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The Declining Winter - Goodbye Minnesota [Rsuted Rail] CD (The Declining Winter is the solo musical project of Richard Vincent Adams of Leeds, England, a co-founder of Hood. Goodbye Minnesota is his debut album under this guise, following an acclaimed 7" on Misplaced Music and a sold out remix project on Moteer. Ranging from epic claustrophobia to rustic folk-dub explorations, with spectral atmospheres anchored to pastoral roots. Goodbye Minnesota delivers hypnotic melancholia via abstract hiphop, shoegaze, dub and post rock explorations. Along the way there's also rain-drenched pop and globally warmed electronic folk.)

Sawako + Daisuke Miyatani - Hi Bi No Ne [Schole] CD (Sawako is a Japanese sound artist now living in New York and Nagoya native where she studied studying the classical piano over 10 years. In Tokyo studied computer culture and graduated in 2002. Sawako obtained a Master's degree in Interactive Telecommunications at the New York University. Since 2001 she has been active releasing CD-R's, MP3's and CD's in various labels such as Portugal's Grain Of Sound, and American's Anticipate, Community Library and 12k. Daisuke Miyatani is a Japanese graphic designer, art director and musician, and currently lives in Awaji Islands who has release some CD's in international imprints. Hi Bi No Ne is released by Schole Records and supported by Schole Japanese magazine run by Akira Kosemura. The music has an organic and digital sound composed by gentle guitars, field recordings, marimba like and bowed instruments, clicks and electronics. The atmosphere is fine and delicate, quite cinematic and 'Super no Flat' is good example of it. 'Sou' shows a nice melody along with the sound of a glass like object producing a rough tiny sound that flows perfectly. Sawakos's vocals are both enchanting and sweet that fixed properly in the music of this album. Refined ambient!)

Sion Orgon - The Zsigmondy Experience CD [Lumberton Trading Company] CD (The second album by Thighpaulsandra and Coil affiliate, once more gushing splendidly with so many universe-mulching ideas that it's difficult not to wonder what's floating around the air in his native Wales these days. From menacing near-ambience and the massive, punk 'n' Prog-bloated 'I'm in Blackout' to vocoded passages over the very same electronic insanity that's spewed out Stockhausen and Xenakis, there's much to wrestle with your mind's deepest and darkest corners here. Collaborators include Coil's Sleazy, Mike Edwards (Jesus Jones' singer), Frank Naughton (Rocketgoldstar and ex-Uziq) Gaz Williams (Rocketgoldstar), The Grangetown String Ensemble, The Chung Chinese Ensemble and many others.)

Toshi Ichiyanagi 一柳慧 + Akiko Samukawa 寒川晶子 + Tomomi Adachi 足立智美 - Live Document "Hommage for Space" [Omega Point] Limited Edition CD with 3" Mini CDr (This is the live recording of the music performance held at the installation exhibition of Chiharu Shiota in the gallery of Kanagawa Kenmin Hall in Yokohama Japan last October. The performance was defined as Art Complex by Toshi Ichiyanagi from the music stand point of view. The content of music consists of live computer impro-visation as well as some acoustic programed pieces by piano performance by Akiko Samukawa, Toshi Ichiyanagi and computer electronics by Tomomi Adachi to create the interpenetration of temporal and spacial situation in the gallery space. - Toshi Ichiyanagi.  Art-Complex also included symposium, string quartet concert, piano recital, contemporary dance and so on. Track 4 includes electric organ drone by Samukawa, some metronomes click by Ichiyanagi and homemade instrument named "Tomoring" by Adachi. Special edition with miniCDR is also available. It's recorded rehearsal take and performance of pre-opening party. limited to 100 copies.)

Toshi Ichiyanagi 一柳慧 (sound) + Yoji Kuri 久里洋二 (manga) - Obscure Tape Music of Japan vol.9 - Drip Music [Omega Point] CD (Yoji Kuri is an experimental animation artist in Japan has acted since early 60's. His name is well-known not only by many works full of 'black humour' in 60's-70's, but also the sound materials were made by avant-garde composers (Toru Takemitsu, Yoko Ono, and others). This new edition is combined Ichiyanagi's unpublished tape work (it was sleeping at Kuri's studio 30 years) with Kuri's written off fantastic manga work inspired by the sound. In 1966, "Yabunirami no Concert" (manga book with 7" single) was published by Kuri privately. This "Drip Music" is similar style issue since then.)

V/A - Concert: 20-21 - vol.16: avant-garde in music I [Committee of Concert] CD (Concert series of Japanese contemporary music after World War 2 at Kioi Hall in Tokyo. Almost of programs of this concert series are authentic compositions on Japanese contemporary music history, however, this issue consists of many event pieces under the influence of first experience of John Cage's concerts and Neo-Dada movement in early 60's. Especially Ichiyanagi's "For Strings #2" on part 2 is strange. Performer moves a violin (attached contact microphone, but extremely quiet one tone) on long tensioned wire instead of bow. Also fluxus artist Mieko Shiomi's pieces are fantastic.)

Matsuo Ono 大野松雄 - The World of The Electro-Acoustic Sound And Music - 1 [King] CD (The name of Matsuo Ohno is well-known as a creator of sound effects of Japanese animation 'Astro Boy' (Takehisa Kosugi assisted in the work). This three issues are retrospective collection of his works includes unpublished electronic compositions from 70's to recent years. with 24 pp booklet, texts are in Japanese and English (with comment of Jim O'Rourke). The original "Astro Boy" album was released twice as LP, first in 1975 and again in 1978, and as a CD in 1998. Unfortunately, both CD and LP were discontinued and the music is not available now except as expensive collector's items. In this releasem you will be able to hear about 20 minutes of the sound effects taken from the original "Astro Boy" album (as track #1 to #32).- Hiromasa Horiuchi.)

Matsuo Ono 大野松雄 - The World of The Electro-Acoustic Sound And Music - 2 [King] CD ("I Saw the Outer Limits" was originally released by Toho Music Co. in 1978. Ohno's giving full play to his exceptional talent. This 41 minutes of magnificent soundscape is concidered as one of the hallmarks of Matsuo Ohno. His creation is so original - like lofty, rock-ribbed peaks isolated from man's biosphere. And its poetical rechness might be said an electronic variation og mineral romances. "The War in Space" is a collection od sound effects for a science fiction movie of the same name made by the film production company, Toho Co., Ltd in 1977. When the sound track album was released back then, these sound effects were overdubbed with film music.- Hiromasa Horiuchi.)

Matsuo Ono 大野松雄 - The World of The Electro-Acoustic Sound And Music - 3 [King] CD (This work is Matsuo Ohno's brand new album recorded in July 2004. Ohno's vision is a torrential flow of vital sound bringing listners an overwhelming experience. This is a magnificent space opera of tide of lives and samsara of the universe, nothingness and eternity weave.- Hiromasa Horiuch.)

Yasunao Tone - Geography And Music [Ashiya City Museum Of Art & History] Catalog + 3" CD (A catalog (with 3"CD) for his first live performances in Japan after 28 years. An interview (text in Japanese, but includes many rare photographs), criticism, biography, compositions and discography are included in the book. The CD is a recording Tone's unreleased work "Geography and Music" (1979) performed at Staadtschouwburg in Leuven, Belgium on 10/20/'83. The book is 12 x 18cm, 50 pages.)

toe - New Sentimentality "Tour Edition" [White Noise] CD (Limited to 1000 Individually Numbered copies. S.E. Asia edition for their first tour outside Japan. One bonus track " Velvet Blanc" that never release on CD before, plus two live video clips "New Sentimentality" and "Past and Language" that took from their show this year. toe is a beautiful math rock group that plays tunes that are complex and gorgeous. Their drummer is excellent and the arrangements of the songs are very interesting. This is a great EP and just a very relaxing listen.)

