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Updated 9/6/02 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:
8/12/02
and 8/26/02.
Our July 2002 new release page can be found here.
 COUPSteal This Double Album (FOAD 4600) 2xCD Released the week of August 12th, 2002 order from Midheaven mailorder Nothing but praise for Steal This Album from all corners: "A masterpiece of a slow-rolling west coast funk" -Rolling Stone "Hands down, this is the hip hop album of the year" -URB "These Bay Area-based cats deserve to be in the same league as Outkast and oodie Mob" -The Source "Revolution hasn't sounded this good in a while" -XXL "Their best work to date" -Rap Pages "A funky montage designed to revive our dormant social consciousness" -Hits "Their most conceptually unified, musically funkified, lyrically hellafied record" -Blaze "A longevity classic" -Rap Sheet "A tour de force" -Village Voice
 CHEATER SLICKSYer Last Record (IN THE RED ITR087) CD Released the week of August 12th, 2002 order from Midheaven mailorder The Cheater Slicks have been responsible for some of the raunchiest racket around for more than fifteen years. Atonal and hateful. Music for misanthropes. Fuzzed out, freaked out and bummed out. Psychedelic-garage-noise-pop for miscreants. Music made by misfits for misfits. Tales of transsexuals, suicide attempts and bad acid trips. Eleven brand new slices of sludge so thick it'll clog your stereo speakers. Started in Boston in 1987, the Cheater Slicks have built a huge body of recorded trash-garage-noise-melancholy pop-psychedelic dementia-rock'n'roll that has gone largely unrecognized by the music press and has made many garage rock purists run for the door. Their music is sometimes abstract and always intrusive and confrontational. Real connoisseurs of truly intense music have recognized the brilliance of this criminally over-looked band. The Cheater Slicks began as a four piece that included a bass player - first with Merle Allin (GG's brother) and then with Alpo (former member of The Real Kids). After a couple of years the band decided to scale their line up down to a three piece - doing away with bass altogether. The Cheater Slicks recorded for a series of independent labels until in 1992 they called In The Red their home with their third album Whiskey. In 1995 they recorded their fourth album, Don't Like You, with Jon Spencer as producer. The band toured heavily behind this album with The Blues Explosion, Mudhoney and the Red Aunts. Their live shows are played at deafening volume. Mudhoney and the New Bomb Turks have covered their songs. In 1996 the band relocated to Columbus, Ohio where they remain to this day, more reclusive and misanthropic than ever.
 DON COVAY & J. LEMON BLUESHouse of Blues Lights (SEPIA TONE STONE11) CD Released the week of August 26th, 2002 order from Midheaven mailorder The compositions of R&B and soul songwriting great Don Covay have been recorded by everyone from the Rolling Stones to Jimi Hendrix, Gladys Knight to Wilson Pickett, and many others. Mick Jagger has even cited Covay as his all time favorite singer! Covay was born in Orangeburg, South Carolina, and grew up in Washington, DC, the son of a Baptist preacher. As a youngster he sang in his family's gospel group, the Cherry-Keys, and joined The Rainbows alongside Marvin Gaye, John Berry, and Billy Stewart in the '50s. He also performed as a solo singer with Little Richard (who recorded Covay as Pretty Boy on the Atlantic release "Bip Bop Bip"). Covay had moderate success with the single "Pony Time," which he co-wrote with Berry, for the Arnold label in 1960. He began to hit his stride in 1964. Besides fronting Don Covay and the Goodtimers, he wrote "Mercy Mercy," "Sookie Sookie," and "See Saw," and had tunes recorded by Gene Chandler and Aretha Franklin. Covay did both blues and soul numbers for various labels in the late '60s and '70s. His biggest hit as a performer was "See Saw," which made it to number five on the R&B charts in 1965. Covay was also part of the short-lived Soul Clan, with Solomon Burke, Arthur Conley, Ben E. King, and Joe Tex in 1968. During his period at Atlantic in the late '60s and early '70s, Covay's tunes were continually cut by other artists (most notably "See Saw" and "Chain Of Fools" by Aretha Franklin; "Watch Dog" and "I'm Gonna Take What He's Got" by Etta James; and "Think About It" and "Demonstration" by Otis Redding). But Covay's own recording career had reached an impasse, so he began trying different approaches to reach a new audience. One such attempt was the Jefferson Lemon Blues Band, featuring former Shirelles guitarist Joe Richardson and John Hammond, a favorite of the Greenwich Village coffee house folk / blues crowd. Recorded at Herb Abramson's A-1 Studio, the album was aimed at what was then called the "underground" audience. What may have seemed like an odd direction at the time produced one very raw and potent marriage of soul, blues and rock. Out of print for years, The House of Blue Lights has become a desired album by record collectors everywhere.
