the volume of their trip." - Woodsist

"Every once in a while, a record presents itself so defiant in its refusal of categorization that it becomes the bane of those poor vinyl archaeologists whose business it is to file and classify. The aptly-named The Naked Truth (1975) is one such artifact; a wayfaring stray of an album that weaves its insouciant magic through the edgeland s of sound. The musical provenance is palpable -- an electric blend of spiritual jazz, rhythmic black psychedelia and far-out exotica -- but where it's headed remains a mystery, echoing shapes so strange that they fit no musical crevice. This is an album whose grooves are slow and deep, with a languid, balmy, and irresistibly pensive aura. It's moody: cosmic abstractions ooze from every sweet inflection, lulling arpeggios lose themselves in a haze of forgetfulness. The late Owen Marshall and his band run wild over this record, and their experiments with sound are compelling, occasionally bizarre, and chock-full of strange paradoxes. So much of what can be heard here is playful, free, imbued with a sense of wonder and pure joy usually ascribed to that most natural genius of the imagination -- the child. And yet there is a knowingness at work here -- a certain subdued polish tempering these otherwise passionate excursions. The full force of this can be seen in Marshall's use of instruments; among the saxophone, the synth, the percussion, and the electric piano, you will hear the "Hose-a-phone," the "Tube-phone," "Ply-tar," and "Boonet." These are instruments that Owen built himself -- in order, he said, to enable him to "tap the very depths of his creative resources... to make music fun to play, and entertaining to listen to." This is a private-press album that begs to be public. The Naked Truth is an album that wants to be listened to, it wants to be heard and take your hand and lead you far, far away -- it wants to wand er with you deep into the woods of imagination, just as Owen himself must have done all those years ago. All tracks fully licensed and digitally restored from the original master tapes. Includes original liner notes written with the assistance of the Marshall family." - Jazzman Records

"Spiderwebs is the duo of Tom Carter (Charalambides, etc.) and Houston improvising guitarist Sand y Ewen. Starting from the sparse and sometimes pastoral base of Spiderwebs' two previous releases, Strand s Formerly Braided (Music Fellowship) and Away Away (Collective Jyrk), Brighton Beach constructs towers of fuzz, electronics, and naked scrape from which the duo launch deep into the inarticulate heart of sonic maximalism. Since Spiderwebs' 2003 inception, Carter's guitar playing has traveled a long, strange road from his spacious improvisations with Heather Leigh-era Charalambides to the immersive pyrotechnics of his current solo playbook. Ewen's mangled percussive explosions, high-harmonic shrieks, and Bailey-esque realtime stereo panning echo the aesthetic terrorism of electric Donald Miller, and provide a perfect foil to Carter's damaged looping psychedelia. Both push their sound to improbable extremes to launch Spiderwebs into the upper realms of higher-key incand escence. Edition of 255 hand -numbered and hand -titled copies with 2-color silkscreen covers and photo/ text inserts." - Wholly Other

"For the ninth volume of FRKWYS, a music and film series pairing contemporary artists with those that may have preceded them in style and / or approach, Sun Araw and M. Geddes Gengras meet legendary dub reggae group The Congos in St. Catherine, Jamaica and create the full-length album,ICON GIVE THANK. In conjunction, RVNG will release ICON EYE, a feature film documenting the young musicians’ time spent living and learning The Congos way.

In hindsight, the FRKWYS Vol. 9 timeline takes on dream-like qualities. In a matter of months, the idea for the collaboration was divinely inspired, The Congos reassembled in their original formation, and Sun Araw (earthly name Cameron Stallones), Gengras, alongside filmmakers Tony Lowe and Sam Fleischner, traveled to St. Catherine, Jamaica (45 minutes outside of Kingston) for ten days to undertake the unknown.

What events would transpire in the Portmore neighborhood of St. Catherine can only be described as blessed. The gates opened wide and warmly, the musicians and filmmakers ate, slept, and smoked at The Congos headquarters, their mural-emblazoned studio, home, and spiritual compound. An environment steeped in the Ital lifestyle, Rastafarian reflection and meditation, and a rich community bubbling with musical energy, both young and old artist would learn an unspoken creative language.

