New Releases for January 2008

Index of New Releases for January 2008

SUBLIMINAL SOUNDS (SWEDEN)

Artist:	DUNGEN
Title:	Ta Det Lugnt
Label:	SUBLIMINAL SOUNDS (SWEDEN)
Format:	2LP
Price:	$24.00
Catalog #:	SUBL 017LP

Repressed on vinyl and available again. A deluxe 2LP edition of the third and globally-astounding album from the young and talented Swedish multi-instrumentalist Gustav Ejstes aka Dungen. This recording showcases the ultimate new Swedish psych/prog/pop/folkrock. Ta Det Lugnt is a beautiful multifaceted musical trip straight into your head and deep out in the Swedish forests. It offers Dungen's most exciting and adventurous recordings and features stunning musicmanship, stellar vocals, Hammond B-3 organ, flute, violin, groovy bass, swinging drums, electric and acoustic guitars and screaming fuzz, spellbinding Swedish folkrock pop psych. Original Pitchfork Rating: 9.3! This is a strictly limited edition with a gatefold sleeve.

Artist:	S.T. MIKAEL
Title:	Mind of Fire
Label:	SUBLIMINAL SOUNDS (SWEDEN)
Format:	CD
Price:	$16.00
Catalog #:	SUBL 022CD

After an 11 year silence, here's a new album by the mysterious and legendary Swedish psychedelic multi-instrumentalist, S.T. Mikael. This is part one of a suite of two separate albums. Mikael spearheaded the DIY psychedelic rock/folk movement of the late 1980s/mid-'90s, with a collection of albums that now fetch up and over $1000 on eBay. During his long absence, S.T. Mikael grew more secretive and reclusive, but all the while he was still writing music. Now that he's finally back, here's a chance at last for the world to join his psychedelic world again. The music, stretching out in many different directions, has been done freely and spontaneously in an extremely relaxed and happy environment. He also joins forces with Dungen's Reine Fiske and Fredrik Björling, whose musical expertise now also grace the grooves. These otherworldly acid tripper recordings now exist in the real world and S.T. Mikael proves, once again, to be a gifted songwriter and an unconventional performer with a very personal ear for acoustics and an emotional honesty seldom seen these days. Melodic folk-rock elements flow with waves of heavy fuzz-phase leads; weird, detached, haunted vocals echo over the band and the whole thing seems to teeter on the brink of psychedelic oblivion. This is not psychedelic revival, but the psychedelic NOW. His soaring vocals, surreal lyrics, fragile, folky melodies, heavy fuzz riffs, mind-bending soul funk and penchant for the spiritual and mystical make this a fascinating voyage that is so mind-twisting, soul-swirling, upper psychedelic that your third eye takes you on a joyride through an altered state! This album makes your brain start thinking in those pebble-splash-pond-mind circular expanding waveforms that reveal the password to tomorrow. The CD also contains 9 previously-unreleased vintage recordings and unique spoken introductions by Mikael. Limited edition of 2,000 copies only.

SUNBEAM RECORDS (UK)

Artist:	HABIBIYYA, THE
Title:	If Man But Knew
Label:	SUNBEAM RECORDS (UK)
Format:	2LP
Price:	$31.00
Catalog #:	SBR 5043LP

Previously reissued on CD by Sunbeam, now issued on deluxe 2LP format as well; 180 gram pressing. The Habibiyya's sole album stands as one of the earliest and most beautiful pieces of world music ever recorded in Britain. The musicians involved (including three members of UK underground legends Mighty Baby) had been profoundly affected, both musically and spiritually, by visiting Morocco in 1971, and became adherents of the Sufi faith. Upon their return to London they made If Man But Knew, featuring exotic instruments such as koto, shakuhachi and mandola alongside guitar, organ and drums, conjuring a hypnotic, otherworldly ambience in the process. Housed in a deluxe gatefold sleeve, accompanied by detailed liner notes, previously-unseen photographs, five rare bonus tracks and an introduction by the group's leader, Ian Whiteman.

