Hex Vinyl

Kingdom - Hemeltraan LP & Drums Are For Parades LP pre-orders

2010-12-19T12:54:00.000-08:00

Hypertension Records (Amenra, Red Sparowes, Starkweather, etc. ) have started taking pre-orders for:

KINGDOM -“Hemeltraan" LP
The sophomore album by Belgium’s KINGDOM, featuring members of AMENRA, BLACK HEART REBELLION and BLIND TO FAITH who welcome us into their world of darkness. This new album sees the band further exploring the outskirts of desperate metal, resulting in a slow, mature work of bleak drones, epic doom and fuzzy sludge built on sustained chords and eerie chanting, hypnotizing its prey and conveying a brooding feeling of unease. “Hemeltraan” was produced by Billy Anderson, known from his work for MELVINS, NEUROSIS, OM, SLEEP, SWANS and many others.
Limited to 300 copies on dark orange vinyl

DRUMS ARE FOR PARADES -"Master" LP
As bold as brass it's a whirlwind of timeless and audacious sonic attacks on mediocrity and complacency. "Master" combines the urgency and creative need of your favourite punk records with the unbounded musicality of like-minded free spirits like Fantomas/Tomahawak, Mastodon or even John Zorn. We're not even going to mention the Melvins or Masters of Reality (of long-time supporter Chris Goss) but fuck it, we just did. If bands like Melvins or Torche ring a bell, if you know Howie Weinberg who previously worked with Nirvana, Kyuss, Helmet, etc... and if you like crazy artwork with vicious bunnies, don't miss out on "Master"!
Limited to 400 on white, 100 on clear vinyl

Head over to www.hypertensionrecords.com

2010-10-22T13:06:00.001-07:00

Does anyone still bother? Should I start over again? It's been a while

Mamiffer - Hirror Enniffer LP

2010-01-20T05:47:00.000-08:00

Alright, here we have it. Back for good. Busy buying a house. Saving my job. Trying to sign bands on the label. Keeping the girl. But especially, not getting my ass fired. Desperate times call for desperate salesmen.

And the first post of the new year, of the new era goes to... Mamiffer. With the risk of sounding redundant or maybe even an aaron turner-lover, I must confess that I somehow own a record or two with his name somewhere in the credits. But, even though he did play a role in "Hirror Enniffer", this band is much more the alter ego of the driving forces behind Everlovely Lightningheart, notably on Turner's label Hydrahead. This debut album was released somewhere in the spring of 2009 I think, but it wasn't until this winter that it started to make sense to me. Epic doomy passages with a melodic, some might call it soft twist. Yeah, there's piano in here, but let's keep in mind that not 1, not 2, but 3 members of (the unfortunately now defunct) These Arms Are Snakes contribute on this album as well, so Pitchfork's statement of dubbing this "Tori Amos went mute and post-metal" is just a bit too far-fetched for me.

Either way, "Hirror Enniffer" is an album you'll want on vinyl. And it's popping in stores all over the globe. I'm getting mine from Conspiracy, US visitors should check Chel's list or Vacation Vinyl. Oh yeah, for those who care, pressing of 300 copies, 200 on clear vinyl, 100 copies on smokey clear vinyl.

Dear Reader

2010-01-14T00:54:00.001-08:00

I was gone. Personal shite. I'm back. Expect new and daily updates. Starting. Today!

End Of The Year

2009-12-14T00:59:00.001-08:00

Guys, besides writing here, I also have a job. I'm a sales scumbag, so it's closing time for all my accounts. I need to make some money to pay for all these LPs as well. I'll be back Dec 23rd with more daily vinyl updates.

Year Of No Light / Machu Picchu Mother Future - Split LP

2009-11-25T08:28:00.000-08:00

Here's an interesting new split LP from France's Music Fear Satan: on side A we have France's pride Year Of No Light teaming up with Fear Falls Burning and Nadja on two new songs. On the B-side comes a track by Machu Picchu Mother Future, which is apparently a collaborative effort between Souvenir's Young America, Conifer and Lesbian when they all 3 happened to be in the same studios and recorded about 2 hours of music together, these sessions birthed what will be known as "Space Mountain Forever." No idea how limited this is, but it comes on red vinyl and the artwork looks killer, so head over to Music Fear Satan and get it now!