Having recorded some loose musical themes in LA to help inspire the creative process, Stallones and Gengras could only count on the shared respect for the sacrament of music to guide their work with The Congos. This respect is the foundation upon which Sun Araw and M. Geddes Gengras meet The Congos - ICON GIVE THANK is built.

GIVE THANK is not a dub reggae album, though it shares some of the genre's production characteristics. Rather, it's an album of Stallones and Gengras's melodically experimental meditations ornamented with The Congos' soulful vocal leads and four-part harmonies. The four kings of the The Congos share the vocal throne over the course of GIVE THANK. "Congo Ashanti" Roy Johnson tenor, Cedric "Bongo" Myton's falsetto, Watty Burnett baritone, and Kenroy "Tallash" Fyffe cosmic vocal glue command singularity and create an essence combined.

The visual companion to the musical fruit of GIVE THANK is ICON EYE, a feature-length travelogue executively produced by Christine Vachon (Killer Films) and Rand all Poster and Gelya Robb (Search Party Music). Shot by Lowe and Fleischner, ICON EYE evokes a musical and cultural intersection through refracted atmospheres and a feeling of magical, rhythmic synchronicity. ICON EYE shares dubbed-out editing techniques inherent in the reggae sub-genre, rendering a visual "version" of the album.

Through the diaristic yet cinematic lens of hand held HD cameras, secret moments from the studio, fishing villages, late night dances, aband oned hotels and The Congos' yard are blended into a strange tapestry. Musicians, computers, children, and food reveal mystical resonance. ICON EYE is the first RVNG Intl. film production. Director / editor / cinematographer Lowe and producer / cinematographer Fleischner previously collaborated on Below the Brain (2011), a documentary about Brooklyn Carnival." - RVNG INTL

"In terms of formulas for composing album cover art, combining a naked person and an occult-ish goat skull with an artsy, sorta-symmetrical setting and shooting it in black and white is pretty tough to beat. Local metallers Surachai's To No Avail is hand s down one of the best-looking albums to come out of Chicago this year, and with its two ten-minute-plus sides of noise-worshipping, electronics-heavy avant-black-metal it's easily one of the most epically heavy albums as well." - Miles Raymer (Chicago Reader)

"What Is The Meaning Of What is the third album from New York City psych-dance-rock stalwarts, Turing Machine, their first since the critically acclaimed Zwei was released on Frenchkiss Records way back in 2004. The extended hiatus was largely due to its members other projects, most notably drummer Jerry Fuchs relentless rotation in virtually every live band within stone s throw of the DFA orbit ? including but not limited to LCD Soundsystem, Maserati, Holy Ghost!, The Juan Maclean, !!!, MSTRKRFT, and Massive Attack. For What Is The Meaning Of What, Turing Machine spent the better part of a year mixing and tweaking, with a little help from a plethora of friends, including Disappears vocalist Brian Case, and a host of musicians from the DFA roster, including And rew Raposo and Caito Sanchez (both of Midnight Magic), Abe Seiferth, DJ McNany, and Pat Mahoney (LCD Soundsystem). What Is The Meaning Of What boasts an increased focus on the dance floor while maintaining the adrenalin-fueled psychedelic post-punk fetishism that is the heart of Turing Machine. Propelled by Fuchs unrelenting grooves and bubbling with layer upon layer of hypnotic riffs and driving synths, the album locks in and refuses to let go for its 40-minute duration." - Temporary Residence Ltd.