SWEET DANDELION (UK)

Artist:	BOND ORGANIZATION, THE GRAHAM
Title:	The Sound of '65
Label:	SWEET DANDELION (UK)
Format:	LP
Price:	$26.00
Catalog #:	SWDDL 710LP

"Graham Bond, originally a jazz saxophonist who also played in Alexis Korner's band and the Don Rendell Quintet, was a pioneer in many ways; perhaps the first to use the famous Hammond organ and Leslie speaker combination, and certainly one of the founding fathers of British rhythm and blues. Although highly influential to other R&B and mod bands of the time, The Graham Bond Organization had little commercial success back then. The band, who featured also Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce (both to form Cream with Eric Clapton just one year later), recorded this LP at a time when albums were considered just like an extra for the fan; today highly collectable, it is regarded as a milestone of the early British rhythm and blues scene and a must for any lover of Mod sounds. Now faithfully reissued by Sweet Dandelion records, with remastered sound and limited to 500 copies."

Artist:	BOND ORGANIZATION, THE GRAHAM
Title:	There's a Bond Between Us
Label:	SWEET DANDELION (UK)
Format:	LP
Price:	$26.00
Catalog #:	SWDDL 711LP

Originally released in 1965. "Strings and brass, guitars, mandolins, drums and flutes came forth until the room was like the opening night of the Proms. Graham operated the Melltron and Hammond organs, and occasionally played alto sax, whilst 'Ginger' Baker propelled the band with his explosive drumming. Dick Heckstall-Smith provided wailing tenor and baritone sax-noises and Jack Bruce played bass guitar and harmonica. I listened for several hours to sounds ranging from extrovert Rhythm and Blues to cool blues; from ravers to ballads; to a highly individualistic style of music which left me speechless. I left waving a proverbial but large banner for The Graham Bond Organization." --Vicki Wickham, from liner notes. Cover design by Ginger Baker. Reissued by Sweet Dandelion records, with remastered sound and limited to 500 copies.

SWILL RADIO

Artist:	TIETCHENS, ASMUS
Title:	Teils Teils
Label:	SWILL RADIO
Format:	LP
Price:	$20.00
Catalog #:	SWILL 027LP

"I've been a fan of Asmus Tietchens' music since Formen Letzter Hausmusik came out in 1984. That LP fascinated me and I soon began acquiring anything I could by this strange musical force. I've learned a lot from his music over the years and we became acquainted via the post in the late '90s. As it turns out, we both have an extreme fondness for cigarette smoking and an interest in Max Nordau, so what better place for his first LP release in years than Swill Radio? The side-long 'Teilmenge 20' starts off the LP with an odd manic ticking that never lets up. Other sounds ebb and flow throughout and the whole piece has the rare quality of sounding totally artificial and yet organic at the same time. The second side slows things down with three tracks of dripping industrial ambience. The whole LP brings to my mind an atmosphere of waiting. To quote my good friend Matt Krefting, 'No one's music sounds both as cold and as emotional in quite the same way as the music of Asmus Tietchens.'" -- Swill Radio.

TABLE OF THE ELEMENTS

Artist:	MUELLER, JON
Title:	Metals
Label:	TABLE OF THE ELEMENTS
Format:	CD
Price:	$16.00
Catalog #:	TOE 108CD

"Percussionist Jon Mueller works with rhythms that come from gong frequencies, from vibrations of the bodies of bass drums, and the surprising sonorities that occur with the combination of these elements. Now he applies these techniques to his latest solo effort, to stunning effect: Metals is, as its name suggests, a bold, all-percussion foray into heavy metal. No theatrical silliness here; just sheer exhilaration; the fundamental power of loud, organized, precise rhythms; ringing, heavy anti-melodies. It's this sound, in the many forms it has taken over the years that continually inspires new philosophies, drives independent thinking, and causes hundreds of thousands of people to bang their heads. Jon Mueller takes it, shapes it and makes it his own."

