Bis Aufs Messer weekly news May 03 2021
hi. Welcome to another newsletter for May. Lots of stuff arrived this time like the freshly repress of DAG NAST - dag with Shawn LP on clear, the 75 DOLLAR BILL LITTLE BIG BAND - Live At Tubby's DLP, a bunch of stuff from SVART like WINTER LP box and CD restock, ÄIJÄLÄ & NOVA - Häxan LP, HEXVESSEL - Dawnbearer DLP, BILLY HARPER - Black Saint LP restock, BLEIB MODERN - Afraid To Leave LP, BLEIB MODERN - Vale Of Tears (remastered) LP, CREATIVE ARTS ENSEMBLE - one step out DLP restock, FIDDLEHEAD - Between the Richness LP, THE DEAD C - Unknowns LP, INDIGO SPARKE - Echo LP, a few of the amazing HALA STRANA - Hala Strana LP, WARNING restocks, KLAPPER - s/t TAPE & LIIEK 7“ repress on MANGEL, DRAB MAJESTY - Unarian Dances LP, DON HOWLAND - endgame LP, MDOU MOCTAR - Afrique Victime LP and much more … also GODSPEED YOUR BLACK EMPEROR restock, CURRENT JOYS - voyager LP
We also have the SHIFTERS - open vault DLP at the pressing plant and the we will started pre orders for the upcoming PIGEON LP pretty soon. (release date will be June 11th). Almost half of the red ones are already gone.
Thank you for your support in those difficult times
We are also back on the store MONDAY TIL SATURDAY from 11°° - 18°°
Norman & Robert
mailorder@bisaufmesser.com
www.adagio830-records.bandcamp.com
LP
75 DOLLAR BILL LITTLE BIG BAND - Live At Tubby's DLP (grapefruit - Restocked. "NYC's 75 Dollar Bill began its prolific career in 2012, after percussionist Rick Brown -- a veteran of the indie underground (Fish & Roses, Run On, V-Effect) -- and noise scene guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Che Chen -- connected via MySpace. Since that initial jam session, when Brown began experimenting with his signature plywood crate drum rhythms, they have released three LPs and a clutch of self-released cassette and digital releases. Last year's double album I Was Real received serious critical acclaim -- The Wire calling it 2019's Album of the Year. On their first live album, Live At Tubby's, 75 Dollar Bill assembled a unique 'little big band' [Sue Garner on bass, Cheryl Kingan on sax, Steve Maing on guitar, Jim Pugliese on percussion and Karen Waltuch on viola] for the small Kingston, NY club show. Recorded on the last day of their spring tour, the record puts a new perspective on themes from their body of work: a little more intimacy, a little more freedom, a little more controlled chaos. Brown's idiosyncratic rhythms are all the more hypnotizing in Tubby's cozy setting, and Chen's furious guitar work cuts and hums with sounds seemingly only attainable on stage. It's an album both challenging and immediate. The expanded 75 Dollar Bill's affinity for improvisation and the avant-garde even leads to a rousing take on the Ornette Coleman classic, 'Friends And Neighbors' that feels right at home in their own repertoire. The listener can't help but feel present and part of the communal joy and catharsis being shared here in this room. This performance at Tubby's turned out not only to be the last show of their tour, but the last show possible as the pandemic hit. Originally offered as a digital only release on 75 Dollar Bill's Bandcamp, Live At Tubby's now documents a highlight and closure of sorts; this kind of musical improvisation and community interaction being on hold for the foreseeable future. This double album on Grapefruit will have to tide everyone over until it can all happen again.“) 30.00
ÄIJÄLÄ & NOVA - Häxan LP (svart - Veli-Matti O. Äijälä's (The Kolmas, Terveet Kädet) and Lubena Nova's Häxan is based on Äijälä's electronic soundtrack that he created for the screening of Benjamin Christensen's 1922 cult classic Häxan. Äijälä's and Nova's work combine old and new in a stylish minimalistic fashion. The result is faithful to the atmosphere of Christensen's old masterpiece adding a unique and strange touch to the witchcraft classic.) 26.00
APSURD - Derealizacija / Svemu će doći kraj LP (doomtown - Apsurd's Derealizacija/Svemu će doći kraj 12" is the band's first output in the form of vinyl format. Actually, it's a collection of two EP's. A-side brings you six songs previously released as a tape "Derealizacija" while the B-side includes six entirely new songs recorded last year in the bands practice room on primitive 4-track machine. If you somehow missed one of our favourite bands from the ex-YU area, we'll mention that Apsurd are Belgrade based group of individuals, even though the band members come from Serbia and share drummer from USA. There's no much difference in the songwriting style when it comes to newly recorded "Svemu će doći kraj" EP and we mean that in a good way. The band still plays straightforward, energetic and noisy hardcore punk heavily influenced by the punk and hardcore scene of former Yugoslavia. Throw in some vibe and influence from Crass Records and Corpus Christi catalogue and you'll get the picture right there. ) 13.00
THE APPLESEED CAST - Mare Vitalis 2xLP (thirty something - 20th anniversary reissue of the seminal second album by Kansas emo band the Appleseed Cast, originally released on Deep Elm records. Heavy double 180g coloured vinyl with heavy and embossed deluxe gatefold sleeve. New artwork by Zum Heimathafen.) 28.00
ARTERY - One Afternoon In A Hot Air Baloon LP (spittle - Brilliant second album from the wholly original cult Sheffield post punk band. Released in 1983 on Red Flame ‘One Afternoon In A Hot Air Balloon’ is an adventure on its own. Artery somehow replaced the somber post-punk of the debut with a stream of melancholic pop paeans influenced by british folk and certain ballroom dances, with a spectral keyboard sound worth killing for. The secret weapon - when compared to the rest of their discography - is largely explained by the presence of keyboard player and (by now) main composer Christopher Hendrick. The band was in fact reduced to a trio with former members Mark Gouldthorpe (guitar) and Garry Wilson (drums) now supported by the singular effort of Hendrick (also on bass and xylophone). At the same time Garry Wilson was playing in an early incarnation of Pulp. Despite the early Joy Division influence - which the band firmly dismissed – Artery is moving forward into the so-called new romantic era. A vaudeville scenario light years ahead from the streets and the aggro-culture, a way to some pleasant and revealing experience.) 18.00
