Browse by Label: LEXICON DEVIL (AUSTRALIA)

Artist:	F/I
Title:	Space Mantra/Boy Dirt Car Split LP
Label:	LEXICON DEVIL (AUSTRALIA)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.50
Catalog #:	LEXDEV 001CD

Originally issued by Lexicon Devil in 2001. Milwaukee's F/i have been an operational unit since the dawn of the '80s, having produced in their lifetime over a dozen cassettes, half a dozen LPs and a few CDs and 7"s. While their early material concentrated mainly on purely harsh, experimental electronic sounds, influenced heavily by the industrial/power electronics scenes of the day, by the mid-'80s, taking their cues from the likes of Blue Cheer, Hawkwind and '70s Krautrock, they made a radical change in direction and became a "rock" band. This is where the reissuing begins... the most highly coveted releases from the band remain their long out-of-print '80s LPs on the RRR label out of Massachusetts. Lexicon Devil begins with what they consider some fine introductions to the band's work -- their side to the split LP with similar Milwaukee noiseniks Boy Dirt Car (originally released in 1986) and their classic Space Mantra LP from 1988, now released together on one CD. Both feature a churning brew of harsh electronic noise, "industrial" soundscapes and the kind of bong-rattling riffs usually only found on vintage psych-fuzz discs fetching a $100+ price tag. At their time of release, they were an anomaly; at this point in history, these classic discs will perhaps be better and more widely received. Newly remastered by the band, featuring original artwork from the RRR LPs and liner notes by Dave Lang.

Artist:	THE VOCOKESH
Title:	Ispepnaibara
Label:	LEXICON DEVIL (AUSTRALIA)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.50
Catalog #:	LEXDEV 002CD

Originally issued in 2001. After being in the deleted wilderness for over half a decade, The Vocokesh's vinyl-only 1990 debut LP gets the CD treatment, fully remastered with totally new artwork, and, as a bonus, the CD also features their side to the split LP they did with their old buddies F/i back in '92. The Vocokesh story begins somewhere around 1990, when Richard Franecki decided to call it quits with his longtime band, legendary Milwaukee space-rockers, F/i . Sensing a loss in direction on their behalf, as they dropped their more experimental leanings for a relatively straight rock approach, Franecki grabbed his belongings, a couple of F/i members (no hard feelings there) and made Ispepnaibara (that's "Arabian Pepsi" backwards) pronto for the renowned RRR label outta Massachusetts. A stunning mix of hard-assed psych-rock, lumbering space-churn and bleating electronics, the album turned some heads, won some fans and praise and sold out its pressing for its efforts. This limited-edition run of 700 copies of Ispepnaibara and their side to the F/i split has been fully remastered for CD with totally new (and dazzling) artwork and liner notes by Dave Lang. If you're at all partial to the sounds of Krautmeisters Popol Vuh, Ash Ra Tempel, Amon Düül, etc., the space boogie of Hawkwind and early Pink Floyd or the amp-torture of Blue Cheer, then Vocokesh are right up your alley.

Artist:	BOY DIRT CAR
Title:	Heatrig
Label:	LEXICON DEVIL (AUSTRALIA)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.50
Catalog #:	LEXDEV 003CD

Originally issued in 2001 by Lexicon Devil. Boy Dirt Car may hardly be a household name in the world of pop, but for noise aficionados worldwide, those three words conjure up visions and dreams of a time when the words "noise" and "industrial" really meant something. Starting out in Milwaukee in '81 with the duo of Eric Lunde and Darren Brown, they eventually settled into a semi-stable quartet line-up that also featured Dan Kubinski and Keith Brammer of local hardcore kings, Die Kreuzen. With a string of albums on the RRR label (there's also a boxed set in there) and even an appearance on the seminal Sub Pop 100 LP, BDC made their stamp in the underground, but then sadly called it quits in the late '80s, while individual members pursued other projects. Amidst this mess and turmoil lay Heatrig, their swan song and finest moment, left unreleased until now. The BDC "sound" is not easy to pin down. There are some graspable elements in place: the metal-banging clang of Neubauten, the drones and scrapes of Nurse With Wound or early SPK and the uncategorizable "rock" stew that made Die Kreuzen such a fine band in their day, though mainly BDC remain BDC. Forever and always.

