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Taj Mahal Travellers - Live Stockholm July, 1971 [Drone Syndicate] 2CD ("Led by infamous Fluxus member Takehisa Kosugi, Tokyo's Taj Mahal Travellers were one of the prime examples of a band more heard-of than actually heard. Their vinyl legacy (the 1972 LP July 15, 1972 released on CBS/Sony Japan; the 1974 2LP August 1974 released on Columbia Japan and recently reissued by P-Vine as a 2CD; one side of the mythical Oz Days Live 2LP compilation released on Oz in 1973 and recently bootlegged as a single LP) could dig a hole in your wallet deeper than the Grand Canyon. However, the recent reissues have spread the gospel and so here is the chance to hear the young Taj Mahal Travellers live in Stockholm during their 'tour' through Europe in 1971. It's one 2-hour long improvised track. Enough free-floating higher key bliss to keep every grown-up space cadet happy for a lot longer.)

Terry Riley - The Last Camel in Paris, Theatre Edouard, VII, Paris, 10 November 1978 [Elision Fields] CD (Throughout the 1970s, legendary American composer Terry Riley toured regularly in Europe, performing solo organ concerts. In October 1978, Riley's personal technician Chester Wood built a stereo digital delay out of an ancient computer he had procured from Don Buchla, and the subsequent tour was the maiden voyage to try it out. Riley's specially modified two-manual Yamaha YC-45D portable combo organ had a Just Intonation setting and allowed him to feed stereo signals to the digital delay. The Yamaha had been manufactured with single mono output, but now with the modification it had a separate output for each manual eventuating in four channels (two live and two delayed). During a residency as a Fellow at DAAD in Berlin, Riley fine-tuned the delay speeds and experimented with different stereo combinations so that by the time of this Paris concert, the tape delays worked well with the tempos he was using. This all came on the heels of the Shri Camel recording Riley had just made in San Francisco for CBS. The musical materials of The Last Camel in Paris are second generational, belonging to the Shri Camel family while manifesting their own distinct shape and flavor.)

John Fahey - The Mill Pond & Collected Paintings [Important] Limited CD (The Mill Pond was originally released in 1997 as a double 7" that went immediately out of print. For it's 10th aniversary we're issuing it on compact disc housed in a deluxe letterpressed jacket and including an extensive booklet collecting John Fahey's paintings for the very first time. Limited edition. On this EP, Fahey uses heavy reverb, electric slide and feedback to create an eerie mood. He gets a bit of help from Jeff Allman, who recorded the songs and adds some electronic noise in spots, and from Scott Colburn, who mixed the tracks, but this record is all Fahey. The Mill Pond is all over the place stylistically, so it should confuse those who try to pigeonhole Fahey into any one category. The Mill Pond further proves that there is only one category into which he fits: truly innovative guitar genius. "Four ecstatic, lo-fi grabs for the ring of eternity, recorded in Fahey's Oregon hotel room. Containing the first graspable evidence of John's throat-singing abilities, this represents the merging of the bull and the china shop. The crudity of the electronics and the delicacy of the stringwork makes for a wonderful match.)

Anthony Braxton - Quartet (GTM) 2006 [Important] 4CD (The great Anthony Braxton makes his debut for Important Records with considerable style on this 4CD set, which houses examples of his Ghost Trance Music compositions, a series of works described by the reed player himself as a "transorial connector", the exact meaning of which is hidden somewhere in the booklet-length essay that accompanies the release. What can be said with some certainty is that the composer tackles the quartet format with a freshness and looseness that's easy to get lost in. Structurally, these pieces are hard to get to grips with: each disc carries an hour long continuous musical flow, featuring Braxton's own performances on various reed instruments with accompaniment from percussionist Aaron Siegel, bass from Carl Testa and Max Heath's especially notable contribution on piano. While the musicians' virtuosity is established from the outset, these long-form improvisations (based on graphic scores) are predominantly contemplative in temperament, not subscribing to the sort of flashy dynamic variations common in free jazz, instead this music is all about the complexity of harmonic exchanges within the quartet when realised over extended durations. Consequently, Braxton's Ghost Trance Music shapes narratives that aren't the easiest to decode, but time invested with these beautiful, fluent musical outpourings will be richly rewarded.)

V/A - Super Epic Thrill Jockey Mega Massive Anniversary Mix [Thrill Jockey] CD (Thrill Jockey opened the vaults to Gregg Gillis (Girl Talk) and Frank Musarra (Hearts of Darknesses), aka Trey Told 'Em and let them go to town. And they exceeded all expectations! Managing to fit every single Oval song into one track and also crafting a special Tortoise and Trans Am mega mix. And last but certainly not least, the has to be heard, super epic mix that manages to include almost every Thrill Jockey artist. 70 minutes of music! This album is extremely limited! All those lucky enough to have made it out to the Thrill Jockey anniversary celebrations received a free copy. We have set aside a handful of copies for our valued mail order customers.)

The Death Set - Worldwide [Counter] CD (Straight out of Baltimore's bustling music scene, The Death Set splatters punk rock all over warehouse dancefloors with their debut release on Counter Records, Worldwide-- a blast of fleeting songs with lifelong hooks and overdriven melodies. Filling twenty-five minutes with eighteen jams, Worldwide boasts the noise of unrefined creation. From the call-to-upraise-arms of "Negative Thinking," through the rallying cry of "Intermission"; along the serrated edge of "Cold Teeth," into enemy dancespace on "Around The World"; from the high-voiced androgyny of "Day In The Wife," to the chant and chime of "Had A Bird"; The Death Set exploits consonance and dissonance to the fullest. The secret to The Death Set's charm is in their denial of the nihilism in punk rock. With breakneck fuzz atop lo-fi electronics, searing vocals over-scored by a lift of positivity, The Death Set redefine the space of the anthem, and take it Worldwide.)

The Jealous Girlfriends - S/T [Last Gang] CD (The Jealous Girlfriends make it work. The Brooklyn four-piece pull together the tunefullness of Anglo New Wave and BritPop, the aggression and energy of Washingtonian indie rock - both district and state - and infuse it all with a little soul, working and alchemy that transforms these base musical elements into songs crackling with tension and excitement that are instantly memorable while revealing something new with every listen.)

Dosh - Wolves and Wishes [Anticon] CD (Wolves and Wishes, Martin Dosh's fourth official LP, arrives after its architect spent nearly a year on the road-- touring solo and as a member of Andrew Bird's band-- and yet, he sounds reborn. If 2006's The Lost Take reimagined the drums, Rhodes, and everything-but-the-kitchen-sink virtuoso as a full band, his latest restocks the lineup with a fresh cast of collaborators, then stretches out as Dosh masterminds the material (composing, improvising, arranging) with all the explorative wonderment of a debut ablum. Never has our man sounded so free. And to think, there's not a single drum machine in the mix.)

Schlammpeitziger - Schwingstelle Fur Rauschabzug [Sonig] CD (On Schwingstelle Fuer Rauschabzug, Schlammpeitziger discovers deep frequencies and pulsating beats. All of a sudden, his familiar combination of eloquent melodies and lively rhythms acquires a completely new pull. With this album, Zimmermann pulses his listeners into hypnosis. This new quality transforms Schlammpeitziger's music in a remarkable way: it remains friendly and weird, but gains in seriousness and depth. The hidden qualities of this kind of club-suitable pop music (or radio-friendly club music?) readily disclose themselves on a second or third listen. This "musical double entendre" was already hinted at on the last album Everything Without All Inclusive. Now it has become Schlammpeitziger's new trademark. Still, the listener is caught up in a net of intricately woven melodic lines.)

Yellow6 - When The Leaves Fall Like Snow [Make Mine Music] 2CD ("When The Leaves Fall Like Snow" is the latest release by the remarkably talented Leicestershire guitarist Jon Attwood (aka Yellow6). This double album, bearing the unmistakable and highly personal Yellow6 melodic sound, was conceived and crafted in Stockholm in the autumn and winter of 2007. Reflecting its place of origin, it showcases Yellow6 at its most minimal, each of the two CDs providing the listener with a different way of experiencing the grey and white landscapes of Scandinavia. With "When The Leaves Fall Like Snow", Yellow6 takes you on a wondrous musical voyage without any pre-defined destination. Just press "play" and let yourself be taken over by the enchantment of the journey.)

Delia Darbyshire / Brian Hodgson / Don Harper - Electrosonic [Glo Spot] Limited CD (One of the most enigmatic albums in the KPM sound library of the early 70s -- a haunting batch of spare electronic tracks by Delia Derbyshire -- who'd also done some musical work for the Dr Who TV series! The tracks here are far more mellow and contemplative than any TV sci-fi -- as most numbers are short, and built around simple, spare themes -- played by Delia with a gently flowing approach that's often quite melodic, even though the tunes themselves echo with a fair bit of darkness. The overall sound isn't as funky as you might expect from other KPM releases -- but it more than makes up for that with an incredible array of sounds, techniques, and odd little notes -- all of which come across with a "voice" that's far different than some of Delia's better known electronic music contemporaries!)

J. Spaceman / Sun City Girls - Mister Lonely: Music From A Film By Harmony Korine [Drag City] CD (Soundtrack recording featuring a bunch of tracks by J. Spaceman aka Jason Pierce of Spacemen 3/Spiritualised alongside a clutch of tracks from Sun City Girls, all of which were recorded to accompany Harmony Korine's film Mister Lonely. The Spaceman tracks are in the classic wasted/come down gospel style of Pierce's Spacemen/Spritualised mode while Sun City Girls combine evocative instrumentals and vocal chants in a zoned, devotional style.)

Spectrum meets Captain Memphis - Indian Giver [Birdman] CD (Totally weird collaboration between Sonic Boom of Spacemen 3's Spectrum project and producer Jim Dickinson (Big Star et al). This one is primarily remarkable for including some inspired re-workings of classic Spacemen 3 sides, including another take on their Mudhoney cover, "When Tomorrow Hits" and a new version of "Hey Man" from Sound Of Confusion as well as a clutch of new organ-driven originals and some schizophrenic Jim Dickinson-fronted Bad Seed style Southern growlers. Rumour has it that the collaboration broke down halfway through and their will be no re-match: this is everything that made it to tape.)

Boris - Smile [Southern Lord] CD (The mighty Boris release their official follow-up to the much lauded Pink, defying fan's expectations and expanding their musical palette further than ever before. Their first non-collaborative release in two years, Smile is a natural progression of the work the band has done in partnership with bands such as Sunn o))) and guitarist Michio Kurihara. That's not to say that just because the release doesn't share ownership with another artist that the band doesn't bring along some friends for the ride. Both Kurihara and Sunn o)))'s Stephen O'Mally turn in contributions to Smile, but in the end this is pure Boris. Are you ready to Smile?)