BILLY HARPER - Black Saint LP (our swimmer - back in stock - Billy Harper is one of the great tenor saxophonists in the post-Coltrane mold. Originally from Houston, TX and with a degree from the venerable University of North Texas College of Music, Harper emerged on the New York City jazz scene in the late 1960s performing with Art Blakey, Max Roach, Lee Morgan, and others. Known for his soulful and propulsive tone, Harper was already a highly regarded and prolific session man before the release of his debut album as a leader on the cult favorite Strata-East label in 1973. Recorded in 1975, Black Saint was the second album for Billy Harper as bandleader and is the most acclaimed and fully realized of his long career. The inaugural release of the Italian label Black Saint - to which the album lent its name - is comprised entirely of Harper compositions; the peaceful and subdued opener "Dance, Eternal Spirits, Dance!," the swinging and fiery "Croquet Ballet" and the side-long epic "Call Of The Wild And Peaceful Heart." Harper's group features trumpeter Virgil Jones - a graduate of Roland Kirk's mid-60s groups and session player for McCoy Tyner, Charles Tolliver, and others - along with Joe Bonner on piano, David Friesen on bass, and Malcom Pinson on drums. Black Saint is too melodic and swinging to be free jazz but too forward-thinking to be described as modal post-bop; Harper's advanced compositional sense and galvanic tenor work make this an album of pure fire music. This is a beautiful album back into print on its original format for the first time in over 40 years.) 26.00
BLEIB MODERN - Vale Of Tears (remastered) LP (Bleib Modern is a dark Post-Punk / Cold Wave band based in Berlin & Munich. Their music could be categorized as Cold Wave, Post-Punk and Shoegaze. Originally released by Wave Records in January 2016, Bleib Modern's 2nd album 'Vale of Tears' is the [so far] by far best-selling album of the Berlin-based band! The original Wave - Edition on Vinyl is sold out for long, so here comes a completely RE-DESIGNED and RE MASTERED 2nd edition, released on the band's own 'Black Verb' Label in Berlin!) 20.00
BLEIB MODERN - Afraid To Leave LP (Germanys Bleib Modern is back with a lush new album! The Berlin/Munich post-punk bands trajectory, like countless others around the globe, had a topsy-turvy year due to the pandemic. After their first label deal was cancelled and their tour abruptly ended after a few days, the group found themselves forced to change direction. Previously, Bleib Modern sought out DIY production for their first two EPs and three albums (released on Wave Records & Manic Depression), but for this their new album they expanded their signature sound in Leipzig at Lala Studios. Bleib Modern sought the creative genius of Magnus Wichmann to help with recording, mixing, and mastering the album. The result is a highly emotional, melancholy, and wistful collection of songs mired in the quicksand of 2020s deep ennui. Perhaps the bands chaotic experience this year has some merit, after all, the albums haunting tunes indeed capture the mood of the collective. Their first single, Loony Voices, is a plodding masterpiece. The accompanying video ended up becoming a veritable wake for life in the Before Times, with footage from their thwarted tour recorded with a dying film camera in the waning moments before the pandemic. Other standout tracks on Afraid to Leave include Your Skin, a tender and impassioned ballad with a sound delicately dangling off that sweet precipice between the lands of Clan of Xymox and Bauhaus. The albums closing track Into the Night, a personal favourite, starts off surprisingly bluesy (a slight but not unwelcome departure from the rest of the tracks), then launches into a gorgeous hook reminiscent of Echo and the Bunnymen.) 20.00
BONNIE "PRINCE" BILLY & NATHAN SALSBURG & MAX PORTER - Three Feral Pieces 12“ (no quarter - In the strange uneasy year of 2020, English writer Max Porter started sending Kentucky guitarist Nathan Salsburg scraps of “feral” text. Unfixed things. Abstract fragments beyond the literal plain, incantations and half-spells, burrowing into the language of decay and growth, weirding and wilding, departure and return. Salsburg dug into scoring them, inviting near-neighbor Bonnie “Prince” Billy to contribute to their musical translation, which he did through singing and his own guitar playing. “Three Feral Pieces” is the outcome of their satellite collaboration: composite chants/yearning rites/spring gifts/field notes/anthropocene love spells.) 20.00
COLLEEN - The Tunnel And The Clearing LP (thrill jockey - Colleen is an aboundingly inventive composer and artist. For two decades Cécile Schott as Colleen has crafted welcoming, enchanting, and bewildering music. The multi-instrumentalist and vocalist’s timeless compositions make use of carefully selected tools to mold memories into transcendent splendor. The Tunnel and the Clearing finds Schott at her most vulnerable and confident, invoking contemplative and swirling organ processed through analog electronics, steady drum machine syncopations and her distinctive voice to embody breaking through the nexus of compounding transitions. On an album centered on processing the complicated washes of emotion through tribulations and revelations Colleen presents a vision of breathless clarity.) 23.00
CREATIVE ARTS ENSEMBLE - one step out DLP (international - Sounds from the Great House! Outernational Sounds proudly presents a Nimbus West spirit jazz essential: the Creative Arts Ensemble's classic debut One Step Out. Mastered at 45rpm on double vinyl for enhanced sound, this release features all tracks at full length for the first time on wax. One of the most sought after and highly regarded titles to have appeared on Tom Albach's celebrated Nimbus West imprint, the Creative Art Ensemble's One Step Out is a timeless work of spiritualised jazz. A true gem from the Los Angeles jazz underground, the album was pianist and composer Kaeef Ruzadun Ali's first recording as leader of the Creative Arts Ensemble, the only large ensemble group that emerged directly from Horace Tapscott's legendary Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra community jazz group.) 35.00