Earth / Sir Richard Bishop - Peacock Angels Lament/Narasimha 12"

2009-11-25T08:07:00.000-08:00

Not sure if these will actually pop up in their store or not, but Southern has announced that they'll be receiving about 50 left-over copies of the Earth/Sir Richard Bishop split LP called "Peacock Angels Lament/Narasimha". This 180g 12" was only available during their 2008 European Tour and limited to 1000 copies. The first 2 pictures are of the labels, this is no picture disc. 1 song by each artist, so keep your eyes peeled on the Southern site if you want one of these.

Update: should be available by the end of the week.

The Notwist - Come In 7"

2009-11-25T07:44:00.000-08:00

The Notwist are an indie band who rely heavily on electronics, and definitely one of the better German bands around. For their newest 7" they managed to attract none other than Grizzly Bear to do a remix of their new track "Come In". Pre-order this limited 7" from Norman.

Xiu Xiu / Parenthetical Girls - Morrissey / The Smiths 7"

2009-11-25T06:59:00.000-08:00

I respect The Smiths for their place in history. I think Morrissey is a self-obsessed overrated wanker. But I do love Xiu Xiu. And they're sharing a split 7" with a band from Portland that I can't pronounce, and it takes no genius to figure out that the tracks on here are covers. Order this limited 7" from Upset The Rhythm out of the UK.

Steve Moore - Fever Dream | 30,000 Feet Deep 10"

2009-11-25T02:54:00.000-08:00

Zombi's Steve Moore is turning out to be one of the most prolific artists out there. Out soon on Mexican Summer is a new 10" under his own moniker this time, featuring the tracks "Fever Dream" and "30.000 Feet Deep" which you can check out below. Expect spaceships, bongs and elephants flying by on this 10" which is limited to 500 hand-numbered copies. Pre-order at Insound.

30,000 Feet Deep by stevemoore2600

Helms Alee - s/t LP

2009-11-25T02:25:00.000-08:00

Robotic Empire managed to score some copies of the self-titled LP by Helms Alee, currently on the HydraHead roster, who feature Ben Verellen of Harkonen on bass & vocals, and whose "Night Terror" is one of my absolute favourite albums of 2008. So, what we have here is their debut LP, limited to 500 copies pressed on heavy 200g vinyl, with an etching on the B-side and silk-screened covers. These are normally only available through Helms Alee directly on tour, so head over to Robotic Empire and get this as quick as you can. Oh yeah, comes on white vinyl, limited to 300.

Coalesce - OXEP 12"

2009-11-24T07:25:00.000-08:00

Already mentioned a few weeks ago, but now available from the band directly as well is the vinyl edition of the OXEP album by Coalesce. And it turns out that the LP version comes on either silver or black 180g vinyl, and has an etching of the artwork. Now I can finally get that knife as well, yihaa. Order at Blue Collar Distro

100 Clear
500 180GM Black
500 White/Silver Split
500 Silver

Aldebaran / Unearthly Trance - Split 7"

2009-11-24T05:45:00.000-08:00

Here's a cool new split 7" from Parasitic Records. Uneathly Trance are back with one new track of probably incredibly creepy metal, as well as a His Hero Is Gone cover! Aldebaran are the unknown on this split for me, and by heading over to their myspace I discovered they're a slow sludgemetal doom outfit from Portland who will manage to kick the shit of you. They won me over with the HHIG already, so this is a guaranteed winner.

This split 7" is limited to 500 copies and comes with a vinyl sticker for each band. Available now for $6,00 via Parasitic

Shrinebuilder - s/t 2xLP

2009-11-24T05:40:00.000-08:00

Yeahyeah, again a Shrinebuilder post. Well, not only because I just now found out that the 2xLPs come on colored vinyl, and that there's even an etching on the D-side but also for those of you who are uncomfortable ordering your metal from Insound, they're also now available from 20 Buck Spin

Todd - Big Ripper LP

2009-11-24T05:12:00.001-08:00

"It’s what Torche or The Melvins would sound like if they’d consumed a massive amount of speed, taken an andrenalin hit to their hearts and injected steroids into their cocks."