BJ Nilsen & Stilluppsteypa - Passing Out [Helen Scarsdale Agency] CD (The Nordic sound artists BJ Nilsen & Stilluppsteypa have authored the last component to a trilogy of isolationist compositions for barren field recordings and lumbering electric drones, thematically linked in the psychotropic effects of alcohol. In doing so, they have issued a brief statement in defense of their research: "It's been four years and three studies, Passing Out being the final. Even in its most general, colloquial usage, Passing Out indicates the occurrence of a state that is incompatible with active behavior. It is possible that the individual could experience both consciousness and unconsciousness at the same time while encountering Passing Out.")

V/A -  Imaginational Anthem Vols. 1-3 [Tompkins Square] 3CD (The definitive, one-stop Imaginational Anthem collection from Tompkins Square, this three CD set houses all three volumes in the acclaimed series and probably stands as the single most significant body of solo acoustic guitar music to be published in the 21st century so far. There's no shortage in compilations of this ilk, but no other label has gathered such a comprehensive, diverse set of artists as this one. From the ubiquitous Jack Rose and James Blackshaw to the greats like John Fahey, Robbie Basho and Peter Lang, Imaginational Anthem gathers all the necessary contributors and even adds a few less obvious choices into the mix, like Christina Carter, Sharron Kraus, Jose Gonzalez and even Greg Davis. Pretty essential for anyone interested in the music of the acoustic guitar. Seriously. )

El Perro Del Mar - The Valley To The Stars [Control] CD / LP (El Perro Del Mar is the alter ego of Sarah Assbring. Her second album is an opus, chock full of non-traditional folk songs that explore the world at large. She's joined at times on the record by members of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and the Gothenburg Symphonic Choir. "A minimal Phil Spector sound. Unique and magical")

Tokyo Police Club - Elephant Shell [Saddle Creek] 2CD (Preceded by two well-received EPs, 'Elephant Shell' is the debut full-length album from Canadian indie rockers Tokyo Police Club. Featuring the anthemic and jangly single 'Tessellate', this release sees something of a calming of pace for the band (with 'Listen To The Math' standing out as a downbeat highlight). While still frenetic and noisy, 'Elephant Shell' shows a developing sensitivity to dynamic range and emotional mood. The focus, though, remains the communication of catchy pop hooks and the boundless vigour with which they are delivered. Debut Full Length with Limited Edition Bonus Remix Disc with artists such as Dntel, Fox n Roll, Field Music, EFF YUCK and Tom Campesinosl, also Saddle Creek label sampler mp3 download.)

Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso UFO - Schwingstelle Fur Rauschabzug [Swordfish] 2 DVD (A  2 dvd set over 4 1/2 hours long covering the entire history from early days in japan to recent footage, guest appearances, interviews with makoto plus other extras. disc 1 traces the band through it's first decade featuring very rare early footage and special guest appearances from members of ruins, afrirampo, guru guru and others. disc 2 includes a historic performance of 'la novia' with ocitan queen of song rosina de peira, pink lady lemonade medley, dark star blues and other acid mothers temple epics, an exclusive interview with kawa-bata makoto, live cuts of acid mothers temple related units - acid mother temple and the cosmic inferno, swr, guru guru and acid mothers gong. limited run of 1000 copies.)

John Cage - Variations VII [E.A.T. and ARTPIX] DVD (In 1966, 10 New York artists and 30 engineers and scientists from Bell Telephone Laboratories collaborated on a series of innovative dance, music and theatre performances, 9 Evenings: Theatre & Engineering, held in October at the 69th Regiment Armory in New York City. The artists were John Cage, Lucinda Childs, Öyvind Fahlström, Alex Hay, Deborah Hay, Steve Paxton, Yvonne Rainer, Robert Rauschenberg, David Tudor and Robert Whitman. Archival material has been assembled into 10 films, each of which reconstructs the artists' original work and uses interviews with the artists, engineers and performers to illuminate the artistic, technical and historical aspects of the work. Variations VII, performed at 9 Evenings, was the next to last in John Cage's series of indeterminate works that he had begun in 1958, which made increasing use of electronic equipment and systems. This DVD documents the only complete performance of Variations VII and also presents a stereo audio recording of the full 85 minutes of the performance. This rare and historical film is the second in the 9 Evenings series from E.A.T. (Experiments in Art and Technology) and ART PIX and was produced by Billy Klüver and Julie Martin of E.A.T. and directed by Barbro Schultz Lundestam.)

The No-Neck Blues Band - Aftypiclipse [Sound @ One] LP (Limited edition LP version with paste-on sleeve of The No-Neck Blues Band's disturbing and surreal performance at Thurston Moore's Nightmare Before Christmas ATP event in December 2006. Sub-titled "For Jazzfinger", the performance moves from huge batteries of percussion and lolloping groove-based lumber thunder ala Silence-era giants like Trad Gras Och Stenar and International Harvester through the sound of silence threaded with unidentifiable vocal murmur and the scuffle of electrified strings. Still one of my all-time favourite NNCK performances, feels great to finally be able to file this one on the shelf. New sequencing and improved mastering from the earlier CD-R version.)

RLW / TITO - Mahlzeit [Hinterzimmer] CD (For his new ambitious project 'Mahlzeit' (german for 'meal') Ralf Wehowsky teamed up with Hamburgs Transindustrial Toy Orchestra (TITO), a loose collective of people working in music and other art forms. Current members Peter Kastner, Ine Ophof and Jan Van Wissen created their part of the conceptual work with their vast collection of toys and kitchen tools, using electronic devices to transform them into bizarre acoustic situations while Wehowsky contributes another strange mix of electronics, instruments, voice and body functions. All in all 'Mahlzeit' is a collaborative release, but in a special way as some tracks were created by Ralf Wehowsky using sounds by TITO and vice versa, but some were just done by one part of the project, assimilalting suggestions from the other part. It mixes electroacoustic composition, early electronic music and bizarre Kraut-era avantgarde. The heterogeneous but totally coherent and self-contained 'Mahlzeit' is not just a great experience and expansion of the musical activity of all involved, but also an album of fine music that is not easy to label.)

Kiko C. Esseiva - Sous Les Etoiles [Hinterzimmer] CD (Kiko C. Esseiva's second album 'Sous les étoiles'. The electro-acoustic/musique conrète compositions he has constructed during the past years are brilliant soundpieces that remind sometimes on Luc Ferraris electro-acoustic works but also the very narrative nature of some older Nurse With Wound albums. The way he mixes (almost) melodic elements into a complex structure of well arranged sounds and noises is simply beautiful. 'Sous Les Etoiles' goes even a step further than Esseiva's debut 'Musiques pour haut-parleurs', the tracks being audibly held together by leitmotifs, making it one big opus instead of being just a collection of tracks.)

Aoki Takamasa 青木孝允 - Parabolica [Op.Disc] CD (Aoki is a paris based japanese artist who has been playing all over the world. his music has often been categorized as "electronica", but on this album, he broadened his musical boundary by challenging straight forward 4/4 rhythm on dancefloor oriented minimal house/ Techno style, yet you can still find his unique crispy, clear, but glitchy phrases/soundobjects through the entire album. his strong character is obviously making this album different from other "cliché" minimal tracks and showing what "the high quality" is. this essential album also shows his love towards the funky rhythm, but the most impressive feature of this album is his unique pop...)

Dartrix (Fumiya Tanaka & Radiq aka Yoshihiro Hanno) - Dartriix [Op.Disc] CD (The first full album from Dartrix, co-founders of op disc. This stunning album brings the beautiful contrast of physicality and mechanical of music. All tracks on album are basically produced by swapping sound files as two distant cities and all tracks are basically floor-oriented minimal tracks, but the quality is far over from the standard. Each track should be regarded as beautiful and elaborate "sound sculpture". From "Kinetic Theory" to "Dipole", every single sound has got a strong character and is placed very wisely to pull out the big, raw and tough groove. Through the album, there is the tension and the sexiness with deep minimal atmospheres and this is the one only Dartrix can create, This album could push forward the scene again and broaden the possibilities of music as it should be rewarded as the milestone of the scene.)

Ditch - Ditch Weed [Op.Disc] CD (Op.disc now proudly presents their second full album by a young and talented Japanese artist "ditch" and you may say this is a world-standard minimal techno album as it reflects his multicultural experiences gained in world capitals including Berlin, London, Paris and Tokyo. this album " ditch weed" has got every single essence to attract the people who love minimal techno/house. It is miminal and groovy It has "round-shaped chopped samples" with unique sequences. and on the top of that, it is "Challenging"! If you keep listening again and again, you will be drawn into his bottomless ideas and be hypnotized by the unique groove of ditch. This album is surely the next thing of "Miminal techno".)

Fosca - The Painted Side of The Rocket [But Is It Art?] CD (Fosca is bottle-blond besuited songwriter Dickon Edwards with musical cohorts Rachel Stevenson, Tom Edwards and Kate Dornan. Past members have included cellist Sheila B and songwriter Alex Sharkey (he of the bands Pinkie and Brighter). A third album, "The Painted Side Of The Rocket", Fosca create sinister misfit melodies. They are nervous and shy, but defiant and sly. Fosca are pro-style and anti-fashion. Fosca are solipsistic and selfish, but in a good way. Fosca are anti-social and sporadically reclusive and elusive.)

Friday Bridge - Intricacy [But Is It Art?] CD ("Intricacy" is the highly anticipated debut album by Friday Bridge. It's about anonymity, volatility and literature. About Mannerism and cheap drinks, Jeanne de Vauds and Martin Fry. "Intricacy" can be described as cynic tales disguised into electronic beauty. The thirteen tracks on the album exist in an unique musical universe, but one where you can see shadows of Mylène Farmer, Dannii Minogue, Louis Philippe and Human League. Friday Bridge is Ylva Lindberg, Sweden's latest acclaimed indiepop/electro princess. Together with Niklas Gustafsson (This Year's Model, The Higher Elevations), they craft cerebral pop elegance.)

Ovum - Microcosmos [XTAL] CD (Ovum is a four-piece instrumental band based in Tokyo, Japan. Making songs, Ovum remove improvisation and noise as much as possible and make much of ensemble, melodies, harmony and structure by composition. Ovum music may be based on the form of so called "post rock". However, what we believe the most important is not in musical form but in the pursuit of universal beauty such as the sweetest of melodies and harmony, which may sound classical.)