 DJ RUPTUREMinesweeper Suite (TIGERBEAT6 MEOW045) CD Released the week of August 26th, 2002 order from Midheaven mailorder Born near Boston, based in Madrid, DJ /Rupture captured the world's imagination with Gold Teeth Thief, a "stunning, globe-trotting, three-turntable mix" that embodies "the spirit of the best bootleg mixes - bumping, brash, and without borders," according to Vibe's four-star review in their April 2002 issue. With similar hyperbolic raves in The Wire, Urb, and German magazine De:Bug (which named /Rupture "best DJ in the world"), it is close to impossible to ignore the powerfully syncretic musical imagination at work here, nurtured on the one hand by New York's legendary illbient scene and by notions of the African diaspora on the other. Minesweeper Suite is DJ /Rupture's first full-length statement and response to the world since it swallowed the delicious Gold Teeth Thief mix with a thump and a booty-shake, and uses the forum to tear some of hip hop's most familiar battle breaks into arguments that reconstruct "the missing links between Dead Prez and Middle Eastern dub selector Muslimgauze," to quote Vibe again. Mahmoud Fadi, Aphasic, Disc, Cul De Sac, Rotator, Cex, Gregory Whitehead, Bubba Sparxxx, Kid66, J-Boogie, DAT Politics, Borbetomagus, Alliyah, DJ Scud, So Takahashi and Donna Summer all find a home in DJ /Rupture's realm, where squalls of noise and dub concrte are the sand in his mixer, scouring away the listener's previous associations with music they thought they knew, forcing them to confront cultural differences in a manner that neither essentializes nor orientalizes, but honors them within a deeply rooted, humanistic vision. Minesweeper Suite extends DJ /Rupture's mission of dissolving the boundaries between artistic genres and scenes; the result is a post-colonial, post-apocalyptic work that the world needs now more than ever.
 DJ RUPTUREGold Teeth Thief Ltd Edition Mix (VIOLENT TURD TURD03) CD Released the week of August 12th, 2002 order from Midheaven mailorder A limited edition reissue of DJ Rupture's seminal mix CD, originally self-released on his own Negrophonic label. Hear what The Wire was talking about when it raved "so fabulous that you need to beg, borrow, re-mortgage, and steal ... so you can go to the website and download it post haste" before naming it one of the year's 50 best albums. Vibe gave it a four-star review, and Urb named /Rupture one of its Next 100 artists to blow up in 2002.  ERASE ERRATA / NUMBERSSplit (TIGERBEAT6 MEOW047) 3" CD Released the week of August 12th, 2002 order from Midheaven mailorder Fresh off their respective US tours, Erase Errata and Numbers have already proven themselves essential to the new school of rock with their deft cross-breeding of no wave, punk, and disco to create a brilliant ass-shaking hybrid. This release brings you these two purveyors of punk alchemy in its finest form. The four women who comprise Erase Errata started playing together in 1999, yet their uncanny inter-responsiveness makes it sound as if they've been playing together forever. The songs are rhythmically layered concoctions of shimmying, sweaty disco-beats and clean, bright bass lines that wrap their jerky, dance-y energy around distorted, sawing guitar. In perfect counterpoint to the music is singer Jenny's charismatic, declarative voice. Think Au Pairs, The Raincoats, or The Slits on a date with The Contortions and you're just starting to get it. If this record was a race between two machines, Erase Errata would be an artfully jury-rigged go-kart and Numbers would be the robot craftily constructed out of leftover buzzers, re-wired circuits and obsolete industrial parts. Translated into music, this means: danceable architecture constructed of stuttering analog buzzes and beeps; crisp, sparse drumming; and staccato blasts of guitar and keyboards. Claustrophobia is palpable in the terse drums beats, short, sharp guitar attacks, and dry vocal delivery. The mechanics of these propulsive, beat collapsing, manic songs have hailed comparisons to Units, Melt-Banana, and Chrome before, but really, it's a sound all its own.
