Swirlies - Blonder Tongue Audio Baton

Fans of My Bloody Valentine and Sonic Youth will blow numerous loads after hearing this album for the first time. Released in 1992, Blonder Tongue Audio Baton was Swirlies first full-length and most consistant album. The accessible girl/boy vocals combined with the noisy but atmospheric wall of sound makes this one of the better shoegaze albums you'll find. The track "Jeremy Parker" makes this an essential download.

- Dan

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Giddy Motors - Make It Pop

(Link Fixed 9/17/07)

Giddy Motor's Make It Pop is probably my favorite release from 2002, and one of the most impressive debut records from a band in recent memory. This one has stood the test of time thus far as well, rarely leaving my car's stereo or iPod. From the opening track's drum roll and howl from singer Gaverick de Vis, this album never lets up once, assaulting the listener with some downright devastating music. What makes the album so damn good though is the band's fantastic rhythm section, relying heavily on tribal like drumming and at times sending songs into amazing free-jazz freak outs complete with wailing saxophone. Steve Albini's production on Make It Pop is nearly flawless as well. I don't think I could find something negative to say about this record if I tried.

- Steve

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Terminal 11 - Fractured Sunshine

More sample heavy than some of his earlier works, Terminal 11 has created a virtually perfect album for lovers of the glitch subcategory of IDM. Fractured Sunshine is one of those albums that will convince you that music is truly meant to be mathematical. I've become pretty hardened toward electronic music over the years because of the many phenomenal releases, and it is very satisfying to hear an artist, who isn't Venetian Snares, Squarepusher, Doormouse, or Secret Mommy, that has developed such a unique sound and style.

- Dan

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Growing - Vision Swim

Growing is a duo of guys that create droning ambient rock that incorporates elements of electronic music as well as pure noise. Instead of focusing entirely on how many layers of loud down tuned feedback the group can create (as many of their contemporaries do), Growing instead invites the listener to get lost in the many subtleties of their compositions. The glacial pace of the album and the fact that this record isn't exactly a toe tapper might turn some people off. However, if you're patient or just high as balls this will be a rewarding listening experience.

- Steve

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John Vanderslice - Emerald City

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I know a certain reader of this blog will be very excited to see this post. Fans of John Vanderslice will be very pleased with this latest release. He's a talented singer/songwriter and incredibly small man, capable of grasping the attention of any willing listener. Worth a listen.

- Dan

"John wrote the bulk of his new album, emerald city (out July 24), while knee-deep in legal limbo after a visa application for his girlfriend, a French national he met in Paris, was rejected by US Immigration. The songs and themes are fueled by an era of deep insecurity and paranoia; they develop in front of a backdrop of ritualized and mythologized current events. Lyrically, JV's characters and storytellers track Manifest Destiny from burning wagon wheels to two-bedroom homes with full amenities in Bakersfield, California. Along that rough road, there are bewildered commemorations, peace-lovers and revenge-lusters, psychotic reactions to unnamed episodes, and the grief-stricken and the vengeance-hungry wrapped up in the same skin. Weaving throughout the entire album is the ever present danger of opposition. But at its simplest, emerald city is made up of JV's love songs — confused and angry, afraid and defeated. The red tape tie-up for JV and his girl remains unresolved." Barsuk Records

Oxbow - The Narcotic Story

Oxbow is a really cool band that has been making great records for well over a decade. Their sound is often similar to bands like The Jesus Lizard, but it has a certain atmospheric quality to it that really makes them quite unique. This band does not fuck around. Past album titles include Fuckfest, The Balls In The Great Meat Grinder, and King Of The Jews. Lets not forget singer Eugene Robinson, the gigantic muscular black frontman who enjoys taking off all of his clothes on stage, grabbing his crotch, and picking fights with the crowd. Rock music should be dangerous and confrontational, and that is exactly what Oxbow is.



This DVD is nothing short of amazing. Do yourself a favor and buy it immediatley.

- Steve

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Monotract - Trueno Oscuro

This is one of the most entertaining releases to come off of Load Records in quite a while. Trueno Oscuro is a fractured noisy punk rock record that, at times, reminds me of early Boredoms material, and there are other moments similar to those heard on Black Eye's Cough. Their churning rhythms, structured noise, and trancing vocals could potentially throw this record into my top 15 or 20 albums of the year.

- Dan

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Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O. - Crystal Rainbow Pyramid Under the Stars

Another solid release from the band with entirely too many releases. The same sound we love, only with some cleaner production. I was fortunate enough to catch the albums supporting tour a few months ago. Easily one of the best shows I've ever seen. Although the new album doesn't necessarily bring anything new to the table, AMT's heavy psych "freak out" sound has in no way regressed.

- Dan


1. Pussy Head Man From Outer Space (7:42)
2. Crystal Rainbow Pyramid (21:57)
3. Electric Psilocybin Flashback (40:21)

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Jay Reatard - Blood Visions

(LINK REMOVED 01/24/2011)

Jay Reatard's Blood Visions deserves some sort of special award for somehow not sucking despite every indication that it should. Either by finally maturing as a musician or by flat out luck, Jay has crafted an insanely infectious lo-fi punk record, the likes of which has not been heard since The Exploding Hearts' Guitar Romantic or perhaps even The Buzzcocks' Singles Going Steady. Download this one immediately, I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

- Steve

godheadsilo - Skyward in Triumph

(Request)

