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Updated 11/7/03 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:
9/29/03,
10/6/03,
10/13/03,
10/20/03,
10/27/03,
11/3/03
and
11/10/03.
Our September 2003 new release page can be found here.
If you need to dwell on the present and/or peer further into the future, Revolverwise, there's no better starting point than our news page.
 VARIOUS ARTISTSWig In A Box (OFF OFF994) CD Released the week of October 20th, 2003
order from Midheaven mailorder
This is the tribute album to end them all!
Off Records and the two creators of Hedwig and the Angry Inch rounded up an inspired all-star cast including Yoko Ono with Yo La Tengo, Sleater-Kinney with Fred Schneider, Jonathan Richman, Robyn Hitchcock, Rufus Wainwright, The Breeders and many others, to participate in a Hedwig-themed charity album for the Harvey Milk School in NYC.
Hedwig tells the story of transsexual rocker, an East German immigrant whose sex change operation has been botched and who finds herself living in a trailer park in Kansas. The show, movie and music have been embraced by critics and audiences alike (including a stint on Late Night With David Letterman), quickly becoming something of a cult classic. New Line Cinema produced the movie and brought Hedwig to the big screen where it was eventually nominated for a Golden Globe and won several awards at Sundance Film Festival.
Wig in a Box marks the first authorized post-Hedwig release; along with the amazing lineup, featuring several once-in-a-lifetime collaborations, a massive critical and fan following will make this record the event of the season.
30-second RealAudio excerpts: Rufus Wainwright - "The Origin of Love" Released the week of October 27th, 2003 order from Midheaven mailorder
The third and most cohesive album to date by Detroit's Dirtbombs guarantees to get the party started. Thirteen ass-shaking rock'n'roll originals from Mick Collins (former Gories front man), Jim Diamond (legendary Detroit producer) and the gang. Following their breakthrough Ultraglide In Black album and nearly two years of solid global touring, Dangerous Magical Noise proves that this band will most definitely survive the current Detroit/Garage press hype. Fuzztone punkers, R&B stompers, soul ballads, and more than a couple of nods to '70s glam rock are all here. Tight, right and outta sight.
30-second RealAudio excerpts: Start the Party
CD BONUS TRACKS (first pressing only)
King's Lead Hat
LP BONUS TRACKS (first pressing only)
1. Possession
Released the week of October 13th, 2003 order from Midheaven mailorder Taking a brief sabbatical from his two groups, Of Mexican Descent and The Visionaries, 2Mex delivers to the Temporary Whatever label Sweat Lodge Infinite. Featuring guest appearances by Aceyalone, Darkleaf, Busdriver, and The Shapeshifters, 2Mex this time teams up with Darkleaf producer Longetivity and DJ Mixmaster Wolf (Breakestra) to provide a rougher terrain for his lyrical landscaping. Densely packed with his confessional writing style and New World Order insight, Sweat Lodge Infinite presents the jagged edge of the LA underground in all of its splendor and inadvertent genius.
It is nearly impossible to be a fan of underground hip hop and not have caught at least one 2Mex appearance. Hailing from mid-city Los Angeles, the underground veteran began to build his name at The Good Life Cafe and at the legendary Project Blowed as one half of Of Mexican Descent (with partner Xololanxinxo). His lyrics tackle political and metaphysical issues with the most earnest and eloquent of word-bending. His recordings with The Visionaries (Pangea) as SunGodSun (with producer Nobody), as The Mindclouders (with producer Mum's the Word) and as a solo artist (B-Boys in Occupied Mexico) have made him a legend among backpackers and tape traders worldwide, and recently landed him a feature in Urb as one of 10 Rappers From the Bleeding Edge.
30-second RealAudio excerpts: Obey
Released the week of October 20th, 2003 order from Midheaven mailorder alias is the humble and once unsung, seminal iron man of anticon-- an avenger of the producer/rapper type, whose music sounds his own at the turn of every instant. Former Live Poet and sole's oldest partner in rhyme, alias left Portland, Maine, to shed skin for his California wingspan. Composing music for his deepest shades, he drops his anchor as an irrefutable jack of all trades.
Part Brian Eno and part Kraftwerk, muted is akin to Boards of Canada or early Aphex Twin while maintaining some of the boom bap roots of hiphop. alias uses muted to explore (and at times parody) the "boundaries" between what is considered hiphop and what is considered electronica. Tracks exaggerate and underline these distinctions, but the approaches are so closely fused, it's not clear where one begins and the other ends.