Miaou - All A Round Us [Thomason Sounds] CD (10 new songs recorded by toe's mino takaaki, with new artwork by sawmill. Miaou were formed in 1999 by Tatsuki Hamasaki and sisters Mayumi and Hiromi Hasegawa. Their debut album, 'Happiness' (Noon records, 2003), was quickly followed by a tour with Australia's Art Of Fighting. Their 2005 release, 'Make These Things Alright' saw Miaou develop their sound into an even more tuneful, dreamy version of instrumental rock. Things started off with the inclusion of 'Grasslands' on the Where Are My Records compilation c.d., "Je T'aime", before the band headed into the studio to record probably their most distinctive, beautiful and accomplished material to date with the painted e.p. (Thomason Sounds). The e.p. was once again recorded by toe's Takaaki Mino, who has produced all of their material to date.)

Aspidistrafly - I Hold a Wish for You [Kitchen] 6 fold hardcover accordion photobook CD (Kitchen is proud to announce the release of 'i hold a wish for you', the long-awaited first full-length album from Aspidistrafly, who have attracted attention outside of their native country Singapore for their works in international compilations, collaborations and overseas performances since early 2007. Inspired by several excursions outside the confines of their immediate surroundings, 'i hold a wish for you' invokes delicate moments and a feeling of connection with people and places faraway. Nine tracks combine acoustic instrumentations across broad washes of warm vocal harmonies and soft floating textures. From the pure lyrical intentions of 'On the Summer Solstice' to the densely layered sonic scape of '花火' and the sparse improvisational form of 'common colors in the air', 'i hold a wish for you' shows a group as equally invested in melody as it is in experimentation.)

Smile Down Upon Us - S/T [Yacca] Japanese Import CD with 2 Bonus Tracks (Just what the world needs - another twee Japanese electronica record, but Smile Down Upon Us are no ordinary act. Rather this is the meeting of two acts on two different sides of the world, Phelan Sheppard (Leaf) in London and moomLooo in Tokyo who collaborated via email to create this haunting disc. Initially the two bands met on Myspace but this soon flowered into a full-blown collaboration despite the acts never having conversed and knowing next to nothing about each other. This sense of mystery is somehow conveyed in the music which is tentative, surreal and at times naïve, blending electronic and acoustic instrumentation and all draped in moomLooo's gorgeous voice. Fans of the Tenniscoats and Piana need to check this without delay, but rather than stick to the Japanese mode Smile Down Upon Us the sound seems to have been enlarged into a luscious cinematic widescreen. Good stuff.)

Paavoharju - Laulu Laakson Kukista [Fonal] CD / LP (Finnish druids supreme on Fonal, Finland's epicentre for the sprawling underground. Sounds of raindrops falling on sheet metal roof melted together with old television's random-dot-pattern-noise. Leena Uotila's soft voice echoes in empty, dusty rooms. Catowls gathered to the sky, appletrees were blooming and waves rocked a barrell against the pier. Suddenly all this started to form esoteric mildew to cassette's magnetic tape. They finished their work with a prayer - only a moment before the cold winds rose from Saimaa.)

Shugo Tokumaru - Exit [P-vine] CD (With arrangements as excited and energetic as a sugar-crazed five-year-old but with the attention span of a serious composer, Shugo Tokumaru might be the Japanese Sufjan Stevens. Or, for a comparison closer to home, a poppier Cornelius. If you like PB&J, you'll like this, but Shugo's frenzied brand of acoustic indie-pop is much, for lack of a better word, cuter. Child-like and curious, songs such as "Button" and "Parachute" are as playful as the titles make them sound, but the sheer talent behind them ensures that even those with the shortest attention spans will want to keep this one handy for quite some time. Tokumaru is a tunesmith at heart: stripped of its literal bells and whistles, "Button" could pass for a McCartney song. And "Parachute"? It could pass for the song of the year, if I ever lose my attention for the Hold Steady.)

Upandcoming - White Album [Catune] CD (2008 debut album from Up and Coming (tokyo, JP) is a tour de force of jazzy, mellow indie rock. File under toe, Miaou, Battles, Sea & The Cakes.)

Olga - Flora Y Fauna [P-vine] CD (Olga is a duo of pop-folk-electronics that began in 2003. It is composed of Roger Delahaye (letters, programming and guitar) and Flower Zavadivker (voice and keyboard). At the end of 2003 released a CD-Rom entitled Maintaining that includes eleven pieces of electronic music-instrumental close to the "song structure" but with the absence of voices. During that same year conducted its first live presentation under the Open Studio cycle, organized by the Government of Buenos Aires in the galleries Harrods. In 2004 compiled participating in the Song II edited by electronic stamp Index with the song Flora and Fauna. During these years were presented live on: Yellow Loudness, cycle Sessions dominical "(Kimia), Rudamacho Festivals, Country Code, Cycle New! (Centro Cultural General San Martin), Open Studio Retreat, Biotec, Compass, among others. In 2006 seal are invited by the French-Beaubrun led by artist Gilles Weinzaepflen, aka TOOG-to participate in the compiled I love machine alongside artists from France, England and Canada, among others. In 2007 the stamp Index Virgin publishes Flora and Fauna, debut album of the duo. In October 2007-invited by the Chilean Neurotyka-stamp travel to Chile to present the disc in the cities of Santiago and Valparaiso. JPN Edition cd with bonus track.)

Absent Without Leave - Postcards From Nowhere [Distant Noise] CD (The Distant Noise label (Luga, Televise, Yellow6, Schengen etc) goes from strength to strength with 'Postcards From Home' an eight track long player from Absent Without Leave. This has a really sweet personal feel to it with the guitar leading he tracks with a melancholy feel, fairly minimal and stripped down with some genuinely haunting touches and sparse accompaniment from some restrained drum machine, glockenspiel, samples, bass and cello. The additional instruments sounds allow plenty of space for the guitar to do the talking. The repatition of the playing seeps into your consciousness and you almost feel like your in the same room as these guys. There is a lurking tension in a few of the tracks reminding us of Godspeed and early Mogwai. Limited and numbered of 100.)

Absent Without Leave - Resound EP [Chat Blanc] 3" CD (Absent Without Leave is the solo project of the 26 year-old George Mastrokostas, based in Athens, Greece. Recording everything himself in his home-studio, he creates a melancholic sound that covers a multitude of styles such as shoegaze, post-rock, ambient and electronica. Limited to 133 Copies.)

CSS - Donkey [Sub Pop] CD (Brazil's CSS release their follow-up to 2006's "Cansei de Ser Sexy" ("I got tired of being sexy"). They've toured worldwide a number of times with the likes of Gwen Stefani, Ladytron, Klaxons, and Diplo, and played festivals from Coachella, Pitchfork, and Virgin to Reading, Benicassim, Roskilde, and beyond. "Donkey" is tough, street-ready, and recreates the frenetic energy of their live shows. Equal parts dance party, urban circus, and out-and-out chaos.)