Artist:	F/I
Title:	Why Not Now?... Alan!
Label:	LEXICON DEVIL (AUSTRALIA)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.50
Catalog #:	LEXDEV 004CD

Originally released in 1987 on RRRecords, reissued by Lexicon Devil in 2002. A lovely, fully remastered and extended version of F/i's exemplary 1987 slab of wax, the cryptically titled, Why Not Now?... Alan!. Released at the time by the infamous RRR label, the poor mastering and limits of the vinyl format hampered this killer in two ways: the lack of bottom end in the mix, and the editing down of songs to fit the vinyl grooves. Both of these problems have been resolved. Firstly, the band has remastered it themselves, making the record sound more monolithic than ever; and secondly, several tracks are now in their original, extended forms, along with bone-arse songs to munch on.

Artist:	F/I
Title:	The Past Darkly/The Future Lightly: Rare And Unreleased
Label:	LEXICON DEVIL (AUSTRALIA)
Format:	2CD
Price:	$16.50
Catalog #:	LEXDEV 005CD

...1983-1989. Originally issued by Lexicon Devil in 2002. Continuing on with Lexicon Devil's CD reissue campaign for F/i -- especially in getting back into circulation all their hideously out-of-print '80s vinyl efforts on the RRR label -- we finally have their epochal 1989 3LP box set, The Past Darkly/The Future Lightly: Rare and Unreleased 1983-1989, out and about to do the rounds again as a 2CD pack. Originally released in the ludicrously small edition of only 300 copies in '89, it was quickly scooped up, disappearing so fast, it entered the world of mythic collector lore within months of its release. An excellent sonic brew that encompasses the band's work from a seven-year period, from their embryonic electronic days, to their later space-rock psychedelic blowouts; a CD that long-time fans have been drooling for, and one that will appeal to fans of everything from Hawkwind to Krautrock to Flipper to Merzbow to the current crop of stoner/doom titans.

Artist:	F/I
Title:	Blue Star/Merge Parlour
Label:	LEXICON DEVIL (AUSTRALIA)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.50
Catalog #:	LEXDEV 006CD

Originally issued in 2003 by Lexicon Devil, and the last of the long out-of-print F/i RRR LPs finally put to rest on CD: the fantastic live/studio Blue Star LP from 1990 and the Merge Parlour EP from 1992. Suffice to say, the Blue Star LP is a space-rock monster, wrapping its gargantuan riffs around its metronomic beats and beating its circular riffs into submission. And with a hyperbolic description like that, you know that before you can utter the words "Whoa, dude!," that those of you out there with a hankerin' for some cosmic-rock aktion need this sitting fancy in your CD collection. Containing three epic-length tracks -- the first two recorded live in Germany, the third in a meat cooler of a sausage factory(!) -- the sonic delights within concentrate more on F/i's brutal rock leanings, the end result approximating a kind of Midwestern take on the classic Space Ritual-era Hawkwind or UFO-period Guru Guru sound. Mighty tasty. The remaining three numbers are taken from F/i's split LP with fellow Milwaukee brethren, The Vocokesh, otherwise known as the Merge Parlour EP, which is a studio affair quite unlike any other F/i disc. With a much cleaner sound than ever before, and a heavy emphasis on electronics, the band -- stripped to a trio -- created what is their most singularly awe-inspiring recorded effort. "Theme For An Industrial Western" twangs and blips like an outer-space Morricone; "Zombie In The Slave Trade" possesses some of the most amazing fret-strangulation/amp-destruction this side of Keiji Haino; and "Pleasure Centres/The Beach" is the real clincher here: a reckless dirge that eventually collapses into a miasma of loops and noise, bringing to mind a collision between Helios Creed circa 1989 and Chrome circa '78. The CD features some beautifully spartan artwork taken from the original Blue Star LP -- pure minimalism, no fuss; the music itself is fully remastered from the original tapes by the band, and the killer sounds within have been kept out of the public ear for a good decade or more.

Artist:	JENNIFER GENTLE
Title:	Ectoplasmic Garden Party
Label:	LEXICON DEVIL (AUSTRALIA)
Format:	2CD
Price:	$16.50
Catalog #:	LEXDEV 007/8CD

Originally issued by Lexicon Devil in 2003. This is Italy-based Jennifer Gentle's two albums, reissued onto one big double CD pack, tarted up with some dazzling new full-color artwork and a new title. So what the hell do they sound like and why are they so special? As Alan Bishop of the Sun City Girls said of them, "I think they've discovered a rare sound." There are elements in their music that remind me strongly of others in the Holy Pantheon of Total Greatness -- Syd's 'Floyd, Van Dyke Parks, Os Mutantes, Captain Beefheart, early Meat Puppets, Mothers of Invention, Funkadelic, Bongwater/Shockabilly, Godz, Residents, Faust, the Nuf Sed stable (Caroliner), Half Japanese -- but their synthesis of these influences (assuming they listen to these people) is the key to their sound.

