SMOG
Rain On Lens CD/LP
Smog's Bill Callaghan is like a sadistic documentary filmmaker cursed to create the same movie about the same doomed love affair again and again and again... This time around, though, his unflinching stare into the broken heart of mundanely failed romance is interrupted. There's rain on the lens and, with his view obscured, the director is forced to take a step back and survey the scene without the mediating barrier that his camera provides. The results suggest that a few cracks are appearing in the frozen sea within him. Still, this is another chilling Smog production.
CD/LP 19.98
Lambchop
Tools In The Dryer CD
Slang for odds and ends scattered around the house, the phrase 'Tools In The Dryer' is here evoked by Lambchop's Kurt Wagner as he clears out some audio gems from his home recordings cupboard. Spanning Lambchop's nine-year career, these 16 tracks capture B-sides, alternate-takes, live materials and the odd remix - not bad for a band that started Ômaking noise in their bedroom'. Enjoy!
CD 19.98
Radio
Berlin
The
Selection Drone CD/LP
Imagine this impossible experiment. Gather all of your favorite Cure, Siouxsie and The Banshees, Joy Division, Echo and the Bunnymen, Wire, Gang of Four, and, uh, Fugazi records, and play them all at once. The result would probably be a horrible clashing mess. Thankfully, however, Radio Berlin has already done this gathering and playing process for us, generating a remarkable synthesis that slips through time. This second full-length is like Radio Berlin's already great debut, Sibling, only better in all ways: louder, harder, surer, more dynamic, darker, sexier - everything. They're Vancouver's premier post-hardcore '80s revisionary revivalists, indeed.
CD 10.98 LP 10.98
Vincent
Gallo
When CD
After demonstrating his considerable musical talents on the score for his film Buffalo 66, Vincent Gallo received numerous invitations to compose discs for the world's elite record companies. Assiduous research revealed that this Renaissance man was not new to the game of music composition, and had in fact previously worked with Jean Michel Basquiat and John Lurie in an experimental combo, Grey. The stakes were raised. Gallo's name on a contract seemed a sexy sure bet.
CD 19.98 Available October 9.
Moldy
Peaches
Moldy
Peaches CD
A potty-mouth Beat Happening? A one-record Shimmy Disc Revival? But such retro-underground referencing won't help us bite to the hard center of the Moldy Peaches enigma, because this NYC duo is creating a serious stink in the over-ground right now. For once, the hype is justified. Moldy Peaches' mixture of lo-fi aesthetics, puerile humour and excellent songwriting is seriously charming. Fans of early Ween take note.
CD 16.98
Four
Tet
Pause CD
Kieran Hebden is a key member of Fridge, a British post-rock three-piece with genuine talent. As Four Tet, Hebden spends time alone at home with his PC, thoughtfully cutting and combining sounds, producing tracks for the transnational urban electronic cognoscente. But, with a style that is at times reminiscent of DJ Shadow and Beck, this record will undoubtedly end up in homes everywhere, following a trajectory enjoyed by other recent laidback discoveries, like Prefuse 73 or Kruder And Dorfmeister, for example. Memorize this name now: Four Tet.
CD 19.98 Available Early October.
Fridge
Happiness CD
Guess what! Post-rock is a uniquely British phenomenon that was seized by American bands in the late '90s. It's odd to see UK acts copping inspiration from the diluted US take on this most derided of musical sub-categories. Odd, and in the case of the instrumental trio in question, very entertaining - like a reflection that's sharper than the fuzzy object it echoes. Those of you who've heard Fridge offshoots like Rothko and Four Tet will already know what we mean. Those of you who don't are in for a treat.
CD 16.98
Ralph
Stanely
Clinch
Mountain Sweethearts CD
Fresh from his successful appearance on the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack and his own best-selling compilation Man Of Constant Sorrow, this collaboration pairs the old master with 15 of the top women performers from country and pop, including Dolly Parton, Joan Baez, Gillian Welch, Iris DeMent, Pam Tillis, Sara Evans, and Lucinda Williams. Enjoy the romance!
CD 16.98 Available Early October.
Money
Mark
Change Is Coming CD/LP
Mark returns to his old ways! Back to the Keyboard Repair Shop where his antenna has collected a steady stream of new ideas for pretty funky keyboard jams. Hammonds, Acetones, Vox, Rhodes, and Moogs...you name it - Mark's got 'em. You may remember Mark's wild style on the Beastie Boys' In Sound From Way Out or Check Your Head - the vibe here is similar. Pure and simple, these gritty instrumentals have been informed by 50 years of roasting soul-jazz scores. Highly cinematic in nature, Change Is Coming is easy listening for modern method actors!
16.98 CD 14.98 LP
SUPER
FURRY ANIMALS
Drawing Rings Around The World CD
Wherein the Welsh hit-makers take on a grandiose voyage, from the melancholy bedroom to the swingin' lounge via the experimental lab and back again. One of the UK's biggest critical hits of the year, this incredible journey isalready capturing the collective imagination of Vancouver's Britpop loyalists. Prepare yourselves for a psyche-pop circumnavigation of exceptional ambition.
CD 19.98
BILL
LASWELL
Filmtracks 2000 CD A
A collection of evocative soundtrack music, that also serves as a great introduction to the musical breadth of this prolific artist. An eclectic mix of drum'n'bass, rock, jazz, dub, and funk takes a detour through India, the Middle East, Africa and Asia, ending up somewhere in big city America. Featuring such great musicians as Ginger Baker, Nicky Skopelitis, Bernie Worrell and Jah Wobble. Soothing stuff for troubled times.
CD 19.98