Zbigniew Karkowski / Tetsuo Furudate / Zeitkratzer - World As Will III [Sub Rosa] CD ("Mergence," "Below The Demarcation" and "Mix White" concludes the World As Will project, started ten years ago, the result of a collaboration between Polish acoustic and electroacoustic sound artist/composer Zbigniew Karkowski and Japanese noise progenitor Tetsuo Furudate. Named after the philosophy coined by Arthur Schopenhauer, the first two parts in the World As Will series have been dramatic explorations of majestic dissonance, orchestration, and looped deconstruction that are powerful challenges to any modern orchestra. Part three is commissioned and performed by the Berlin-based ensemble Zeitkratzer, who proved the impossible possible with their capable rendering of Lou Reed's Metal Machine Music for a 2002 Berlin Opera House performance.)

Suishou No Fune (水晶之舟) - Mystic Atmosphere [Cut Hand] CD (New four track album from the trio incarnation of this always-excellent post-PSF Japanese underground group, with one of their most primitive, Industrial-wreckage/blues-pummelling sides to date: “Mystic Atmosphere welcomes back the unpolished, raw around the edges side of these interstellar psychonauts. Slightly reminiscent of their first Holy Mountain album, Where the Spirits Are. Tail’s drums splashing like mossy boulders into the Pacific, primitive pounding Moe Tucker style. Mystic Atmosphere contains four tracks blessed with psych guitar panorama’s soaked in holy reverb, a slowed down monster jam sounding like a drone version of a Mainliner or High Rise track and their ever mournful, lost in life wailing. Second track is one of the heaviest Suishou No Fune tracks I have ever heard. 3 minutes of Fushitsusha-like venom, a concrete reinforced mini-jam while tracks 3 and 4 dive deep into the cosmic psych oceans previously explored by Les Rallizes Denudes. Rawest Suisho No Fune record to date, no doubt. 125 copies in the usual slimline DVD cases. Artwork and insert by Jason Rohm.)

Gas - Nah Und Fern [Kompakt] 4CD (The Kompakt label presents the work of Wolfgang Voigt's Gas - a remastered deluxe package that includes all four of his Mille Plateaux albums: Gas (1996), Zauberberg (1997), Königsforst (1998) and Pop (2000). Wolfgang Voigt, in the past known under a great many pseudonyms such as Mike Ink, Studio 1 or Grungerman, is the driving force behind the rise of Cologne minimal techno and also Kompakt's co-founder and co-owner. In the 1980s, Voigt began working under a concept he named BLEI - extracting elements from classical, polka, brass music, electronic pop and German schlager sounds to form a distinguished and unique pop music style that would fit in with the subculture at that time. In the early 1990s, influenced by techno, Voigt began to experiment with a timbal marching through strongly alienated, free-floating string loops. These elegiac tracks, their lack of beginning and end, their intoxicating, smooth and partly amorphous structure sounded to him like evaporating gas and thus - Gas was born. Gas is the vision of a sonic body between Schönberg and Kraftwerk, between French horn and bass drum. Gas is Wagner goes glam rock, and Hansel and Gretel on acid. Gas takes you on a seemingly endless march through the woods into the discotheque. Reducing the material to its basic aesthetic structure by using different zoom, loop and alienation techniques, he releases it from its original meaning and context, creating a kind of aesthetic essence, a cave to get lost inside. There are one or two new tracks and versions, but both Voigt and Jörg Burger decided to keep remastering light, maintaining Gas' purity and authenticity. This 4CD box comes in a special and stylish collector's format, including 4 small artwork prints.)

Still Corners - Remember Pepper [Self |Released] CDEP (Building dreamy noir-pop love songs like Alfred Hitchcock built suspense, Greenwich based Still Corners create a kaleidoscope world around them, full of wintry melody, swirling organ, and big drums.  Inspired by French film and sixties sound production and influenced by a range of artists from Serge Gainsbourg to Ennio Morricone as well as contemporaries the Cocteau Twins, Broadcast, and Camera Obscura, Still Corners continue to delight audiences across London, incorporating a mixture of film projection with performance.)

Patti Smith & Kevin Shields - The Coral Sea [Pask] 2CD (Legendary artist Patti Smith and My Bloody Valentine's Kevin Shields are set to release a double-disc set of their live performance of The Coral Sea on their own PASK imprint. The Coral Sea is Patti Smith's posthumous homage to her friend and photographer Robert Mapplethorpe and the title to her 1997 book. Kevin Shields accompanies her on guitars and effects and creates a haunting backdrop to the spoken prose. The 'love recordings' were made June 22nd 2005 and September 12th 2006 respectively at sold-out performances at the QEH in London. The set will run almost two-hours with a different stylistic approach to each performance.)

Nagisa Ni Te - Yosuga [P-vine] JPN Imported CD (The Japanese duo of Shinji Shibayama and Masako Takeda deliver an album that consists of both beautiful arrangements and soft melodies. Having perfected a certain simplicity with regard to songwriting, Nagisa Ni Te's subtle instrumental variations range from folky acoustic strumming to psychedelic guitar riffs, resulting in an amazing cross between progressive and folk rock. But once again it's both the simplicity of the music and the confidence with which the duo delivers these finely crafted compositions that are most compelling. Yosuga - the meaning of which refers to the source or grounds upon which the body and mind rely - is one of Nagisa Ni Te's finest efforts.)

Sai Yoshiko 佐井好子 - Mikkou 密航 [P-vine] CD (Released on July 25th, 1976, Mikkô was Sai Yoshiko's second album, a wonderful acid folk album on which she gets assisted by a string of big name musicians such as Kuni Kawauchi, who took the arrangements of the songs to his hand. The disc is based upon Sai's self composed songs, making it her first real total album. At times the disc draws in Middle Eastern influences (sitar and tabla) but once she gets into singing, the listener gets subdued into her own private, mysterious sonic world, through which one gets sucked in by her wide-ranged vocalizations. At the time of this recording, Sai Yoshiko was merely 23 years old. This is a real stunning female acid folk masterpiece with well balanced psychy touches. Another Sai Yoshiko's reissued CDs [P-vine] are also available in the shop.)

Sai Yoshiko 佐井好子 - Taiji no Yume 胎児の夢 [P-vine] CD (Released on September 25th, 1977. Taiji no Yume of was Sai Yoshiko's third recorded album, following Mikko. As was the case with her first album, Taiji no Yume was also arranged by Ono Yuji who attributes a more supportive aspect to the Sai Yoshiko outer worldly realms. This record was heavily inspired by the pre-war odd ball and ghostly neuro-surgeon-doctor-writer Yume No Kyusaku, hence the strange atmosphere this disc abides in. Nevertheless the voyage into the mental state of being this disc ventures into fits perfectly with Sai's acid folky
approach and dreamy female vocalizations. Quite dark in overall texture. At the time of this recording, she was merely 24 years old. A real stunning female acid folk masterpiece with well balanced psychy touches. Totally obscure, much in demand by Japanese psych heads and rather hard to track down. This album is really a stunner and a must for people into some more
advanced Japanese Underground historical recordings. Another Sai Yoshiko's reissued CDs [P-vine] are also available in the shop.)