Sonically, muted is a departure from early, sample-heavy, loop-based alias productions, instead relying more on his multi-instrumental talents on guitar and keyboard. The album's soundscapes are driven by chopped drums and laden with washy keyboards, eerie guitar chords, gritty fuzz and droney synths.
muted demonstrates alias's compositional talent and his flexibility. He sounds equally at home providing the melancholy backing for Markus Acher's (The Notwist) plaintive, crooning on "unseen sights," as he does supporting the staccato raps of the pedestrian (anticon) on "the physical voice." The result is a moody, intimate and, at times, dark record that is both rainy-day contemplative and rhythmically menacing, all the while maintaining its cohesiveness.
30-second RealAudio excerpts: Beginagain Released the week of October 20th, 2003 order from Midheaven mailorder
A lifelong purveyor of obscure jazz, worldbeat, and early electronic music, AntiMC delves deep into his record library for his DJ tool series Bitter Breaks. The collection of rare grooves, loops, and stabs follows the Mush framework for DJ tool projects set by Boom Bip's Doo Doo Breaks and Blockhead's Broke Beats. While most break record compilers are content with the original loops used on memorable hiphop tracks, AntiMC digs deep to create tracks that are as usable in a rare groove DJ set as they are as emcee backing tracks. Crate-haulers and beat-smiths everywhere, help has arrived. Volume 1 in a series.
Released the week of September 29th, 2003 order from Midheaven mailorder
Jason McLean Canadian cartoonist and Bananafish #17 cover artist talks with Robert Dayton about his hallucinatory style and techniques, and the effect on his work of education, interior decoration, comics, Fluxus and other abstruse art movements, and mental illness. On the CD: All-Star Schnauzer Band "No Onkyo"
Hetty Maclise The first of a two-part interview with Angus's wife and collaborator, who recounts how they met, her art editorship at The Oracle in the '60s, homeopathic uses of LSD, and her life as an artist in Spain, Morocco, Mexico, San Francisco, and New York. Part two will deal with the Kathmandu years. On the CD: Universal Mutant Repertory Company "Ira's Theater (NYC)"
Lara Allen The exploits of a high school bad girl and the deprogramming subsequently inflicted upon her, problematic theatrical experiences, her series of consistently eerie paintings of old family photos, acting, and filmmaking. On the CD: The Ragtime Germs "I'm Gonna Kill Myself" (audio) and Allen's The Nightshade Family animation (MPEG)
Jazzkammer Lasse Marhaug chats with David Cotner about mainstream Hollywood flicks, cult films, the Nordic singles scene (both 45s and dating), Norwegian culture, Viking blood, and communication through music and abstract sound with John Hegre, Tore Bøe, Del, and Origami Republika. On the CD: Jazzkammer "Take Me Off Yr Mailing List"
Astro Hiroshi Hasegawa instructs Dylan Nyoukis in the ways of reaching "final paradise" and achieving "freedom from everything" via Moog synthesizer, field recordings and computers. He also discusses soundtrack work, collaborations with a who's who of Japanese space noise huffers, and the shocking truth about C.C.C.C. On the CD: Astro "Inamura Beach"
The Towne Dandies Geoff Ellsworth's homemade, props-heavy musical theater, the history of the band, paying the rent (which can involve processing ham), life under a microscope in a small town, and fledging jingle-writing venture Barefoot Hockey Goalie. On the CD: Towne Dandies "Underpants Road" (audio) and "Welcome Wranglers" (MPEG)
Paul Dutton Canadian soundsinger and author talks about his work with '70s sound poets The Four Horsemen and free improv trio CCMC, literary efforts and visual poems, the nature of expression through sound, and various giants in the gibberish tradition, from Schwitters and the dadaists through Bob Cobbing. On the CD: Paul Dutton "Two Due" and "May Dues," Paul Dutton, Jaap Blonk, Koichi Makigami, Phil Minton, and David Moss "Esprit d'Encore"
Fake Party Carla Bozulich's Sound.-produced event at the Schindler House, self-described as "new music dressed up like a party meets a social event disguised as art," reimagined as comics. On the CD: "Fake Fake Excerpt"
And the usuals... Reviews by Alesandro Moreschi III, Roland Woodbe, Stanley Zappa, Fred Rinne, and S. Glass; a letter from the publisher, found mail, guest editorial
30-second RealAudio excerpts: Paul Dutton - "Two Due"
Released the week of October 20th, 2003 order from Midheaven mailorder
Although Rupture's legendary DJ sets have led to performances in over a dozen countries, his unique audio imagination shines in his original studio productions. Here he gives two completely different beats for the same Lonesome a capella. The "Anti-Alias" version weds Lonesome's manic lyricism to an uptempo electro beat braced by punchy bottom-end and a searing synth hook made of equal parts melody and electronic noise. Rupture's "Override" version opens with an otherworldly polyrhythm that explodes into a breakcore frenzy via an eerie cello breakdown. Hot, alien, and uncompromising.