"Industrial, post punk, EBM classics and rarities (1980-88). "Strut present Metal Dance, a new compilation from one of the UK's most respected DJ/producers, the man behind Playgroup and original founder of the legendary label Output Recordings, Trevor Jackson. Drawing on the specials that have peppered Jackson's DJ sets for over a decade, Metal Dance hones in on the more underground and danceable side of industrial, post-punk and EBM (Electronic Body Music), a phrase coined by Ralf Hutter of Kraftwerk but honed by later band s like DAF and Front 242 as socialist realist aesthetics were dragged onto the dancefloor during the mid-'80s. Herein lie sounds that have heavily influenced today's crop of artists and labels -- from DFA and MGMT to Factory Floor and Hot Chip. Jackson cherry-picks classics and rarities from this era, including a new edit of Nitzer Ebb favourite 'Control I'm Here' (sampled on Quartz' rave classic 'Meltdown'), the cold dance of Analysis' 'Surface Tension', Neon's dark 'Voices', re-interpreting a Master C&J riff from the early days of Chicago house, and hard-hitting dubs from Pete Shelley, Alien Sex Fiend and more. Elsewhere on the album, Jackson brings in unexpected cold wave gems -- a track from cult John Carpenter film 'Escape From New York' remixed by Klein and MBO's Mario Boncaldo, a lost album track by avant garde Spanish artist Diseno Corbusier and a UK promo-only mix of Yello's 'You Gotta Say Yes To Another Excess'. Following his award-winning graphic design work for Soulwax and fresh from projects with car giants Lexus and electro heroes Chromeo, Jackson draws on his considerable status as an artist and graphic designer with some stunning package graphics on Metal Dance. The album is released as a deluxe digipak (2CD)." Other artists include: The Bubblemen, 400 Blows, Cabaret Voltaire, Shock, Executive Slacks, Portion Control, Jah Wobble, SPK, Fini Tribe, Hard Corps, Naked Lunch, Secession, The Cage, Ledernacken, and 23 Skidoo." - Strut

"This is the debut release on Born Bad Records from Belgian synth wave act Violence Conjugale. Hans and And ré met early in highschool. Their mutual love for Bowie and Kenneth Anger pushed them to flunk school and smoke in their tiny school movie room. There they dream of an ideal future, made of space travel and industrial music. Feeling the pressure from this private institution, they eventually decide to go to Berlin and see what taste has decadence there. They meet Marianne Katza, an eccentric woman who tells them to come to an artist squat in the Mitte district. Just like Warhol's Factory, the place is an indistinct magma of ideas, music and drugs. Here, as And ré begins to fiddle with a Korg MS20 synth and dreams of exquisite performances, in another room, Hans tries to write his wildest nightmares to exorcise them. Marianne decides to introduce the future band to one of her lovers: Marc Berron, a young, arrogant and rich kid blessed with a perfect ear. He helps them to slow down their drug issues and take a new direction: to play a cold and personal music in pop format but with a feeling of urgency which characterized young Berliners. So, he kidnaps them in his own studio for several weeks to experiment, eventually finding Violence Conjugale's definitive sound: '80s minimal synth-wave -- the frostiest ever. " - Born Bad

"Iceland ic cellist Hildur Gudnadóttir presents a new album, Leyfdu Ljósinu (trans. "Allow The Light"), recorded live at the Music Research Centre, University of York, in January 2012, by Tony Myatt, using a SoundField ST450 Ambisonic microphone and two Neumann U87 microphones (NB -- it was not played in a concert environment and there was no audience). To be faithful to time and space -- elements vital to the movement of sound -- this album was recorded entirely live, with no post-tampering of the recordings' own sense of occasion." - Touch

Holy Smokes!  The Alona's Dream label that brought us that killer single by The Ravens, yeah the one that had freaking JOHN BELUSHI on drums!, has returned with a holy grail release of Necros demo recordings!!!!  These are THE very first recordings by one of thee seminal early hardcore bands.  Alona's Dream Records has the details:

"Originally recorded: 7-1-1980 at Ambionic Sound, Toledo, Ohio.
The Necros were formed in 1979 by Barry Henssler, And y Wendler and Todd Swalla. After existing for one year, the band recorded a five song demo at Ambionic Sound Creative Master Recordings in Toledo, Ohio. These are the first recordings of the band . Over the next few years they would go on to record some of the most important hardcore punk records ever released. Mastered from the original tape of the Ambionic session, Alona’s Dream is proud to present these songs for the first time ever in their original form on vinyl.
First 100 copies pressed on gold smoke vinyl
Includes photo / bio insert
Black on black embossed sleeve"

Full of piss and vinegar, these early recordings are raw and unrelenting with the snotty no-bullshit attitude you'd expect.  We've been spinning this thing over and over again round the shops and we are so stoked to have another record of Necros cuts to put with our "Conquest for Death" and "Tangled Up" LPs, of course we are always on the look out for "Sex Drive" and "IQ32" EPs, but this should get us through the hunt in the meantime.  We got a hand ful of the GOLD wax and they're sure to fly outta here so grab 'em now, cuz once they are gone they are gone for good!  Mega Recommended.