Artist:	BOY DIRT CAR
Title:	Winter/F/i Split
Label:	LEXICON DEVIL (AUSTRALIA)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.50
Catalog #:	LEXDEV 009CD

Originally issued by Lexicon Devil in 2003. Milwaukee's Boy Dirt Car were their good city's preeminent punk-noise-industrial outfit who roamed the state and country from roughly 1981 'til 1989. Formed by the disgruntled duo of Eric Lunde and Darren Brown after being inspired by a local cacophonous Glen Branca gig, they decided to gather a group of fellow miscreants from the Milwaukee punk scene with a mission to create a truly inspired, ungodly, riot-inducing racket. Roping in, amongst others, Dan Kubinski and Keith Brammer from local hardcore kings, Die Kreuzen, they formed Boy Dirt Car. With a sound approximating some sort of bizarre stew of Throbbing Gristle, early Sonic Youth, Birthday Party, AMM and Einsterzunde Neubauten, they set about documenting themselves through a slew of self-released cassettes. Playing the circuit with everyone from Fred Frith to Flipper to Shockabilly to Screamin' Jay Hawkins(!), BDC caught the ear of noise aficionado, Ron Lessard, of the famed RRR label out of Massachusetts, who released the 1986 split LP with fellow Milwaukee space-rockers, F/i. Winning praise from the hipsters and running through a few pressings for its troubles, the band went and did it again in 1987 with their debut full-length, Winter. Both of these have been out-of-print for almost 15 years and never been given the CD treatment, until now. So why bother with Boy Dirt Car? For the simple reason that they are one of the great missing links in '80s U.S. punk-noise underground culture. Listening to the CD is like revisiting a time in history that really drew a line in the sand: are you with us or not? It was a time when "getting in the van" was all a "challenging band" could do to survive; a time when Whitehouse and Black Flag were one and the same; a time when "industrial" meant more than some New Romantic reject churning out z-grade speed-metal riffs with a drum machine. It's all part of a link to a puzzle, and Boy Dirt Car, as obscure as they may seem, were truly one of those great links that need reinvestigating. "...Boy Dirt (Car) share a member w/Die Kreuzen, are all pals w/Steve Albini and are often referred to as America's Einstug. That's not the most accurate thing in the world, but they are damage of an industrial nature and they don't suck. Not at all." --review of the BDC/F/i split LP, Forced Exposure, Winter 1987

Artist:	VERDURE
Title:	Cross & Satellite Station
Label:	LEXICON DEVIL (AUSTRALIA)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.50
Catalog #:	LEXDEV 011CD

Originally released by Lexicon Devil in 2002. Verdure is Donovan Quinn, who resides in Walnut Creek, deep in the East Bay of San Francisco. He's performed his songs with the Skygreen Leopards (collaborating with Glenn Donaldson) and can currently be found performing solo, occasionally being joined by various friends and collaborators under the umbrella of the 13th Month. His Verdure alias draws influence from heavy collaboration with the Jewelled Antler Collective, that loose-fitting West Coast group of artists known for bathing themselves in the glow of free-improv, rustic Americana, backwater psychedelia, electronic experiments, the outlaw spirit of classic '80s hardcore, and ghostly, folk-inspired sounds. Cross & Satellite Station is a strange beast to pin down. It could be called acid-folk or ramshackle pop with a nice, lo-fi mix of aching vocals, strummed guitars, tape loops, thundering organ, scattered percussion and the odd sample here and there. When the electric guitar breaks into that fuzzed-out solo on "Pope Innocent X," or when Donovan bursts into the chorus on the mesmerizing "Sun's Gonna Come Take Over My Sky," it might make you remember that the "new weird" zeitgeist spawned some true gems. If you've ever dug the sounds of Tyrannosaurus Rex, Skip Spence's Oar, Nikki Sudden/Epic Soundtracks, Syd Barrett at his most unhinged, or Jandek at just about any point in his recorded life, then you'll dig this.