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"Contrary to what you've heard, ghS is not a two-man project. That's what they'd have you believe, what with their drummer and bass player oozing sludge like a deranged anus. No, my friends, there's really six people here: ghS and Black Sabbath. No, really. If you don't see visions of Ozzy while spinning tracks like "Booby Trap" and "Buttress of Solitude," then you're too busy listening to Ozzmosis. (Sidenote: I knew a guy who went through rehab with Ozzy and swore up and down that Mr. Osbourne was a really cool, gentle natured guy. I believe that, but I'd also add that he sucks now.) Meanwhile, back at the review, all was going nicely. godheadSilo won me over and was singing their praises. The sun was shining. People in foreign countries were bleeding. A small child lay outside my apartment window, rolling around in a puddle of his own sick. I took a slug of whiskey and danced around to the title track, complete with rap by Calvin Johnson. When I finished, I put the disc away and started another review...." - Pitchfork

Flipper - Generic + Unreleased Studio Session

(Request)

Often lumped in with the hardcore bands of the day, Flipper floundered (pardon the pun) in obscurity for over a decade with tons of critical praise but little commercial success. Part of what makes this band so good is their complete disregard for the typical rules and restraints of musical composition. Flipper prided itself on just how ugly their sludgy and nihilistic approach to music was. While their peers were churning out fast paced two and half minute hardcore tunes, a typical Flipper song would hiss with noise and feedback over a bass line for 10 minutes while singer Will Shatter moaned like Iggy Pop being crushed by a boulder. The long out of print Generic is an essential download, if only to hear the album's catchy (in a homicidal bar band sort of way) closer, Sex Bomb. I've also included a download of an unreleased 1982 studio session from the band.

- Steve

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Download Unreleased Studio Session

VA - Psychedelic Jazz and Soul From The Atlantic and Warner Vaults

First things first: If you haven't already downloaded that Liars record, do it now.
Moving on, this is a UK only compilation that I stumbled across a few years back. Out of all the compilations I own, this one just might be my favorite. Most of the artists you'll find on here will be unfamiliar, which is a shame because this is some of the finest music to come out of the psychedelic era. If you enjoy Miles Davis' Bitches Brew, or really if you just like good jazz music in general, you'll find this record entertaining.

- Steve

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Liars - Liars

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I don't even know what to say about this album, other than it rules. Any fan of the band knows that each release has sounded drastically different from the last. Their sound (for this album) has progressed into a perfect mixture of all previous albums, with solid song structure, strangely danceable songs, ghostly vocals, organ/synth showcases, and, of course, the usual experimentation. A good variety of tracks here. Musically, 2007 has been a far too generous year. Agreed?

- Dan

High Rise - Disallow

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1. Disallow
2. Whirl
3. Sadame
4. Ikon
5. Grab

I was very excited to come across this LP yesterday at Flat, Black, and Circular in Lansing for only $6.50. Heavily influenced by bands such as Blue Cheer and early Japanese psychedelic rockers, Les Rallizes Denudes, High Rise's fifth overall release, Disallow, brought the heavy spherical psych sound to an entirely new level. Fans of Acid Mothers Temple have most likely already heard this band, but I'm sure a handful of Comets on Fire fans didn't even know this band had existed. Highly recommended. Although the quality of the video below is very poor, it will give you an idea of how incredible their live shows must have been.

- Dan

Pissed Jeans - Hope For Men

I guess in between releases from CSS and The Postal Service someone over at Sub Pop decided to put out a record that wouldn't be categorized as limp penis music. Hope For Men sounds like it was pulled from a time capsule buried in 1984, drawing heavy influence from groups like Flipper and Scratch Acid. Though the moaning vocals and scraping guitars aren't for everyone, give this album a chance and I guarantee it will grow on you.

- Steve

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The White Stripes - Icky Thump

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The "legitimate" non-radio rip leak of the album.

- Dan

The Go - Howl On The Haunted Beat You Ride

(Request)

(Link Fixed 7/11/07)

The bands coming out of Detroit these days seem to be perpetually stuck in the year 1969, which is just fine by me. Howl On the Haunted Beat You Ride is a fun little throwback pop rock record, and most of these songs wouldn't sound out of place on a Nuggets compilation. This is some great warm weather music, and definitely worth a download.

- Steve

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The Wipers - Is This Real? + Rarities

Go ahead and file Greg Sage and his band The Wipers under "musical geniuses that got no recognition at all when they were in their prime" right next to Big Star, Love, and The Sonics. The music here is no frills guitar-bass-drums rock n' roll, and the true genius shines through when you realize just how simple most of the songs are. Many of them consist of only a few chords, but somehow with each listen you'll discover something new to love about them. Kurt Cobain loved the Wipers so much he spent the better part of his career trying his best to play guitar like Greg Sage. A lot of the Wiper's best work is out of print so do yourself a favor and pick up The Wipers box set. It's only $25, and comes with remastered versions of the band's first three records.

- Steve

Download Is This Real?

Download Rarities

Caribou - Andorra

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Blissful psychedelic type sounds here. His best work to date, I'd say. The video posted below for the track "Yeti" from his previous album most definitely does not do this new album justice at all. This is really good stuff. For fans of Panda Bear, Elliott Smith, Olivia Tremor Control or anything from the Elephant Six label.

- Dan

The White Stripes - Icky Thump

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Jesus Christ, this leak took too long to hit the internet. Although a majority of the tracks are radio rips, it will most definitely hold me over until I can purchase this shit on vinyl. The album has restored my faith in Jack White. Get Behind Me Satan was a disappointment for me, and I was nervous where The White Stripes' sound was going. But, they're back. It's Elephant-esque. Enough said. "Catch Hell Blues" is essential listening. The link won't last long, so get it while it's hot, and fucking BUY the album when it comes out, k?

- Dan