DANA GAVANSKI - Yesterday Is Gone LP (ba da bing - ‘I’m learning how to say goodbye / to let you go and face the tide / to wrap my feelings in a song,’ sings Dana Gavanski on the title track of her debut LP, Yesterday Is Gone. To wrap her feelings in a song: this is the task Dana has dedicated herself to with this record. It’s a goal common to many songwriters, but few approach it with such aplomb. By turns break-up album, project of curiosity, and, as Dana puts it, ‘a reckoning with myself’, Yesterday Is Gone is her attempt to ‘learn to say what I feel and feel what I say’: an album of longing and devotion to longing, and of the uncertainty that arises from learning about oneself, of pushing boundaries, falling hard, and getting back up. ) 25.00
THE DEAD C - Unknowns LP (ba da bing - Some bands struggle to transcend their initial mythos, those stories that introduce them to the public eye. But The Dead C is a notable exception. They appeared in 1986 under a cloud of mystery, their unconventional location (South Island, New Zealand) helping to fuel their erratic sound. Name-dropped through the nineties by groups like Sonic Youth and Yo La Tengo, they gained influence and acclaim but never strayed from their original mainlined performing technique, which can sound like chaos to the casual listener. What kind of a world greets them and their new album Unknowns in 2020? New Zealand culture is better known throughout the world, not to mention a low-virus paradise. Yes, isolated as in the past, but this time for being a nation of efficacy in tackling a public health crisis. But what about the rest of us? The music of Mssrs. Robbie Yates, Bruce Russell and Michael Morley endures, partially because their errant sounds, once so alienating, now feel like they’ve been made flesh in a large part of the modern day world. ) 25.00
DON HOWLAND - endgame LP (in the red - In The Red are proud to announce the new solo album by Don Howland. Howland's been pursuing his brand of scuzzy roots rock for over a quarter of a century, first as a member of Columbus's beloved Gibson Bros. and later as the main man in the Bassholes. His music is a raw convergence of country blues, '76 punk and lo-fi garage. Howland was one of the original flagship artists for In The Red and the label is happy to be working with him again. He's been a crucial figure in underground music for several decades and is one of the American underground's true originals." "Howland's music is a tinnily mixed, macabre mix of psychobilly, swamp rock, and Captain Beefheartian avantgarde weirdness, peopled with weird and disturbing images, relaying troubled encounters and stories with a streak of wild-eyed glee." --Richie Unterberger) 25.00
DRAB MAJESTY - Unarian Dances LP (dias - Drab Majesty's first ever release was the 2012 self-released cassette tape "Unarian Dances". Originally limited to 100 copies, tracks from this tape would eventually make their way onto the Completely Careless CD collection as bonus cuts. Now, along with the "Unknown to the I" 12" also released on May 21, these songs are finally made available on vinyl in 45 RPM 12" format, bringing all early Drab Majesty material from the Careless era (2012-2015) to vinyl. Mastered by Josh Bonati with beautiful new packaging by Nathaniel Young. Drab Majesty is the project of Deb DeMure, the androgynous alter-ego of L.A.-based musician Andrew Clinco and partner Mona D. With its combination of reverb-drenched guitars, synth bass lines, commanding vocals, and rhythmic drum machine beats, this project is a stark departure from Clinco’s previous stints as drummer in Marriages and Black Mare. Dubbed “Tragic Wave” and “Mid-Fi” by DeMure, Drab Majesty eloquently blends classic 80s New Wave and hints of early 4AD with a futuristic originality. ) 21.00
DURUTTI COLUMN - Dry LP (spittle - Durutti Column are still one of the most sought after band of the English post-punk. Since their first album 'The Return Of Durutti Column' (released on Factory in 1980), the guitarist, pianist and composer Vini Reilly has published a series of remarkable albums that filled the gap between new wave and ambient music. Reilly and Bruce Mitchell (who’s been working with such major artists like Simply Red and Rod Stewart) represented the future of the Manchester scene moving forward from the forerunners (Joy Division, A Certain Ratio, etc.) to the new musical heroes (Happy Monday, Stone Roses and the likes). MATERIALI SONORI invited The Durutti Colurnnat for the first edition of the Greetings Festival in San Giovanni Valdarno in 1985, and build since then a steady relationship with the band. It was precisely Vini Reilly that started the record series 'Greetings' (dedicating to the Belpaese tracks like 'Florence Sunset", "San Giovanni Dawn", 'For Friends In Italy"). Subsequently MATERIALI SONORI dedicated the first cover of the magazine Sonora to Reilly and Mitchell (including a previously unreleased track on the magazine's compact disc) 'Dry' is conceived as a new journey among Vini inventions, through rarefied moods and subterranean streams of sound. The fifteen songs (lasting fifty-five minutes) have been recorded in Manchester in 1990, Vini sits in on guitar and piano, while Mitchell is on electronic and acoustic percussion, other instruments such as the clarinet (played by Zinnia Mitchell-Williams, Bruce's daughter), harmonica, viola and keyboards are also featured on the session. Here, once again, Durutti Column 's music could be defined as half-way between melancholy rock and 'progressive' New Age.) 18.00
FIDDLEHEAD - Between the Richness LP (run for cover -Fiddlehead wasn’t supposed to make a second record. But, if we’re being totally honest, they weren’t supposed to make their first record either. Formed in what singer Pat Flynn describes as “a deeply, deeply, laughably depressing part of my life,” Fiddlehead was born with modest intentions. Flynn and his then-roommate, guitarist Alex Dow, decided to work on some songs, and with Basement having just broken up, guitarist Alex Henery entered the fold. Drummer Shawn Costa and bassist Adam Gonsalves—who has since been replaced by Casey Nealon—linked up with them and, all together, they wrote what would become the Out Of The Bloom EP. Those five songs established what Fiddlehead would be, a band that merged elements of post-hardcore, post-punk, and classic ‘80s emo into something that felt distinctly theirs. ) 25.00
