New Releases for April 2008

Index of New Releases for April 2008

ECSTATIC PEACE

Artist:	AWESOME COLOR
Title:	Electric Aborigines
Label:	ECSTATIC PEACE
Format:	CD
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	E#104C

"Awesome Color is a power trio updated for the 2060s, noise provocateurs and impressionists, ace players with punk rock flair, inspired citizens of a small modernist nation of musical, visual, and literary outrage on the outskirts of Brooklyn, or a rainbow amalgam of all of the above at once. Following a non-stop touring schedule since their debut release including stints with Dinosaur Jr. and Sonic Youth in the U.S., UK , and Europe, the band took their honed brand of turbo chemistry into the studio to create the highly-anticipated Electric Aborigines."

Artist:	TALL FIRS
Title:	Too Old To Die Young
Label:	ECSTATIC PEACE
Format:	CD
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	E#41D

"On Too Old To Die Young, Tall Firs move away from the underground electric folk of their self-titled debut and toward experimental rock, trading trippy introspection for a more fleshed-out, structured sound that still has an organic warmth in its intricate guitars and artfully shambling drums. By sharpening their focus and turning up the volume, Tall Firs also strengthen the similarities between their sound and Sonic Youth -- 'So Messed Up' and 'Hippies' recall the avant-jam band epics that Thurston Moore has been perfecting since "The Diamond Sea" and Too Old To Die Young's overall vibe recalls the laid-back friendliness of Moore's Trees Outside The Academy. However, this is also some of Tall Firs' most wide-ranging work: 'Good Intentions' dives into textural rock with searing guitars, 'Warriors' builds from a whispery start to a noise maelstrom, and 'Lookout' has a stillness that recalls Tall Firs despite its charging dynamics. The band even tries out some poppier fare on the surprisingly sweet and hopeful love song 'Hairdo,' while the wry melody of 'Loveless' feels like commiserating at a bar after that relationship goes bust. And on 'Secrets and Lies,' a duet with the Jealous Girlfriends' Holly Miranda, Tall Firs map out confessional territory that many of their peers couldn't approach. A rare mix of intimacy and experimentalism, Too Old To Die Young will resonate with indie rock fans who know what that album title really means." --Heather Phares, All Music Guide

EL RECORDS (UK)

Artist:	PATCHEN/LAWRENCE FERLINGHETTI, KENNETH
Title:	Rebel Poets of America
Label:	EL RECORDS (UK)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	ACMEM 133CD

"Two of the most brilliant poets of the Beat generation, Kenneth Patchen and Lawrence Ferlinghetti, performing their compelling works in a jazz context. This edition captures the movement in poetry toward all-inclusiveness, and a belief that the language and music of the street had their own beauty, integrity and significance, rooted as they were in the experience of ordinary people. Patchen is one the most important American writers of the 20th century and Ferlinghetti wrote Coney Island Of The Mind which sold a million copies. In terms of both attitude and style, Patchen and Ferlinghetti paved the way for Bob Dylan, Jim Morrison and Captain Beefheart."

Artist:	ESQUIVEL, JUAN GARCIA
Title:	Mexico Days
Label:	EL RECORDS (UK)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	ACMEM 139CD

"The king of space-age pop, the genius of Mexican composer-arranger Juan Garcia Esquivel lay in his audacious instrumentation; his blending together of exotic sounds from other cultures and experimentation with the new tonal palettes that were becoming available in the mid-fifties period from which these, his earliest commercial recordings, derived. Esquivel has been proclaimed by Brian Wilson and by Simpsons creator Matt Groening, 'who'd have thought that out of a genre as debased as easy listening would come something so mind-curdlingly bizarre and beautiful.' This set comprises the first digital release of Esquivel's impossibly rare first album Las Tandas de Juan Garcia Esquivel from 1957 coupled with To Love Again; a collection of singles and 78s recorded in Mexico between 1954-57. International potential. Essential for followers of Esquivel and of students of lounge and space age pop."