THE WIRE (UK)

Artist:	WIRE, THE
Title:	#288 February 2008
Label:	THE WIRE (UK)
Format:	MAG
Price:	$8.50
Catalog #:	WIRE 288

"On The Cover: Vladislav Delay (Whether as Luomo, Uusitalo or Delay, Finnish electronica producer Sasu Ripatti has always avoided slipping into generic blueprints). Features: Wooden Shjips (The San Francisco fuzz quartet conjure transcendent incantations from traditional tools); Warrior Queen (How MC Annette Henry's uncensored stream of Jamaican patois is enlivening the dubstep scene); Cath & Phil Tyler (The twining harmonies of this husband and wife duo recall the heyday of English pastoral folk song); Cross Platform: What's opera.doc? (La Fura Dels Baus' post-industrial Wagner Ring cycle and Hideaki Takahashi's 'media opera' update the medium for the digital age); Invisible Jukebox: George E. Lewis; Hot Chip (The London quintet hatch a witty hybrid of urban electronic musics, taking in everything from minimal techno to Puerto Rican reggaeton); Sightings (The New York avant power trio explain to Marc Masters how their customary clouds of distortion and overdrive were parted by new producer Andrew WK)."

THIRD EAR RECORDINGS (UK)

Artist:	VA
Title:	Detroit Beatdown Vol. 2 EP2
Label:	THIRD EAR RECORDINGS (UK)
Format:	12"
Price:	$11.50
Catalog #:	3E 085EP

Featuring: Kelli Hand, Pirahnahead, Drivetrain, Inohs Sivad. "It's been four and a half years since Third Ear released Detroit Beatdown Vol. 1. The first of the three volumes of the Detroit Beatdown Third Ear project was completed with the CD release of the complete Detroit Beatdown Remixes in 2006. Vol. 2 will be spread across 5 EPs through 2007 and 2008. A 2CD and limited vinyl box set will complete DB2 before we get into the remixes and Detroit Beatdown Sessions EPs again. First up in DB2 was EP1: the 'Black' EP. Second in DB2 is the Tangerine EP."

THRILL JOCKEY

Artist:	HUMAN BELL
Title:	Human Bell
Label:	THRILL JOCKEY
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.00
Catalog #:	THR 191CD

"The Aramaic language had an expression: Ephphatha, to be opened, as a portal. That ability to be open, to listen completely and communicate purely is at the heart of Human Bell. David Heumann and Nathan Bell's gorgeous guitar duets form an instrumental canvas painted in the warm colored hues of folk and rock music, and simultaneously a blank canvas for the listeners themselves to paint. Their songs are delicately crafted with an immaculate clarity, expressiveness, and most of all, openness. Human Bell features David Heumann (Arbouretum, Cass McCombs, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy) and Nathan Bell (Lungfish, P.W. Long, Mighty Flashlight, and Television Hill)."

Artist:	NEMETH
Title:	Film
Label:	THRILL JOCKEY
Format:	CD
Price:	$13.50
Catalog #:	THR 194CD

"Film is the first solo album by Stefan Németh, member of Radian and Lokai and the co-founder of Mosz Records. The album developed out of his years of work creating soundscapes for experimental filmmakers and installation artists. It was only after years of creating these works that he had the idea to re-purpose it for an album under his own name. When these pieces were created, Németh was working on a variety of projects, each of them with its own life and intent, always with the music being created to serve the movie, as opposed to creating a single album where his process could have been more linear. His idea for Film was to take this material and re-structure and develop these soundtracks into autonomous pieces of music, while keeping the cinematic spirit alive. Technically, Film is a blend of electronic sounds and acoustic instruments where it is often difficult to distinguish between real and generated sounds, and similarly combines free and conventional forms. The electronics function just as any other instrument, and are almost solely analog synths. There are digitally generated sounds, but only from genuinely digital processes, and not replicas or recreations of the analog world."

Previous Page Index of New Releases for January Next Page

Artist:	HITE, BOB
Title:	Dr. Boogie Presents Rarities from the Bob Hite Vaults
Label:	SUB ROSA (BELGIUM)
Format:	LP
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	SR 271LP