On the flip side, Team Shadetek's "Yoga" riddim constructs funk-filled links between the yardman futurism of contemporary Jamaican dancehall and the micro-scritchings and filtered chirps of the post-rave electronica set. Their slinky, kinky "Yoga" instrumental-- perfect food for DJs-- completes the 12-inch.
Track listing:
1. DJ Rupture Dem Nuh Know Me / Anti-Alias Mix back to the top
Released the week of October 6th, 2003 order from Midheaven mailorder
The melodic rhythms and hard-hitting breaks that DW (aka DJ 'D) displayed on his Workers Union album align again with Fatjack's timeless keyboard riffs and engineering skills. Their latest effort, The Message, is a testament to their maturation as producers. An album that should be filed in "neo soul" rather than hip hop, The Message's soundscape is set to a European feel and delivers eight solid instrumentals for listeners who desire the passion and inspiration in urban music. A reminder of why a generation claims them as their own.
30-second RealAudio excerpts: The City
Released the week of October 27th, 2003 order from Midheaven mailorder
Downtempo music has long been a staple in bridging together atmospheric sounds with world instruments and modern drum patterns. Along with drum'n'bass, downtempo is currently considered some of the most progressive and inspirational music around. Infusing hip hop and jazz with tribal rhythms and samples from far-off lands, the Oakland-based EQ collective is changing the rules for break-beat production and performance. Through live performance, field recording, and painstaking production, EQ has created a sound that is set to unite like-minded people from all over the world through the creation and construct of the break-beat.
EQ started with Joselito Sering and Ben Hayes. Sering has been a multimedia producer, programmer and performer since 1984. His music history includes performances with Bad Brains and Faith No More. Producer and audio engineer by trade, Hayes is an accomplished didjeridoo player who studied with Galpu chief Djalu Guruwiwi, and has circumnavigated the globe in search of natural and ethnic field recordings. DJ and beat-producer Matt Englund spent years in punk and funk bands before settling primarily on electronic music. Rich Bologna, EQ's keyboardist and programmer, has studied classical violin and jazz piano, produced, made field recordings in Southeast Asia, scored independent films, and created experimental beats on a laptop. DJ David Eli Hason has been instrumental in EQ's appearances at prestigious Japanese summer music festivals, where he performed with the collective. Paul Howard adds basslines that solidify Bologna's melodies; he was classically trained up until he was 15, and eventually taught himself fretless bass and guitar, later studying Arabian hand percussion and rhythm for two years.
With a wide range of musical histories, EQ combines different genres of originally produced music collected from sources around the world.
30-second RealAudio excerpts: A Lesson in Trust back to the top Released the week of October 20th, 2003 order from Midheaven mailorder
Every band contracts Departure Album Syndrome at some point in their career. With Estradsphere, one has to ask what "departure" could mean for a group who never bothered to establish much of anything about themselves, other than capable and graceful navigation of any musical landscape, and the daily performance of feats unimaginable to most musicians.
On Quadropus, the band navigates terrain usually reserved for people who take themselves quite seriously. Who's kidding whom? These guys could eat most of the Downtown pros for breakfast. It's finally evident that the shameless flaunting of the inner-dork that has banished Estradasphere to the annoying joke bin is not by any means the end of the story. Not because the band is ever going to be considered cool or anything pathetic like that, but because how they craft their music has changed into something a lot more listenable. For instance, the ultra-electronic-sounding dub / drum'n'bass of "Dubway" is done entirely a capella. Their version of an old Greek Rembetica song stays pretty true to the original, even through the wall of guitars and double kick drum at the end. "Speck" is a nice and creepy ballad, like Mazzy Star doing a Nino Rota cover. Their ridiculous, Godzilla-sized, demented "funk" song "KKB" sounds like well over a thousand people playing at once. Sheer primal madness. The Bulgarian-influenced, crowd-pleasing "Hardball" is a tight-as-fuck trip down Estradasphere lane, only better than before. Also includes a video for "Body Slam."
30-second RealAudio excerpts: Mekapses Yitonisa
Released the week of October 20th, 2003 order from Midheaven mailorder
This EP is a 21-minute companion piece to Him's Many In High Places Are Not Well album on the Bubble Core label. Doug Scharin on drums and Rhodes is joined on cornet by Rob Mazurek (Isotope 217, Chicago Underground Duo, and others) along with guests Christian Dautresme, Joe Goldring, Griffin Rodriguez.