Artist:	WELLES, ORSON
Title:	Your Obedient Servant
Label:	EL RECORDS (UK)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	ACMEM 140CD

"Orson Welles is a titanic figure in popular culture. Before Kane, before Ambersons, The Lady From Shanghai and The Third Man; Before Touch of Evil, his astounding Othello, Chimes At Midnight and F for Fake, Welles created the sensational War of the Worlds broadcast that terrified a nation of American radio listeners. While Hollywood beckoned, Welles and his company, The Mercury Theatre continued to produce compelling radio drama that still sounds extraordinary. Make no mistake, if radio held sway over us like it did during its Golden Age, much of Welles' work in the medium would be as venerated as Kane or any of the other creative triumphs that were to follow. 'The Hitchhiker' and the chilling 'Search for Henri Le Fevre' were written by Lucille Fletcher (author of, in Welles opinion, the greatest ever radio drama, Sorry, Wrong Number). 'Sredni Vashtar' is the work of the inscrutable late nineteenth century English writer Saki. The music for all three performances was composed by long-time Welles (and Hitchcock) collaborator Bernard Herrmann (Citizen Kane, Magnificent Ambersons, North by Northwest, Psycho etc)."

Artist:	SHANKAR/ALI AKBAR KHAN, RAVI
Title:	More Flowers Of India
Label:	EL RECORDS (UK)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	ACMEM 141CD

"With recordings made at least a decade before psychedelia, More Flowers of India showcases the beautiful, dreamlike art of Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan and attests to the extraordinary influence of Indian classical music on western culture. By the early seventies, both men had been signed to the Beatles' Apple label and thanks to the revolution they spearheaded, the global musical landscape had altered irrevocably. The Beatles, The Doors, The Byrds and John Coltrane were amongst the many that came under the spell of these great masters."

ENDLESS FLIGHT (JAPAN)

EPIC

Artist:	IVERS BAND, PETER
Title:	Knight of the Blue Communion
Label:	EPIC
Format:	LP
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	BN 26500LP

Exact repro reissue. "Ivers may not be a household name, but during his short life, he made an impact on many fronts. He was a musician, arranger, composer, screenwriter, catalyst, TV presenter, spotter of new talent, a black belt in karate and a yoga master. Peter's first big music industry break came in 1969, when Epic Records signed him to record his debut solo LP, Knight of the Blue Communion. In addition to playing harmonica and providing backing vocals, Peter acted as arranger and composer, while his friend Tim Mayer provided all the lyrics. Ivers assembled a fascinating group of musicians to play on his record. On drums was Cleve Frank Pozar, with Richard Youngstein on contrabass, and Tony Ackerman on guitar. The horn section featured Steve Kowarsky on bassoon, Henry Schuman on oboe and Paul Balmuth on sax. However, the icing on the cake was chanteuse Yolande Bavan, and the way in which Peter used her as lead vocalist on the album. Bavan was a singer and actress who was born in Sri Lanka and had started her professional career working as a vocalist with renowned pianist Graeme Bell. On its original release in 1969, Knight of the Blue Communion drew comparisons with Captain Beefheart and Frank Zappa, with Yolanda appearing to be the conventional vocalist cast in what was often a sea of avant-garde madness, the music a blend of blues, rock & jazz. The LP was produced by the veteran U.S. pop producer Sandy Linzer, who had written and produced the hit 'Let's Hang On To What We Got.'"