 INCREDIBLE STRING BANDs/t (SEPIA TONE STONE08) CD Released the week of August 26th, 2002 order from Midheaven mailorder The Incredible String Band formed in late 1965 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Before that, founding members Robin Wiliamson , Clive Palmer and Mike Heron had played around the Edinburgh and Glasgow clubs. Originally known as Robin & Clive, the duo added Heron who bought just the bluesy feel that was needed. The initial sound was Scots old-timey with a bit of bluegrass and the blues. In 1966, a new eclecticism arrived in the folk and traditional circles, changing the three young men forever. The new wave of British folk had "arrived" with Donovan, Bert Jansch, John Renbourne, Shirley Collins, The Watersons, and the Incredible String Band as the most genre-defying leaders. Almost immediately after The Incredible String band had finished recording their debut album for Elektra Records in 1966, virtuoso banjo player and third guitarist Palmer left the group to travel to Kashmir (and eventually to form C.O.B.). The first Incredible String Band album is the only one to feature this original trio lineup. It stands alone in the ISB catalogue, for its unique charm that precipitated the more hippie-laden records to follow. At this point, the trio still had a strong link (via Palmer) to traditional Scots old-timey balladry and ragtime and bluegrass, not to mention the traditional folk method. Yet, even in the beginning, traces of the Balkans, North Africa, and the Middle East come through clearly.
 INCREDIBLE STRING BANDLiquid Acrobat As Regards The Air (SEPIA TONE STONE09) CD Released the week of August 26th, 2002 order from Midheaven mailorder During their lifespan, The Incredible String Band contained several wives, children and pets, and were a five-piece when they disbanded in November 1974. Basically, everyone else acted as a supporting cast to the songwriting nucleus of Robin Williamson and Mike Heron. Liquid Acrobat As Regards The Air marks the halfway point, more or less, of the Incredible String Band. This 1971 release was their first for Island Records, following Joe Boyd (formerly Elektra UK's director of A&R) to the label. ISB had been riding the huge critical acclaim of their third album The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter and a string of beautiful releases in its wake (Wee Tam, The Big Huge, I Looked Up, and the ambitious, sprawling medieval road show U). In fact, The Incredible String Band were a quartet for this recording, adding Malcolm Le Maistre from the U touring group, and retaining ex-wife Licorice as an additional vocalist. The "Incredibles" (as fans may know them) mined the successful formula of past releases on Liquid Acrobat, a sprawling, epic, and fanciful collection of folk musics from around the world, complete with Williamson's soulful brogue or Heron's bluesy warmth. Somehow, the ISB managed to combine numerous styles and add their own magic to the brew in order to make the sound uniquely their own. Along with Fairport Convention, ISB continued to lead the merging of the lines between folk music and electric rock, and is in fine form here, especially on songs like "Talking of the End," "Worlds They Rise & Fall" and "Jigs," a wonderful interpretation of a triad of traditional folk dance tunes. Many consider Liquid Acrobat to be the final release in the golden era of this legendary band.