Windian on a roll rockin' some seriously killer vintage punk reissues these days. Check out what they have to say about this super rare (and only) Testors record:

"This classic slab was recorded in 1979 and released in 1980 on the Drive-In label. The Testors soon broke up after this releases, leaving this record in the vast hole of NYC punk lore. The single was the band s first and only, and extremely hard to find. This reissue includes 'Together' and 'Time Is Mine', and a never released studio recording '[This] Time Is Mine' which was an early version of 'Time Is Mine', although very different. Packaged exactly how it was 30 years ago using hi res scans of the orignal. Limited to 1000 copies. Includes MP3 card."

KILLER CITY ROCK PUNK ROCK HERE FOLKS. Testors sound like CRIME with heavy THIN LIZZY rawk. 'Together' may be the a-side here, but the B1 cut is the real barnburner complete with flaming hot licked guitar solos, and they'll be damned if the sun goes down. RECOMMENDED!

"Two Previously unreleased tracks from one of NYC’s most overlooked band s during the ’77 “punk” heyday. “Two Sides Of Death” includes a live version of “It’s Only Death”, one of the band s best songs, and a never heard/released song “Drac”, a swaying farfisa filled creeper, both songs recorded in 1978. Featuring Sonny Vincent, legendary underground punk street poet.***NOT FOR AUDIOPHILES. THIS RECORD IS A HISTORICAL DOCUMENT, THE ONLY EXISTING ‘LIVE’ RECORDINGS OF THESE 2 SONGS. PRODUCED MAINLY FOR COLLECTORS AND ‘COMPLETISTS’. ORIGINALLY RECORDED BY AN AUDIENCE MEMBER ON LOW BIAS CASSETTE TAPE IN 1978." - Windian Records

New single from Indiana's champions of ugly rock - TV Ghost! This quartet of miscreants has been tickling our ear-bones since their debut on Die Stasi back in 2007 and their 2nd long-player "Mass Dream" was glued to our shop stereo last year, so you can bet your sweet bippy we were happy as pigs in shit to hear about this new single! Sweet Rot's got some words for you, and here they are:

"Sweet Rot is pleased to present a two song scorcher of a single from Lafayette, Indiana's TV GHOST as a follow up to their quite excellent 2011 LP, Mass Dream on In the Red Records. "Phantasm" and the flip "Panic Area" are both typical TV Ghost—sinister, pummeling, psychedelic, lurching, spastic, and ugly, in all the right ways. We here at Sweet Rot are huge fans of all the band ’s records, and feel that this just might be the best one yet and the one that best captures the intensity and urgency of their epic live show. For fans of Scientists, Slug Guts, Gordons, Cramps, etc."

All that and more! Seriously this single is a white-hot scorcher, grip this one to bum out your friends at their next birthday party! You better get a new bar of soap too, 'cuz you're gonna need it to wash the grime off yourself after jamming this one. RECOMMENDED!

Philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer said famously "To feel envy is human, to savor schadenfreude is devilish." If that's the case, then Wax Idols' front-woman Heather Fedewa must have a pointed tail behind that squalling wall of guitars! This is one of the latest of Suicide Squeeze's hot-as-shit limited singles (including the already OOP King Tuff and Nobunny releases) Here the Suicide Squeeze low-down:

"These new songs are evidence of Wax Idols' carefully calculated evolution of sound, although maybe a carefully calculated, utterly submersive descent into sound might be a more accurate way of describing it. With the aptly named A-side track "Schadenfreude," Wax Idols invoke a perfectly executed frenzy of drums, distorted vocals, and compulsive guitar. It's a song that sinks through the cracks with sinister hooks, a shifty eyed concoction of pitching and reeling reverb. The eponymous "The Last Drop" similarly swims with eerie layers of guitar over bass over drums, drenched in black eyeliner and sneering. This 7" is limited to 500 (100 green, 400 black) copies worldwide."