FLY PAN AM - Frontera LP (constellation - Fly Pan Am have composed some of their most direct, visceral and immediately satisfying for the acclaimed contemporary dance piece FRONTERA. Juxtaposing stern foreboding electronics and minimalist motorik avant-rock, the Frontera studio album superbly captures the bristling, sculpted, intensely evocative live score that Fly Pan Am developed in close conception and collaboration with Dana Gingras and her Montréal-based dance troupe Animals Of Distinction. ) 26.00
GHOSTLIMB - The Only Measure Is Labor Done Not Days LP + BOOK (vitriol - This is the last Ghostlimb record, originally recorded sometime in 2018 and put out on a crappy CD soon after. This record is what it should be. Thick 60's style tip on sleeve, printed innersleeve/dust sleeve, two color variants and a perfect-bound 36 page book telling the totally pedestrian story of the band, with all the humor and wit one could muster. This thing is pretty cool if I say so myself.) 21.00
HALA STRANA - Hala Strana LP (Desastre present the first vinyl issue of Hala Strana's debut self-titled album, originally released in 2003. Hala Strana is a summation of Steven R. Smith's interest in the traditional folk musics of central and eastern Europe. By incorporating the melodies, scales, and instrumentation of the village music from areas such as Croatia, Hungary, Romania, the Czech Republic, and Poland, Steven has pushed his music into yet another new territory. This is not ethnological preservation, but a starting point. In the same manner from which the band transformed the sounds of early Americana into their own brand of timeless music, Hala Strana has abstracted these melodies and turned them into something uniquely their own. Like his previous solo work, Hala Strana's richly layered sounds are carefully placed but have a spontaneous feel. Instruments like gourd guitar, clay flowerpots, harmonium, accordion, glockenspiel, violin, and even bottles find their way into the mix. Performed on an array of atypical instruments, the songs, all instrumentals, have a magnificent sweep and grandeur but also a Baroque sense of storytelling and commanding, sometimes mournful, introspection, a tension that persistently creates a mood of captivating dislocation. Hala Strana consistently locates the source of their esoteric power, the part that suggests specific cultural heritages. The brilliance of the album lies in where those evocations lead, to what ends they are taken -- luxurious, complicated cities of the imagination, landscapes at once tangible and unknowable. This marks the first vinyl reissue of Hala Strana. All elements from the original CD artwork have been used for the vinyl edition. The cover art is a detail from the Nuremberg Chronicle (1493) but the Hala Strana writing have been hand-made by Mathieu Tilly (Druidhigh Visuals), who is also France's drummer and the co-owner of the Standard In-Fi label. Tilly provided the new LP layout and insert (and the logo of Desastre label).) 30.00
HEDVIG MOLLESTAD TRIO - ding dong. you're dead LP (Hedvig Mollestad Thomassen - guitar/Ellen Brekken - bass/Ivar Loe Bjornstad - drums. Only nine months after her momentous debut solo album Ekhidna, the guitarist is back fronting her trio. With their previous album, Smells Funny, this explosive and expansive trio experienced a breakthrough of sorts, having gone from strength to strength through five albums since their 2011 debut Shoot!, gathering respect from both rock and jazz camps, sharing big stages with the likes of John McLaughlin and Black Sabbath, and being equally comfortable on jazz and rock stages. Hedvig enforced this breakthrough with Ekhidna, appearing on both jazz and rock best of 2020 lists, like coming in third in Prog's "Album of the Year" poll. She was included in Downbeat's "25 for the future" and received heaps of international attention and great reviews.With the hypnotic title track, the spacious ballad Four Candles and generally a more varied mood, Ding Dong. You're Dead. is the trio's most dynamic album to date.) 28.00
HEXVESSEL - Dawnbearer DLP (svart - Hexvessel and Svart Records celebrate the 10 year anniversary of Hexvessel’s debut album Dawnbearer with a set of reissues. “Dawnbearer is a very important album for us, being our first album but also the first original album release for Svart Records. It’s also a very special record for our fans, and one that’s particularly close to my heart, in a world of its own when compared to the other records we have made. Considering that it’s been out of print now for some time, I’m delighted to be able to oversee a reissue of this album, together with original demos and out-takes, and liner notes showing the making of this album which carries the initial DNA of Hexvessel’s musical and spiritual journey”, says band leader Mat McNerney, “We haven’t touched a thing on the original layout, but added some bonus material for the limited edition, should you wish to own a luxury edition of this, our now classic debut.”) 29.00
INDIGO SPARKE - Echo LP (sacred bones - Indigo Sparke brings her deeply personal lived experiences to her music, highlighting the spaces between the polarity of softness and grit. Pulling her experiences of addiction, of healing, of queerness, of heartbreak, of joy, of connection, of the softness and of the grit alchemising it all into tenderness through her music, she conjures up a myriad of feelings that is undeniably potent. Indigo was born in the belly of Sydney, Australia straight into the heart of a family with music in their bones. Her parents, a jazz singer and a musician, named her after the Duke Ellington song “Mood Indigo,” and her childhood was spent serenaded by a rich soundtrack of Joni Mitchell and Neil Young. From a young age Indigo felt called to the stage, attending a performing arts high school, and followed it with three years in an acting school, working as an actress before embedding herself and heeding the call to the path of music. ) 24.00