J.A.Caesar - Pilgrimage Of Blood [P-vine] CD (J.A. [Julius Arnold] Caesar, often also found spelled Seazer and even Ceazar, and was known by the late 60's as one of the few 'true hippies' on the local scene. He apparently won a competition for hair length! He gravitated to Shuji Terayama's Tenjo Sajiki underground experimental theatre company [see below] and despite lack of any previously evident musical talent quickly became the musical director, composing and performing the music for most of Tenjo Sajiki's films and plays. It's apparently in a more meditative psychedelic mood, perhaps akin to Pilgrimage Of Blood. Pilgrimage Of Blood is a soundtrack to a film by Hiromichi Tannai, and is a very diverse offering, essentially a compilation, with tracks recorded in 2001, 1981, 1979, 1977 and 1972. The music is hard to describe, with a uniquely Japanese feel, and is mostly sedate, moody and unusual, sometimes with subtle electronics and gorgeous mixing, and
always sounding distinctly Japanese.)

500mg - Another order of existence [Archive] CD (Pressing of 500. A two part experimental acoustic guitar offer funneled through a train load of pedals and effect and then ejected from a Marshall ½ stack from Michael Gibbons of Bardo Pond (and all things Philadelphia and psychedelic). Recorded by myself in 2007 at the worlds nosiest book store BigJar in Philly. The CD edition comes housed in a slightly taller sleeve with two color silk screen work by Alan Sherry of SIWA on a heavyweight 140lb paper. The front cover is die cut with and inserted picture from the performance printed on vellum, all hand glued and assembled by myself. Graphic work by Demian Johnston.)

Paul Metzger - Canticle of Ignat/ All Glass [Archive] CD (Pressing of 500. One track played on modified acoustic guitar and one track played on modified Banjo. For those unfamiliar with Saint Paul's Mr. Metzger his works offer and amazing mix of Indian ragas crossed with a junk yard band feel, highly evolved and incredible unique. Recorded by myself in 2007 at BigJar in Philly a fantastic piece of documentation offered in unaltered form. The CD edition comes housed in a slightly taller sleeve with two color silk screen work by Alan Sherry of SIWA on a heavyweight 140lb paper. The front cover is die cut with and inserted picture from the performance printed on vellum, all hand glued and assembled by myself. Graphic work by Demian Johnston.)

9dw - S/T [Catune] CD (It's always a treat when players meet and 9dw is certainly musical family. 9dw's music exists somewhere in the space between funk, jazz, and electronica. Tight drums and bass lay a nice bed for the clean guitar work and synthesizer experimentation. This album reminds me of the best acid jazz had to offer mixed with the thoughtful and funky electronica of The Cheebacabra or Daft Punk. Clearly a gifted group of musicians that give good reason to be excited about the future of funky hybrid music.)

Boris-"Smile [Southern Lord] Limited 2LP (The deluxe 180 gram orange vinyl version of the new Boris album: "Smile" is now available to order! As per usual no expense was spared for the vinyl documentation of this recording. There are exclusive lp only tracks as well as extended versions and different mixes than on the Southern Lord Smile Cd version and the Smile Japanese cd and lp released by Daymare.)

Gareth Hardwick & Machinefabriek - Lost In The Memory/Bathyale (Parts 2 & 3) [Low Point] LP (The Hardwick side is a very soft ambient minimal drift-werk that fluctuates occasionally in the way most music composed in this way does. The usual starting point when thinking of 'ambient music' is Brian Eno's pioneering works: 'Discreet Music', 'Music For Films' etc, the sounds just float around and around varying slightly. It's up to you as a listener to decide where to focus as the sounds view in and out. The Machinefabriek side adopts a less challenging approach than his usual hrashness, here the work is broken up with patches of near silent swathes and what sound like treated environmental sounds (passing cars anybody?).)

Freiband & Machinefabriek - Oahu [Low Point] CD (Oahu is a collaborative release between Dutch sound artists Freiband (the latest project of Frans de Waard, founder of the Korm Plastics label and member of Kapotte Muziek, Beequeen and Goem to name but three) and Machinefabriek (the prolific Rutger Zuydervelt). The genesis of the project was a 90 second recording of improvised acoustic lapsteel (the Oahu of the title) played by Martin Luiten.  From this initial recording, segments of music, each lasting 30 seconds in length, were created then passed back and forth between de Waard and Zuydervelt over a period of four months for further processing, editing and refinement.  Finally, with a collection of 20 of these segments, each artist composed their own 20 minute mix using these pieces.)

Skullflower - Pure Imperial Reform [Turgid Animal] CD (Recorded last year live on an Antwerpen radio station comes this new guitar wall "composition" from Matthew Bower and Lee Stokoe. This is a real CD (a first for Turgid Animal) limited to 1000 copies with artwork desinged by MB himself and pro-printed on quality grey paper in standard jewel cases. This is a seriously solid release and is for fans of modern Skullflower recordings and anyone who just loves a good harsh racket.)

Incapacitants - El Shanbara Therminosis [Segerhuva] CD (This is the Incapacitants in their most intense modes right from the beginning of the disc - albeit in a bit special way through the use of theremins instead of vocals. A total convulsive barrage of sound packed in detail and spaced out frenzy - originally released as a cassette by the legendary Japanese G.R.O.S.S. label in 1995 - a recording that has been begging for a second issue as the original is really scarce these days. Re-mastered by T. Mikawa of Incapacitants and featuring a brand new twenty-minute bonus track. A dull day at the office cover complete the contradiction - let's roll. Edition of 500.)

Astromero - Astromero2 [Troniks] 3CD (Hasegawa began ASTRO in 1993 to explore his analog synthesizer work and was also a founding member of the legendary psychedelic noise act C.C.C.C. Damion Romero has been exploring the possibilities of power acoustics since the early 90s, also recording as Speclum Fight and head of the P-Tapes label. Massive triple CD collection of the entire 2006 US tours worth of recordings between Hiroshi Hasegawa and Damion Romero. Included the incredible fantastic live set from nofun fest. Edition of 500 copies in a double wide CD case.)

PG Lost - It's Not Me, It's You [Octave] CD (Pg.Lost administrate an inheritance of a straight descending line from the early nineties shoegaze transformed into post-rock within the same decades progress in able to today, 2007, perfect in a rehearsalroom in Norrkoping. Floating guitars, devastating rhythms and airy harmonies are mixed into a cascade of emotions that alternately whip and alternately caress the listener. No one is left unaffected by these gentlemen's congenial creations. Pg.Lost is a four-piece band and shares members with Eskju Divine. Their instrumental music has recently been compared to great bands like Explosions In The Sky, Red Sparrowes and Mono. This's the band debut album and now only available on Japanese Edition plus two bonus tracks.)

Maybeshewill - Not For The Want of Trying [Xtal] CD ("For a generation of people with short attention spans, Maybeshewill are the new Mogwai. They share the same passion for grandiose, mostly instrumental, post-rock epics, but these lads from Leicester don't hang about, racing through the shifting patterns and powering up to riff-heavy climaxes before you've even had time to draw breath. The diversity on this debut album is remarkable. There's Sigur Ros-style sky-scraping. There's 65daysofstatic's aggression and love of glitching synths. And there's even the odd dab of metal cribbed from Isis. By switching the styles, Maybeshewill keep you guessing and hooked into what's coming next - the majestic, jangling riot of 'I'm In Awe, Amadeus!' segueing into the crunching power chords of 'We Called For An Ambulance But A Fire Engine Came', which dissipate into the delicate, vocal-led 'Heartflusters'. There's also the incredible title track: a flurry of guitar licks breaking down as an impassioned Come On Die Young-meets-Fight Club monologue takes over, driving the song towards anarchy.)