Him started out as the solo recording project of Scharin, whose excellent drumming can be heard with Rex, June of '44, Out In Worship, Codeine, and others. At the Rexville loft in Brooklyn, using only a four-track, he laid down some seriously thick dub on the minimal tip, with a heavy emphasis on layered rhythms. A move to Chicago brought in some additional members for Sworn Eyes, which Stereophile magazine called one of the top 66 records to die for of all time.
Doug Scharin is a well-travelled man, having established himself as a consummate collaborator through tours of duty as a member of Codeine, June of '44, Directions in Music, and Rex.... This new Him album should however give Scharin the platform to push himself forward as an inspiring instigator as well as a backroom facilitator....With its galloping afro-beat percussion, hazy/lazy sliding guitars, blasts of New Orleans brass, and guest singer Christian Dautresme's wordless harmonies ... the beauty and imagination of the whole production stems from Scharin's ability to masterfully mould melodies from the shades and subtleties ... pushing his songs into fulsome, intercontinental rhythm reveries, gorgeous gliding space-pop, and stripped-down slow-melting jazz interludes.... [Him] extols the joys of crossbreeding tropical head-music with heart-stopping urban groove rides: an exemplary exploration of erudite sonic shape-shifting. 30-second RealAudio excerpts: Intro: Lifted Released the week of October 6th, 2003 order from Midheaven mailorder
This EP is the result of a request from Thomas Campbell (Galaxia) who came to some live improv shows Jet Black Crayon used to do on Sundays at Amnesia in San Francisco. He wanted the band to capture the drunken meandering vibe of those shows for this EP. At the shows Tommy Guerrero, Monte Vallier, Gadget, and Tim DeGaugh would usually do two sets of an hour to an hour-and-a-half, playing some Jet Black Crayon songs but mostly just making things up on the spot and rolling with them. The improvisations were atmospheric, and sometimes got heavy in a funk/soul sort of way. Experiments In The Space Metal Time Signature is Jet Black Crayon's favorite parts of a couple hours' worth of the studio recordings performed similarly.
30-second RealAudio excerpts: The Wonder Released the week of October 6th, 2003 order from Midheaven mailorder
"Narayani Gauri" is a new mixture of two traditional ragas ("Narayani" and "Gauri") woven together by Ali Akbar Khan. It is an evening raga mostly used for prayer for one's soul and mind. The moods are devotion, peace, joy, pathos and detachment.
"Chandra Dhani" was composed by Khansahib when he went to Washington DC to receive the National Heritage Fellowship in 1997. He performed this raga for the first time at an event showcasing the Fellowship recipients. There was a wonderful moon in the sky. One could see the whole city from where the raga was composed, and the beautiful face of the moon was hanging over the city. This was the mood-- peace and joy-- Khansahib sought to create through sound. (Chandra means moon and Dhani is the capital city.)
These recordings were made in Sausalito, California, on May 7, 1998-- recorded directly to a hard drive, the first recording AMMP has released without the use of an analog or digital tape.
Ali Akbar Khan, 81, has studied vocal music since the age of three, and went on to learn several instruments before his father decided that he must concentrate on the sarode and singing. For over twenty years, Khansahib trained and practiced 18 hours a day. His father continued to teach him until he was over 100 years old. Khansahib has continued his father's tradition, that of the Sri Baba Allauddin Seni Gharana of Maihar and Rampur, India.
In 1967 he founded the Ali Akbar College of Music, currently located in San Rafael, California, where he teaches four to six classes a week, nine months a year.
Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri, the brilliant master of the tabla, credits his family for encouragement and training that have earned him a place among the greatest classical musicians of India. He received long training from Santosh Krishna Biswas of Calcutta, and has been the Director of Percussion at AACM for the past 21 years.
30-second RealAudio excerpts: Narayani Gauri (Alap) Released the week of October 20th, 2003 order from Midheaven mailorder
Shockout is the new Tigerbeat6 sublabel birthed to provide the world with the most subversive and intense mashups of ragga, dancehall, jungle and dub creations.