EQUATION RECORDS

Artist:	BUNNYBRAINS 88
Title:	Squirrel Attack EP
Label:	EQUATION RECORDS
Format:	LP
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	E=MC 006LP

2005 release. "333 copies only. 21 min long 10" EP pressed on split red-clear vinyl. Over 21 minutes of hard-hitting studio and live tracks that defy simple categorization. As we need to say something here, they are essentially a mix of avant-indie-punk (once they were described as 'proto-plasmicfunsters' -- whatever that means!). The live side delivers 2 blistering tracks: one based around the classic Hawkwind track 'Born To Go' and the other a longer and extraordinary piece, 'Independent Civilian Interrogation & Defense Contractor.' This is an unyielding barrage of effects-laden power that demands repeated listening with a climax built on manic guitar, feedback, looped vocals on a solid, driving bass line. This really is an excellent track. Honest. The A-side has vocal and instrumental versions of 'Squirrel Attack' (1 in each groove). This is classic BunnyBrains 88 with quirky vocals and an edgy riff."

Artist:	GUARANTEED KATCH
Title:	In A Sumptuous Brown Gravy
Label:	EQUATION RECORDS
Format:	LP
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	E=MC 010LP

"333 copies only. Brown vinyl full-length LP. Born from the ashes of bands Post Mortem, Siege and Colon On The Cob, Guaranteed Katch carves a unique, indescribable niche in a world of copy cats and wannabes, providing the adventurous listener with a true alternative to the alternative. This LP is loaded with an unforgettable roster of action-packed songs, whirling the listener into a state of inexplicable dementia and psychiatric ineptitude. Described as 'jazz-core,' 'powdered-wig punk' or 'experimental noise-rock,' this recording provides a host of musically disorienting songs from who-knows-where through a combination of many different music styles played with irreverence and abandon: be it Killdozer-esque 'Baron Of Beef' to the haughty posturing of 'Trash-Knight.'"

ERSTWHILE

Artist:	LAMBKIN/JASON LESCALLEET, GRAHAM
Title:	The Breadwinner
Label:	ERSTWHILE
Format:	CD
Price:	$13.50
Catalog #:	ERST 052CD

"Graham Lambkin and Jason Lescalleet are both highly respected artists, with small but intensely hardcore followings. Since 2001, they've been gradually moving closer towards realizing a collaborative project, and The Breadwinner is the result of two years of recording, reworking and polishing. Lambkin first entered the public consciousness at 19 when he formed his band The Shadow Ring, in Folkestone, a small town in Kent, England. The band was memorable and built a rabidly passionate fan base because of its sui generis approach, blending elements of folk, noise, cracked electronics, and surrealist poetry, while radically changing the overall formula with each release. A decade of increasingly skewed and inspired work culminated in 2003's I'm Some Songs, constructed long distance as Lambkin had relocated to the U.S. in 1998. Over the last few years, Lambkin has primarily worked under his own name, most notably with 2007's brilliant Salmon Run, a precursor to The Breadwinner. Lescalleet has gradually and painstakingly built a compelling discography over the past decade. He uses reel-to-reel tape decks to explore the textures of low-fidelity analog sounds and the natural phenomena of old tape and obsolete technology. He is one of a growing list of master producer/musicians, whose skill lies as much in reworking, assembling and mastering the material available as in creating it (or helping create it) in the first place. He has worked with such wide-ranging artists as Ron Lessard, Joe Colley and Phill Niblock, and has released a string of superb solo discs. This is his second release for Erstwhile, after 2001's Forlorn Green (w/Greg Kelley), and his third is already in preparation. The material for The Breadwinner was recorded at Lambkin's house in upstate NY, over two recording sessions. The duo treated the entire building and its surrounding grounds as a studio, welcoming in outside sounds, which were later kept or eliminated as they felt appropriate. The subtitle on the front cover is 'musical settings for common environments and domestic situations,' layering numerous submerged fragments to find beauty in everyday life."

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Artist:	INTRUSION
Title:	Intrusion Dub
Label:	ECHOSPACE
Format:	2x12"
Price:	$22.00
Catalog #:	ECHOSPACE 007EP

Artist:	SNOW PATROL
Title:	Shut Your Eyes
Label:	ENDLESS FLIGHT (JAPAN)
Format:	12"
Price:	$10.00
Catalog #:	EF 005EP