Fxxk Buttons - Street Horrrsing [ATP] CD / 2LP (Fuck Buttons was conceived by Andrew Hung & Benjamin John Power in the winter of 2004, Bristol UK. Initially the group was born as an outlet for their nihilistic-noise tendencies but quickly, the two Fxxk Buttons realised they could harness the use of noise as a tool to immerse and evoke. No longer afraid of melody or rhythm, the group started fusing all these elements to the point when drone becomes melody becomes rhythm. With their electric live performances sealing the notion that the two Fxxk Buttons are attempting some kind of transcendence between the listener and the Universe itself, one could easily envisage one's psyches being shaken by the very rumbles of the earth's motions. Tribal beats and subtle beautiful melodies weave amongst contorting Technicolor drone-scapes while preaching distorted-vocals scream for dear hope herself… Recorded by John Cummings of Mogwai. Mastered by Bob Weston of Shellac.)

Queen Sea Big Shark 后海大鲨鱼 - S/T [Modern Sky] CD (后海大鯊魚（Queen Sea Big Shark）成立於2004年底。2005年5月，他們第一次作現場演出，當時在場的所有人都被他們緊張俏皮的dance rock風格吸引，而他們則認為自己是Garage Dance，而隨後的密集演出使樂隊越來越受關注。樂隊極具性格的女主唱，80年代回潮的復古穿著, 獨有的Garage Dance風格和他們標榜的“中國”式的平面形象，更掀起了一種內地年輕人所極力追捧的文化現象。樂隊被內地搜狐網評為2007年度“最不能被錯過的搖滾樂隊”，亦曾為Yeah Yeah Yeahs，Maximo Park，Mando Diao等樂隊作北京專場演出嘉賓.)

Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours [Modular] CD (Cut Copy return with the shimmering timelessness of In Ghost Colours. Haunted with machines of the past and sounds of the future, Cut Copy inhabit the kind of space in time where trends are irrelevant and music is about feeling rather than following and 1969 is just as relevant as 2020. At once both jacking and jangly, electronic and organic, Cut Copy have crafted a record filled with glorious sounds and moods and that unashamedly pops with hooks and melodies for eons...)

Does It Offend You Yeah? - You Have No Idea What You're Getting Yourself Into... [Virgin] CD (The hottest act rising from the underground to the mainstream in 2008, DIOYY have had a roller coaster ride through 2007 to their imminent album release. They have gone from Myspace jokers with a cult following to playing Brixton academy in under a year, turning heads and critics along the way with their must-be-seen-t-be-believed raucous live show that prompted the NME to champion them weekly in the magazine and put them on the esteemed February awards tour with The Cribs among others. The momentum is firmly behind the band who launch this album to their core fanbase around the dancefloor and live monster single We Are Rockstars. The album itself is currently wowing critics and doubters by not being a straight up set of electro bangers. You Have No Idea What You're Getting Yourself Into delivers on its promise by mixing up their trademark electro rock with distinctly melodic synth pop tracks, whilst retaining coherent thread throughout the 10 tracks. More than just a novelty new rave act, DIOYY are serious about their music and as a result it is seriously good. But don't take our word for it... stick it on!)

Boy Noize - Oi Oi Oi [Last Gang] CD (Alex Ridha's music and productions have excided interest from artists such as Soulwax, Tiga, Justice, Erol Alkan, and The Rapture and labels such as Kistune, Ed Banger, Skint, and Last Gang. Continuing in the tradition of delivering banging new Electro/TechnoFunk tracks that own the dance floor, a selection of new remixes of Boys Noize's acclaimed album Oi Oi Oi, are now finally available.)

Foals - Antidotes [Transgressive] Limited 2CD (Despite being one of 2008's most overexposed buzz bands, Foals are actually quite brilliant. It's very rare that so much coverage is afforded to a group or artist as interesting and forward thinking as this, but here's a band who can stealthily sneak experimental approaches into music that would otherwise verge on all-out house party punk funk. Glancing across the tracklisting you'll notice early singles 'Hummer' and 'Mathletics' are conspicuous in their absence, but fear not, the bonus disc on the Special Edition will see you right, throwing in both those songs plus a further couple of tracks and a live EP to boot. As debut albums go, there's not a lot missing from Antidotes, and while the dual high-up-the-neck guitar aesthetic occasionally repeats itself, it's approached from a fresh perspective every time, and there's certainly grounds for a belief in yet greater things to follow from subsequent albums.)

Gossip - Live In Liverpool [Sony] CD + DVD (Before they finish the studio album follow-up to 2006's Standing in the Way of Control, late-blooming dance punks the Gossip will release a document of their sweat-soaked live antics. Recorded live in Liverpool in July of 2007, this CD/DVD combo captures the band's incendiary live show firsthand. Ditto and Co. rip through classics from Standing in the Way of Control back to Thats Not What I Heard and more! This must be seen/heard to be believed.)

DJ Shadow - Essential Mix [Bunghole] CD (DJ Shadow is widely credited as a key figure in developing the experimental instrumental hip hop style. His early projects were all-over-the-map mini-masterpieces combining elements of funk, rock, hip hop, ambient, jazz, soul, and used-bin incidentalia. Though his music is hard to categorize, his early contributions were certainly important as an alternative to the voice of hip hop and gangster rap, scenes that never accepted him. He cited early rap pioneers as influences on his sample-based sound, further claiming that "lyrics ...were confining, too specific". His music rarely features more than short clips of voices or vocal work. DJ Shadow's Essential Mix's a live BBC Radio broadcast showcasing his endless random rap crates blended with breaks and exclusive freestyles.)

Jet Black Crayon - In The Interim [Function 8] CD + DVD (Jet Black Crayon re-emerges with their fifth release and the first since 2004's Inaccuracies of the Mind Machine. On In The Interim, Tommy Guerrero (Quannum Projects, Mo'Wax, Galaxia, Function 8), Monte Vallier (ex-Swell, Def American/American Recordings, Beggars Banquet) and Gadget (Function 8) worked closely with independent filmmakers, and seven of the nine tracks on the album are complemented with short films. The filmmakers include Andrew Paynter (music photographer, artist), Dan Wolfe (skateboard filmmaker: Real Skateboards, Nike SB, Adidas SB, etc.), Greg Hunt (skateboard filmmaker: DC Shoes, Transworld Media, Alien Workshop), Cheryl Dunn (filmmaker and photographer: Beautiful Losers) and Christophe Beaucourt (independent French filmmaker). Those familiar with Jet Black Crayon will find a renewed soundscape, and those familiar with Guerrero's music will note a more visual, cerebral, and textural sound. The interplay between music and film on In the Interim is key. The creative process was a true collaboration-- the band and the filmmakers exchanged rough mixes and edits, allowing them to shape the respective audio and visual parts in tandem. Some of the songs dynamically move to the films while others create a moody score. Check out musical cameos from John Herndon and Dan Bitney (Tortoise) on "Lost in the Fog," the powerful spoken word of Pete Simonelli (The Enablers) on "My Fair Romans," and longtime Jet Black Crayon collaborator Charlie Hall playing drums on "Brighter Days.")

Ruckus Roboticus - Playing With Scratches [Grease] CD / 2LP (Now coming on DJ friendly double vinyl with bonus exclusive tracks and a full picture sleeve. Born from the industrial powers of Dayton, Ohio, Ruckus Roboticus has risen to unleash his fury of funk, hip-hop and mischief. Part turntable, half drum machine, all sex machine; the robotic wonder has continually electrified listeners with his colorful and imaginative world of sound. When he's not busy remixing Bloc Party, or winning awards from Rockstar Games (Best DJ Mix 2003), Solid Steel (Best Mix 2003 and 2007!!), and Scion (Free-Up-Your-Mix Finalist 2005), this bot can be found tearing the roof of your local dancehall, art gallery, fashion show, and house party with a fierce live-set. The album is a mix of found sounds, offbeat samples, hip hop beats, and, of course, scratching. Fans of THE AVALANCHES, CUT CHEMIST, COLDCUT, STEINSKI, and RJD2 and the like should definitely dig this record. US radio promotion going strong with adds on KCRW and many top RPM shows nationwide.)

Haino Keiji 灰野敬二 / Yoshida Tatsuya 吉田達也 - Hauenfiomiume [Magaibutsu] CD (The controversial work which stepped into the forbidden territory of editing the performance of Haino Keiji. Yoshida breaks up their studio session boldly and restructures it from the unacceptable tune reproduced by extreme editing to the pop song thing that it is surprised. From the irregular hard core to heavy tune. From the modern music short piece, to the lyricism acoustic number. This album shows new possibility with union/condensing the music of Haino & Yoshida. This time they made 2 different (but similar) albums.")

Nurse With Wound - Insect and Individual Silenced [Rassh] CD (The long awaited release to compact disc gets perhaps the most lavish and beautiful packaging of any Nurse With Woud CD to date. Housed in an eight panel digipack and frosted silver printed slip cover, with updated art by Matt Waldron. All original artwork from the legendary 1981 release is reproduced faithfully on the inside covers. The audio has been painstakingly and lovingly digitally mastered. A four panel insert includes a new Steven Stapleton collage and the story as told by Mr. Stapleton of how this remarkable reissue has come to be. Eight Panel package and Silver Printed Clip cover.)

Sonic Youth - J'Accuse ted hughes Agnes B Musique [SYR] LP (The seventh installment of Sonic Youth's series of experimental + sometimes instrumental releases will be available on April 22, 2008 in a vinyl-only edition self-released on the band's own SYR label. The A-side, 'J'accuse Ted Hughes' is a previously unreleased 22 minute drone-piece recorded by Sonic Youth at the All Tomorrows Parties Festival in the UK April 2001. At ATP the band previewed instrumental and early versions of songs from the then soon-to-be recorded 'NYC Ghosts and Flowers' and performed this premiere + exclusive performance of 'J'accuse Ted Hughes'. The B-side, 'Agnes B Musique' is a soundtrack-style piece recorded at the band's own Murray Street Studio in 2001 for a never-to-be realized collaboration with French clothing designer Agnes B. This 18 minute long musical piece was recorded with a 5-piece version of SY, the 4 members of SY being joined by Jim O'Rourke who also mixed 'Agnes B Musique'.)

Grey Daturas - Return To Disruption [Neurot] CD (Melbourne, Australia's Grey Daturas are an improvisational, instrumental trio with no songs or melodies; they don't rehearse, yet maintain a touring ethos that matches early hardcore pioneers. Return to Disruption, the most obvious difference is the improved production values. Where Dead in the Woods took a modest month to complete on eight-track/quarter-inch tape, Return to Disruption spanned a lengthy eighteen months on 24-track/two-inch tape. The band once again teamed up with Melbourne-based recording engineer Neil Thomason to track and mix drums, guitars, bass, and various other sounds and objects such as contact-microphone feedback, scrap metal, hardware materials and tools, violin, saxophone, and electronics. Following three months with Thompson, the remaining fifteen months were spent painstakingly post-producing and collaging together the original tracks from the sessions, with the final mastering touches of Pig Destroyer's Scott Hull, to what has become the vast and consistently flowing epic that is Return To Disruption.)