Sounds good? Fuck yeah! Finally up for pre-order is the vinyl version of Todd's newest album "Big Ripper", limited to 500 copies. Seriously one of the best albums of the year, so get your dirty little hands on it by pre-ordering now from Riot Season

Dead Weather - Test Pressing LP

2009-11-24T04:39:00.000-08:00

Ebay madness and just wanted to share this with you all, my dearly beloved readers. Up for grabs for already $1,125 with 8 days of bidding to go, is a test pressing LP of Dead Weather. Limited to 150 copies with sleeves hand-drawn by the members and then shot them with their machinegun, leaving a bullethole in each record. These 12"s were only available at the opening of the Third Man Store. You want one don't you?

Neil Young - LP Reissue Boxset

2009-11-24T03:57:00.000-08:00

$149.98 is what they're charging for the deluxe reissue boxset of Neil Young's first 4 albums. All records come with the original artwork, are pressed onto 180g and are numbered. The box includes the "Neil Young", "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere", "After The Gold Rush" and "Harvest" records. These LPs are actually quite easy to find, even if not in mint condition, so I'll just stick to my second hand copies that I bought for $1,99. For those of you who have the $150 to spare, get this box set which is limited to 3000 copies from Because Sound Matters

Six Organs of Admittance - Empty The Sun Book + LP

2009-11-24T02:29:00.000-08:00

Books and music, movies and popcorn, whiskey and tits,... oh praise those perfect combinations. Up for order at Drag City is the "Empty The Sun" book, which comes with an LP of accompanying music written by Six Organs of Admittance. The novel is written by a certain Joseph Mattson and comes in a 12" by 12" vinyl format. Haven't heard the music yet, but it's supposed to sound a bit more like their early days. Haven't read the book yet, but it's supposed to good, and judging by this opening excerpt, it promises to be a good read: "Here I was, doing ninety on the Santa Monica Freeway with a quart of whiskey shoved into my crotch and my dead neighbor in the trunk. It had come time to leave Los Angeles..."

One-time pressing limited to 1000 copies, order the Book + LP for only $20 from Drag City

Baroness - Blue Record 3xLP

2009-11-24T01:53:00.000-08:00

New triple vinyl version of the "Blue Record" is now available at Relapse.

Pressing information:
1000pcs
A/B Opaque Orange
C/D Clear Blue
E/F Blue/Seafoam Green Split
All on 180 gram Vinyl
Comes with an 18"x24" Poster
Third LP features live set from Roadburn Festival

Price depends on where you live and if you'd like a shirt, so head over to Relapse

Final & Fear Falls Burning - s/t LP

2009-11-23T07:42:00.000-08:00

My boss is killing me, no time to post, but I owe you something, so hot off the press at Conspiracy:

Dirk Serries (Fear Falls Burning) and Justin Broadrick (Final) are both musicians with an impressive discography that spans over 2 decades. They both emerged from the same underground scene in the early eighties, releasing small print tape releases, often on the same labels. When they finally met for the first time in 2007 on a Jesu / Fear Falls Burning European tour they hit it on straight away. Their common love and interest in the avant-garde drone, experimental music scene resulted in Final's stunning contribution to the epic 'Once We All Walk Through Solid Objects' 5lp set by Fear Falls Burning. A full-length collaborative album was only a matter of time. About a year in the making this collaborative album showcases Final and Fear Falls Burning's ability to expand the drone genre with allowing power chords, figurative plucking and electronic-esque soundscapes to lead the 4 songs on this album. The collaboration is much more than just a sum of both their projects together but it realizes an entity on its own. In your face, metal-esque and avant-garde at the same time, Final and Fear Falls Burning took the leap forward in creating a intriguing variation on drone music.

This lp is limited to 500 copies (75 on clear, 125 on silver and 300 on black). Order now at Conspiracy

If These Trees Could Talk - Above The Earth, Below The Sky LP

2009-11-20T08:48:00.000-08:00

If These Trees Could Talk are a post-rock outfit from Ohio who reader and dulli-lover Justin was so kind to point out to me. They're about to release their sophomore album on Mylene Sheath, and as usual it looks like the people over there did a wonderful job in giving it the vinyl treatment. The music you say? Well, they're an instrumental post-rock band and about now every small town in the Northern Hemisphere has one of those, so check out their myspace if you will. To me, it's clear that these guys are no Mogwai or Explosions In The Sky yet, but anyone familiar with the genre will still be quite entertained by this album. In stead of trying to copy the aformentioned others, ITTCT try to incorporate some other influences, such as the obvious Tool reference into their sound, and they're quite good at it. If you like your post-rock to slowly sweep you off your feet, you've come to the right place.

