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Updated 8/9/01 Release dates [among other things] subject to change. Our mailorder pages feature all the titles below-- and more-- sorted by release date at the following links: 8/6/01, 8/20/01, 9/10/01, 9/24/01 and 10/8/01.  RESINEATORSDon't ____ With the Fantasy (SILTBREEZE SB82) CD Released the week of August 6th, 2001 order from Midheaven mailorder Get ready to match the stars! The Resineators deliver the ultimate $500 response on their second full-length player, Don't ____ with the Fantasy, an instant California drug-classic of psych-expanded rockers, white-line fevers, and black-hole crawlers from San Francisco's overlords of panic. Panelists David Nudelman (3 Stoned Men, The Wild Breed) and Anthony Bedard (Icky Boyfriends, The Leather Uppers) have augmented their telepathic, two-man collision drill with Aaron Nudelman (Sunless Day) and Andy Oglesby (The Roofies) to forge this collection of 10 flypaper-melodic, primal-concussive, battered and deep-fried cans of corn. This statement episode was captured at TinTel Park in all its shimmering clarity and pummeling hi-fidelity by pause-button operator Greg Freeman (Thinking Fellers Union Local 282, Pell Mell) and mastered by John Croslin (Beulah, Guided by Voices). Over the past two seasons, The Resineators have thrilled spectators at national SuperMatch exhibitions against teams such as Jonathan Richman, Mudhoney, In The Red recording artist Andre Williams, Quintron, and Deerhoof. Their most recent Philadelphia appearance concluded with David "The Nude" Nudelman sailing through an open door on the Khyber Yards leftfield wall, out onto the street, and straight into the emergency ward of Siltbreeze Children's Hospital, where the rarely smiling orthopedic trauma clinical director, Tiberius J. Lax, awaited, pen in hand, with a Vicodin-laced, cheesesteak-covered contract.
 J CHURCHMeaty Beaty Shitty Sounding (HONEYBEAR HB026) CD Released the week of August 6th, 2001 order from Midheaven mailorder Like Lazarus rising from the tombs, Honey Bear Records inundates the indie rock, emo-core, contemplating-a-Masters-degree punk masses with a release destined to make no one totally happy (because total happiness is both an illusion and synonymous with oblivion, right Cosmo?). Label house band J Church returns with their latest collection of songs-- previously available only on compilations and seven-inch singles. Over the course of 20 songs, J Church reaffirms the often-mumbled belief that they are truly a singles band, saving their best songs for random Third World DIY releases and obscure, vinyl-only B-sides. With singles collections historically being the band's most successful releases (despite spreading records throughout the landscape of punk powerhouses such as Honest Don's, Jade Tree and Vagrant), J-Church's latest record, unlike others, boasts at least 85 percent material recorded in real studios. Guest musicians include jazz singer and British trip hop artist Harriet Scott, Manda Rin from Bis, Johnny Takeaway from Hard Skin, and Kelly Green, formerly of Pee and Cockpit. There are also loads of cover songs ranging from the Jesus And Mary Chain to Bitch Magnet to the Electric Light Orchestra to the Grease soundtrack. In the meantime, the band is back in action and on the road (already having done tours of the States with Propagandhi and Avail, as well as a headlining tour of Europe this year) and has busied itself doing more interviews in the past 365 days than in the previous eight years combined.