JOSHUA ABRAMS - Excavations 1 LP (feeding tube - "The Chicago-based string genius Joshua Abrams first talked to us about the idea of this album a while back. It took a couple of years to get together, but in a way, it's cool that it's being released in 2018 -- the 50th anniversary of the recording of the first free bass solo LP, Barre Phillips' Journal Violone. Issued by Opus One in the U.S., Music Man in the UK (as Unaccompanied Barre), and Futura in France (as Basse Barre), Phillips' groundbreaking album was a gorgeous and gritty exploration of textures that are usually bound deep inside the creative flow of unit improvisation. Hearing these sonorities explored, at length, without extraneous gabble was revelatory, but not easy to replicate. I could only think of a dozen other LPs of the stuff that have been done in the intervening years (CDs don't count)*. But Abrams is undaunted by such shit. Anyone who has seen him play or listened to him on record knows he has an aggressively wide palette and a fearless drive to explore new regions of sound. The tones on Excavations 1 have a much gnarlier feel than many of the tones Joshua explores inside group dynamics. Almost more like some of the bassists associated with avant garde composition (Bertram Turetzky, Fernando Grillo, etc.), Abrams' work here is about pushing against accepted precepts of melody and rhythm, freeing the bass from its accepted role, and allowing it to scream for real." --Byron Coley, 2018) 27.00
LORD VICAR - The Black Powder DLP (SVART - Gatefold double lp with silver foil blocking and a booklet. First time on vinyl! The fourth Lord Vicar full length album, a sonically and emotionally devastating journey in doom metal, features songs about war, fought both between people and within us all. Slow and intense riffage, progressive structures, and introspective lyrics create a hard and yet magical journey to the relief that waits at the end of all things.) 28.00
M. CAYE CASTAGNETTO - Leap Second LP (castle face - Influenced by a life split between Lima, London, and Twentynine Palms, Peru-born Caye Castagnetto's Leap Second is an intriguingly personal and hard to classify debut album. The album is thick collage of samples Caye recorded with different artists and musicians, including Beatrice Dillon and the late Aileen Bryant, that spans 5 years in the making. There is something in Leap Second that tracks the speed of bodies, how they approach and retreat. The 10 tracks are speedy and languid, thick ruffles, and dirges. In parts it feels like you've stumbled upon a forgotten incredible 70's folk record but that feeling gets broken quickly by clever sleights of hand. Caye's balladry is angular, time is elastic. Each song is a fresh cape. How dandies really mean it, so masc that it's fay, how the only moment is this one and it's just passed, etcetera. ) 24.00
MDOU MOCTAR - Afrique Victime LP (matador - With "Afrique Victime" the prodigious Tuareg guitarist and songwriter rips a new hole in the sky – boldly reforging contemporary Saharan music and “rock music” by melding guitar pyrotechnics, full-blast noise, and field recordings with poetic meditations on love, religion, women's rights, inequality, and Western Africa’s exploitation at the hands of colonial powers. If "Ilana" was a late ’60s early ’70s ZZ Top and Black Sabbath record – "Afrique Victime" is mid-’70s to early ’80s Van Halen meets Black Flag meets Black Uhuru. The ferocity of Moctar’s electric guitar and the band's hypnotic rhythm section are on awe-inspiring display “Chismiten” and the mournful yet incandescent title track. Elsewhere, Moctar finds inspiration in highlighting lesser-known facets of the group: “While people have gotten to know Mdou Moctar as a rock band, there is a whole different set of music with this band done on acoustic guitars, which we wanted to incorporate into this album in order to go through a sonic journey,” he says. Mdou pays homage to one of his heroes Abdallah Ag Oumbadagou, the legendary Niger musician and political revolutionary, on songs “Ya Habibti” and “Layla”. “Abdallah was a contemporary of Tinariwen and helped to pioneer the sound of Tuareg guitar music blended with drum machines and electronic sounds”. ) 23.00
MIDWIFE - Like Author, Like Daughter DLP (flenser - On the heels of Midwife's 2020 sophomore album, Forever, The Flenser is pleased to offer a new vinyl edition of her debut Like Author, Like Daughter, remastered as a double LP in a gatefold jacket. Like Author, Like Daughter is a portrait of Madeline Johnston's final year as a resident of Denver's famed D.I.Y venue Rhinoceropolis, which closed in a rash of politically motivated assaults on creative spaces across the United States. The album internalizes loss, addiction, and abandonment and wrings them through distorted power chords, melancholy leads, and sheets of drone to create building, aching monuments to past-selves and lost relationships as positivist statements of resilience and selflove. It's a record that is impossible to listen to without a lump in the throat. All songs on this release were written by Johnston between November, 2015 and January, 2017. It was performed and recorded by her and Tucker Theodore in Denver at Rhinoceropolis and INAMBULANCE in Olympia, WA.) 35.00
ORANGE 9MM - tragic LP (thirty something - RED VINYL - Orange 9mm were one of the most influential American post-hardcore bands of the 90's. Formed in 1994 as a product of New York's legendary hardcore scene of the late 80's / early 90's, they released their debut EP on Revelation Records before signing to East West for their debut album Driver Not Included. The band enjoyed some mainstream success as a result of signing with a major and toured regularly throughout the 90's with contemporaries such as Quicksand, Helmet, Biohazard and Deftones.) 25.00
THE PHARAOHS - Awakening LP (luv n height - Originally released in 1971. Reissued In 2012; 2021 repress. "Ubiquity Records presents a limited repressing of Awakening" by the legendary Pharaohs which is highly sought after and has been out of print for several years. Awakening was originally released in 1971 and re-issued by Luv n'Haight in 1996 and quickly became a must-have for collectors of spiritual, deep, Afro-centric jazz.“) 30.00
ROSALIE - no medium LP (splinter - While the collection of songs on Philadelphia/Michigan musician Rosali’s electrifying third LP, No Medium, explores the often dark territory of loss, death, sexuality, self-sabotage, and addiction, there is a surprising lightness to its sonic being. Backed by members of the David Nance Group, Rosali (Long Hots, Wandering Shade, Monocot) wades through the emotional mire with infectious, earworm melodies led by her luminous voice. With their rich, raw instrumentation, these rock ballads sound like the resilience discovered in facing one’s darkest moments, the assurance of the calm and clarity that comes after the storm. As she sings on the second track, “Bones,” “Through the darkness of the field / I walk through without yielding / To the rest of the feelings / I’m carrying.” With her confident song craft, Rosali illustrates the ability to push through, moving toward something greater without being destroyed by the weight of trauma.) 25.00