Anyway, the "Above The Earth, Below The Sky" LP comes in a thick jacket with matte lamination and spot gloss and printed inner sleeves and is limited to 400 copies in total, of which 100 on transpartent blue and 300 on green vinyl. Get yours from Mylene Sheath

MK Ultra - Discography 2xLP

2009-11-20T06:08:00.000-08:00

So what if this was already released in August and they're onto their 2nd pressing already, I unfortunately don't own this album yet, and I'm sure some of you don't either. In the spotlight today is the discography 2xLP by MK Ultra on Youth Attack Records. One of the harshest, most raging, most politically outspoken trash hardcore bands ever, this discography spans the entire lifetime of the band from 1993 until their demise in 2000.Included are both their "Stick Figure" and "Melt" EP's, their splits with other greats such as Los Crudos and Seein Red, the demo tape and some compilation tracks. If you like that Los Crudos namedropping, how about the fact that they even shared a member? Or that members of MK Ultra went on to play in Nachtmystium, Sick/Tired and many others.

This discography 2xLP comes in a gatefold sleeve and "a thick, high-quality 24 page booklet jam-packed with all their various artwork, flyers, lyrics, ephemera, and tons of out of control live photos". Also included is a download code for the 2xLP, plus a live performance. The copies that are still available from Youth Attack are the black vinyl ones, limited to 170 copies. The 2nd pressing is limited to 500 copies in total, the other 330 are on white vinyl and all gone.

Greg Dulli - Dangerous Highway 7"

2009-11-19T07:31:00.000-08:00

I don't care if I had no clue who Eddie Hinton was, I do care that here are 2 new 7"s from some fantastic musicians: Greg Dulli and The Drive-By Truckers. Now, apparently Eddie Hinton was "a highly respected musician and songwriter who played lead guitar for the Muscle Shoals Sound Rhythm Section in the late 60’s, and worked as a session guitarist for Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin, Elvis Presley and many more. Hinton passed away in 1995 at the age of 51." Apparently, he was also a close friend of Bob Dylan.

What we have here are tribute 7"s, the first in a series called "Dangerous Highway: A Tribute To The Songs of Eddie Hinton". The first 7" in the series features Greg Dulli (Gutter Twins, Afghan Whigs, Twilight Singers) covering “Hard Luck Guy” and “Cover Me”. The second installment sees The Drive-By Truckers covering “Where’s Eddie” and “Everybody Needs Love”. Get one or both of these 7"s which are available from Shake It.

Morne - Untold Wait LP

2009-11-19T03:04:00.000-08:00

Morne are a metallic crust outfit out of Boston, MA who have members in their ranks of killer doom acts such as Filth Of Mankind, Grief and Disrupt. You say crust, I say Amebix? You say metallic, I say Neurosis? Exactly. Thier mix reminds of early UK crust like Amebix and Axegrinder, and the slower, heavy parts remind of Neurosis or Asunder.

Their latest album was just released by Feral Ward Records and contains the rerecorded demotracks as well as a one new track. Also, they have some guest vocalists saying hello on "Untold Wait", likeAlicia Morgan of 13 as well as Kris Force, who has also worked with Amber Asylum, Swans and Neurosis. Not much information on the vinyl, just that it's limited to 1000 copies, so head over to Feral Ward in the US, or Punk Distro in Europe to get your copy. While you're at it, there's also a new Morne 7" available there, limited to 500 copies.

The Accüsed - The Curse of Martha Splatterhead

2009-11-17T00:43:00.000-08:00

Here's a new release from The Lord: the LP version of The Accüsed's "The Curse of Martha Splatterhead" which was released on digital format a couple of months ago. I honestly haven't heard one minute of this album yet, but if it's anything near their "The Return..." album, we should be in for a splatter rock feast. The Accüsed have always been an oddball, too raw to be part of the Seattle scene, too metal to be part of the punk scene, but strangely enough despite their 28 (!) years experience, never quite got the mass attention that many of their peers did.

Luckily for us, there's Southern Lord. Although this album will most likely prove to be the strangest one in the label's entire discography by having nothing to do with doom or the Big Riff, strangely enough it feels like they're at home. And what better way to pay tribute to one of the scene's legends, than by giving them the same care as other Lord releases. "The Curse of Martha Splatterhead" LP comes on 180g vinyl, is housed in a full color inner sleeve and jacket, and all mailorder customers will receive the special splattered colored vinyl limited to 500 copies while supplies last, plus a poster of the over-the-top artwork to shock to your loved ones. Order now from Southern Lord.