 CHRIS LEEPlays & Sings Torch'd Songs, Charivari Hymns, & Oriki Blue-Marches (SMELLS LIKE RECORDS SLR45) CD Released the week of August 20th, 2001 order from Midheaven mailorder To be baffled by the sound of your own voice... know what that's like? Brooklyn-based, North Carolina-born singer Chris Lee might be able to tell you. After a solid decade devouring the more esoteric alleyways of modern music-- as DJ, journalist, and member of a handful of short-lived improvisational enterprises-- he's finally made peace with his pipes, forsaken the (self-imposed) albatross of wheel-reinvention, and resolved to use his sweet, natural croon and rare deftness with melody to simply put a little more heart and soul into an increasingly bland and cruel world. After his self-titled debut on the NYC-based indie label Misra opened a few ears, Lee re-enlisted that album's co-producer Steve Shelley, and encamped at Manning Electric in Tribeca, NYC, to mastermind his sophomore celebration. Decidedly down-er in tempo and lower-key in vibe, based primarily on acoustic guitar, upright bass, and Lee's remarkable throatwork, the album recalls stripped-down masterpieces such as Pink Moon, Led Zeppelin III, and G'n'R Lies. Lyrical continuity with the debut is preserved via heartfelt odes to loves almost-had and wistful paeans to Dixie. Not since the halcyon days of Tim Buckley and Colin Blunstone has earnestness so dazzlingly traipsed along the line between beauty and bunk. Highlights include "Lonesome Eyes," a shuffling anthem replete with '70s horns, "In Yellow Moonlight, Greater Stars Will Fall," which imagines Ali Farka Toure accompanying Nick Drake, and a cover of Neil Young's classic "On The Beach," which features burning guitar leads courtesy of ace axeman Smokey Hormel (Beck / Tom Waits / Marianne Faithful), and Shelley behind the drumkit.
 14 ICED BEARSIn The Beginning (SLUMBERLAND SL65) CD/LP Released the week of August 20th, 2001
order from Midheaven mailorder Formed in 1985 by Rob Sekula, The 14 Iced Bears ably blended shambolic pop with a psychedelic punk edge that set them apart from their C86 contemporaries. Inspired by bands like the Stooges, Velvet Underground, 13th Floor Elevators and Echo & the Bunnymen, Sekula injected the then-nascent indie-pop sound with a twisted dose of noise and experimental menace. While still owing plenty to the Byrds/Ramones influences evident in the output of labels like Creation and Pink, this dark '60s flavor set the 'Bears apart.
The first single, "Inside," appeared on TV Personality Mark Flunder's Frank label in late 1986 and was an instant success. BBC recording sessions for John Peel and fanzine/music weekly adulation quickly followed. A second single for Frank, "Balloon Song," further consolidated their following. The band toured England and Europe and the press was ecstatic. The late '80s revival of classic guitar-based pop was kind to the 'Bears, and Sekula's talent at penning catchy, twisted melodies earned them a coveted spot as one of the best of the lot. A third single sealed the deal, the raucous "Come Get Me" on the then-new label Sarah.
The band went on to release their self-titled debut album in 1988 - a masterpiece of psychedelic pop that turned a lot of heads with its ambition and skilled songcraft. A raft of singles and a second album in 1991 followed, and the band quietly disbanded in 1992.
In The Beginning compiles those classic first three singles in their entirety, along with eight never-before-released BBC session cuts and four demos/live tracks. This is the complete story of the band's most seminal, influential recordings. Upbeat, punky songs like "Inside" and "Balloon Song" are tempered by dreamy ballads like "Cut" and the folky "Like A Dolphin." Every tune is a perfect little gem, combining memorable melodies with punchy guitar noise and infectious enthusiasm. These songs have had an undeniable influence on indie pop in the years since, and 14 Iced Bears stand tall with contemporaries like The Pastels and The June Brides as cornerstones of the indie scene.
30-second RealAudio excerpts: Inside |
Click the titles below for details on specific new releases.
August 2001
J CHURCH
RESINEATORS
Coming "soon":
(all dates subject to change)
BROTHER JT
CONSUMERS
LARSEN
HERSCHEL GORDON LEWIS
SWANS
ORNETTE COLEMAN
ALICE COLTRANE
BEN KUNIN
NOVEX
DON HOWLAND
INFINITE X's
L. STINKBUG
SIX ORGANS OF ADMITTANCE
VIBRACATHEDRAL ORCHESTRA
SIMON WICKHAM-SMITH
AWOL ONE
CLINIC
ETERNAL ELYSIUM
TONY JOE WHITE
The releases above and on the left (as well as over 15,000 other
independent-label and import titles) can be purchased online at Midheaven Mailorder.
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most recent releases? On the Communion label
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The Tower Recordings,
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Doi Todd and Barbara Manning. And don't forget to drop in on those Folk
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We have also set aside three other very special pages for three other very special releases:
Bananafish 14
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