Nadja - Desire In Uneasiness [Crucial Blast] CD (Following a wave of recent reissues and re-recorded versions of older CD-R titles, Desire In Uneasiness is an album of all new material from the acclaimed Canadian dreamsludge weavers Nadja. Five colossal jams of eternally-fuzzy, ethereal dirge that is powered by the interlocking bass guitars of Leah Buckareff and Aidan Baker, setting loose a wave of monstrous grinding bass riffs amidts a fog of beautiful, swirling electronic effects. Desire also marks the first Nadja album to feature a live drummer in place of the drum machine programming that has driven the band's previous recordings. The organic drumming here takes Nadja's music into new realms of spacious jazzy exploration, dubby rhythms and cavernous psychedelia, while also delivering some of the band's most grooving, crushing hypno-bliss yet. Packaged in a heavy Stougton gatefold jacket with full color artwork. Sticker with marketing blurb on front of package. For fans of: Godflesh, Swans, My Bloody Valentine.)

Ai Aso 朝生愛 - Chamomile [Pedal] CD (Brand new CD from this always-bewitching Tokyo acid folk spirit, here backed up by the remains of White Heaven/The Stars, with contributions from You Ishihara, guitarist Michio Kurihara, Chiaki Teranishi, Soichiro Nakamura, Shintaro Sakamoto and Ritsuko Sakata. The sound here is a little more group-based than her earlier records but her vocal still sound completely weightless and the way that the group assemble subtle acid-folk shapes from wraiths of electricity conjures evocative flashes of the kind of majestic psychedelic architecture not seen since the ballroom heyday of late-60s trips festivals, all cut up with a slow-burning amphetamine edge that is pure Velvet Underground. Includes a fairly remarkable re-working of "...And, I Want" originally recorded by Boris with Michio Kurihara.)

Boredoms - Superroots 9 [Thrill Jockey] CD (In April the first NEW edition in eight years to the SUPER ROOTS series, Super Roots 9, finally gets a worldwide release. Super Roots 9 is a recording of a live show on Christmas Eve in 2004, in Japan. The performance featured a 24-person choir alongside the group. Super Roots 9 is the FIRST live recording of the band ever released. The CD, packaged in a special custom-made Mini Gatefold LP style jacket, will feature artwork by EYE and a 40-page perfect bound booklet with music scores and notations. Boredoms are making this album available digitally for the first time to services that offer the highest bit rate. In conjunction with the release of Super Roots 9 the band will be on their first extensive tour in over two years. It will be the first time the band has performed "In the Round" in America. Where possible, fans will be able to move completely around the Boredoms and experience it from all viewpoints - to move with the sound - to participate in the motion of the performance!)

Jack Rose - Dr Ragtime & Pals / Self Titled [Beautiful Happiness] 2CD (This double-disc features a brand new album from Philadelphia guitarist Jack Rose along with his highly acclaimed and out-of-print self-titled record (originally a limited release on the Archive Recordings label). On Dr. Ragtime & Pals, Rose duets with Glenn Jones, Micah Smaldone, Mike Gangloff, Harmonica Dan, and Sean Bowles. This is a major work from a big player in the modern American Primitive world, often compared to the likes of John Fahey. Classic Stuff.)

Was (Not Was) - Boo [Ryko] CD (They're back...Was (Not Was) the darlings of the avant disco set and avatars of the absurd have emerged from the abyss of the recording industry with a new long-player, Boo! It's been almost 20 years since their last salvos of surrealistic soul and Jurassic dance mixes delighted and terrified nightclub crawlers and pop maniacs with the hits Walk the Dinosaur and Spy in the House of Love. Once again these shamelessly funky court jesters (featuring the original line up, plus some very special guests) are mixing it up and working without a net, performing a high-wire act that stretches from the ridiculous to the sublime. Are you scared yet?)

Sun Kil Moon - April [Caldo Verde] Limited 2CD (To many, 2003's Ghosts Of The Great Highway is one of the great singer-songwriter albums of our time, extending Mark Kozelek's legacy beyond his Red House Painters heyday. Five years on from the original release of that album, April is a natural successor, marking the first batch of entirely new material from Kozelek since then. It's by no means an easily digested, concise piece of work, however. If any evidence were required to support Kozelek's standing among his peers, backing vocals from Will Oldham and Death Cab For Cutie's Ben Gibbard feature on the album, but regardless of who's standing next to him, Kozelek always sounds like he's very much alone. It's that particularly intense moroseness that makes him so captivating as a writer and a singer; you never get the sense that his words are empty, and a profound sense of sadness looms over these recordings. From a listener's point of view this album is an intimidating, unwieldy prospect, but April confronts you with exceptional, deeply involving material throughout, and is, in all honesty, quite astonishing.)

Yelle - Pop-Up [Source] CD (With booty-shaking pop electro beats and snappy, explicit lyrics, Yelle has got people across the globe talking about her new album; 'Pop Up'. What began as a lyrical retort for those trash-talking TTC boys is now a hit single. Yelle uses her love of the 80’s and her biting wit to infuse every song with a style that is all her own – and all in French! We thought
we'd seen it all before: subversive, provocative girl singers, and all those girl bands waving the banner of girl power in the 90s… But now here comes Yelle with her sassy booty-pop, the soft tones of her voice underscoring her outspoken rhymes. Yelle is setting the dance floor on fire! This young French artist can boast over 1.3 MILLION plays on her Myspace website thanks to incredible word of mouth alone!!!)

Claro Intelecto [Metanarrative] CD (Claro Intelecto (Mark Stewart) is best known for his Warehouse Sessions EPs, four 12''s of stripped back, drum heavy cuts. New album Metanarrative promises to break with the mold set by the series. Whittled down from one hundred tracks to just a final eight, Stewart says, ''The final selection has much more of an emphasis on melody than the last few twelves. The narrative arc of the album was very important to me. The musical theme represents a life's cycle, taking in varying influences and ideas that hopefully come across over the 40 minutes of the album.'' Expect an emotional rollercoaster ride.)

Machinefabriek - Slaapzucht [Root Strata] CD (A new release from the prolific Rutger Zuydervelt (aka Machinefabriek), a man who manages somehow to create and release so much music of an inhumanly high standard. Released on the Root Strata imprint, "Slaapzucht" (Sleep desire) takes two of Zuydervelt's finest releases (Slaap and Zucht) and welds them together, adding a totally exclusive twenty minute piece as a further bonus. "Slaapzucht" sees the Dutchman in drone mode, with six gorgeous pieces made with a guitar, tuning fork, file, electric toothbrush, a little iron rod, cavernous reverb and a whole lot more! Really, we can't recommend this album and this artist enough, Machinefabriek is truly out there on his own. Simply sublime.)

Jacaszek - Treny [Miasmah] CD (Marsen Jules, Arvo Part, Zbigniew Preisner's soundtrack work for Krzysztof Kieslowski, Deaf Center, Max Richter, Erik Satie, Alberto Iglesias - if you are familiar and in awe of any or all of these names then this latest album on the exceptional Miasmah label will no doubt end up on your essential listening pile for the foreseeable future. Jacaszek has managed with "Treny" to assemble an album so heart-stoppingly beautiful and personal that we've been stunned into silence for its entire 55 minute duration. With string arrangements provided courtesy of Stefan Wesolowski, the foundations of the album are set with Cello and Violin painting fragile outlines coloured by subtle electronic manipulations, harp, piano and reduced, haunting operatic voices. Unlike so many of his contemporaries, Michael Jacaszek doesn't make use of any samples, with everything on the album assembled by the musicians on hand (notably Maja Sieminska, Anja Smiszek-Wesolowska and Wesolowski and Jcaszek themselves) - and the subtle grandeur of the album is almost impossible to take in over one sitting, even if the impact is absolutely immediate. This is the kind of album that you just cannot believe a bijou imprint like Miasmah is able to lay its hands on - such is the scale of its success that it feels like a hugely important piece of work, far outweighing almost anything else we've heard in the modern classical field these last eighteen months. Cinematic without ever feeling contrived, "Treny" is surely one of the most impressive, mystical and astonishing albums of the year - we just cannot imagine that anyone listening to it will fail to be utterly bowled over and taken in - listen to the previews and you'll get an idea of just what we mean.)

Jasper TX - In A Cool Monsoon [Pumpkin Seeds In The Sand] CD (Following the lovely and appropriately titled sophmore lp A Darkness, along with various 3 inch and compilations, Sweden's Dag Rosenqvist(aka Jasper TX) graces us with yet another breath-taking full length. In a cool monsoon enriches his already distinguished library of releases, offering 7 tracks of diverse instrumentation in delicate drone and field recordings. With his latest, Dag expands his sound with a broader array of instruments, arranging each individual track with a unique sound and feel of it's own; trailing one's heart through remorse, into light and every human emotion in between. Dag truly proves his worth among a sea of ambient artists with a record that accomplishes a rarity many artists, of any field, can only hope to one day achieve: a poignant balance of melancholy and hope, into one genre-defining album.)

Richard Swift - Richard Swift As Onasis [Secretly Canadian] 2CD (The double-EP Richard Swift as Onasis is as creatively fortifying as it is unhinged and unpolished, a primal slab thrown into the fire for dancing and merriment during the chilly months while we await Richard Swift's second full-length. Once upon a time, the idea of a record was to capture a performance, to grab those undulating wavelengths from the air and stick them to this thing that went round and round, so later on that performance could be heard and felt and experienced again. Before the beloved studio trickery of our beloved Beatles or Beach Boys, cats gathered around a couple microphones, plugged into that thing that went round and round, and let at it. So it's no surprise Swift, a long-in-the-tooth impresario of all not-a-computer, would jangle and stomp out this tangent of jams that tape-echo a generation of pioneers who believed rock and roll and the blues a celestial calling and not a lifestyle choice. Now most listeners won't think about how Swift did this on a cheap four-track; they won't immediately see his nods to Link Wray and Howlin' Wolf; it doesn't matter. The songs stand up. The songs get in your belly and wiggle your hips and stomp your foot and bob your head. They got vibe and atmosphere. They act like great harmony, making whatever they're accompanying richer and wider and thicker.)