Insound Vinyl Club Discount

2009-11-17T00:32:00.000-08:00

The holidays are coming, and Insound are now giving serious discounts on their Top Sellers of 2009. When ordering 5 LPs you get 15% off, with 10 LPs it's the same discount but you get a free totebag, hooray. They selected 50 albums, which are definitely some of the best indie releases of the year, so if you're missing anything in your collection, head over to Insound and receive the discount automatically upon checkout.

Lotus Eaters - Mind Control For Infants 2xLP

2009-11-17T00:14:00.000-08:00

Dammit. I really should try to update this thing more regularly, because I once again completely missed the ball on the vinyl release of one of my favorite albums ever. Now, no worries, because given the pricetag I don't expect these records to sell out soon, although the most limited version on white & silver marble vinyl limited to 100 copies is already gone. What the hell am I talking about? Well, the "Mind Control for Infants" 2xLP by Lotus Eaters, one of my favourite supergroups featuring Aaron Turner, James Plotkin and Stephen O’Malley. The "Mind Control For Infants" album is one of the most laid-back doom/drone records out there, and has served as my personal soundtrack during many nights of insomnia, so I'm thrilled that Taiga got the rights to press this onto vinyl.

This 2xLP is limited to 100 white & silver marble (gone), 300 gold and 600 black copies, is fully remastered, pressed onto 200g vinyl and comes is “An old-style Stoughton tip-on gatefold jacket wrapped in foil-stamped brown linen with an 8×8 inch offset print mounted on the front cover." My bad if any of you missed the white & silver version - including myself, so let's just get the gold version which also looks killer from Taiga

Chuck Ragan & Anderson Family Bluegrass - The Revival Tour 9"

2009-11-13T08:50:00.000-08:00

Chuck Ragan once again has some new vinyl to spoil all you lovers out there. First up is the split 9" with the Anderson Family Bluegrass, which will be available for sale during the Revival tour, and any remaining copies will surely surface at several distro's or on Ragan's merchpage. Here's the pressing information:
350 on half Clear Pale Green and half Silver
350 on Color in color where the main color is a super clear with an army green.
150 on Clear Pale Green and silver haze
150 on Clear Pale Green and silver, bronze, black, and tan splatter

Also, there's a newFanclub edition out entitled "Chuck Plays Frankfurt" on 2xLP which is a live recording of a 2007 show he did in Frankfurt (duh), including covers from Alkaline Trio, Rumbleseat and Naked Raygun. This 2xLP is limited to 300 handnumbered copies and comes in a silkscreen-cover, available from Per Koro, who also carry the "Live At Hafenkneipe Zürich" LP by the way.

Nasum / Napalm Death - Live in Japan Split 12"

2009-11-13T08:07:00.000-08:00

I normally don't care about live recordings, however, this will probably be the last Nasum release ever, and it's pretty impossible to find, so I figured it'd be nice of me to spread the word. This split picture disc LP between Nasum and Napalm Death is limited to 500 copies, is ugly as hell, and is really a collectors item for the die-hard Nasum fans. Both bands are featured here with live recordings from their show at Club Quattro in Osaka, Japan, meaning that the Nasum songs on here are identical to the ones on the "Doombringer" live album that Relapse did a while back.

This "Live In Japan (Grind Kaijyu Attack!)" PDLP isn't available from Feto, and is also no longer available from Nasum directly, the last place I could find it as an unknown distro to me called Power It Up, operating out of Germany. Get it while supplies last.

Isis - Live V LP

2009-11-13T05:42:00.001-08:00

As previously reported, here it is: the fifth installment in the Isis Live series:

°The LP contains the entire OCEANIC set (considered their best full-length)
°One time pressing of 1000 copies (that's not a lot)
°180g vinyl (that's the heavy quality stuff)
°Green vinyl limited to 100 (already sold out)
°Green/white camo vinyl limited to 200 (lets go gi.joe)

Nuff. Said. Get. It. Now. Viva Hate! Hurry Up!