Artist:	VIBRACATHEDRAL ORCHESTRA
Title:	My Gate's Open, Tremble By My Side
Label:	LEXICON DEVIL (AUSTRALIA)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.50
Catalog #:	LEXDEV 012CD

Originally released on the Lexicon Devil label in 2004; a reissue of their obscenely rare 1999 LP on the Roaratorio label, with three bonus tracks. Vibracathedral Orchestra started in 1998 with the core 5-piece line-up of Neil Campbell, Bridget Hayden, Michael Flower, Adam Davenport and Julian Bradley. Between the five of them, a musical CV would read like a history of UK underground experimental music from the last decade or so, with members having been involved with the likes of Richard Youngs, Simon Wickham-Smith, Sunroof, Skullflower, and others. The sound and aesthetic of VO is based heavily on percussive, improvised, minimalist drones that occasionally bear heavy resemblance to everything from very early Velvet Underground (and proto-/post-Velvets projects with John Cale, Angus MacLise and La Monte Young) to Popol Vuh and Amon Düül to essential UK cult artists like Third Ear Band and AMM. With a massive array of percussive, stringed and toy instruments (bells, recorders, flutes, mandolins, violins, whistles, organs, etc.), the band soon began wowing people over with their limited self-released CD-Rs and occasional live shows. So, in the intervening years, with a smattering of "real" releases on VHF under their belt, and various limited vinyl releases elsewhere, comes this Lexicon Devil CD. My Gate's Open... was originally released on the Roaratorio label in 1999 in an addition of only 250 copies. Not only is the album considered by many fans to be their finest work, but the CD contains a bonus three tracks from the same recording session that until now have remained unissued. Musically, it all scorches in that patented Vibracathedral style: monolithic sheets of organic, repetitive drones that arch into quieter, more subtle territory, rhythms and grooves. This expanded edition is certainly an excellent place to start in exploring the world of Vibracathedral Orchestra.

Artist:	NAR WITH NISHINIHON, HIROSHI
Title:	Hiroshi Nar With Nishinihon
Label:	LEXICON DEVIL (AUSTRALIA)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.50
Catalog #:	LEXDEV 013CD

Originally issued by Lexicon Devil in 2005. This is a special one-time-only CD, limited to a pressing of 500, of a rare live meeting of minds: power trio Nishinihon (featuring Kawabata Makoto of Acid Mothers Temple) and Hiroshi Nar of the legendary collector-scum/'60s/'70s Japanese uber-psych/garage destruction unit, Les Rallizes Denudes. Nishinihon are the amazing scorch 'n' burn three-man unit who've scarred eardrums for several years now with their acid-rock meltdown. Since his departure from Rallizes in 1978, Hiroshi has kept himself busy with a myriad projects running the scope of no wave, garage punk, Dada-rock and the occasional guest playing on an Acid Mothers disc. Suffice to say, his discography is as long as your arm and much more interesting. Hiroshi Nar with Nishinihon (which said 5 times with a belly of booze can be a great game) celebrates exactly that: a one-off live meeting in Japan in December of 2001 between these musical titans. With Hiroshi penning three of the four songs present, there's definitely a heavy musical similarity to Les Rallizes; both "20 Yen For Each Additional" and "Machiko" possess that crawling, stumbling vibe of his previous band's best '70s work, the combination of his guitar twang and stuttering garage stomp resulting in a kind of Crazy Horse/Quicksilver hybrid. Even more explosive, are the furious guitar explosions of "Are You Lady?" and "Peep Up," two short(er) ditties that get straight to the point and drive it home in a most Stoogely manner. As it says on the back cover of this release: "Do you wanna teste this fuckin' sweet wonder rock world, Brother?" Hell, yes. Last copies available...