Nadja - Skin Turns To Glass [The End] CD (Dirge-like metal riffs & heavy, minimal percussion w/ ethereal melodicism & something of a shoegazer asthetic, creating a swirling amorphous wall of sound that strives to be both obliterating & uplifting. 3 tracks w/ a running time of 80 minutes. The band -- Aidan Baker (guitars, vocals, woodwinds, drum machines) and Leah Buckareff (bass, vocals) -- entered Baker's home studio this January to re-record (and re-arrange as needed) the album, originally released in a limited edition CD-R run on Belgium's Nothingness Records.)

The Glass - Remixes & Rarities [Plant Music] CD (New Yorkers' The Glass 'Couples Therapy' EP came out earlier this year and created a wave of interest especially with DJs, bloggers and promoters. Since then they have been touring pretty much constantly and many of their tracks and remixes have been hitting the dancefloors hard. Most of those remixes and some of their earlier releases have only been available on the blogs, on 12"s and as promos. With that in mind the band (Dominique Keegan and Glen "DJ Wool" Brady) decided to release a full length CD/Download of their remixes & rarities. Besides mixes by some of their favorite producers (Mylo, Eli Escobar, Rinôçerôse, Copenhagen's Supertroels and more) the album also includes some of the many remixes The Glass have done for other bands this year. Indie boys' Robbers On High Street get a Disco workout, Norway's 120 Days (Vice) get a bass heavy club rinsing and Antipop (Telepopmusik's Christophe Hetier) featuring Italian starlet Asia Argento gets a sexy re-groove. The album also includes The Glass' first release 'Won't Bother Me' previously only ever available as a 12" or on mix compilations and has been in heavy request from fans, especially on myspace. Other gems include 2020 Soundsystem Vs The Glass' 'No Order' and up and comers Arveene & Misk's remix of 'Mad At You' that has been getting play from Boyz Noise, Digitalism, Freeform Five and many many more..)

Klimek - Dedications [Anticipate] CD (Sebastian Meissner of Frankfurt/Main, is a conceptual media artist, composer, sound designer and photographer, and this is his third full-length release under his Klimek alias, and his first for the Anticipate label. Klimek has been building up his reputation through a slew of releases and compilation appearances on Cologne's revered Kompakt -- an institution as much as a label. Always one to embrace change and a new challenge, Sebastian Meissner realized that the Anticipate label would be an ideal home for the follow-up to 2006's Music To Fall Asleep -- an album that cemented Meissner as one of the most interesting post-Eno composers of narcoleptic yet enthralling drift music. With Dedications, Meissner devotes each track to two of his musical idols, from Michael Gira to Steven Spielberg to Marvin Gaye. But these influences are not simply conglomerated and rehashed into a form of faux-originality; instead, they are distilled and deconstructed until only their purest elements remain.)

Envy - Transfovista [Temporary Residence] DVD (Transfovista is the first long-form video documenting the long and winding history of Envy's sound and vision. Presented here are seventeen of the band's most notable live performances, spanning a dozen years and countless pieces of murdered equipment. Beautifully edited from a variety of sources culled from hundreds of live shows, Transfovista is a perfect documentation of where the band started, where they've been, and where they are now. From tiny basements to massive outdoor stages and back, this is how the first fifteen went for a band that is becoming more legendary with every passing moment.)

Dan Deacon - Ultimate Reality [Carpark] DVD (Dan Deacon is one of 2007's most hotly tipped new leftfield-pop artists who has already had features in just about all the UK's leading style press. Ultimate Reality is a collaborative performance by Baltimore's Dan Deacon and Jimmy Joe Roche, a clip from which (Crystal Cat) has already made it into Q Magazine's '10 Best Clips Of The Month' with a 4/5 review. It combines an intense musical composition for electronics and drums with a psychedelic montage of Arnold Schwarzenegger films that is projected at a monumental scale. The live energy of the performance has allowed the piece to freely move between art and music venues and grant it a wide audience of appreciation.The forty minute music composition, written by Dan Deacon, blasts from three sets of loudspeakers during performance. Driving and cinematic, the electronic piece is accompanied by two live drummers who pound a marching rhythm. The footage was appropriated by Jimmy from Schwarzenegger classics such as Terminator 2 and Total Recall to accompany the composition for Ultimate Reality. Jimmy has transformed the violent struggles of these films into a mesmerizing sequence of fantastic images where popular science fiction icons seep in and out of mirrored layers of kaleidoscopic colour.)

Slept In Spray - Albiero [Self-Released] Limited Edition CD Box with Postcard (Slept in Spray is a young musician collective since 2006. They do not formulate their music, it follows the flow of their stream of minds without constraints. They typically compose instrumental songs to produce sounds cape of mood and motion. Similar to making soundtracks, try to connect music with visual images, creating a cinematic atmosphere between real and fictional world. Theydd like to think they actually play good music, but what may turn out to be is white noise.)

Why! - Alopecia [Anticon] CD / LP (Two years after wooing critics with their beloved Elephant Eyelash, Why? returns, third LP in hand. As expected, the band-- Yoni Wolf, Josiah Wolf, Doug McDiarmid-- continues its calculated blitzkrieg on that self-made jangle-rap, indie pop 'n' roll genre, but the stakes are raised. The boys returned to their Midwest roots for Alopecia, hunkering down in Minneapolis's Third Ear studio and inducting a pair of venerable big guns into the band: Fog mastermind Andrew Broder and bassist Mark "Bear" Erickson. Throwing their samplers to the wind (mostly), Why? recorded live as a five-piece. By the time the core trio returned to Oakland (where Thee More Shallows' D. Kessler engineered a final session), they'd amassed their most immediate and cohesive batch of songs to date.)

Son Lux - At War With Walls and Mazes [Anticon] CD (At War With Walls and Mazes is a stunning debut wrung from classical precision and good old human gut-wrench. Son Lux's first is a heady collection of songs breathing the same air and sharing the same space; painted from the same palette but set apart still-- each is a distinct region of one broad, heaving sonic landscape. From afar, it's an environment characterized by would-be contradictions: the austere grandness of chamber music undercut by undulating electronica; the intricately orchestral assembled via hip-hop collage; a day-plain pop ease silhouetted by deep soul. Up close, it's clear that these contradictions are what hold the entire work together.)

Matthew Dear - Asa Breed : Black Edition [Ghostly International] CD (An expanded new edition of Matthew Dear's 2007 Asa Breed album. Asa Breed finds the Detroit-based electronic artist achieving new artistic heights. It's more robust, more accessible, and yet still undeniably Matthew Dear. Incorporating his uniquely crafted textures alongside rhythmic influences from Brian Eno & David Byrne's classic My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, plus a lyrical storytelling element from his Texas upbringing, Asa Breed is a completely unique musical experience. With each track on this album, Dear tells a unique story about life and human relationships with his rich baritone voice and fusion of live and electronic instruments. In sum, Asa Breed represents a new feeling and a more expansive look into the psyche of an artist coming into his own. Black Edition features remixes and re-envisionings from Four Tet, M.A.N.D.Y., DJ Koze, and Hot Chip.)

Dom Mino - Time Lapse [Schole] CD (Dom Mino' (Domenico Mino') is an artist who's currently living in London. His tunes are exceedingly soft and delicate. Even though they're played and controlled mainly by the electronic sounds, his 'sweet pop music' somehow reminds us the typical Japanese lyricism, yet also have the daydream-like comfortableness. In his past, Dom Mino' provided some of his tunes for the short films and animation pieces by a video artist Ed Holdsworth and created a huge sensation after those video pieces have made appearances on BBC website.)

Susumu Yokota - Love or Die [Lo] CD (Susumu Yokota is one of the very few consistently engaging electronic artists to emerge in the last ten years-- always restless, always changing, and yet always himself. Love Or Die sees him return to a more distinctly "ambient" sound, similar to that found on his classic albums like Sakura and Grinning Cat-- and yet there are new variations and surprising juxtapositions, such as the drum and bass-meets-Windham Hill textures of "The Scream of a Sage..." or the Joe Meek breakbeat of "The Loneliness of Anarchic Beauty..." The long Zen-like titles seem to indicate that whatever the musical terrain, at the core of Yokota's music lies a deep and profound sense of purpose and focus.)

Indian Jewelry - We Are The Wild Beast [Tigerbeat 6] CD (Before Indian Jewelry, there was NTX+Electric, and this album documents that great band during its most creative and inspired early time-- before they had a chance to travel across the world, perfecting their live show and gaining fans and enemies with their excessive strobe lights, tribal percussion, and overdriven amplifiers. We Are the Wild Beast is remarkable for its unrestrained sonic hedonism, timeless aesthetic, and complete disregard for modern trends or styles. Completely detached from any of its musical contemporaries, this album possesses a unique sense of surrealism, and feels closer in spirit to the films of Peter Greenaway and David Lynch then the usual psychedelic or rock and roll ethos.)

Islaja - Blaze Mountain Recordings [Ecstatic Peace] CD (Islaja is Merja Kokkonen, a visual artist and musician from Helsinki, Finland. Since then Islaja has played numerous large festivals including Eurosonic, Sonar and the 2006 All Tomorrows Parties/Nightmare Before Christmas curated by Thurston Moore. Animal Collective invited Islaja to play a two week support tour with them in Europe. Blaze Mountain Recordings is a live document, all music and words by Merja and played by Merja and Jukka. It's the perfect portal to enter the living world of Islaja's music/art spirit with a unity of traditional Finnish forest mystery and a radical song universe.)

Nick Schillace - Landscape and People [Burly Time] CD (Landscape and People is the second album from Nick Schillace, a six- and twelve-string acoustic guitar player born, raised and living near Detroit, Michigan. A collection of wordless portraits and thoughts on people he has met and places he has seen, Landscape and People betrays his undergraduate work as a journalist. By the time the disc ends, you feel like you have peaked into the eye of his memory.)

The Photographic - Pictures of a Changing World [Galaxia] CD (The Photographic, an instrumental rock duo out of Louisville, Kentucky comprised of guitarist Jamey See Tai and drummer Chad Blevins, began creating music in February 2003. At first, the group included one melodic guitar and drums, and since has evolved into several looped guitars, synth, and drums. They wrote and practiced in Blevins's parents' basement for seven months before playing their first show with Unwed Sailor. During the past four years, the Photographic has shared the stage with Louisville compatriots VHS or Beta and The Shipping News, as well as The Naysayer, Apples in Stereo, The Gossip, Snowden, Dead Meadow, Jennifer Gentle, Hawthorne Heights, Early Day Miners, Comets on Fire, Ungdomskulen, and Viva Voce. Their live show is no typical indie rock concert; it is a visual performance, with the music doubling as a soundtrack to a sequence of random video images projected between the band by the guitarist's brother, Jesse See Tai.)