 KID 606Why I Love LIfe (TIGERBEAT6 MEOW035) 3" CD Released the week of August 12th, 2002 order from Midheaven mailorder A collection of moody, predominantly treated guitar and synth-heavy work recorded between 1997 and the present, this seven-song EP is a snapshot of the Kid sampling his own musical history, picking pieces out of 100+ unreleased and unfinished songs. Given his prolific output over the past three years, fans and newcomers alike will appreciate this highly personal collection of thoughtful instrumentals centered around family, best friends, ex-girlfriends and avoidance of stagnation. Still completely fresh sounding, even for intimately familiar with Kid606's oeuvre.
back to the top  KNIFEHANDCHOPTKO From Tokyo (TIGERBEAT6 MEOW049) 12" Released the week of August 26th, 2002 order from Midheaven mailorder If Knifehandchop's second Tigerbeat6 record, TKO from Tokyo, doesn't raise your temperature, you better check yourself into a hospital. Moving effortlessly from classic gabba to gangsta to ragamuffin and e-fueled raver jams, TKO from Tokyo serves up eight dizzyingly fast anthems whose stylistic syntheses are guaranteed to make your head spin. Knifehandchop (aka 2-year-old Toronto native Billy Pollard) is guaranteed a place at the table of notoriety as one of Canada's top producers - especially for his cutting up, looping and sequencing over determined motor rhythms of the vocals of Jamaican dancehall legend Bounty Killer. TRACK LISTING:
1. Taking The Soul Out Of Music Vs. Vertical
2. Hooked On Ebonics Chill-Out Mix
3. I Hate Your Fucking Face
4. Not For The Billy Venetian Snares Remix
5. Bounty Killer 6. Bounty Killer Killer
7. Taking The Soul Out Of Music 8. Vertical Noize Creator Remix
 REIGNING SOUNDTime Bomb High School (IN THE RED ITR84) CD/LP Released the week of August 12th, 2002 order from Midheaven mailorder The Reigning Sound hails from Memphis, Tennessee and is the latest group from Greg Cartwright - formerly known as Greg Oblivian of the Oblivians. In the Reigning Sound Greg has shed some of his previous outfit's lo-fi blues/punk leanings in favor of a sound that is more lowkey and sincere. On Time Bomb High School Greg sings soulful ballads, countrified dirges and somber songs of heartbreak and unrequited love - the man's heart is clearly on his sleeve. It's not all ballads, however, as the band also blasts out butt-shaking rockers that will please any fan of Greg's previous outfits. The Reigning Sound pays tribute to their Memphis musical heritage with absolutely stomping versions of The Counts' "Stormy Weather," The Guilloteens' "I Don't Believe," and "Brown Paper Sack" by The Gentrys (who featured WWF wrestling manager Jimmy "Mouth of the South" Hart). This is instantly classic Memphis rock'n'roll that ranks up there with the very best work of Alex Chilton. With [Greg Cartwright's] new band, Reigning Sound ... the man who seemingly has the Midas touch continues to not only exceed lofty expectations but flat-out obliterate them. The sound and style of Reigning Sound ...is definitely not as angry as the Oblivians, nor is it as quirky as the Compulsive Gamblers. That's not to say there isn't a "darkness" to the music - it's just more melancholy than furious or sinister. Any "darkness" evident in these sounds is surprising, considering the cleanliness of the production. It's not what you'd expect but it couldn't be any other way. This is absolute perfection, just the way it is. The astonishing thing is that through ... tales of heartbreak and love lost, these songs still somehow project a spirit of hope. It's inexplicably wonderful. The songs exude such class it's almost like these guys were channeling the spirit of Roy Orbison.... Don't be fooled, though - this definitely isn't a one-man-show. The chemistry between these four musicians is nothing short of frightening. It's even more apparent when you see them play live. Reigning Sound is a machine.- Uncle Dan's House of Smut
 SOLESalt On Everything (anticon abr0024) 12" Released the week of August 26th, 2002 order from Midheaven mailorder
It's been two long years since sole's last official release, Bottle of Humans, a ground-breaking underground hip hop cult classic. "salt on everything" is the lead single for sole's full length album selling live water, upcoming in November 2002. Although it might seem impossible, sole has been resurrected from the dead once again and he sounds even more jaded and fed up than ever. sole maintains his complex delivery and original style but this single demonstrates that he has refined everything he does so well. In his signature hoarse voice, sole assaults hard, brooding tracks from anticon producers odd nosdam, alias and jel with that characteristic honesty, sincerity and a touch of endearing self-pity. Features an exclusive track with Sage Francis.
