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viewing 1 To 9 of 9 items
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CD
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EMP 051CD
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"Christopher McVicker could capably add a chapter or two to the omnipresent tall tale of perfect pop's supposed rebirth in 21st century San Francisco. That's assuming he could be bothered to weigh in on the subject. Still, for the last decade-plus, McVicker's chosen musical guise of Swiftumz has certainly been inspirational to the current pack. This perennially loose project allows McVicker to shape myriad aural obsessions into something quintessentially his own. From the distorted fuzz-centric moments on his earliest recordings through his more recent punky bursts of shiny pop, McVicker's work has wowed the fortunate few who have bent an ear in his direction. For sure, 'Everybody loves Chris.' Now returning with Simply The Best, he has leveled up. Aided by some of The City's finest like-minded volunteers -- Kelley Stoltz, folks from The Aislers Set, The Bananas, Dirty Ghosts and many others, Simply The Best is a varied, all-hits endeavor, placing vibey, holed-up bedroom ballads alongside idealized, sparkling pop rock, chilled on one occasion, sharpened on another. Of particular note are the lead guitar contributions courtesy of Chris Guthridge, adding punch to McVicker's effortlessly cool arrangements. These combinations and contributions always seem to boost Swiftumz beyond expectations, toward the timeless and classic. The prime testament to McVicker's songcraft is that he makes it look and sound so easy. In truth, Simply The Best earned its name over six long years of construction, a tumultuous period that saw the tragic loss of a cherished friend and guitarist, the abrupt closure of the record's pressing plant and countless other personal and professional upheavals. Somehow McVicker, far too blessed to ever be stressed, was able to see through all these hardships and get all these gems cut and polished."
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LP
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EMP 051LP
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LP version. "Christopher McVicker could capably add a chapter or two to the omnipresent tall tale of perfect pop's supposed rebirth in 21st century San Francisco. That's assuming he could be bothered to weigh in on the subject. Still, for the last decade-plus, McVicker's chosen musical guise of Swiftumz has certainly been inspirational to the current pack. This perennially loose project allows McVicker to shape myriad aural obsessions into something quintessentially his own. From the distorted fuzz-centric moments on his earliest recordings through his more recent punky bursts of shiny pop, McVicker's work has wowed the fortunate few who have bent an ear in his direction. For sure, 'Everybody loves Chris.' Now returning with Simply The Best, he has leveled up. Aided by some of The City's finest like-minded volunteers -- Kelley Stoltz, folks from The Aislers Set, The Bananas, Dirty Ghosts and many others, Simply The Best is a varied, all-hits endeavor, placing vibey, holed-up bedroom ballads alongside idealized, sparkling pop rock, chilled on one occasion, sharpened on another. Of particular note are the lead guitar contributions courtesy of Chris Guthridge, adding punch to McVicker's effortlessly cool arrangements. These combinations and contributions always seem to boost Swiftumz beyond expectations, toward the timeless and classic. The prime testament to McVicker's songcraft is that he makes it look and sound so easy. In truth, Simply The Best earned its name over six long years of construction, a tumultuous period that saw the tragic loss of a cherished friend and guitarist, the abrupt closure of the record's pressing plant and countless other personal and professional upheavals. Somehow McVicker, far too blessed to ever be stressed, was able to see through all these hardships and get all these gems cut and polished."
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CD
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EMP 052CD
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"Cool Ghouls -- a band fledged in San Francisco on house shows, minimum wage jobs, BBQs in Golden Gate Park and the romance of a city's psychedelic history turns ten this year. What better a decennial celebration than the release of their fourth album, At George's Zoo! Fortunately for everyone, the Ghouls got an album in before everything went to shit, and they made it count. This release includes fifteen of the twenty-seven tunes they managed to eke out while simultaneously working through major life moves. It was a five-month, all out, final sprint down the homestretch with affable engineer Robby Joseph, at his makeshift garage studio in the Outer Sunset (pictured on the cover). This is a fully realized Cool Ghouls album. It paints a remarkable portrait of these SF homegrown heroes and the many corners they've explored over the last decade. The songwriting, harmony and playing are solid and the lyrics are keen. Joseph's recording and mixing sound great start to finish and even better after mastering by Mikey Young. It's a triumphant addition to their catalogue. Recommended for Stooges and Beach Boys fans alike. Listen and see!"
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LP
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EMP 052LP
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LP version. "Cool Ghouls -- a band fledged in San Francisco on house shows, minimum wage jobs, BBQs in Golden Gate Park and the romance of a city's psychedelic history turns ten this year. What better a decennial celebration than the release of their fourth album, At George's Zoo! Fortunately for everyone, the Ghouls got an album in before everything went to shit, and they made it count. This release includes fifteen of the twenty-seven tunes they managed to eke out while simultaneously working through major life moves. It was a five-month, all out, final sprint down the homestretch with affable engineer Robby Joseph, at his makeshift garage studio in the Outer Sunset (pictured on the cover). This is a fully realized Cool Ghouls album. It paints a remarkable portrait of these SF homegrown heroes and the many corners they've explored over the last decade. The songwriting, harmony and playing are solid and the lyrics are keen. Joseph's recording and mixing sound great start to finish and even better after mastering by Mikey Young. It's a triumphant addition to their catalogue. Recommended for Stooges and Beach Boys fans alike. Listen and see!"