RED LORRY YELLOW LORRY - The Singles DLP (spittle - For the first time ever this 27 track double album collects all of their singles on Red Rhino and Beggars Banquet/Situation Two on Vinyl. A mandatory compilation that also includes the bonus 7 inch originally appeared on the first ltd version of the 1986 album ‘Paint Your Wagon’ (Paint Your Wagon/More Jipp), an alternative and harder rendition of ‘Beating My Head’ (originally appeared o the Ep ‘This Today’) and ‘Russia’ from the 1984 Ep ‘Hollow Eyes’. Red Lorry Yellow Lorry were one of the most successful independent bands of the 80’s with their dark and often manic rhythms.) 25.00
SONIC'S RENDEZVOUS BAND - Detroit Tango DLP (svart - The vinyl debut of the legendary Sonic’s Rendezvous Band’s “Basement Tapes” from 1976! Previously only available as part of a six CD box set released 15 years ago, this album includes some outstanding live rarities as bonus on the second disc, original photos, new liner notes and a new vinyl master! Released on deluxe band-approved double LP black and limited edition red colour vinyl in a gatefold sleeve. “To say that Sonic’s Rendezvous Band has been a big influence for a me as a musician would be an understatement. Crank it up and feel the power of the greatest band no one ever heard of.” – Nicke Andersson, 2019) 30.00
STARMARKET - calendar LP (thirty something - First time on vinyl for this Starmarket EP originally released on Dolores Recordings in 1996. The leading torchbearer of dynamic song-structure in Sweden, Starmarket now makes its debut in America. Armed with the powerful idea "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger," Starmarket creates an irresistible mix of driving hardcore and post-punk rock that pulses with furious energy. ) 17.00
SUNDAY'S BEST - Poised To Break LP (thirty something - Limited 21st anniversary reissue - CLEAR VINYL - After an EP on Crank! and a 7" on Better Looking Records, Sunday's Best released Poised to Break, its debut full-length, on Polyvinyl in 2000. The album is an eclectic ten song diary, simultaneously quixotic yet personal. Members have since gone on to form The Bronx (James Tweedy) and The Little Ones (Ed Reyes and Ian Moreno).) 20.00
SUURKAUPUNGIN HAITAT - Suurkaupungin Haitat LP (svart - The best Suurkaupungin Haitat tape recordings on vinyl! This Suurkaupungin Haitat compilation from 1979–1982 is a rare gem of original, first-wave Finnish punk. Original tape-only releases are impossibly hard to find and usually in poor condition, so the audio has been carefully restored and remastered for best possible results. The LP comes with liner notes, an interview and original photos from the band's archives.) 24.00
TALIB KWELI & MADLIB - Liberation LP (blacksmith - Liberation is a collaborative album by Talib Kweli and Madlib. It was made available as a free download from Stones Throw's Rappcats website, and Kweli and Madlib's MySpace pages for the first week of 2007, beginning New Year's Eve 2007. It was removed about a week later. One cover for the album is an adaptation of a piece by guerrilla artist Banksy, and an alternative cover (given away as a print-ready download) is a collage of Talib Kweli, a dollar sign, and the Statue of Liberty.) 23.00
TASAVALLAN PRESIDENTTI - Tasavallan Presidentti DLP (golden vinyl) (svart - Tasavallan Presidentti, along with Wigwam, were Finland’s top export act in the days of the first wave of progressive rock in the early seventies. Svart Records have, in co-operation with the band members, prepared new editions of these classic records on vinyl and CD, for the ages.Tasavallan Presidentti’s eponymous debut album, released on Love Records in 1969, marked the start of the band’s hectic early productive period with the original singer, the English-born ex-patriot Frank Robson. The Svart reissue expands the original jacket to gatefold, with full lyrics printed inside, and also adds a 8 page booklet with new interviews with the band plus rare photographs. The bonus 12″ disc features all four tracks from the two contemporary non-album singles Time Alone With You and Solitary.) 28.00
THROAT - Smile Less LP (svart - Smiles are contagious, so in these troubled times Throat urge you to smile less - Throat’s third album, ”Smile Less” carries a significantly darker tone compared to the band’s previous output albeit the light at the end of the tunnel has always been dim. While the foundation of Throat’s sound remains in 90s noise rock, ”Smile Less” pushes its way through all boundaries, starting off with cold post-punk vibes and ending in a wall of harsh noise. The space between those moments is stuffed with noisy rock music offering the listener the odd chance for groovy booty shake before throwing a curve ball with some industrial sound experiments. The first impression may not be as jarring as on their earlier recordings, but ”Smile Less” is still a demanding listen as Throat have never been poster boys for entertainment value. Just like ”Bareback” (2018), the band’s second album and first one for Svart Records, ”Smile Less” was recorded at Tonehaven Recording Studio with Tom Brooke, mixed by Andrew Schneider (Unsane, Cult of Luna, Cave In) and mastered by Carl Saff (Big Business, KEN Mode, Young Widows). Artwork was designed by Canadian artist Paul Van Trigt.) 25.00
TWO MUCH - The Abstract Horse LP (feeding tube - An incredible, primitive and ecstatic teenage garage rock explosion from the suburbs of 1968 Orlando, Florida. With an instrumental line-up consisting of just guitar and drums, this is a version of rock & roll as raw and naked as only a duo can manage. Think Half Japanese, the Work Dogs, the Bassholes and so on — Two Much are cut from the same wicked cloth.I remember a cassette of some of this material circulating around sub-underground Boston back in the 1980s. Might have been around the time Robin Amos’s post-Girls band, Shut Up (with Glenn Jones), was finishing up their run. Robin was a well-known player on the scene both as a musician and a recordist, and people were jazzed to check out his teenaged roots. But the pummeling racket created by this two man demolition squad — with Robin on drums and his buddy, John Chadwick, on guitar and vocals — was way too much for the squares to handle. None of the era’s hep new wave labels knew what to do with the tapes either, so back into storage they went.) 26.00