The band is really coming into their own here - these tunes have a crisper sheen and sharper focus when compared to their previous releases. The Eighties are in the house in full-effect, Fedewa has clearly been vibing to some classic G.O.T.H. rock (Siouxsie, Joy Division, Echo and the Bunnymen, The Cure), lacing it with her whipsmart pop sensibilities. Definitely inching towards the forefront of the neu-goth movement - heck, -if we hadn't taken a look at the label, we would've sworn this was on Sacred Bones or Captured Tracks! This one is already sold out at the source, so if you didn't mailorder one of these direct, this may be your only shot - GRAB IT!

Francophiles take note, The Sweet Rot label has pressed up a doozy of a single by Teledetente 666 and here's what they're bringing:

"Having released highly acclaimed singles by French band s A.H. Kraken, Feeling of Love, The Anals, and The Dictaphone, Sweet Rot returns to France to release the debut 7" from Strasbourg's TELEDETENTE 666. Taking elements from all of the aforementioned, Teledetente plays some of the most gnarly sounding guitar damaged, drum machine punk that we've heard since The Anals. The two songs here "Les Rats" and "Panne Sexe" are pretty unrelenting in their all out attack on your senses. Menacingly recorded by SEB NORMAL. For fans of The Anals, Cheveu, A.H. Kraken, Volt, Pierre and Bastien, etc. 300 copies pressed."

That's a big 10-4! right there.  The Sweet Rot folks laid it pretty for all of us on this one.  If you have dug/are still digging all the art damaged French glue wave lunacy just stop reading now and grab this immediately cuz if yer anything like us you're gonna wear this single out in no time.  Teledetente 666 fly the depraved and perverted flag of The Anals/Scorpion Violente clan and they spew out the weirdness with the best of 'em.  2 feedback marinated cuts of stinky cheese brothel punk are simply not enough to sate our libidinous desires. Here's hoping a full length is in the works.  Seriously this stuff just never gets old so let's have some more!  Oui Oui! Glue wave shmue wave this is the next step.  Superbly Recommended.

Glazed-over reverb'd pop from the fine-folks behind "Pope Anything" Volar Records launched this bad-boy into the world and here's their de-briefing:

"Debut 7” by POPE ANYTHING. Great hazy post-punk out of LA featuring JONATHAN WEINBURGER on drums (drummer for LA SERA, singer/bass player for COLD SHOWERS), with cover art by TIM PRESLEY of White Fence/Strange Boys/Darker My Love."

Four tunes that shake and shudder with a near-impenetrable forcefield of jangle, echo and reverb, reminding us of a (post)punkier Crystal Stilts jamming with The Verlaines or something. Kiwi meets Brooklyn via LA! Recommended!

The now classic Ethiopiques comps collect some pretty damn near essential deep Ethiopain cuts from '60s and '70s. They've branched out to collect traditional and contemporary singers and musicians spanning 27. Damon McMahon aka Amen Dunes took three Ethiopiques cuts buy unknown Ethiopian musicians and ran them through his very own dreamy druggy '50s jukebox pop filter. The man himself explains the plan:

"The newest release from DAMON MCMAHON’s AMEN DUNES, Ethio Covers is a downer take on three Ethiopiques tracks culled from unnamed tapes. After hearing the songs coming each night through his neighbor’s wall, he decided to learn the tracks note for note and replicate them through the Amen Dunes lens, overdubbing all the instruments and vocals. The result is a slow motion glow of devotion and nostalgia, filtered through New York City summertime haze. Limited edition pressing of 300."

ETHIOMENDED!!!

"You can't really capture the essence of Nobunny on a recording. The stage show for the enigmatic garage punker (birth name Justin Champlin) is a collision of firebrand antics and bubblegum pop, sweat and saccharine, the vile and the endearing. Irresistible hooks and choruses butt up against Nobunny's flirtations with nudity and violence. Listening to his latest single on Suicide Squeeze, "La La La La Love You" b/w "Drei Blondinen", it's crucial to envision the lanky frontman clad in a speedo and nappy bunny mask, baiting the audience while pogoing across the stage in time to his ruthlessly upbeat songs. Even if you can't quite envision that coating of blood and beer on Champlin's sugary demeanor after an introductory spin of his record, you can't deny the guy's ability to write songs that stick in your head for days. This 7" is limited to 750 (250 opaque red, 500 black) copies worldwide." - Suicide Squeeze Records

"Four cuts of speedy, hook-laden hardcore punk with a dangerous Killed By Death edge, from this Denton, TX five piece. Ex and current mems of Wax Museums, Teenage Cool Kids and Silver Shampoo.