Kyte - S/T [Rallye] JPN Editon CD (If nu-gaze leaves you cold, worry not Leicestershire's Kyte are doing their best to warm up the world of blissed-out space rock. From the glorious, compounding repetition of seven minute "Planet" through to the pretty-as-a-peach weepy "They Won't Sleep" and "Sunlight" twinkling electric dreams, Kyte will steal your heart soon as look at you.  Trust me, you will love it.)

Radiq - Ballads For The Atomic Age [Cirque] CD (This gorgeous album is finally available. Ahh yes, the return of the fabulous Yoshihiro Hanno under his Radiq moniker - finding a perfect meeting point between minimal funked up House emissions and slinky, late-night jazz-based variations. beautifully woozy, laid-back mood, blending the fuzzy warmth of acoustic instrumentation with the fluid core of electronic production, extending the remit of the album from beautifully effervescent Lovers-style dubwise minimalism at one end, to the overflowing Parisian romanticism at the other. Great stuff. Radiq aka Yoshihiro Hanno 半野喜弘 is a noble producer/composer who practices broad creation from electronic music to acoustic movie sound track in all over the world and writes music basing on unique and individual point of view.)

Yoshihiro Hanno 半野喜弘 / V/A - Re-Platform [Cirque] 2CD (This is a remix album, and the original music is written by Yoshihiro Hanno, for the motion picture named Platform (Zhantai) by Jia Zhang Ke 賈樟柯. A 30-mins long ambient piece with Yoshihiro Hanno, Aoki takamasa and Superdrive. There are other tracks by Sogar, Stephan Mathieu, and Terre Thaemlitz.)

Aoki Takamasa 青木孝允 - LIVE Recordings 2001-2003 [Cirque] CD (Aoki's music is anything but Simple, or retro Funk - but it has funk and soul wired into its very fabric, and for our money puts him right up there with the modern masters .Snd. These are carefully Minimal sounds, which echo other musics, but end up sounding like nothing else on earth. There's the passing influence of hip-hop and IDM perhaps, the iconic ambient calm of the waves of sound or the bounce and euphoria. all brooding synths and poppin' beats. Killer!)

Leyode - Fascinating Tininess [Easel/Eastern Developments] CD (In his debut album "fascinating tininess...," Yusuke Hama teams with ATL homegirl Laurel Wells to create a unique brand of film score pop in a project dubbed Leyode (pronounced Lee-Yode). it takes us on a low-flying tour over a range of emotional scenery. At times it feels like we're listening to the soundtrack of a movie we haven't seen yet. "fascinating tininess..." is Leyode's introductory excursion into a world of scenic beats and cinematic melodies. Enjoy it. And stay tuned for more! *JPN Edition plus one bonus track.)

V/A - Goodbye Blue Monday [Rallye] CD (Rallye Label is a very small Japanese indie label who is round breakers, introducing new, innovative outsider artists like Klaxons, Au Revoir Simone, Surkin, Lo-Fi Fink for those of us looking for more "art" in the music. Viva Rallye! Viva Klee! This is a new generation. This is the new scene! Exclusive tracks for japan edition cd only, Rubies - Room without A Key (Studio remix), Au Revoir Simone - The Lucky One (Kute remix) and artist such as Lykke Li, The Rosie Taylor Project, Montag...)

Kiddycar - Forget About [Xtal] CD (The original idea for the Kiddycar project began under the name Kriminal Bit in 1996 with Stefano Santoni, Paolo Ferri and others but the current band was established in the second half of 2005, after the meeting with the voice and writing style of Valentina Cidda and the entry in the band of Simon Chiappelli, so only Paolo Ferri and Stefano Santoni, the band's artistic producer, remaining from the original group.The name of the band encapsulates the aim of describing an adult world through a child's gaze, travelling along in a kid's pedal car with the enchanted disenchantment of eyes that see and senses that go to the bottom of things, stripping the world of its exterior forms, recognizing existential pain but caressing it as they ride the stark unchangeable flow of events, like children playing while balancing on the edge of an abyss. The result of this journey into human feelings is a melancholy, impassioned, delicate bitterness that flowers and fades … but which settles lightly onto the bottom of the mind.Though difficult to place in the musical scene in its own country of origin, the band's compositions nevertheless have the strong melodic power and intensity of harmonies that are undeniably rooted in history and the Italian musical tradition. *JPN Edition plus one bonus track.)

Rubies - Explode From The Center [Rallye] CD (The Debut from San Fransisco based Rubies! Danceable folk, bedroom disco, and lost love laments; these are just a few facets of Rubies. California-based trio, Rubies, are three young ladies that push the boundaries of how we perceive pop music. The poised and dynamic range of songwriting keeps the listener excited by offering fresh and honest versions of future dancefloor and living room classics. While it could be in a crowded avant-garde discotheque in NYC, a motorik infused warehouse in Berlin, or the pine-needle carpeted redwoods of Big Sur, the energy of Rubies will have you dreaming of your first crush. Rubies have just finished their first album. *JPN Edition plus one bonus disc.)

Rubies - Explode From The Center [Rallye] CD (The Debut from San Fransisco based Rubies! Danceable folk, bedroom disco, and lost love laments; these are just a few facets of Rubies. California-based trio, Rubies, are three young ladies that push the boundaries of how we perceive pop music. The poised and dynamic range of songwriting keeps the listener excited by offering fresh and honest versions of future dancefloor and living room classics. While it could be in a crowded avant-garde discotheque in NYC, a motorik infused warehouse in Berlin, or the pine-needle carpeted redwoods of Big Sur, the energy of Rubies will have you dreaming of your first crush. Rubies have just finished their first album. *JPN Edition plus one bonus disc.)

Boris with Merzbow - Rock Dream [Southern Lord] Limited 3LP (Eclectic Japanese power trio Boris return with another limited offering! This time round its a live, psychedelic, mind expanding collaboration with the legendary Japanese master of abrasion: Merzbow! The two entities are no stranger to collaborative releases and their symmetrical chemistry burns a brightly shining path on this special release. What makes the Boris w/ Merzbow collaboration particularly interesting is that both Boris and Merzbow seem to leave behind the expected to fully embrace the unknown. The usually harsh, corrosive grate of Merzbow is not as apparent with Boris involved. Also the inspired charge of the Boris rock machine seems to reach new heights with Merzbows' intuitive textures added. This is however not entirely free-form. In fact the structure of this is what sets it apart from the majority of Merzbow related releases and collaborations. Boris passionately play their songs as they appear on the albums, but with Merzbow sharing the stage the result transcends the usual conventions of "rock-song" structure. In the end all musicians have created sounds and atmosphere that retains qualities of each group yet takes the listener to a new plateau. Vinyl only bonus track is Included.)

Sigur Rós - Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust [XL] CD (Inspired by the unfettered feeling of the acoustic performances filmed during Heima, Sigur Rós adopted a looser approach in creating their fifth album Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust. The album consequently is fresher and more human than anything they ve previously recorded. Rough edges, cracked notes, and the sound of fingers on strings are audible resulting in tracks (e.g. Íllgresi ) that prove to be the band's sparsest and most affecting work to date. Worry not though, plenty of electric guitar can be heard throughout the album ensuring Sigur Rós commitment to challenging sonic limitations.)