WARNING - The Strength to Dream DLP (Svart - The band’s 1999 debut full length after two successful demo tapes caused big waves in the then-small underground Doom Metal scene. A harbinger of things to come further down the road, this album sees the masters of slow contemplation start to craft and hone their unique melancholic style. A pre-cursor to their masterpiece “Watching From A Distance, Sputnikmmusic.com calls this record “the building blocks of one of the greatest doom metal albums ever”. The Svart vinyl edition includes the original Stephen O’Malley artwork. The Audio is specially mastered for vinyl at Orgone Studios and lathe cutting is done at Timmion Cutting.) 30.00
WARNING - Watching From A Distance DLP (Svart - Watching From A Distance (2006), Warning’s second and last album, is a cult classic. An album that successfully broke the conventions and confines of the Doom Metal genre, Watching From A Distance stands as a milestone. Seldom a dry eye in the house, when they play these songs live, there is an authenticity and genuine melancholy to this record which has rarely, if ever, been equaled. Patrick Walker from Warning says: “I’m relieved and happy to finally see the first official vinyl re-release of Watching from a Distance. With its improved cover art and layout, full lyrics and liner notes, this is the definitive edition of the album and I’m proud to have been able to work on it together with Svart Records.”) 30.00
WREN KITZ - Early Worm LP (feeding tube - "Having explored a lot of Southern Vermont-based artists over the past decade and a half, it now seems time to cast our gaze northward. From the cold shores of Champlain comes the music of Wren Kitz, a singer and guitarist from Burlington VT. Unlike much of his earlier work, which falls into what might be called a “progressive/experimental folk bag,” Early Worm documents a harder sound. As Mr. Kitz says, “It's my rock n roll album.” And he ain't kidding. While some of the tunes were initially developed in a solo setting, their final realization was accomplished by a four piece band with cellist Lauren Costello, bassist Ross Doree and drummer Rob Voland. ) 26.00
V/A – Live At The Vortex LP (spittle - The compilation that started it all ! In October a series of bands have been recorded at the Vortex Club for a proposed live album along the lines of the first ‘Live At the Roxy WC2’ record. The record featured the Maniacs, Suspects, Wasps, Neo, Art Attacks, Bernie Torme and Mean Street who were all regular players at the Vortex and Roxy. Released in 1977 - right after the punk-rock breakdown - the compilation made way for a revolutionary statement supporting the newborn counterculture.) 18.00
V/A - Saturday Night (South African Disco Pop Hits 1981 To 1987) LP (The 1980s were an epoch of upheaval and rapid change in South Africa. The decade began with the country’s apartheid government fighting to maintain its institutionalized racial segregation in the face of global protests and demands for the release of human rights activist Nelson Mandela, who had been jailed since the early 1960s. By 1990, Mandela was free, and apartheid was on the way to being dismantled. On the music front, things were changing too; At the beginning of the decade, the main music style of black South Africans was the jazzy indigenous jive of mbaqanga, a provincial style that had held its place as the sound of South Africa since Mandela was first imprisoned. By the end of the decade, South African music stars were making international waves with bubblegum, a flashy variety of Afro-techno-pop. In SATURDAY NIGHT: SOUTH AFRICAN DISCO POP HITS, Cultures of Soul explores this period of change, and the intermediary forms that filled the gap between mbaqanga and bubblegum. The years when South African musicians and producers wrestled with the incursion of foreign disco and formulated their own style of homegrown disco-pop. Starting from the early 80s, when bands like Varikweru, Black Five and Soundburger essayed local attempts at boogie and jazz-fusion, through experiments like the Madonna-cloned diva Margino, who domesticized the burgeoning Italo-disco and NYC electro sounds, up through the massive breakthrough of Brenda and the Big Dudes, who arrived at the right mix between native and international influences to point the way forward for South African pop. The sound on these records is ostensibly familiar, drawing heavily on models from the 1980s dance culture in Europe and America, but if you listen closely enough you can hear the distinct South African-ness of it all—from the deep, burbling basslines, the brightly hypnotic melodies, and chant-like lyrics—and with sounds as intoxicating as these, you will sure want to listen closely. And often! ) 34.00
V/A - Silk Road: Journey Of The Armenian Diaspora (1971-1982) LP (terrestial funk - Terrestrial Funk's sixth release explores over a decade of Armenian disco, funk, and soul. Compiled by Darone Sassounian who spent three years tracking down the records and artists; fulfilling a calling to lift his people's voice, a people that have always faced the threat of erasure. The music was made a generation after the Armenian Genocide, a testament to perseverance. The seven tracks featured are incredibly inventive and unique in their interpretations of Western seventies sounds. This compilation comes at an urgent time as 2020 set the stage for Azerbaijan and Turkey to perpetuate genocidal rhetoric as they invaded Armenian borders and bombed civilian cities eventually resulting in the loss of lives and land stewarded for millennia. All while the western world paid little notice. It is with great gratitude and purpose that Terrestrial Funk rebirths this music and uplifts the voice of the Armenian Diaspora.) 27.00
CD