Matt Baldwin - Paths of Ignition [American Dust] CD (One of the more unexpected-- if worthwhile-- byproducts of the 21st-century underground American folk revival is a renewed interest in solo acoustic guitar music. Spare, haunting, pastoral sounds have a struck a new chord, and the names John Fahey and Takoma are hip again. Just check the mighty Tompkins Square and Strange Attractors labels for the proof in the pudding. Featured on Tompkins Square's 2006 Berkeley Guitar LP, Baldwin now steps into his own with his debut solo release. Unlike many of his peers, he looks beyond the traditions of Fahey (whom he calls "a teacher," not a god), bringing portentous and progressive elements into his music, alongside a dreamy country lilt. He covers Krautrock legends Neu! ("Weissensee") and metal Vikings Judas Priest ("Winter"), and culls inspiration from prog heroes Yes on the closing epic "Rainbow." His music comes on like a creeping moss, verdant but threatening, comforting yet unsettling. It will work its way inside you.)

Pan Sonic - Kuvaputki [Black First Petite] DVD (The first ever Pansonic DVD release by Edward Quist, American digital visual artist. A live performance, close filmed. A redux digital film based around a Pansonic performance from their New York stop of their adventerous 1999 Round The World Tour. The film is a hyper-real abstract reflection of the duo, in the final year of the last century. Whilst the documentary core remains, the footage is twisted and shaped by Quist into a new form in conjunction with Pansonic's improvised set, Vaino & Vaisanen are immersed in the imagery of the cathode which seems to live and infect their physicality over the course of the three parallel films until they merge with their own sound and Quist's mesmerising visuals. Sonar Electronic Festival described the film as "A beautiful and unique film capturing the very essence of a Pansonic live performance... which really is quite an acheivement" SxSW Music Festival calls it "An embodiment. Probably the most perfect electronic music film yet" ICA Film London "Suprisingly watchable. Forty minutes of unswervingly moderne, super intense sound & visuals".)

Aethenor - Betimes Black Cloudmasses [VHF] CD (Betimes Black Cloudmasses is the highly-anticipated second album from Vincent De Roguin (Shora), Stephen O'Malley (SUNN0))), KTL), and Daniel O'Sullivan (Guapo). Like their genre- and audience-confounding debut Deep In Ocean Sunk the Lamp of Light, Betimes is an atmospheric, constantly changing piece that encompasses a mind-boggling array of different performance and processing techniques. The deeply psychedelic and moving results present a soundstage that is continually evolving, with new elements entering and leaving the fray every couple of seconds. Betimes includes significant contributions from free percussionists Nicolas Field and Alex Babel, who sprinkle the sound field with an almost FMP-style rush of splattering drum sound, raising the intensity of the music (without resorting to bashing). The album also features a brief but affecting vocal from Ulver mastermind Kristoffer Rygg, who will make his first live appearance in over a decade when Aethenor plays the Roadburn Festival in April 2008.)

Sitaar Tah! - Semimimimimin [Archive] CD (A 43min single track studio recording from the Tokyo based Sitar Orchestra that provided the amazing musical backdrop for Keiji Haino on the double disc archive release Animamima. The 22 piece unit is back with this swarm of locus gem of a release. Graphic and design work on the release by Stephen O’Malley features an outer cover that is a four color silkscreen, beautifully executed by Alan Sherry of Siwa records. Inside is a gorgeous photographic collage. Pressing of 700 copies.)

Nadja - Thaumoradiance [Archive] CD (Nadja is a duo of Aidan Baker (guitars/vocals/piano/woodwinds/drums) & Leah Buckareff (bass/vocals). Nadja originally began in 2003 as a solo project for Baker to explore the heavier/noisier side of his experimental/ambient guitar-based music. In 2005 Buckareff joined in order to make the project more than just a studio endeavour & allow Nadja to perform live. Late 2007 two track live release from Nadja which functions as a companion release for the studio archive CD. Radiance of Shadows preludes into the cliffnotes 20'ish min. version of Thaumogenesis. Similar graphic themes and sleeve design all once again from Mr Seldon Hunt. Pressing of 600 copies.)

Nadja - Thaumogenesis [Archive] CD (Nadja creates music that has been described as drone, ambient-doom, and shoegazer-metal. The duo combines soundscapes, electronics, & atmospheric vocals with snail-crawl, epic riffs & dirge-like percussion, tempering the cacophany with a certain ethereal melodicism such that the listener is enveloped in a sublimating wall of amorphous sound. A small 500 copy re-pressing of the Canadian duos 60+ min one track epic studio work. Sold out some time ago in an original pressing of 600 copies back here in a small run with all identical original audio content, but slightly altered artwork on the original theme by Seldon Hunt.)

Religious Knives - Live at Bigjar [Archive] CD (A four track live disc recorded in August of 07 by myself. While Religious Knives represent ½ the former output of Double Leopards the output from this quartet is anything but. Raw and dirty garage rock for keyboards, bass, guitar and drums that sounds more comfortable being off the Doors early demo days box set rather then a nofun offshoot band. Comes in a ½ panel sleeve graphic work by now frequent archive art collaborator Chase Middaugh. Pressing of 600 copies.)

The Julie Mittens - S/T [Holy Mountain] CD (When a band gets billed as a "power trio" it always makes me think of Rush. This dutch group are an entirely different proposition to the Canadian prog behemoths however, and instead occupy a raw, improv noise rock sound, all recorded with a suitable lack of care and attention. Glancing over the line-up you might recognise drummer Leo Fabriek from his collaboration with Machinefabriek - a real highlight in the Rutger Zuydervelt catalogue it was too - but this material has no detectable common ground with that either, instead the four lengthy pieces conjure up a clamour of drones and feedback while Fabriek establishes a fluid backbone, never going too far into the realms of fancy, instead helping bassist Michael Van Damm establish a peculiar brand of swingtime jazz on the likes of 'December 12 2006'. "The Julie Mittens" inspired by John Coltrane's "The Olatunji Concert: The Last Live Recording" and the knowledge that Fushitsusha has more to do with Thelonius Monk than Blue Cheer, guitarist Aart-Jan Schakenbos, bassist Michael van Dam, and drummer Leo Fabriek consistently wreak havoc with lavish, textural, speaker-blowing meltdown jams; they surge with psychedelic power and a stellar rhythm section on the four studio recordings here.)

Who's Your Favourite Son God - Out Of Body Diva [Holy Mountain] CD (Another rabble out of the Holy Mountain camp set to rouse a psych jam riot, Who's Your Favourite Son, God? aren't as mired in the doughy low-end distortions mapped by noisemakers like Blues Control. Instead this band favours a more - dare I say it - fun-filled approach to freeform, off-the-cuff musical narratives. Pieces like 'Space Jam' typify this: it's at once impressively well-organised and prone to exploratory musical digressions. Representing an entirely different side to the band's output, the vocal-led 'Downtown Cherry Merchandise' has a run-in with Animal Collective-style pop perversion, seemingly entirely at odds with the admirably mathsy 'Wizard Certificate', shifting into an intricate, choppy framework with prog-influenced levels of sophistication and musicianship. Another fine achievement, this week's best song title is without doubt 'Don't Tell Mom The Babysitter's Dad', a thirty-seven second blast of Sonic Youth-style multiple guitar pile-ups. There are a couple of contenders for second place on that front however: first there's '3 Men Vs. A Baby', a distorted romp featuring a gloopy definition on the truly gnarled, sludge-laden bottom-end, while 'Metaphysical Labor' - with the sort of title only Sun Ra would think was a perfectly reasonable name for something - closes down the album via a detuned meander into walls of slapback echo and unexpectedly jazzy piano runs.)

Capsule - Blue [Robotic Empire] CD + LP (Wrapping one's head around what exactly Capsule does on their debut album is damn-near impossible, as these three post-ADD maniacs have created one of the strangest heavy-music albums in years. Blue is a confounding conglomeration of blasting time-signatures, galloping punk spirit, and a ghostly vocal chorus that buzzes through a mountain of guitar and bass. Blurry, buried shouts are surrounded by thunderous songs played at every tempo in the punk and metal spectra. Intricate melodies in bizarre tunings sneak their way into an overall unnerving amalgamation of genres, creating an anxiety-filled album of fevered beauty. Capsule sounds like no other band, and this is the most unique and one of the most interesting albums Robotic Empire has released to date. Attempting to keep up with the packaging precedent set by Miami brethren Torche's In Return 10-inch+CD release, Capsule's Blue only comes as two formats together, with a deluxe gatefold jacket housing both a CD and 12-inch vinyl record. A high-gloss spot varnish accompanies this full-color, die-cut jacket with printed black interior. The minimalistic design perfectly contrasts Capsule's varied creations on this stunning debut.)

Goslings - Occasion [Not Not Fun] CD (Hollywood, Florida family/band Max and Leslie Soren have been unleashing their private bouts of punishing ceremonial sludge-gaze for the past half a decade now, and there's been some total titanic highlights (Between the Dead, Grandeur of Hair, etc). But the grunge swamp graveyard they seem to unearth their moss metal from must be profoundly fertile ground, because each new song-cycle they lay to tape is somehow even more miraculously brutal and shimmering and visionary than the one before it. This phenom holds true for Occasion, The Goslings' newest and maybe deepest doom/beauty inquest. Eight thundering masterpieces of molten slime riff majesty, nightstalker drums, and soaring-into-the-sun female vox that crush the earth, bleed, and breathe in humid darkness. Ranging from the Slowdive-meets-Skullflower transcendent descent of "Motorcade" through to the quaking basement funeral of "Little Horn," Occasion is a glorious passage into The Goslings' hidden holy land. Mastered for optimal audio gravity by James Plotkin, and housed in a swank six-panel wallet-style metallic-ink digipak with artwork by the band.)