Kikuri (Keiji Haino / Masami Akita) - Pulverized Purple [Victo] CD (Debut release from this monstrous new Japanese underground supergroup that pairs arguably the two most influential and radical modern Japanese musicians for the first time, Keiji Haino and Masami Akita aka Merzbow. Recorded live at the Victoriaville Festival in 2007, Haino pretty much dominates the proceedings, which isn't to say that Akita is reduced to any kind of background contribution but rather that Haino - in the way he does with other heavyweight collaborators like Tony Conrad et al - immediately establishes the grounds of the exchange. It's a good move, especially when he's dealing with the kind of overwhelming firepower and monomania of Akita.)

James Blackshaw - Litany of Echoes [Tompkins Square] CD (Blackshaw's sixth studio album in five years, shows a more mature, focused and, on the whole, accessible approach to composition. While the album often feels darker and more introspective in nature than on previous releases, many of the songs have a huge-sounding, classical quality to them.With Blackshaw adding some glistening piano work for the first time and Fran Bury returning to play swarms of sweeping string parts for violin and viola, Litany of Echoes is a truly original, affecting and timeless album from a guitarist/composer coming into his own.)

Our Sleepless Forest - S/T [Resonant] CD (Absolutely stunning debut album of ambient electronic space rock from a frighteningly young three-piece from South London - their first full release, having had an early version of album track 'The Tinderbox' included on the Type Records 'Free The Future' compilation. Our Sleepless Forest's music is multi-layered, complex and dense, yet dedication and attention are rewarded as the intricate slow-build melodies are revealed beneath the feedback, crackle and hiss. Reminiscent at times of the likes of Loscil or even Radiohead's more out-there moments but on the whole avoiding the predictable comparisons associated with music of this genre, this is an album that simply has to be heard.)

Port-Royal - Flared Up [Resonant] CD (The much-delayed remix project finally surfaces, with a stellar line-up of remixers taking apart tracks from 'Flares', the much-loved debut album from the Italian post-space-rock quartet. 'Flared Up' follows last year's sophomore longplayer 'Afraid To Dance' and was put together between June 2005 and December 2006, with finishing touches and fine-tuning preparing it for a Spring 2008 release. The album will be released in a limited edition one-off pressing of 1000 copies for the world.)

Wildbirds & Peacedrums - Heartcore [Leaf] CD (Together, the Swedish duo of charismatic singer Mariam Wallentin and drummer Andreas Werliin have forged an extraordinary hybrid of spiritual pop, primal blues, and ecstatic soul music. Seesawing between pagan rhythms and sparse, bewitching ballads, Wildbirds & Peacedrums self-produced debut is a declaration of intent:immediate, exhilarating, and just plain new.)

Syclops - I've Got My Eye On You [DFA] CD (I've Got My Eye On You is the debut full-length album from Syclops, featuring Sven Kortehisto on keyboards and electronics, Hanna Sarkari on bass, keyboards, and electronics, and Jukka Kantonen on drums, percussion, and drum programming. This album was produced by Maurice Fulton. I've Got My Eye On You is an engaging record that reveals the full shamanic magic of the trio-- a mixture of dark intensity and subtle, crafted musicianship. It follows and expands on their brilliant January 2008 DFA single, "Where's Jason's K?" Soaking in the band's brooding undercurrent, the listener will now have to imagine what kind of people they are and where they find their inspiration-- heavy metal riffs over acid house? Playing folkloric instruments with old school analog synthesizers in a Finnish laboratory? Only the band themselves know for certain.)

Appleblim / V/A - Dubstep Allstars:Vol.6 CD ('Dubstep Allstars 6', the next in the massively acclaimed series that brought the scene its very name, is curated and mixed by Bristol based Producer-DJ, Laurie 'Appleblim' Osborne. Alongside Skull Disco partner Shackleton, Appleblim has forged a sound of his own in both his production and DJ sets affording him interest from Ricardo Villalobos, Radio Slave and Kode 9 amongst others. With his taste falling somewhere between dub and techno, Tempa made the decision to draft in the acutely talented Appleblim in order to showcase another face of Dubstep after the dancefloor immediacy of N-Type's volume. Its no surprise that Bristolian producers including Pinch, Peverelist and Komonazmuk are represented on this CD. Ultimately Appleblim has been instrumental in Bristol becoming an important city in Dubstep.)

Ital Tel - Cyclical [Planet Mu] CD (Cyclical is the debut full-length from iTAL tEK, a.k.a. Alan Myson of Brighton. After massive 12-inch releases on Planet Mu and SQR last year, the man returns with an album's worth of moody yet beautiful dubstep with swooning chords underpinned by a techy undercarriage. [Bloodline] is the perfect introduction to his 'darker' sound, and as the rest of the scene moves into a more 4/4 direction, we see iTAL tEK taking things into the basement and adding a sizable chunk of noise into his productions. It reminds me of when the whole Renegade Hardware sound took hold of drum 'n' bass, and that's no bad thing--there's always space for growling distortion and a bad attitude in my mind. I guess Vex'd and more recently Cloaks have approached this sound, but iTAL tEK brings enough variation to make this 12-inch stand out, and far from merely exploring a bit these tracks have some serious bass weight.)

The Lodger - Life is Sweet [Slumerland] CD (Starting with a string of four singles and culminating in their brilliant debut album, Grown-Ups-- which drew comparisons to heavyweights like The Smiths and The Wedding Present--the band has gone from strength to strength, developing a polished, literate sound that shows a keen interest in critical pop touchstones like The Go-Betweens, Aztec Camera, and Orange Juice but is still planted firmly in today. As great as Grown-Ups is, Life Is Sweet, The Lodger's brand new full-length, ups the ante even further. More textural and varied thanits predecessor, Life Is Sweet is still filled with gorgeous melodies and catchy tunes, but is also deeper and more thoughtful, full of emotional peaks and valleys. Rather than just chip in with an album of "more of the same," the band has paid extra attention to the arrangements, with 12-string and acoustic guitars, lap steel, and violin adding crucial detail and depth to the tunes.)

Vetiver - Thing of The Past [Gnomonsong] CD (Two years after the highly acclaimed To Find Me Gone, Andy Cabic and Vetiver return with a new album of old songs, all hidden treasures, entitled Thing of the Past. Think of it as Cabic's fully realized mix tape to the world-- a collection of some of his favorite songs from some of his favorite records-- but presented, sequenced, and in this case performed by Cabic himself, with a little help from his friends far and wide. Thing Of The Past was recorded in 2007 in Sacramento and Los Angeles. The basic tracks were done live in the studio, with the resultant record clearly showcasing a tight-knit band of hugely talented musicians. As witnesses to their live shows over the past year will attest, this is a group in full mastery of their craft-- fluid yet fully aligned, intuitively opening out or reigning in their power as the mood dictates.)

Low - You May Need A Murderer [Konkurrent] DVD (In almost fifteen years, Low became an institution on the indie and alternative scenes. Famous for their quiet, beautiful slow songs, and fascinating harmonies, as well as their religious background (core members Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker are Mormons). For this documentary, a film crew followed Alan and Mimi on tour, at home in Duluth, MN, in their church community, and as parents. It's more than an on-the-road or behind-the-scenes video. It shows Sparhawk as the ambivalent main character in an intriguing movie about religion, violence, conscience, and madness. It can also be seen as a touching love story.)