MILFORD GRAVES - Percussion Ensemble CD (ESP - R.I.P. Milford Graves, 1941-2021. Please watch the amazing Jake Meginsky documentary film "Milford Graves Full Mantis" if you haven't had the chance (streaming freely in the world). Percussionist Milford Graves recorded his first and only ESP-Disk' recording on August 5th, 1966 along with fellow percussionist, the late Sonny Morgan. According to Milford Graves, the titles were given numbers according to how many beats were in each measure. Milford Graves has been one of the main drummers in the free mode scene (known for skillful inclusion of Asian and African rhythmic ingredients into his solos). He worked with the New York Art Quartet, Giuseppi Logan, Albert Ayler, Don Pullen, Andrew Cyrille and many more. This unique combination of percussion conversations between Milford Graves is a welcomed addition in the new series of digipak re-issues. Liner notes, photos and more. Digitally remastered from the original tapes.) 15.00
TAPES
THE CELETOIDS - Optic Nerve TAPE (doomtown - After debut "Pupal Stage" tape that was re-released on vinyl back in early 2018, The Celetoids brings you four new conceptual songs! The concept of "Optic Nerve" deals with fear of using modern technology for ethically unacceptable goals through emotional manipulation intertwined with conspiracy theories that are not completely denied. We are at the peak of modern digital age and monitoring user behavior on social network is not something uncommon and this often includes serving selective information to influence the subconscious of selected or random targets. The concept also deals with dimensional gaps that occur under certain conditions, in certain places, and altered states of the human mind that we associate with psychoactive drugs, insomnia, or schizophrenia but maybe there's something else there. To cut to the chase, some conspiracy theories that have some basis may not be so far fetched from reality the more you think about it! ) 7.00
KLAPPER - s/t TAPE (mangel - Dubby Drummachine Post-Punk By two Annoying Peopl Recorded And Mixed By Klapperstorch At Studio Sült - Mastered By Daniel Husayn NLBF) 7.00
PARNEPAR - Dobar Dan, Izvolite TAPE (doomtown - After we released "Kako, Molim?" demo tape at the end of the 2018, here is the brand new offering of probably the only band from ex-Yugoslavia region that's taking strong influences from the 80's post punk & new wave music from the same area. This time the band recorded their first full length album by themselves filled with a lot of local charm we all dig and love. Heavy vibes of Yugo post punk forces ŠARLO AKROBATA, DOBRI ISAK and early output of ELEKTRIČNI ORGAZAM are still more than obvious, but it's also hard not to mention echoes of the more obscure acts like DEFEKTNO EFEKTNI. Parnepar surely has unique character and approach in writing lyrics and doing music collages and we are glad that this three relatively young weirdos are still into making refreshing and interesting music. It's nice to feel something different in a Croatian punk scene which is mainly composed of straight forward punk and hardcore bands.) 7.00
RADICAL KITTEN - Silence is Violence TAPE (seitan - Radical Kitten is a queer and feminist Toulouse-based band, formed in 2018 by Marion (drums), Iso (guitar) and Marin (bass, vocals). Having previously released a 3-track demo, ‘Contre-nature Han’, the kittens have built a solid reputation as a live band in the South of France. Influenced by post-punk, noise and rrriot punk, their sound is tensely drawn between incisive riffs and chanted vocals. ‘Silence is Violence’ is an ambitious debut album, full of rage against social violence, dealing with transphobia, homophobia or sexism. All Cats Are Beautiful! ) 6.00
SOBERANIA PERSONAL - Benditos Sean Muñecos Que Pegan TAPE (outsider classics - Back in the days of the military junta, four young punks in Buenos Aires formed Soberanía Personal and recorded 11 songs for a tape which will later be considered a masterpiece of Argentinian hardcore punk. The sound of the band was equally influenced by classic Spanish punk and raw early 80s South American hardcore punk bands inspired by Discharge. Frustrated and angry female vocals, powerful lyrics, masterfully executed guitar riffs and catchy bass lines had me at first listen, so I'm really glad to put this tape out as the fourth release on Outsider Classics. The tape is limited to 125 copies with risographed covers. Each copy includes a two-sided folded lyric sheet.) 7.00
MAGAZINES
BYRON COLEY - Father Yod's Kitchen BOOK (Naomi Yang has been threatening to get this book together for years, but the Trump Virus shutdown finally goaded her onto action. Inspired by oddball community cookbooks through the ages, this is a heavily annotated collection of recipes involving simple techniques and common ingredients. In this instance, the community represented is the musical sub-underground of Western Massachusetts and beyond. Mr. Coley is a home cook, whose professional restaurant experience mostly involves dishwashing. But over the last quarter century he has fed family, friends, traveling musicians and large events at his house, the Yod Space, Feeding Tube Records/Rox Art, and various other places. Accompanied by his own commentary, as well as that of those who have et his vittles, this book should be as useful as reading material in the bathroom, as it is for instruction in the kitchen. Designed by Naomi Yang, contributors include Steve Albini, Elisa Ambrogio, Kristin Anderson, Alan Bishop, Julie Cafritz, Benoit Chaput, Ben Chasny, Addie Coley, Hud Coley, Chris Corsano, Beth Crawford, Dave Crouch, Alison Darrow, Abby Drake, Lauren Dunn, Lili Dwight, Valle Dwight, Ilene Gerhardt, Tom Givan, Jim Glaspole, Kim Gordon, Emily Hubley, Georgia Hubley, Michael Hurley, Dan Ireton, Pat Ireton, Glenn Jones, Elaine Kahn, Heather Kaplow, Andrew Kesin, Maria Kozic, Matt Krefting, Damon Krukowski, Michio Kurihara, Willie Lane, Ted Lee, Tom Leonard, Lida Lewis, J Mascis, Cynthia Meadows, Amy Mehaffey, Roger Miller, John Moloney, Coco Gordon Moore, Thurston Moore, Bill Nace, Alden O'Donaghue, Kerstin Park-Labella, Charles Plymell, Lauisa Reichenheim, Wayne Rogers, Aaron Rosenblum, Kevin Sahagian, Dave Schramm, John Shaw, Jacqueline Sheridan, Nora Smith, Jack Tieleman, Matt Valentine, Kate Village, Naomi Yang. Ringbound; 194 pp.) 25.00
THE WIRE - #449 JUNE 2021 MAG (Van Der Graaf Generator two-part special: new interviews + a user’s guide to the group’s albums and solo releases. Plus: Invisible Jukebox: Sarah Gail Brand x Mark Sanders, Loraine James, Dalibor Cruz, Chunyang Yao, Squarepusher, Han-earl Park, Halim El-Dabh, Graham Bond, Cuban sleeve art, foghorns, jazz on film, and more.) 8.00