Kid606's over-the-top original mix of "Buckle Up" clashes booming sub-basses with twisted analog sirens and squelches amid a downpour of drill'n'bass junglist warfare. He cools it down a hundred degrees for a laidback, contemplative, groovy-but-still-thundering version with a steady, tabla-driven pulse and more focus on the vocals' interaction with the almost Arabic droning instrumentation. More dancehall than dancehall, The Bug mashes up Wayne Lonesome's infectious original, cut into a distortion-splattered pulp. Sounding like Dillinja's big, bad bass transmitted through a terminally overdriven sound rig, the Razor X-style remix amplifies the sound of a thousand blown woofers into a body-pummeling, ribcage rocker where half-speed jungle meets full speed ragga. The Bug's yardcore violence matches Lonesome's verbal threats. No less aggressive, yet appropriately more spacious, the "Dub Mix" recalls the gory days of On-U-Sound's finest audio abattoir by viscerally invoking the specter of Mark Stewart's Maffia with its transformation of Kingston ghetto warfare into white noise central for a death-match soundclash.
Track listing
1. Kid606 Buckle Up Released the week of October 6th, 2003 order from Midheaven mailorder
The Moles were an Australian art-rock band led by Richard Davies (a gifted singer/songwriter who quickly assumed cult status and found success on American soil both as a solo artist and as one half of the short-lived duo Cardinal). Formed in Sydney, Australia in the late '80s, the Moles debuted in 1990 with the Untune the Sky EP, followed a year later by another EP, Tendrils and Paracetamol. After the 1992 release of their first full-length release-- titled Untune the Sky-- the group relocated to New York, where they released a pair of seven-inch singles (packaged together as Double Single EP). A move to London followed, and although they garnered great acclaim from the British press, the band broke up around the beginning of 1993. The band's catchy, eclectic brand of art-pop combined elements of the Beach Boys, the Velvet Underground, and early Pink Floyd. During its brief existence The Moles received praise from press and radio, including a Single of the Week in Melody Maker and a Peel Session performance. In 1994, however, Davies resurrected the Moles aegis for the album Instinct (Flydaddy); a band effort in name only, it essentially marked the beginning of Davies's solo career.
On The Street combines stand out tracks from all of The Moles' various release, with rare and unreleased tracks packaged as the bonus disc, Rare and Weird. Never to be heard from again, The Moles' music stands the test of time - and their influence can be heard on many records since.
30-second RealAudio excerpts: What's the New Mary Jane Released the week of October 6th, 2003 order from Midheaven mailorder
Octavius has strived to perfect his stunning amalgam of hip hop, electronic and avant-rock music in the San Francisco underground over the past four years. This dedication has culminated in his Mush full-length release Audio Noir. Serving as somewhat of a departure from the beats and noise frenzy that ignited a buzz around his 2001 work with 4AM, the new release looks to establish Octavius as a purveyor of even more elaborate territories of sound. Experimental freak-outs collide with classic song structures, tension and attitude give way to raw vulnerability, and Octavius's vocal and production techniques are employed to unnerving effect. Audio Noir adds previously missing darkness and edge to the Mush catalog in a way that overwhelms, thrills, and astonishes in equal measure.
Octavius is the highly acclaimed hip hop / electronic project masterminded by vocalist / programmer William Marshall. Working under various incarnations, Octavius has released two limited issue EPs and a single, leading to his Mush debut, Audio Noir. His approach to developing sound employs augmented samples, live instruments, and software-based editing techniques, allowing the creation of music limited only by his imagination. An accomplished live performer, Octavius adds live keyboards, guitars, and drums as needed to elevate his sound. His music ranges from subtle ambience to explosive rage; decidedly far-reaching and brimming with tension, it is impossible to ignore its sense of urgency.
30-second RealAudio excerpts: Monochrome Released the week of October 6th, 2003 order from Midheaven mailorder
First new music in a couple of years from the trio, focusing entirely on their acoustic side-- a single session recorded in Virginia by Mikel Dimmick. "Up the North Fork" is a trio for banjo, baritone banjo, and cello-- after the snaky bowed introduction, the fast thwacking of the banjos and forcefully strummed cello take over and whip up a storm. The other two tracks are lengthy ragas (one in C, one in D) with the virtuoso modal guitar of Jack Rose front and center. "Pearls From The River" features Rose on 12-string, dueling with Mike Gangloff on esraj. Pat Best's thick, sonorous double bass bowing anchors the duet between the lightning thrumming and plucking of Rose's guitar and Gangloff's arcing, sharply bowed half-time melody. "Road To Catawba" has Rose on 6-string, with Gangloff moving to tamboura, for a full exploration of the D Lydian mode. Mmmm, D Lydian mode... Best's bass is again the foundation, with whistling overtones rising from his bow over the low drone.