Artist:	TAR BABIES
Title:	Face The Music/Respect Your Nightmares
Label:	LEXICON DEVIL (AUSTRALIA)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.50
Catalog #:	LEXDEV 014CD

Originally issued on the Lexicon Devil label in 2005. In 1982, the Tar Babies were burning up half-pipes and blazing venues with their hyper-speed punk rock. More well known for their late '80s LPs on the famed SST label, in which they veered towards a more DC-influenced "punk-funk" sound, and the subsequent acclaim that their drummer, Dan Bitney, acquired with Tortoise, the Babies were also one of the great, and tragically overlooked Midwestern hardcore bands of the original era, releasing two phenomenal 12" EPs on their own Bone Air imprint in '83 and '85, respectively. This CD hopes to rectify that obscurity by putting these two long-out-of-print discs back onto the marketplace for the first time on CD, with a ton of bonus material as a special treat. Inside you will find: The complete Face The Music and Respect Your Nightmares EPs, which featured early production work by Bob Mould and Butch Vig; "The Ocean" track from the Master Tapes 2LP; "Caleb's Getting Mad" from their 5-song demo cassette from 1982 (the other tracks are on FTM); five previously-unreleased songs from the era, taken from the vaults of the TB's Bucky Pope, as well as alternate versions of two EP tracks; reproductions of the original artwork from the EPs, plus a collage of flyers, photos and reviews from the era in a 10-panel booklet. Liner notes from Bucky Pope himself. All of this has been digitally edited, sequenced and fiddled with by Melbourne-via-Chicago audio whiz-kid, Casey Rice. The music the Tar Babies were pumping out in '82/'83 was an awesome collision course of Black Flag-style tension/release and heart-thumping thrash copped from a heavy diet of Minor Threat 7"s. Think the ferocity of early Die Kreuzen, Negative Approach, Necros, and you're in the ballpark. By '85, things had changed. The pace had slowed a touch, and most of all, Bucky was pumping out highly inventive riffs in an angular Eddie Hazel/Hendrix/Greg Ginn vein. Sharing the stage with a host of HC heroes and a bevy of SST folks criss-crossing the U.S. on their never-ending tours, the band caught the attention of Mr. Ginn and the rest is history. That is, of course, except for their 1982-1985 output. That is all here, and it's a rip-snorting collection. 25 tracks and 47 minutes of trailblazing, fist-pumping slampit rama-lama from a time when people really meant it.

Artist:	OIL TASTERS
Title:	Oil Tasters
Label:	LEXICON DEVIL (AUSTRALIA)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.50
Catalog #:	LEXDEV 015CD

Originally issued by Lexicon Devil in 2005. The Oil Tasters only existed between the years 1980-1983 and managed to release two 7"s and an LP in their lifetime. Out-of-print for well over 20 years, Lexicon Devil stepped up to the plate in an attempt to reintroduce this mighty Milwaukee juggernaut back into the general public with a CD compiling all their long-deleted catalog. A three-piece with the unusual line-up of bass/vocals (Richard LaValliere), saxophone (Caleb Alexander) and drums/backing vocals (Guy Hoffman), Oil Tasters set the Milwaukee scene alight in their day with their trailblazing mix of Dada-esque smart-arse lyricism, avant-garde jazz rhythms and skittering, punk-rock energy which blended together to produce a unique, unprecedented sound. Both Richard and Guy had spent time in the late '70s in The Haskels, Milwaukee's original punker outfit, and when that band called it a day, they decided to take a less orthodox musical approach. Roping in friend Caleb Alexander on saxophone (who actually learnt his trade from another '70s Milwaukee habituate and wildman, James Chance aka James White/Black of The Contortions) and inspired by a strange mixture of old Dixieland jazz, Coltrane and post-punk a la Public Image Ltd., they created something really different from the then-emerging cookie-cutter punk scene. Sonically, you could throw a few names around: in Oil Tasters one can hear traces of John Lydon's snarl in the way LaValliere barks out his sarcastic tomes; the menacing, angular punk-funk-jazz of the Minutemen, especially so in the meaty, Watt-ish bass lines; and the Dada art-rock styling of Pere Ubu ca. '81/'82. This release comprises both of their self-released 7"s and their subsequent LP released on Joe Carducci's excellent Thermidor label (they were actually recommended to Carducci by his good friend, Jello Biafra), all of which have been newly remastered at Dex Audio in Melbourne from the original reels which, funnily enough, had spent the last 5 years collecting dust on the shelves of none other than Henry Rollins' office. Huh? The CD reproduces the front cover of the original LP, contains an 8-page booklet with liner notes from longtime fan Keith Brammer (of Die Kreuzen/Boy Dirt Car) and Richard LaValliere himself, a plethora of band flyers and photos and a full 40 minutes of surrealist, one-of-a-kind post-punk.