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CD
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EMP 045CD
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"Recorded at El Studio by Phil Manley (Life Coach / Trans Am), mixed and mastered by Mikey Young (Total Control) and released by Empty Cellar Records -- home to [Grace] Cooper's old band The Sandwitches -- the album will be accompanied by a 32-page book of Coopers' illustrations and lyrics. There has always been a dreamy American gothic sensibility to Cooper's sound, and on Christ Mocked she continues to lean into this mood and presents us with a collection of deeply felt ballads and stories that have as much in common with Shirley Jackson as they do Karen Dalton or anything we've heard from her before. Taking the album to the studio has added some polish to Grace Sings Sludge but as these songs and stories intertwine, it's clear that Cooper is evolving her sound forward in strange and unexpected ways -- even putting her own spin on audio drama with 'The Hackers' and 'Borderlands'. This is very much the sound of an artist experimenting and pushing expectations. Beneath the surface of these songs is a lovely mystery; a whelm in the gloom; a hope and a resilience that glow and thrive in the bottomless sea. Grace Cooper plays all instruments on Christ Mocked, except drums and piano on 'Horror for People That Don't Like Horror' played by Nic Russo/Dick Stusso." --Glenn McQuaid (Tales From Beyond the Pale)
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LP
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EMP 045LP
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LP version. "Recorded at El Studio by Phil Manley (Life Coach / Trans Am), mixed and mastered by Mikey Young (Total Control) and released by Empty Cellar Records -- home to [Grace] Cooper's old band The Sandwitches -- the album will be accompanied by a 32-page book of Coopers' illustrations and lyrics. There has always been a dreamy American gothic sensibility to Cooper's sound, and on Christ Mocked she continues to lean into this mood and presents us with a collection of deeply felt ballads and stories that have as much in common with Shirley Jackson as they do Karen Dalton or anything we've heard from her before. Taking the album to the studio has added some polish to Grace Sings Sludge but as these songs and stories intertwine, it's clear that Cooper is evolving her sound forward in strange and unexpected ways -- even putting her own spin on audio drama with 'The Hackers' and 'Borderlands'. This is very much the sound of an artist experimenting and pushing expectations. Beneath the surface of these songs is a lovely mystery; a whelm in the gloom; a hope and a resilience that glow and thrive in the bottomless sea. Grace Cooper plays all instruments on Christ Mocked, except drums and piano on 'Horror for People That Don't Like Horror' played by Nic Russo/Dick Stusso." --Glenn McQuaid (Tales From Beyond the Pale)
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EMP 049LP
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"The world has a way of tethering one down with its turmoil but there are keys to float free. It sometimes takes an equal and opposite reaction to snuff out the madness. Whether one's destination is far out or deep within, a spark is needed to set these moves in motion. Thankfully, Gravité are here to help. Their heavy vision and sounds light the path and give weight to release. For Gravité's self-titled debut album on Empty Cellar Records, synthesizer voyagers Matthew Riley and Aaron Diko have plugged in to get the vibratory field humming into infinite vision mode. These eight tracks -- performed on a collection of classic and reissued analog equipment: Juno 60, Prodigy, Mono/Poly, Minimoog, SH-01A, MS20, Minilogue, Volcakeys, TR-08 -- are an introduction to a new creative collaboration. This is portal music for mortal metamorphosis, shaped and reshaped via endless improvisation and perhaps some psychedelics. So, when the whirlwind world gets you blitzed out, it's time to bliss out. Gravité will set you soaring." For fans of Neu!, Cluster, Ralf and Florian, Suzanne Ciani, J.D. Emmanuel, Terri Riley.
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2LP
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EMP 044LP
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Double LP version. "San Francisco, CA: drop the needle and start navigating the heat of a backyard rumba with Los Intocables, led by Gilberto Rodriguez. This is modern Chicano Soul creased down the middle of Bay Area Guanguanco street rhythms, accompanied by overdriven bass and expressionist trumpet lines in full color. Groove-laden tracks bring the cruise to life and steal a kiss on the tropics of an eternal brown-eyed summer. Los Intocables are Ahkeel Mestayer on all percussion, Ruben Sandoval on keys, brothers Carlos and Jorge Rodriguez on trumpets and Gilberto Rodriguez on guitars and vocals, featuring guest vocals from Ilia Correa Sepulveda on 'Bahiá Caliente.' Taking cues from the Chicano Rock canon and specifically that of the San Francisco Bay Area historic musical scene, this is a wholly raw sound awash in sonic dissonance and tropical beat-poetic swagger that could only have been conceived in the streets of San Francisco. It's an evolution of the American experimental and psych scene that doesn't take precedence over any specific genre. As fluid as the shifting demographics of the US is the reflection of the Los Intocables sound coming from the turntable."
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CD
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EMP 044CD
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"San Francisco, CA: drop the needle and start navigating the heat of a backyard rumba with Los Intocables, led by Gilberto Rodriguez. This is modern Chicano Soul creased down the middle of Bay Area Guanguanco street rhythms, accompanied by overdriven bass and expressionist trumpet lines in full color. Groove-laden tracks bring the cruise to life and steal a kiss on the tropics of an eternal brown-eyed summer. Los Intocables are Ahkeel Mestayer on all percussion, Ruben Sandoval on keys, brothers Carlos and Jorge Rodriguez on trumpets and Gilberto Rodriguez on guitars and vocals, featuring guest vocals from Ilia Correa Sepulveda on 'Bahiá Caliente.' Taking cues from the Chicano Rock canon and specifically that of the San Francisco Bay Area historic musical scene, this is a wholly raw sound awash in sonic dissonance and tropical beat-poetic swagger that could only have been conceived in the streets of San Francisco. It's an evolution of the American experimental and psych scene that doesn't take precedence over any specific genre. As fluid as the shifting demographics of the US is the reflection of the Los Intocables sound coming from the turntable."
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