Track listing:
1. Salt On Everything
Released the week of August 12th, 2002 order from Midheaven mailorder
Spiritu rises from the parched New Mexico wastelands like a second atomic genesis, scorching the blight of weak-ass rock from the land. Melody and crushing heaviness fuse and distort in the metastasizing sun, then divide into an emotive, atmospheric fallout. and in their wake, Spiritu leaves an unexplored yet familiar sonic landscape, flush with the promise of rock'n'roll finally building a better world.
Latin for breath of life and inspiration, Spiritu draws from the most singular rock icons of three decades: Tool, Pink Floyd, Clutch, Black Sabbath. Infectious, ferocious and inevitable, Spiritu is a growing nuclear threat just over the rock'n'roll horizon. And lo, it is coming.
30-second RealAudio excerpts: Z (Noonday Demon) Released the week of August 12th, 2002
order from Midheaven mailorder The Warlocks have been making a name for themselves for several years with their own brand of psychedelic rock - a swirling grind that conjures the Velvet Underground, The Stooges, Spaceman 3, Neu!, Can, and early Pink Floyd. They deliver the sounds and sights from their powerful, hallucinatory world that these synthetic times need and would do well not to ignore. At the vortex of The Warlocks' cross-fire hurricane - two drummers, four guitarists, bass and keyboards - is guitarist / bassist / lead vocalist Bobby Hecksher. He writes all of the band's songs, which range from fourteen-minute gotterdammerung assaults to pastoral acoustic-strummed meditations; from amazing pop songs to addictive guitar mayhem that anchors the trip. Hecksher was in the Brain Jonestown Massacre for a while, a few years ago, and also played on Beck's Stereo Pathetic Soul Manure album, so you know he's not just blowing smoke up your ass.
They've toured the US extensively and released two fine EPs on the Bomp label, but Phoenix is by far their finest work to date. This EP collects two songs from the full length album (upcoming in September or October 2002) - "Baby Blue" and "Stone Hearts," as well as a number of otherwise unreleased trance-inducing jams and sonic psychedelic wonders. The eight-track CDEP clocks in at over an hour.
30-second RealAudio excerpts: Baby Blue |
Click the titles below for details on specific new releases.
August 2002
CHEATER SLICKS
THE COUP
DON COVAY & J. LEMON BLUES
DJ RUPTURE
DJ RUPTURE
ERASE ERRATA / NUMBERS
INCREDIBLE STRING BAND
INCREDIBLE STRING BAND
KID 606
KNIFEHANDCHOP
REIGNING SOUND
SOLE
WARLOCKS
July 2002 new releases
Coming "soon":
dates subject to change
CEX
INCAPACITANTS / IN SPITE OF FLAMING CREATURES
KID 606 / STARS AS EYES
EMILY SPARKS
VARIOUS ARTISTS
ill lit
NATHAN MICHEL
STEEL POLE BATHTUB
themselves
WOBBLY
ABDULLAH
CEX
KID 606 / DÄLEK
LANTERNA
VARIOUS ARTISTS
The releases above and on the left (as well as over 17,000 other
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Bananafish 16 (new!)
|
SPIRITU
WARLOCKS
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