Artist:	F/I
Title:	Blanga
Label:	LEXICON DEVIL (AUSTRALIA)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.50
Catalog #:	LEXDEV 016CD

Blanga was originally released in 2005 on Lexicon Devil. Milwaukee space/psych-rock veterans F/i saw original member Richard Franecki (Vocokesh) return to the fold and the results are here to behold. With a string of highly-praised reissues from the band under Lexicon's belts, ranging from the years 1983-1991, they figured it was high time to release some of their contemporary recordings. Also returning are Brian Wensing, Grant Richter with Rick Hake and John Frankovic. Most of all, Blanga (apparently an in-joke within the group and something to do with Amon Düül and Hawkwind) rips out some of the most awe-inspiring, trance-inducing and speaker-destroying psychedelic space-rock of the last 25 years. All the crucial pieces are in place: the metronomic drum beats, the Eno/Hawkwindesque synth swirls and, most of all, the overwhelming cloud of fuzzbox guitar distortion coating the proceedings. You get a mere 5 songs in 47 minutes; from the raga-drone of "An Extremely Lovely Girl Dreams of Blanga" to the stunning blips 'n' whirls of the keyboard/sitar track, "Blanga's Love Song," right on through to the closer, "Grandfather Blanga and His Band Light It Up," a Flipper-y dirge with one foot on Earth, one on Mars.

Artist:	CANDLESNUFFER
Title:	Apsomeophone
Label:	LEXICON DEVIL (AUSTRALIA)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.50
Catalog #:	LEXDEV 017CD

Originally released by Lexicon Devil in 2005. Candlesnuffer aka David Brown is one of the lynchpins of Australian experimental music, a man whose discography and involvement in the local avant/jazz/rock circuit stretches back to the late '70s and the famed "little bands" scene which spawned such notables as the Primitive Calculators, Essendon Airport and Tch Tch Tch. In the past ten years we've seen a bevy of releases featuring Brown in various guises: there's the Bucketrider CDs on Dr. Jim's, his project with Sean Baxter; his duo with Japanese guitarist KK Null, Terminal Hz, and on and on. Apsomeophone is Candlesnuffer's second CD release, and the title is taken from the name of one of French musique concrète pioneer Pierre Henry's studios -- Apsome -- and it's fitting, as Apsomeophone is, in a sense, a tribute to the groundbreaking works of the great concrete musicians of yore -- a series of irreverent odes to contemporary classical composers. However, Apsomeophone brings together the worlds of "composition" and rock, a meeting point of low- and high-art, a collision of the electric and the acoustic (and the occasional electro-acoustic). In it ye shall find moments of Derek Bailey-esque guitar destruction, looped guitar twangs, repetitive, percussive chimes, drones, Japanese film samples, doom-laden power chords and out-of-nowhere noises leaping and disappearing in a moment's notice -- all cut and spliced with a masterly precision. If this was released in '68 with a Wergo label stamped on its LP sleeve, you'd probably skip a few meals to grab it. It's spiced up with some handsome, minimalist artwork with liner notes by Anthony Pateras.

Artist:	F/I
Title:	Paradise Out Here
Label:	LEXICON DEVIL (AUSTRALIA)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.50
Catalog #:	LEXDEV 018CD

Reissued by Lexicon Devil in 2006. Originally released on the Human Wrechords label in 1989, Paradise Out Here has long been the most elusive and sought-after recording from Milwaukee's space-rock giants, F/i. Having once again gained a substantial cult following after the other F/i reissues Lexicon Devil has released over the last 5 years, the band came back together. The time is right to get the one non-RRRecords LP from the '80s back into the public eye, and since the LP was only released in an edition of 300 copies, there'll be plenty who will want to hear this. Recorded between the Why Not? and Blue Star LPs, it captures the band in peak form. The opener, "From Poppy With Love" is one of the band's strongest numbers, a surging collision of '80s punk rock energy dosed in clouds of cosmic guitar fuzz. It slays. The drive of the following two songs, "The House Of The Pharaoh's Daughter" and "The Ninth Corner," never lets up until the band sets the controls for the heart of the sun with the nigh-on 20-minutes tribal dirge of "Om 21." The holy combination of amp-destroying guitar noise, anchored, low-end bass, rock-steady drumming and other-worldly synth whoops and bleeps is a beauty to experience. To finish it off, the band has whacked on two bonus tracks, "Satellite Surfer" and "Five Crowns Of The Saxon King," both recorded around the same period, as a taster for the bounties they have sitting around in dusty tape boxes. Paradise Out Here could just be F/i's best recorded work, and Lexicon Devil is pleased to get it out once again for a whole new generation of fans. Fully remastered by the band with all new artwork. Last copies at the moment...