Nurse With Wound - Huffin' Rag Blues [United Jnana] CD (Nurse With Wound is the main recording vehicle for British musician Steven Stapleton. Since 1978, with collaborators such as David Tibet (Current 93), John Balance (Coil), Colin Potter and Matt Waldron (Irr. App [Ext]), Nurse With Wound has released dozens of albums that draw on nearly every genre of music. The only constant is that one never knows what the next album will sound like. Stapleton and Andrew Liles form the core of the band on Huffin' Rag Blues, and the direction to which they are heading is the lounge! Huffin' Rag Blues is unlike any Nurse With Wound album in recent memory as they veer into the space-age bachelor pad. Guest vocalists Lynn Jackson and Freida Abtan channel Peggy Lee, while Matt Waldron also lends his golden pipes to one song. This is truly exotica as imagined by the twisted genius that is Nurse With Wound.)

Marc Almond with Michael Cashmore - Gabriel & The Lunatic Lover [Durtro] CD (Gabriel and the Lunatic Lover is the first in a series of collaborative releases by Marc Almond and Michael Cashmore. The duo sets to music two poems by Count Stanislaus Eric Stenbock, the extraordinary 19th-century gay writer whose bizarre life of decadence, drug-addiction, alcoholism, and poetry-- coupled with Satanic, vampiric, and Catholic obsessions-- led to his early death at the age of 36 in 1895. Stenbock's final years, it is said, saw him accompanied everywhere by a life-size wooden doll that he called "le petit comte" and which he believed to be his son. This two-track CDEP features vocals from the legendary Almond, who needs no introduction, and music composed and performed by Cashmore, well-known for his extensive catalog of recordings with Current 93 and Nature and Organisation, as well as for his work as a solo artist.)

Wooden Shjips - Vol.1 [Holy Mountain] CD (The Wooden Shjips' earliest material was released on vinyl, pressed in small quantities that were either free or hard to come by and are now hopelessly out of print. Who are we to keep you away from the rush of "Shrinking Moon for You"? Vol. 1 collects all the tracks from the free 10-inch, the Dance, California 7-inch, and the SOL 7-inch. The band have locked it in and sound like they are never gonna stop. A looped cyclical minimal fuzzrock jam that sounds almost like some crazy crossbreeding of the Doors and Spacemen 3, which should appeal to Circle, Salvatore, and Magyar Posse fans as much as all the druggy psychrock dronesters out there.)

The Heads - Dead in the Water [Deep In The Water] CD (Psychedelic noise purveyors, Krautrock obscurist obsessives, and Stoogian riff worshippers The Heads offer a proper CD reissue of their lauded Dead in the Water album. Previously released on CDR in an edition of 100 copies and subsequently pressed as a double-LP, it has now been remastered by Latch Manghat (Taint) and sequenced as four sides, as opposed to 30-plus tracks, to achieve the effect of listening to the double vinyl format without having to get up and change sides. The Heads deliver the goods on Dead in the Water, a collection of works-in-progress, monster jams, riffs to infinity, white noise maelstroms, and garage fuzz/spuzz.)

Shit And Shine - Cherry [Riot Season] CD/DVD (Now available as limited edition cd and dvd pressing, 1000 copies for the world. Bonus dvd features a pro-shot 35 minute performance recorded for last fm in london november 2007 at the bloomsbury bowling lanes. Shit and Shine return with their third riot season album 'cherry'. fusing their trademark long drum / bass led epics and their short off the wall blasts - 'cherry' takes on all sides of the shit and shine sound. equal parts strangulated beatoffs, Butthole Surfers, Merzbow, Melvins and Boredoms, Shit and Shine fuse sonic blasts and monster riffs into a wretched brew. 14 songs, Pressed over two lps in a suitably garish sleeve.)

Kluster - 1970 -1971 [Water] CD (Founded in 1969, German ambient space-rock pioneers Kluster were originally a trio featuring Conrad Schnitzler, Hans-Joachim Roedelius, and Dieter Moebius. During their brief lifespan (before Schnitzler left in 1971 and the duo renamed themselves Cluster) they recorded three LPs, all of which are available here. The first two records, 'Klopfzeichen' and 'Zwei-Osterei' recorded in 1969 and 1970 respectively, were sponsored and released by a church run record label (Schwann) and as a result of contractual obligation featured religious themed text on the first side of each. The trio's third album 'Eruption' was a live recording of the band's last concert together in 1971. All three are amazing examples of pioneering ambient music featuring guitar, percussion, keys, and cello heavily processed with echo, filters, and tape machines to create an effect unlike anything else that was being made at the time. Absolutely essential and seminal progressive music. Contains liner notes.)

Kluster - Vulcano [Important] CD (As with this week's other Kluster reissue (Admira), Vulcano stems from 1971 recording sessions dug up by band member Klaus Freudigmann. While Admira was a studio-based session, this release is based upon a live document of a show in Wuppertal, although regardless of setting and the circumstances of recording the music speaks a similarly adventurous musical language, informed more by the mechanics of manipulative processes than by the instruments themselves, which undergo some extreme mutations and contortions along the way. Just before the set reaches the midway point, it sounds as if you could be listening to some extravagant modern composition, replete with dissonant woodwind, but electricity starts to take over towards the final stages, feedback drones and stray electronic signals populating the second half and adding a sense of eeriness and icy futurism.)

Kluster - Admira  [Important] CD (Assembled from original master recordings unearthed by Kluster's own Klaus Freudigmann, the music that makes up Admira goes back to 1971 and is released for the first time in this embossed, gatefold packaging (taking the original artwork for the band's Kopfzeichen album as a template), limited to just 1000 copies each. The core membership of Kluster (Conrad Schnitzler, Wolfgang Seidel and the aforementioned Freudigmann) were joined by a number of "friends" for these community-spirited recording sessions, calling upon a ferociously experimental range of sound sources for its starting point. Taking tape machines, contact mics and oscillators the band somehow brought all their disparate materials together to form a foundation for the progressive and krautrock movements that were yet to be labelled, and Admira finds the band in especially wild form. The closest you could really come to a contemporary band who flirt with this sort of freeform electroacoustic improvisation would be Supersilent, whose first three albums venture into similar sonic hinterlands, but the fact is, few groups formed in 1969 could have sounded so visionary as Kluster, who offered a fast-track to the music of the immediate future, abandoning so much of the received information and conventions that dictate how bands operate in their nascent stages in favour of pure avant-garde exploration.)

Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso UFO - Recurring Dream & Apocalypse Of Darkness [Important] CD (Even by this band's high standards, Recurring Dream And Apocalypse Of Darkness is a crunchingly heavy record, taking some of the emphasis away from the psychedelics of old, instead favouring a detuned, predominantly sludge-fuelled guitar sound. Apparently, Kawabata Makoto has compared the album to the sort of low frequency intensive sound commanded by SunnO))) and there's certainly a case to be made for that, but it has to be said, you wouldn't find space echo theremin sounds flapping about the mix on a Stephen O'Malley project. Combine those weird electronic elements with the tendency toward wild, acidic guitar soloing and you've got an album that sounds as if Boris have been rescoring the soundtrack to '60s sci-fi show Lost In Space. Undoubtedly this album captures Acid Mothers Temple at their most energised and fearsome, with wave after wave of guitars fizzing way beyond saturation point, and drums galloping tirelessly for absurdly prolonged periods.)

Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso UFO - Acid Motherly Love [Riot Season] CD (Now firmly fixed to a solid 4 piece (Tsuyama Atsushi, Higashi Hiroshi, Shimura Koji and Kawabata Makoto) with added guest vocalists, Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso UFO return to their spiritual home of the UK Riot Season for yet another OUT-THERE ride through their weird and psychedelic world. Guitars howl, riffs grow BIGGER with each minute and brains get fried along the way. Recorded under falling ash and burning roof tiles, 'Acid Motherly Love' features every dimension of their legendary underground sound - from wild riff heavy jams, to quieter acoustic passages and spoken monologues, all capped by the trance inducing 15 minute-plus epic 'Santa Sanrodriguez'.)

Yoshi Wada  - The Appointed Cloud [Em / Omega Point] Limited CD + Score (This CD is the first-ever release of an extraordinary 1987 New York City performance. Recorded at the Great Hall of the New York Hall of Science, this majestic recording captures the 60-minute opening performance of Yoshi Wada's interactive sound installation "The Appointed Cloud", which consisted of a self-made 80-pipe organ, a pipe gong, sirens and a massive suspended metal sheet, all triggered by a computer program designed by David Rayna. The CD also features Wada, Bob Drombowski and Wayne Hankin on bagpipes, plus Michael Pugliese (percussion, he has performed in tour of Merce Cunningham Dance Compant with David Tudor and Kosugi).  Dramatically structured, shifting and intense, "The Appointed Cloud" features massive low frequencies and regal percussion vying with the ululations of bagpipes, all resounding in the huge reverberant space of the Great Hall with its 24-meter ceiling. This CD, the second Yoshi Wada release on EM Records (the first being the 2007 reissue of the 1982 "The Lament For The Rise And Fall Of The Elephantine Crocodile"), is sure to delight all who enjoy drones, dynamics and drama. Limited to 100 Copies.)

Pooma - Persuader [Thomason Sounds] CD (Pooma are definitely an interesting band, quite unlike any other band in Finland at the moment. Their lush, atmospheric and ethereal pop music could be compared to such bands as Sigur Rós, Portishead or Radiohead, with also influences from all the quintessential shoegazing bands (Slowdive, My Bloody Valentine and so on). Helsinki based Pooma has influences from the cleanest pop sounds to dark, hypnotic underground. The outcome is music that can not be described in one word.)

The Rosie Taylor Project - This City Draws Maps [Bad Sneakers] CD (The Rosie Taylor Project are now a 6 piece, having recently added new guitarist John, who joins Sam, Jonny, Nick, Sophie and Joel. They inhabit a world seen through the windows of cafes and from the corners of Charles Roka gypsy paintings. Lyricist Jonny Davies evokes a timelessly poetic view of the world - think heartfelt, observational songs of love and loss built around beautiful melodies and infectious hooks. Their sound evokes the gentle qualities of Camera Obscura, Iron & Wine and Nick Drake, but it's their delicate simplicity and self understanding which stands out and connects to the listener.)

The Rational Academy - A Heart Against Your Own [Someone Good] CD (Birthed from of an explosive DIY underground in Brisbane, The Rational Academy are the epitome of shimmering avant-infused pop. With an unerring willingness to dispense with the pleasantries of expectation and convention, The Academy's songwriting duo Benjamin Thompson and Meredith McHugh have forged a unique place in the heartland of melodic song writing, etched with glistening electronic interludes and wall of sound guitars. Their songs are replete with sweet melody, reflective lyrics and a presence that's both engulfing and expansive for the listener.)

Lullatone - The Bedtime Beat [Someone Good] CD (A reverie and imaginative sleep-walk through the minimal avant-pop stylings of Nagoya's favourite bedroom tune-maestros. The Bedtime Beat is a vision of pop perfection, at just over 20 minutes long this LP confirms that minimal is certainly the new cute! Between the bath water solo of 'The Bathtime Beat', the incredible beatbox grooves care of Yoshima Tomida and some of the most elegant and evocative melodies (delicately recorded on tape) from Shawn Seymour, this record sets a new benchmark for micro-pop.)

Olafur Arnalds - Variations Of Static [Erased Tapes] CD (Only 21 years of age, Ólafur hails from the suburban Icelandic town. He as immersed himselfcompletely in the world of delicate symphonic compositions in a near weightlessorchestral undertaking. Mixing strings and piano with loops, ambiance,electronics and beats, a piece of a jigsaw puzzle. The first pressing of the follow-up EP "Variations of Static" sold out on his winter tour already and will now be available in stores. While keeping the classical foundations of his debut album, here Arnalds incorporates crackling electronics and the dead voice of a machine; like vague memories of tradition lost within thedigital age we all live in. It comes with a voucher for a free digital copy of the 'Erased Tapes
Collection I' compilation to celebrate the label's 1st anniversary.)

Olafur Arnalds - Eulogy For Evolution [Erased Tapes] CD (Icelandic composer and multi-instrumentalist Olafur Arnalds is bound to find himself met with comparisons to his fellow countryman Johann Johannsson: Arnalds' highly cinematic approach has that same instantly digestible quality that Johannsson, and for that matter Max Richter, are able to tap into. After its initial string swells, the sweetly sorrowful opener '0040' starts to sound vaguely reminiscent of the mournful piano music at the end of the '70s Incredible Hulk movies, and that certainly isn't intended as a jibe, it's lovely stuff, if rather dramatised. The ensuing pieces maintain this wistful, downbeat sound, riffing on various permutations of string and piano arrangement, only for Arnalds to whip the rug from under your feet with the brash guitar distortion of closer '3704/3837' which features some seriously histrionic quiet-loud post-rock action, only for all the drums and fuzz to crumble away abruptly for the lonesome, organ-fuelled coda. Gorgeous.)

Nasuno Mitsuru 宮野達哉 - Prequel October 1998 - March 1999 + 1[Doubt] CD (This is the first CD of Nasuno Mitsuru a.k.a. "Groove Master", top bass player of Tokyo underground music field. The years for the recordings are from 1998 to 1999 as the title. M3 & M4 were included in "Improvised Music from Japan" 10CD set, this "Prequel.."  CD is a kind of complete version. All tunes are composed / improvised / effected experimentally but we can feel a kind of mellowness, tenderness, humor, etc. Here it is singular work. Also note remarkable style of each collaborated musician (indicated song listing). The last tune, bonus track (+1) is the demo, suggest his next work.)

Boris - Smile [Southern Lord] Limited CD/DVD (Boris hope "this is going to be a new experience for everyone beyond music 'Features collaborations with special guests: Stephen O' Malley (sunn0))), KTL), and Michio Kurihara (Ghost, White Heaven, The Stars). Where the songs on the Japanese version have a more electronic or noisy-psychedelic vibe, the North American/European version here features a heavier more straight-forward rock aesthetic. Its truly remarkable how the band consciously have set out to make two completely different sounding versions of the same album. It is a testament to their continual, endless well-spring of creativity! Besides this phenomenal album we are offering a exclusive bonus dvd customers. The DVD contains videos for the songs: "Statement", "My Neighbor Satan", and "Pink". It is packaged in a 2xcd case with the Smile cd and has a individually machine-numbered sticker on the front. Only 3,000 were manufactured.)

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