Bowline - S/T [Sonoris] CD ("Behind Bowline we find the more and more present musician David Maranha, who was once best known as Osso Exotico, and these days also works as a solo musician and one Francesco Dillon. He is from Italy and studied the cello. These days he is a member of Alter-Ego (see Vital Weekly 602 for their work with Gavin Bryars) as well as playing with people like Matmos, Pan Sonic and Scanner. A man of many talents. Here too Dillon plays cello, whereas Maranha gets credit for 'hammond organ, violin, vox amplifier (with Francesco cello signal), glass harmonica, tremolo and distortion pedals'. Of the four tracks , the first is the most silent one, taking several minutes to get started. Like with so many other projects of David Maranha, in which ever form it takes, this is a work of minimalism. Of sheer, utter minimalism and what beauty, once again. The careful strumming of various string instruments, the drones added, sparsely of course, from the other instruments. Three short tracks which eventually culminate in the fourth track, which takes up about two-third of the CD and in which the three previous excursions return but glorified. Everything comes together here. If you love Osso Exotico or any of the works Maranha did after that, this is will be a most welcome addition. Also fans of traditional minimal music, especially Lamonte Young will find this a great release, I'm sure of that." (Frans de Waard - Vital Weekly 605))

Aleph-1 - S/T [P*dis] CD (Always cause for no small amount of excitement, a new release from Carsten Nicolai tends to be a pretty significant event for the electronic music community. As suggested by the new moniker, the Aleph-1 project marks a departure from some of the more familiar Alva Noto approaches to composition, although these recordings do tie in to some extent with the rhythmic minimalism plotted out by Nicolai's older work, marking a step back from the more harmonic Xerrox material from last year. The most immediately striking aspect of this music is the presence of a pronounced melodic element, something that's previously barely featured in Nicolai's solo recordings. This manifests itself by replacing the abrupt prickling static soundset of the Transrapid/Transspray/Transvision triptych with more resonant, rounded tones, with simple, sustaining waves evolving gradually over the course of each piece within a network of looping, modulating phrases. This being Carsten Nicolai, the use of melody never makes itself too explicit, instead relying on a mesmeric, cumulative effect for its power. There's a subtlety and precision at work throughout Aleph-1, and after spending some time with these pieces you'll find yourself thoroughly absorbed by their awkward, immense beauty. JAPAN Edition w/ bonus track.)

BORIS - Smile [DIW] CD (On Smile, Boris' brush paints deeply intense blistering psychedelia, mammoth hooks, innovative song-writing, and a reinvention of dark heaviness. It features collaborative guests: Stephen O' Malley (Sunn0))), KTL), and Michio Kurihara (Ghost, White Heaven, The Stars). ......Upon reflection of the aftermath of releasing their most successful album to date: (Pink) Boris has found the desire to create sounds that are a wider extension of just simply music. They are searching for sounds that are also an extension of life and the many experiences they have had in the two years that have passed since the release of Pink. In their quest Boris are drawing upon unconventional influences such as: obscure Hair Metal, Japanese cartoon songs, and 80s' Japanese pop singers to help shape the bands new directions. They are unafraid to embrace different sounds that are definitely not hip or cool within the context of accepted Rock, Noise, or Drone music. These bold moves are really nothing new from the band that basically changes with every release with a conscious effort to not repeat what they have done in the past. Smile is a new sound which represents everything that is RIGHT NOW. Boris hope "this is going to be a new experience for everyone beyond 'music'". This is the Japanese version of the album housed in a plastic sleeve with an heartshaped cut out and a slightly different tracklist than the Southern Lord version... Japanese First Pressing Edition / Plastic Sleeve / Heartsheaped cut out.)

Earth - The Bees Made Honey In The Lion's Skull + Live Europe 2006 [Daymare] 2CD (The band returns once again to it's continuing evolution. Where "Hex" reveled in dark satanic twang and austere american beauty, "The Bees Made Honey In The Lion's Skull" finds Dylan Carlson and the band growing into a harder, more rock, american Gospel and impovisitory direction framed by truly psychedelic production and blazing guitar sounds. Earth is also very honored to be joined on this record for three songs by a legendary and virtuoso guitarist Bill Frisell. Mr. Frisell adds a brilliant texture and counterpoint to the scintillating and inspired riffs of Dylan carlson and the band. Adrienne Davies joins again on drums lending a classic and steady feel to the proceedings. Steve Moore also returns adding heavy hammond organ and his intense jazz inspired piano playing. Live Bassist Don McGreevy also makes his full length Earth debut on this record. * Also available US single disc edition on Southern Lord label with nicely packaged in a slip-case/o-card and features artwork by Arik Roper.)

Burning Witch - Crippled Lucifer [Daymare] 3CD (Burning Witch - Crippled Lucifer [Daymare] 3CD (Not much description needed on this release. The conclusive collection on witch material from 96-97 which includes both LP’s the 96 demo and a 96 live gig from Seattle. Short lived early project from O’Malley (Sunno))), Khanate) and Stuart Dahlquist (ASVA) that is perhaps shows the highest form of evolution of cult doom metal. Comes in a high gloss mini gatefold Japanese style sleeve with extensive photo book insert. *Also available US double discs edition on Southern Lord label with digi-packing.)

Harmonia - Live 1974 [Water] CD (Though they only released two albums (A hypnotic live set from Harmonia -- and a pretty incredible sonic document of the hugely important group made of Krautrock lynchpins Michael Rother, Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Dieter Mobius! The gig was one from March of 1974 in Griessem, Germany and it finds the trio kicking out the trance inducing ambience, lumbering 70s style electronic manipulation, and improvisational interplay without ever sacrificing a heady groove! The group was hardly content to simply play the tracks from their couple of LPs -- taking a much more freeform, exploratory and beautifully languorous approach to their sound -- a pretty raw, but no less beautiful swirl of electronic percussion, keys, synthesizer and ambient guitar.)

Crystal Castles - S/T [Last Gang] CD (Since forming in the summer of 2004, Crystal Castles, the Toronto-based duo of Ethan Kath and Alice Glass have amassed a cult following through their uncompromising and intense delivery, a slew of limited edition singles and shows packed solely from word of mouth. Their 7" singles have sole out almost instantly, they have toured extensively in the UK, Europe and North America with artists such as The Klaxons and Metric. Now they bring their full on 8-bit assault to a proper full length album which has topped many people's lists of "Most Anticipated Releases of 2008".)

Qbliq - Antenna [Thomason Sounds] CD (Obliq has been around since the spring of 2005. After releasing 2 singles during 2006 Obliq wanted to create something bigger. About one year ago they went into Nacksving Studios Göteborg to meet the producers Isak Edh and Dan Viktor to plan for the coming year. The decision was made to make a full album. With creativity at its highest, lyrics, songs, and melodies came together as pieces in a puzzle. People around them began to show an interest and some major names in swedish music wanted to help.)

EF - I Am Responsible [Thomason Sounds] CD (The follow up to last year critically acclaimed "Give me beauty... Or give me death!" is a more focused and even a more epic travel through darkness and light. ef have tried to explore new paths to suprise the listener and bring em on a roller coaster ride to soundscapes made of emotions, explosions and pure energy. Instead of just adding, they have deleated a lot - and it makes this journey even more bombastic! It gives you a chance to feel something, and the only way to feel, is to come it close. "I am responsible" is close, close like a warming campfire. * JPN Edition with bonus track (Hello Scotland * Stafraenn Hakon remix).)

The Weird Weeds - I Miss This [Autobus] CD With 7" (The Weird Weeds are a trio from Austin, TX that draws upon wildly divergent musical backgrounds and a common interest in non-traditional forms to create pop music that is experimental yet oddly palatable and well-conceived. Since 2003, they have released two full-length albums and one EP and have extensively toured the U.S. and Canada. Their members have collaborated with a huge array of musicians including Jandek, Tom Carter, Arnold Dreyblatt, The Cherry Blossoms, Xiu Xiu, and many more. For their third album (and first for Austin's Autobus Records) I Miss This, the band spent seven months recording at home and in the studio, a far more labor-intensive process than any previous record they've made. The album further develops their already highly refined approach, expanding their dynamic range and musical scope beyond 2005's acclaimed Weird Feelings. The songs go from the most raucous distorted guitar romps to the most delicate acoustic ballads, still continually indulging their penchant for complex harmonies, unconventional song structures, and strange noises. I Miss This is another meticulously crafted and beautifully executed album from a unique and talented band.)

Filfla (aka Fourcolour) - Frolicfon [Headz] CD (FourColor is one of the music project by Keiichi Sugimoto. Sugimoto founded the cubic music in 1999 with Tetsuro Yasunaga and Namiko Sasamoto. The label, as a record label, sound production, and designing works based in Tokyo, Japan. He is engaged to some projects of various music relation based on the label.(ex. a part of the electro-acoustic-music quartet Minamo (12K/apestaartje/cubic music), as electronica project Fonica (plop/tomlab) and as electro-pop music band called FilFla.) And, He is also graphic designer / web designer for cubic music or the other company.)

Reiko Kudo - Licking Up Dust [Hyotan] CD (Newest release on Tori and Reiko Kudo's (Maher Shalal Hash Baz/Noise/etc.) in-house label. Backing Reiko this time around are Tori Kudo (organ, guitar), Teruki Tamayanagi (bass) and Keiji Haino (guitar, drums and vocals). 'There are two songs about mountains, a song about butterflies and chestnut and loquat and so on.' --Reiko Kudo.)

Sian Alice Group - 59' 59 [Social Registry] CD / LP (London-based band, Sian Alice Group, is already on the rise in its native England having opened a string of shows for Spiritualized and received a flurry of attention in the press. 59.59 is a fully realized and album that moves through traditional pop songwriting and instrumental composition while tempering it with studio improvisation. It is an epic record that showcases the talent and range and of this young group, taking in elements of various genres and making them their own. At a time when the musical landscape seems inundated with derivative retrogressive guitar bands, or acts reliant on sequenced beats and oscillator knobs, Sian Alice Group's more classical inclinations show their willingness to tread their own path. 59.59 features guest appearances from Douglas Hart (Jesus & Mary Chain), John Coxon (Spiritualized, Spring Heel Jack) and Brian DeGraw (Gang Gang Dance).)

Autistic Daughters - Uneasy Flowers [Kranky] CD ("Uneasy Flowers" is the second album by Autistic Daughters, the intercontinental trio of Dean Roberts (guitar, vocals), Martin Brandlmayr (percussion, computer) and Werner Dafeldecker (guitar, bass). It is also the fourth in a series of records in which Roberts, having begun in more abstract territory in New Zealand's mid-1990s 'free noise' ferment, has embraced song, lyric and voice as vessels for topographic and psychoanalytic tracings of the impacts of territory and nomadism on the subject. This is reflected by the shape-shifting nature of the outfit: while Autistic Daughters, whose name comes from a lyric from their first record "Jealousy And Diamond", are resolutely a trio, they also work in cinematic format, with ancillary players - in this instance, Chris Abrahams of The Necks, Martin Siewert and Valerio Tricoli - as part of both cast and crew, foley artists behind the trio's complex, worm-turning arrangements.)

Beach House - Devotion [Carpark] CD (Baltimore duo Beach House have returned with their sophomore full length entitled Devotion. Alex Scally and Victoria Legrand have written eleven delicate pop tunes about love, feeling, and, of course, devotion. Their new album is a surefire antidote to the winter blues. Beach House have developed their craft exponentially since their 2006 self-titled debut. The recording is crisper; the songs are fuller. This is a band that is taking the pop duo format to the limit. The organs, slide guitars and reverb are still there, but Beach House lay out some new sounds for their newest offering. While on their debut critics made comparisons to early '90s dream popsters like Mazzy Star, Galaxie 500 and Slowdive, on Devotion listeners will also hear the band's longtime admiration for '60s Motown and country folk.)