Artist:	TEN EAST
Title:	Extraterrestrial Highway
Label:	LEXICON DEVIL (AUSTRALIA)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	LEXDEV 019CD

Ten East's debut, Extraterrestrial Highway, was originally released in 2006 on Alone Records and is now available exclusively on Lexicon Devil. In terms of mining the pipeline of instrumental, multi-layered, psychedelic desert-rock with a heavy-assed backbeat, Ten East has the supergroup line-up to die for. On this record, Ten East are: Gary Arce (Yawning Man, Fatso Jetson, Sort Of Quartet), Mario Lalli (Fatso Jetson, Yawning Man), Brant Bjork (Kyuss) and Bill Stinson (HOR, Greg Ginn). Their sound is caught somewhere between jazz-like improvisation and rock-solid riffery. Taking inspiration from punk, blues, psychedelia, surf and jazz, the band's sound ably demonstrates creeping influences from such artists as SST standard-bearers Black Flag, Meat Puppets and the Minutemen, as well as The Ventures, Captain Beefheart, Brian Eno, ZZ Top and the improvisations of Monk and Dolphy. In the band's most current line-up, Bjork has left the band, and none other than Greg Ginn himself has replaced him on bass. This is not merely stoner rock, this is a slab of instrumental fury which will blow brain cells.

Artist:	YAWNING MAN
Title:	Vista Point
Label:	LEXICON DEVIL (AUSTRALIA)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	LEXDEV 020CD

Yawning Man's Vista Point CD groups together their two (now deleted) releases, Rock Formations (Cobraside, 2005) and the Pot Head EP (Cobraside, 2005). Yawning Man have been around as an on- and off-again project for guitarist Gary Arce (Ten East, Sort Of Quartet, Fatso Jetson) and drummer Alfredo Hernandez (Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age) for over 20 years, and stand as a defining influence on the so-called "desert-rock" scene. Yawning Man, however, are quite a different musical beast from those they inspired. Drawing heavily from the SST roster -- Black Flag, Minutemen, Meat Puppets -- their music is caught in the nexus of surf, psychedelia, Krautrock and the Spaghetti Western soundscapes of Ennio Morricone. Or, if you will, a missing link between the worlds of Dick Dale, Syd's 'Floyd, and Pell Mell. On these recordings, Yawning Man also features the bass duties of Mario Lalli and Billy Cordell. The sheer lyricism of the playing demonstrates their total lack of need for a vocalist. Closely aligned to both the stoner-rock scene which adores them (despite their total lack of Sabbath-like riffery), and the SST family of artists to which they are linked. Championed by stoners and avant-rockers everywhere.

Artist:	DARK TOOTH ENCOUNTER
Title:	Soft Monsters
Label:	LEXICON DEVIL (AUSTRALIA)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	LEXDEV 021CD

Dark Tooth Encounter is the name of the new music project out of California from Yawning Man/Ten East lynchpin, Gary Arce, and drummer extraordinaire, Ten East's Bill Stinson. Although joined by Scott Reeder (Kyuss, Obsessed, etc.) and Mario Lalli (Across The River, Fatso Jetson, etc.) on almost all of the tracks on this debut, the approach is much more experimental and cerebral than many of the players' previous work, sounding like an update on the classic '70s art-rock of Brian Eno. With Gary supplying guitars (including lap steel) throughout, as well as keyboards and electronics; metronomic beats, angular guitar and fuzzed-out bass, Dark Tooth Encounter remain a unique proposition. Purely instrumental and aided by the astonishing production and studio work of Mike Shear, their music is a mixture of several different elements. There are two almost rootsy-sounding tracks with "Weeping Pines" and "Engine Drone" (a 9-minute epic that brings to mind the acid-fried guitar workouts the Meat Puppets once perfected); a breezy space-rock number such as "Deep Sleep Flower," which borders on My Bloody Valentine shoegazer territory; the minimalist, aggressive drive of "Radio Bleed"; and the quieter, plaintive passages in "Alloy Pop" and "Hyper Air." Anyone with an interest in post-punk instrumental rock will get a kick out of Soft Monsters. Their sound incorporates small elements of the players' other outfits, sure, but there's also hints of math-rock, prog and shades of country-rock and psychedelia. DTE have already caught the ears of Ash Ra Tempel's Manuel Göttsching and Pell Mell's Steve Fisk, both of whom wish to work with the band in the future, but for now you have Soft Monsters, an album sure to be loved by stoners and art-rockers alike.