30-second RealAudio excerpts: Up the North Fork
Released the week of October 6th, 2003 order from Midheaven mailorder While the "acoustic based project[ions]" of Six Organs of Admittance have been pigeonholed by some as a chance-operated celestial jam unit, the group has always been about songs, and nowhere is this more apparent than on their fourth full length album, an eight-song cycle that mixes the strengths of Ben Chasny's acoustic and electric guitar with his knack for placing this on top of disparate and subtle atmospheric backgrounds. The live favorite (and rare single) "Somewhere Between" has been redone and finalized in a fantastic new version featuring sitar by Comets on Fire's Ethan Miller. The delicate acoustic strum of the album is challenged at the end of the record on the epic "Only the Sun Knows," which features some extremely heavy "electric destruction guitar" from Mr. Miller before Chasny takes back control and lands the album on solid ground.
30-second RealAudio excerpts: Close to the Sky Released the week of October 13th, 2003 order from Midheaven mailorder
Bottle of Humans, sole's debut full length release on anticon, and his first widely distributed record, was released in 1999 and quickly became a cult-classic, but by the year 2001 the record's initial pressing went out of print due to a dispute with anticon's previous distributor. The bootlegging is finally over! This highly anticipated CD reissue has been remastered, the record's artwork has been revitalized the way it was originally intended (including the album's lyrics in the liner notes) and its track listing has been slightly altered. Bottle of Humans combines the anger and conviction of early Ice Cube with sole's own brand of self-deprecating honesty. Whether he's lashing out at the hypocrisy of "the industry" or celebrating the sad state of his own life, you know it's coming from his heart, it sounds big, and you believe every word of it. Looking and sounding better than ever, Bottle of Humans is classic, vintage sole. Features production from alias, jel, daddy kev, raggity andy, scott matelic, odd nosdam, and controller 7.
anticon's catalyst and business bad boy, sole has big ambitions and a working man's wallet. By age 14 he was a young don of the Portland, Maine, rap game, serving high school seniors in ciphers at lunchtime. He has since traded in his battle rhymes for heartfelt words and an unmistakable hoarse voice. Whether he is cloaked in the dark drones of alias production or riding the rhythmic intensity of jel beats, sole's is some of the most topically honest rap has ever been.
30-second RealAudio excerpts: Dismantling of Sole's Ego Released the week of October 27th, 2003 order from Midheaven mailorder
"plutonium," the follow-up 12-inch to sole's acclaimed full length selling live water has finally arrived. The title track remixes the classic, alias-produced sole anthem about searching for truth in left- and right-wing propaganda in the press. alias remixes his own beat down to its teeth, creating a Blade Runner eeriness to sole's already dark ponderings. For the second track, odd nosdam remixes his original contribution to sole's full length, the title track "selling live water." nosdam's remix puts sole's vocals in the forefront, while maintaining that tape-dubbed dirtiness characteristic of nosdam's sound. The A-side finishes off with a previously unreleased bonus track, "the surface," featuring sole over an alias beat. Here sole is at his finest, angry about the world and ranting about it. The B-side contains instrumentals of the remixes of "plutonium" and "selling live water," along with a bonus track of beats by sole and odd nosdam from selling live water.
Released the week of October 20th, 2003 order from Midheaven mailorder
Multi-instrumentalist Damon Che and pals return with their third LP. Whereas the previous album exploded across two platters, Get Out Alive implodes, applying the ancient military tactic of maximum force. The 40 minutes of music on the album were culled from more than twice that amount of recorded material, and in a few cases were spliced into new arrangements. Although tremendous guitar noise is still to be found, about half the tracks also display a surprising nimbleness in the pop arena. The songwriting isn't traditionally structured, but the melodies are instant and human.
Still, this isn't another dreadful Beach Boys rehash; this is a record for fans of the electric guitar. Just as Che's drumming in Don Caballero earned him a reputation as an original voice on that instrument, his guitar playing is just as developed and strikingly expressive (and he does play drums on half the songs, too). Get Out Alive doesn't shy away from the big rock moves, but also creates a world and sound of its own without trying overly hard. So you can hum along to it, play air guitar to it, get baked to it, or just turn it up and let your ears bleed. Or do all those things simultaneously.
Those interested in the more noise-oriented aspect of the band are encouraged to check out the Life Like Homes LP, which contains the original long versions of three of the songs, including all 27 glorious minutes of "Last Side of Town" (edited to six minutes on the new record).