SECOND PRESSING: 200 Black w/ GOLD hand -stamped labels." - Pass Judgement

"It took a pretty special occasion to bring Black Tambourine out of retirement, even temporarily, and the 20th birthday of singer Pam Berry’s Chickfactor magazine is definitely such an occasion. When the band was discussing the rather complicated logistics (members scattered across two continents) for the reunion shows, the idea of maybe doing some new recordings came to mind. Everyone quickly agreed that a tribute to one their favorite band s would be a fun project, and of course The Ramones jumped to the top of the list. After choosing which songs to work on, the band recorded using the same methodology as they did for the bonus tracks on their self-titled 2010 compilation LP. The gentlemen in the band convened in Maryland to lay down the music, the rough mixes were sent to Berry in London so she could add her inimitable vocals, and then the resulting recordings were sent back to Maryland for drummer Archie Moore to mix. The final result is OneTwoThreeFour, a double-7-inch EP featuring Black Tambourine’s versions of four of their favorite Ramones tunes. “I Want You Around” kicks off the EP in storming fashion, a whirlwind blur of rushing guitars and frantic drums with Berry’s vocals just riding on top. On “What’s Your Game” Berry is joined on backing vocals by The ’Rinettes, a one-time-only virtual meeting of some of the band ’s fave singers: Linda Smith, Rose Melberg, Dee Dee from Dum Dum Girls and Jenny Robbins from Honeymoon Diary. The ’Rinettes provide heavenly backing to this soaring, feedback-laced treat of a tune. The second disc of the EP starts with a crunching version of “I Remember You,” powered by layers of rocking guitars and Moore’s tumbling, mod-ish drumming. It’s all over in a brief 2:15, a succinct blast of pop-art punk. The record wraps up with a lovely version of “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend.” Tremelo guitars and gentle feedback carry the tune along, while Berry and Robbins provide ethereal vocal harmonies. It’s a perfect way to end the EP and a neat summation of what Black Tambourine are all about: melody and noise in equal measure." - Slumberland

Reading about music is our second favorite thing in life, second only to listening to music.  Reading good music literature, that is.  There's plenty of worthless crap written about music on a daily basis.  Lucky for us, there's guys like Tom DeAngelo keeping it real and printing up hard copies of text and images in zines like this one which are especially useful when travelling and in the occasional power outage scenarios. The rest of the deets can be discovered in Tom's text below:

"After six months of infrequent working/incessant grumbling PtMiiC no. IV is off the printers and into your hand s! Plant yourself in the room during a chat with a man whose clearly been of some influence 'round these parts, sound/visual artists and creator of the zine's namesake Graham Lambkin, as well as one of Punk's most exciting band s of the past four years or so, Twin City power trio Condominium. Plus, "The Journalist" broke into the labs of all those respectable music publications to steal one of their magical thinkin' caps-see what he came up with regarding the irrelevancy of genre classifications in these terrifying modern times. And of course the lengthy review section you've come to know and love or dislike or remain indifferent to.36 B&W pages with color center-spread. This issue is dedicated to Brendon NGL. FTW."

We're not easily impressed, but we're always impressed with zines like this one and ones we've previously touted such as the Negative Guest List.  Recommended reading for readers!

The Pass Judgement label here in Chicago has been releasing some killer singles by hardcore band s like Shaved Women, Self-Interest, Wiccans, Brain Tumors and Sucked Dry.  In addition to those singles they also self publish a classic 8.5" x 11" photocopy style fanzine called Fashionable Activism and this is its 2nd issue.  Issue number 2 comes with yellow thick stock covers and is hand stamped in an additon of 150 copies.  This issue finds the Pass Judgement gang interviewing The Men, Shaved Women, HPP and Death Domain.  It also has plenty of live shots of band s going for it and a decent sized review section that all have a real personal touch to them.  If you are looking to further your zine library grab one of these and support this DIY minded publication.  Raw, fun and informative, Fashionable Activism is bringing the knowledge and the fury.  Recommended.