Angel - Kalmukia [Editions Mego] CD (A collaboration between Pan Sonic's Ilpo Vaisanen, Schneider TM's Dirk Dresselhaus and Hildur Gudnadottir of Lost In Hildurness, this incredible album finds the trio spinning a fine web of dark drones and digital noise oscillations in a fashion that's clearly got a lot in common with fellow Editions Mego labelmates KTL. Angel relies upon a similarly organic relationship between doomy, metallic abrasion and avant-garde minimalism, with computer manipulations weaving deathly guitar and cello textures into an eerie, dark ambient soundscape. The echo-plain slide guitar on opener 'Bones In The Sand' could have been lifted clean off Earth's Hex LP, but transcending any sense of being derivative, the piece unfurls to reveal a menacing, lyrical cello solo cutting through the tangle of distortion and sustaining noise. Befitting its confusing title, 'Kalmukia - The Discovery, Wiring, Invasion' presents an epic lurch toward atmospheric, industrial sound processing, riddled with shimmering cymbal clatter and shards of cello scrapes escaping the overwhelming factory hum. It's only once you arrive at the final piece 'Aftermath: The Mutation' that the album truly distinguishes itself from the death ambient pack: there's a brightness and effulgence of tone that's closer to the psychedelic excess of Burning Star Core, albeit with a little less dirt sucked into the recording. Another magnificent spillage of auditory dark matter from the Editions Mego camp, and a beguiling, limited package to boot.)

Shinro Otake 大竹伸朗 - Shinro Otake Zen-Kei: Retrospective 1955-2007 [Metroporitan Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo] Exhibition Catalogue with 2CD (Avant-garde painter Shinro Otake is well-known not only by his large sized collage works used junk materials but also by punk noise musician collaborated with Yamataka EYE, Yoshihide Otomo and others. This is special catalog of his recent biggest retrospective exhibition. 2200 works and long texts by himself are included. Also it includes 2CD titled "DA" and "Dub-Hey". The sound is avant-noise performed by his automatic junk machine (with some players) during the exhibition. 23 x 30cm, Hard bound and with hardboard envelope, text in Japanese and English. 1150 pp and extremely heavy (6kg!))

Joji Yuasa 湯浅譲二 - Obscure Tape Music of Japan Vol.7 : Music for Experimental Films 実験映画のための音楽 [Omega Point] CD (Any avant-garde composer had made sound tracks for experimental film maker Toshio Matsumoto. This CD consists of Joji Yuasa's three musique concrete works for his 60-70's short films - Broken meaningless words of "Andy Warhol : Re-Reproduction", electronic sound and collage with chamber orchestra for obscure an earliest work "Document of The Long White Line" and strange concrete sound of "Autonomy".)

Toshi Ichiyanagi 一柳慧 - Obscure Tape Music of Japan Vol.8 : Live Performance - Electronic Field [Omega Point] CD (This performance is a part of concert series "Japanese Experimental Music 1960's" carried out at Art Tower Mito in Ibaraki. Toshi Ichiyanagi played improvisation on prepared piano and the sound was modulated by live-electronics. However he is a 'maestro' of contemporary music now, his quite non-declined experimentalism is appeared by this great and deep sound. Also painter Sadamasa Motonaga (b.1922, a member of GUTAI) projected abstruct figures to walls of the space.)

V/A - Oto no hajimari wo motomate 6 : Nishihata Shiotani Takayanagi Work [Sound 3] CD (Recorded at the NHK electronic music studio, Tokyo in 1955 (tr.1), 1958 (tr.2), 1959 (tr.3), 1960 (tr.4), 1968 (tr.5), and 1970 (tr.6). Includes 12-page booklet with liner notes, credits and chronologies in Japanese. Artists incl. Minao Shibata 柴田南雄, Toru Takemitsu 武滿徹, Toshiro Mayuzumi 黛敏郎, YoriAki Matsudaira 松平頼暁, Ryohei Hirose 広瀬良平.)

V/A - Oto no hajimari wo motomate 5 : Tsutomu Kolima work [Sound 3] CD (5th issue  of Japanese electronic music made by NHK electronic music studio  after EXPO'70. Engineer Kojima assisted many electronic works of avant-garde composers. (Jean Claude Eloy's well known concrete music "Gaku-no-Michi" was also assisted by Tsutomu Kojima.) These pieces were recorded between 1971 and 1983 at the NHK electronic music studio, Tokyo. Includes 12-page booklet with liner notes in Japanese. Artists incl. Keiki Okasaka 岡阪慶紀, Joji Yuasa 湯淺讓二, jo kondo 近藤譲, Sesshu Kai 甲斐说宗, Katuhiro Tubonou 坪能克裕, Hifumi Shimoyama 下山一二三.)

V/A - 9111281730 Kunitachi College of Music: Sonic Culture Design [EMI] CD (Interactive computer music with MAX by students of Kunitachi College of Music. This CD is memorial of program of Sonic Culture Design , and is available at the college only. - On the 28th November, 1991, at our "Try-Out concert", the NeXT computer and the IRCAM Signal Processing Workstation (ISPW) made their debut in Japan. Since that concert these computers have continued to play an important role in our creation of computer music. But, as the 21st century approaches, they are about to complete their role. Here we offer some of our computer music, and we step in the "NeXT step". - (from liner note))

Yoshida Tatsuya 吉田達也 & Imahori Tsuneo 今堀恒雄 - Dots [Doubt] CD (The miraculous duo of Yoshida Tatsuya & Imahori Tsuneo, heard previously on the Doubtmusci label as Territory, in their second release. DOTS is even more overpowering, speed, ramified rhythm, edits, and so on. First, they recorded their improvised music in studio, then they overdubbed various sounds, edited the materials and mixed different effects into the tunes. This is the music for the prog rock, math rock, post rock fans. Dense and Fiery !)

Eleanoora Rosenholm - Vainajan Muotokuva [Fonal] CD / LP (Eleanoora Rosenholm comes from Pori and is the alter ego of Noora Tommila, Pasi Salmi and Mika Rättö. With "Vainajan Muotokuva" they have crafted a genius pop album with murderous lyrics inside the dark stonewalls that surround SS-Palace studio. Time came to get the show on the road and the band evolved into a full 8 piece. Mika Rättö is not a part of the band but is working as a background godfather and often watching the band as a part of the audience. With Noora's amazing vocal work and the genius backing band they create a disco any housewife serial killer would be proud to dance to.)

Akio Suzuki 鈴木昭男 - K7 Box [ALM] CD (Akio Suzuki's brand new CD is released just now!! This CD is consisted 9 tracks mainly his self-made sound object "Analapos" and "De Koolmees", and 2 tracks of them are recorded for announce sound of opening and closing of Yokosuka Museum of Art. They are so clear and spacy. booklet is written by himself, David Toop and others. text in Japanese and English. ALM Records is well known label that has released many avant-garde LP titles in 70-80's. Especially about Akio Suzuki, two LPs has released - obscure solo LP (limited 100 copies) and "New Sence of Hearing" with Kosugi.)

Yoshi Wada - Lament For The Rise And Fall of The Elephantine Crocodile [Omega Point / EM] CD (Best known for his work as part of the Fluxus collective, sound artist Yoshi Wada only released two albums, the rarest of which is reissued here. 1981's Lament For The Rise And Fall Of The Elephantine Crocodile contains two pieces: one half-hour vocal drone focusing on overtones in a reverberant space, and another, slightly longer piece based on a bagpipe-like homemade instrument, which drones in a magnificently aggressive fashion exhaustively. On this piece you can certainly hear the connection between Wada and cohort la Monte Young, but there's also a real similarity between this latter composition and Jim O'Rourke's early organ drones. These pieces present a similar illusion of featureless, complete temporal stasis, with sustain spiraling off into infinity. Which, in case you're unclear on the matter, would be a good thing. Highly Recommended.)

Kaoru Abe 阿部薫 - Mort a Credit [ALM] 2CD (Kaoru Abe is a legend in the Japanese free Jazz underground, who died at the age of 29 over a decade ago. Improvisations on alto or soprano saxophones. Recorded live at Aoyama Tower Hall, on 18th of October, 1975.)

Kaoru Abe / Motoharu Yoshizawa Duo 阿部薫 / 吉沢元治 - Nord  [ALM] 2CD (CD reissue of a 1981 LP release of duo recordings from Yoshizawa (bass, cello) and Abe (alto sax). Essential item from these two heavyweights of the Japanese free music scene. Abe's duo with legendary free bassist Motoharu Yoshizawa, Nord, stands as a critical summit between two of the major forces in Japanese jazz at the time. Recorded in December 1975 and released in 1981 by Kojima, it reveals a different side to Abe. The two had apparently been playing together since the late '60s - Yoshizawa had, for various reasons (many of which are discussed in the Cummings-translated G*Modern interview with Yoshizawa contained in issue 3 of Christopher Rice's Halana magazine [December 1997]), and it's probably due to Yoshizawa's undeniable heavyweight status that this dialogue is conducted largely on his terms, with Abe toning down his wildly over-the-top style and curbing his natural excesses. Yoshizawa's clever and subtle playing underwrites proceedings; the two conduct three numbered untitled 'Duo Improvisation's filled with wide open spaces, passages of complete silence, and generally delightful and highly skilful matches of catch-as-catch-can.)

Kaoru Abe / Motoharu Yoshizawa Duo 阿部薫 / 吉沢元治 - Nord  [ALM] 2CD (CD reissue of a 1981 LP release of duo recordings from Yoshizawa (bass, cello) and Abe (alto sax). Essential item from these two heavyweights of the Japanese free music scene. Abe's duo with legendary free bassist Motoharu Yoshizawa, Nord, stands as a critical summit between two of the major forces in Japanese jazz at the time. Recorded in December 1975 and released in 1981 by Kojima, it reveals a different side to Abe. The two had apparently been playing together since the late '60s - Yoshizawa had, for various reasons (many of which are discussed in the Cummings-translated G*Modern interview with Yoshizawa contained in issue 3 of Christopher Rice's Halana magazine [December 1997]), and it's probably due to Yoshizawa's undeniable heavyweight status that this dialogue is conducted largely on his terms, with Abe toning down his wildly over-the-top style and curbing his natural excesses. Yoshizawa's clever and subtle playing underwrites proceedings; the two conduct three numbered untitled 'Duo Improvisation's filled with wide open spaces, passages of complete silence, and generally delightful and highly skilful matches of catch-as-catch-can.)

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