30-second RealAudio excerpts: I Wear Glasses in the Most Brutal Sport Ever Invented Released the week of October 6th, 2003 order from Midheaven mailorder
Bi-annual collection of pillow sound from Matthew Bower & Co. Fairly mellow and spacey, à la the "Embroidered Birdsong Nearly Meadows" disc from Sunroof's 2001 Bliss double-CD. Layers of twinkling keyboard, guitar, unidentified fuzz, short wave, etc. Very much in the style of Harmonia and Cluster in spots. There are a couple of amped-up moments here and there, including surprise lead guitar action on "Tornado Rose Canoe," and the excellent fuzz-grilled rock of "Primavera" (aka "AC/DC" - a staple of recent live sets). According to no less of an authority than Neil Campbell, Cloudz is "the best Sunroof ever."
30-second RealAudio excerpts: Machine Released the week of November 3rd, 2003 order from Midheaven mailorder
Swell appeared in San Francisco in 1990 with an eponymous LP self-released by Psycho-Specific, at the time intended as a one-off record for the band, who fully expected to be split up within months of its release. Interest from fellow artists American Music Club and Red House Painters and critical acclaim won the group more than the handful of fans. This Badman reissue has been remastered and repackaged with bonus material and alternate versions of original tracks.
30-second RealAudio excerpts: Get High Released the week of October 6th, 2003 order from Midheaven mailorder
The ...well? album followed Swell's self-title debut, originally issued in the UK by the Mean label. Compared by some to American Music Club, Swell remained quirky and on the fringes of rock when AMC seemed to be ploughing more of a trad rock furrow. ...well? sounds very country, tempered by the marvelous strangeness of odd winos or slightly mumbling visionaries (such as 60-year-old wannabe night-club singer Richard McGhee, who makes a guest appearance). This Badman reissue has been remastered and repackaged with bonus material and alternate versions of original tracks.
30-second RealAudio excerpts: Intro Released the week of October 20th, 2003 order from Midheaven mailorder
Having come full circle, Swell reverts to its original two-man line-up just like the old days. David and Sean re-collide after years of doing their own things. Fifteen new tracks, with an exclusive alternate mix of "California/Arizona."
Released the week of October 20th, 2003 order from Midheaven mailorder San Francisco dive-bombing noise-metal jazz aggressors Total Shutdown are a five-piece bass-guitar-keyboard-sax-drums screecher band who flail through stop-and-start, minute-long, tantrum-like songs. Bernard Stollman, the guy who started ESP-Disk said, "There doesn't seem to be any point to it" or something, and even French people have made fun of them. Yes, French.
Total Shutdown are a part of the new herd of young groups informed by the discordant flare of no wave....[T]hey combine this perceptive ugh with a brand of destructo power nearly worthy of The Germs or early Boredoms. It's really a pretty ripe combination. -Byron Coley, The Wire
[R]ecommended for lovers of art/noise punk bands like The Locust and Arab on Radar. If you're looking for things like harmonies, pop-song structure and lyrics you can sing along with, you should probably go hide in a closet until this is over.... Total Shutdown attacks in a blur of pummeling guitars, unintelligible vocal hollering and out-of-tune piano bludgeoning, then withdraws just as quickly to muster their next assault. -GZ, splendidezine.com
Splattery jazz-core without macho attitude. Horns and a broken Casio poking up everywhere out of a bass/guit/drums whirlwind. Screaming, oh, yes, there is screaming. There is room to throw a rock and sometimes a boulder through the mix. Not a wall of noise-- it gets sparse. Songs, definite songs, but played so ferociously that you may think it's improv. Awesome moves from all members. Usually things are broken. Band members and audience members alike hit the deck. All in all, terrible fun.-Dave Broekema, lifeisabuse.com
30-second RealAudio excerpts: [track 1] Released the week of October 6th, 2003 order from Midheaven mailorder
While certainly VCO's most upbeat and percussive music, the nine tracks on this immense, visceral slab of rackety action run through a wide range of styles. "Ramshackle Sunrise" has a gamelan-like, five-note melody overlaid with a hovering drone. "The Silent Socket" rocks with "Sister Ray"-style guitar careening along side actual drums. The two 20-minute epics that bookend the record are a study in contrasts: "Your Head Shone Like A Stone" has a heavy, excited buzz, while the closing "Goodnight Stars Goodnight Air" is a gentler acoustic epilogue, gliding into the rosy future.
30-second RealAudio excerpts: Your Head Shone Like a Stone Released the week of October 6th, 2003 order from Midheaven mailorder
The fourth and probably final chapter in the Village of Savoonga story happens to be a live album, recorded at the annual Hausmusik Festival in 2001. One of the final VoS live shows, it also happens to be (in the band's own opinion) one of their best shows ever. The material spans all three previous VoS releases, and shows the band's sound returning (full circle) to its initial incarnation as a soft/loud guitar group. Gone are the loops and ambient flourishes, as the live ensemble approaches the heights associated with Shellac and Slint.