Artist:	TEN EAST
Title:	The Robot's Guide to Freedom
Label:	LEXICON DEVIL (AUSTRALIA)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	LEXDEV 022CD

This is the second release by the Los Angeles-based Ten East. Ten East started up in the mid-'00s as a semi-improvised outfit. They caught the ears of Alone Records out of Spain, who released their debut Extraterrestrial Highway (now re-released by Lexicon Devil). The line-up here is a veritable stoner-punk supergroup: Gary Arce (Yawning Man, Sort Of Quartet), Mario Lalli (Across The River, Fatso Jetson) and Bill Stinson, and joining them are Scott Reeder (Kyuss, Obsessed) on bass; Bryan Giles on guitar (Red Fang) and Greg Ginn (Black Flag, Gone) on guitar and organ on almost half the tracks. Recorded at Ginn's SST studio over several months, The Robot's Guide To Freedom sees Ten East branching out in heavier, more aggressive territory than their first release, as well as tempering the brute attack with forays into more ethereal space-rock and '60s/'70s-style psych jams. The music is a perfect encapsulation of the scenes these individual members helped create: the ferocious punk squawl of Ginn's frenetic, free-jazz-inspired riffs which set California ablaze some 25 years ago, combined with the scorched desert-rock of stoner pioneers Yawning Man, Fatso Jetson and Kyuss. The music of Ten East is dense, multi-layered and worthy of many repeated listens. Lead songwriter Gary Arce has the knack for penning a totally non-generic riff -- such riffs born from his love of the guitar work of Ginn, Eno, Steve Fisk, surf music and Tom Verlaine -- and creating a truly lyrical piece of music, one which makes one forget that Ten East don't and likely never will require a vocalist. Anyone into the sounds of the manic prog freakouts of early '70s King Crimson, the surf twang of the Ventures, the spaced grooves of Guru Guru and Amon Düül, or the peyote-fried guitar work of primo Meat Puppets will find something in this music.

Artist:	THE SCENE IS NOW
Title:	Tonight We Ride
Label:	LEXICON DEVIL (AUSTRALIA)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.50
Catalog #:	LEXDEV 026CD

Between the years 1984 and 1988, The Scene Is Now released three magnificent albums which have been out of print for a dog's age and have never seen the light of day on compact disk -- until now. This exclusive Lexicon Devil CD reissue of the band's third album, Tonight We Ride, has been fully remastered from original tapes by the band. Some folks compared them to the Red Krayola or Pere Ubu, some to SST outfits such as the Meat Puppets and Slovenly, and some people even hail them as the world's finest no wave jug band. The Scene Is Now (TSIN) were formed at the dawn of the 1980s by Philip Dray and Chris Nelson, a band born from the ashes of no wave trio Information (the third partner of that outfit being Rick Brown). The beauty of TSIN lies in their deceptive simplicity. What at first appears to be a straightforward, rootsy rock tune twists and turns throughout its lifespan into something completely different, keyboard lines and guitar licks darting out to and fro and seemingly pulling in different directions. The Scene Is Now remain -- as indeed they still exist -- one of the great post-Beefheart harmolodic American pop bands. Influenced equally by the ragged avant-folk sounds of the Holy Modal Rounders and the Fugs, the screech of DNA and Mars, and the traditional Americana of Bob Wills and Hoagy Carmichael, TSIN instantly set themselves apart from the pack. If you like the music of their fans -- Sonic Youth and Yo La Tengo (who covered an old TSIN track on their Fakebook LP) -- the music of their peers -- Mofungo, Pere Ubu, dBs, Fish & Roses, The Feelies -- or the sounds of their acknowledged influences -- Sun Ra, Red Krayola, Minutemen -- you'll love the music of The Scene Is Now. Their music was an indefinable mixture of the old and new, the impenetrable and the accessible and the weird and wonderful. Certainly the most accessible of the three, this album features the added talents of ex-dBs Will Rigby and Pere Ubu wunderkind Tony Maimone, expanding the TSIN clan to a family of six. Playing it 20 years after its original release, it still stands tall as one of the great, virtually unknown albums from 1980s underground America.

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