30-second RealAudio excerpts: [track 1] Released the week of October 6th, 2003 order from Midheaven mailorder
Fight Club invites witnesses to the third installment of band vs. band manipulation and audible bloodlust in The Revenge of the Fight Club. After nursing a grudge for too long, it's payback time. These avengers have come to settle an old score and go beyond the boundaries of violence, permanent harm, and violation of hyped-up genres.
1. Stars as Eyes vs. Casino Versus Japan
2. Dwayne Sodahberk vs. Janosh Brando
3. 0=0 vs. Super Mario Brothers
4. Com.a vs. Original Hamster
5. Cex vs. GD Luxxe
6. Donna Summer vs. Van Halen
Click the titles below for details on specific new
releases.
2 Mex
alias
AntiMC
BANANAFISH
DIRTBOMBS
DJ RUPTURE / TEAM SHADETEK / WAYNE LONESOME
DW & FATJACK
EQ
ESTRADASPHERE
HiM
JET BLACK CRAYON
ALI AKBAR KHAN
KID606 / THE BUG / WAYNE LONESOME
THE MOLES
OCTAVIUS
PELT
SIX ORGANS OF ADMITTANCE
sole
sole
THE SPEAKING CANARIES
SUNROOF!
SWELL
SWELL
SWELL
TOTAL SHUTDOWN
VIBRACATHEDRAL ORCHESTRA
VILLAGE OF SAVOONGA
VARIOUS ARTISTS
VARIOUS ARTISTS
September 2003 releases
Coming "soon":
dates subject to change
GREG ASHLEY
THE DEAD C.
THE FUSE!
THE INNOCENCE MISSION
KID 606
JOSH MARTINEZ
MOCHIPET
VARIOUS
VARIOUS
VARIOUS
CRACK: WE ARE ROCK
The releases above and on the left (as well as over 19,000 other
independent-label and import titles) can be purchased online at Midheaven Mailorder.
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Our exclusive label roster appears below in the form of links to our Midheaven mailorder database. We carry many, many other labels on a non-exclusive basis.
REVOLVER USA EXCLUSIVE LABELS and their merchandise can be browsed by clicking the links below: AMMP
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to your Revolver salesversary? Can do. Email us and type the words "B2B Fetishist" in the subject line. We'll do the rest.
Likewise, if you're a U.S. or overseas store, distributor, or online music fullfillment service, and would like to deal with Revolver USA on a wholesale basis, email us. We don't bite. Much.
Only complete dunderheads don't collect MP3s, right? We've now made it very easy for non-dunderheads to access downloadable files under the Midheaven domain. Simple visit our Downloads Browsing Kiosk for a list all our titles featuring MP3, RealAudio and RealVideo files.
Also consider paying a visit to our Midheaven
Jukebox. RealAudio-enabled users can hear over 1500
30-second song excerpts from releases by hundreds of artists, all
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If you have a question you'd like to pose, check out
our FAQ first. We may
have an answer all prepared for you. Our exclusive label list can be
found there (and below), as well.
Occasionally bands affilliated with Revolver USA and its exclusive labels perform live. No, it's true. You can be in the same room with
these bands, but it involves leaving the house (life is full of
trade-offs, isn't it?). Keep up with Revolver USA-associated artists' in-the-flesh forays
by visiting our tour dates
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Where can you find detailed webpages regarding the Communion label's
most recent releases? On the Communion label
homepage, claro que si. There you can browse every existing
release on the Communion label, listen to RealAudio samples,
download free MP3s, and zero in on recent (and otherwise) gorgeousness by
Ben Kunin,
The Tower Recordings,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Village of Savoonga,
Alles Wie Gross,
Idyll Swords, Mia
Doi Todd and Barbara Manning. And don't forget to drop in on those Folk
Implosion pages.
We have also set aside very special pages for other very special releases:
Bananafish 16
| |
DIRTBOMBS
2 MEX
alias
AntiMC
BANANAFISH
DJ RUPTURE / TEAM SHADETEK / WAYNE LONESOME
DW & FATJACK
EQ
ESTRADASPHERE
HiM
JET BLACK CRAYON
ALI AKBAR KHAN
KID 606 / THE BUG / WAYNE LONESOME
MOLES
OCTAVIUS
PELT
SIX ORGANS OF ADMITTANCE
sole
sole
SPEAKING CANARIES
SUNROOF!
SWELL
SWELL
SWELL
TOTAL SHUTDOWN
VIBRACATHEDRAL ORCHESTRA
VILLAGE OF SAVOONGA
VARIOUS ARTISTS
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