Brant Bjork - Jalamanta 2xLP

2009-11-13T05:40:00.000-08:00

Back in 1999, Brant Bjork released his first solo album "Jalamanta". To celebrate the 10th anniversay, Low Desert Punk have re-pressed the record on vinyl. For those unfamiliar with Brant Bjork, this mister used to play in Fu Manchu and Kyuss, and has been going for a more mellow, laid-back kind of stoner in the more recent years.

For the re-issue which comes on heavyweight virgin 180g vinyl, the album has been totally remastered directly from the original tapes. Housed in a deluxe packaging with embossed cover and sporting an impressive 24 page book with lyrics, the "Jalamanta" 2xLP has a limited run of 1,000 pressing, first 500 signed and numbered by Brant. Order directly from Low Desert Punk.

Pollution - Nasty DNA LP

2009-11-13T04:52:00.000-08:00

Pollution are a raw hardcore outfit featuring members of Unearthly Trance. Their debut album entitled "Nasty.DNA" was previously only available on CDr format, but Feast Of Tentacles stepped up and released this ugly sucker on vinyl as well. Pollution are a harsh, raw, dissonant hardcore outfit with some AmRep influences who remind me of classics such as Born Against and Rorscach. If you like your hardcore clean and buff, this won't do the trick for you.

Order this in the UK for £9 postpaid, in Europe for £12 postpaid or £15 postpaid for the rest of the world by paypalling to feastoftentacles@hotmail.com. While you're at it, they're also still taking pre-orders for the upcoming Thou / Mohoram Atta 12" which you might want as well.

Loney, Dear - Citadel Band LP

2009-11-13T04:16:00.000-08:00

Not sure if this is still a pre-order or already released, but Polyvinyl have re-released Loney, Dear's sophomore effort entitled "Citadel Band" on vinyl. Originally only available on cdr's, this album is now available on vinyl format, pressed on multiple colours and strictly limited to 1000 copies. I haven't heard this album myself, but given the timeline, I'd say this is probably still the more upbeat side of the swesdish singer-songwriter, who became darker and more melancholic with each record. Definitely worth picking up from Polyvinyl.

Kylesa / Victims - Split 7"

2009-11-13T02:33:00.000-08:00

What we have here is a killer intercontinental split 7" between two of the heaviest outfits on the planet: Georgia's Kylesa and Sweden's Victims. Originally pressed as a European Tour 7", limited to 500 copies on orange/black marbled vinyl which Kylesa had with them on their recent tour with Clutch. As announced months ago, Punkdistro finally have a regular version available as well, limited to 300 copies on dark green marbled vinyl. Normally Deathwish will also release a US version of this 7" sometime this winter, but don't sit on it, and get your copy at Punkdistro.de before they're gone. Oh yeah, 1 Kylesa song on here, 2 Victims songs, just the way it should be. I'd buy this just for the groove etching: "Savannah Stockholm Its all The Same To Me :-)"

Oxbow - Songs For The French LP

2009-11-12T00:27:00.000-08:00

Update: the Oxbow "Songs for the French" limited tour edition vinyl 12" is now available through Chel's list. Here's what Chel - the man behind the cow - has to say:

"The Jacket for this LP is what they call "old style" in that it's a single tip-on and non gatefold. However, this is the creme de la creme of tour edition vinyl. The mono chromatic, chic artwork/design on the jacket and insert was done by Aaron Turner. 3 different colors of vinyl were pressed. Black, Gray Marble (marbre gris), and Brown Marble (marbre brun) This album is currently only available in this vinyl format.
"One 12" will set you back $15, if you'd like all 3 colour ways, be nice to Chel and he'll hook you up for only $40. Ordering information at chelvanin.com

Original post:
Oxbow are gearing up to cross the Great Pond, and will have a limited edition tour-only 12" version with them of "Songs For the French", featuring 3 new tracks on the A side and on the B side 4 live tracks from oxbow's 2008 European tour. Get this 12" at one of the upcoming shows as listed here

A regular LP release should follow somewhere this winter on Hydrahead. I'm thinking the HH version will look something like this:

John Duncan - The Nazca Transmissions LP

2009-11-06T09:06:00.000-08:00

Must be the weather, because I'm seriously into drones today. This new release really caught my attention, not only because it's by experimental legend John Duncan - who's also collaborated with Aidan Baker and did one of those Melvins remixes - but just check out his inspiration for this album:

On Christmas Eve, 2004, John Duncan received a mysterious email from an archaeologist working at the site of the Nazca Lines in Peru. He claimed to have discovered, and over time recorded, a variety of sounds actually generated by the enigmatic lines themselves. Familiar with Duncan’s “Infrasound-Tidal”, composed from source recordings taken from tides, seismic activity and barometric data from the Australian coastline, he suggested to Duncan the composition of a piece with these sources. All of the sources were modified in the studio of John Duncan, some radically, to bring out an unsettling, haunting quality. In mid-June 2005, the glorious 5-track piece was finally ready. John Duncan sent several messages to the archaeologist, none of them ever answered or returned. A hard disk crash effectively destroyed all of the email correspondence between them. What remains are the notes he sent that ostensibly describe the details of sites and times for the source recordings. Those notes have been reproduced on the insert included in this edition, also presenting John Duncan liner notes.

Intriguing or what? "The Nazca Transmissions" vinyl is limited 380 copies, with embossed total-black cover, insert and full-color inner sleeve with space images of the Nazca Lines. Order it from Drone Records in Europe, or from Fusetron in the US. Expensive but worth it.

Our Love Will Destroy The World - Beautiful Monolith Two 7"

2009-11-06T08:06:00.000-08:00

Speaking of Birchville Cat Motel, last month Campbell Kneale - also the mastermind behind that other New Zealand outfit Black Boned Angel released a new 7" under his noise-alias Our Love Will Destroy The World. Campbell Kneale unleashes 2 terrifying sick new tracks pushing the boundaries of experimental music even further, and sounding more like Merzbow or Wolf Eyes than anything he's done before.

The "Beautiful Monolith Two" 7" comes in a limited edition of 500 copies, of 150 on blue and 350 copies on black vinyl. Order it from Second Layer and don't forget about that Bark Haze / Our Love Will Destroy The World split 7" I reported about some weeks ago.

Seht - Hrry LP + 3"CD

2009-11-06T07:54:00.000-08:00

An unknown artist from New Zealand to me personally, but apparently one that's been going strong for many years already, Seht now has a new LP out called "Hrry", it's limited, it's droney, you want it. Apparently, the mind behind the mask used to play with Birchville Cat Motel, and has now developed an ambient drone style of lucious soundscapes and mellow electronics. A bit too much use of bits and bytes for my personal taste, but definitely recommended for anyone into drone.

Order the "Hrry" LP which comes in silver & black fold-out poster sleeve and is strictly limited to 150 copies from Boomkat in the UK, from mimaroglu in the US, or all the way from New Zealand at Digitalis.

Einstellung - Wings of Desire 2xLP

2009-11-06T07:28:00.000-08:00

The "Wings of Desire" 2xLP seems to be popping up at various distros, although already released sometime this summer if I'm not mistaken. Einstellung is a band that sounds very German, and their music is in fact inspired by Germany's Krautrock legend Einsturzenden Neubauten, but they're in fact an English outfit featuring members of defunct UK acts such Sally, Grover; Cable Regime and Godflesh. Yes, Godflesh. Despite their roots, Einstellung is not just a sum of the parts but a whole other ballgame. "Wings of Desire" takes the Neu! Krautrock foundation, but then adds layers reminding of My Bloody Valentine, Jesus & Mary Chain, Mogwai and I sometimes hear some Sonic Youth in there as well and you might even say some of the riffing is Sabbath inspired.

"Wings of Desire" comes in beautiful gatefold, is pressed on 180g vinyl and is limited to 500 copies. Definitely worth checking out from Capsule.

V/A Clone - Play Slow . Die Fast Volume II LP

2009-11-06T05:13:00.000-08:00

The 2nd installment in the Clone Series is upon us, which is a compilation of bands playing a cover of one of their old hardcore, punk, metal or rock favorites. On this 2nd Volume, it looks something like this: *Moloch - lighnting strikes twice (Rorschach)*On Pain of Death - troops of doom (Sepultura)*Golden Gorilla - absentee debate (Unbroken)*Aguirre - like weeds (His Hero is Gone) *Loss - the fog (Goatlord)*Thou - well fed fuck (Born Against) *Shadow of the Torturer - judgement of the dead (Pagan Altar) *Hey Colossus - institutionalized (Suicidal Tendencies). Something for everyone I guess, and for only $12€ you can't really go wrong with this.

The Clone "Play Slow . Die Fast" Volume 2 LP is limited to 400 copieson 185g black vinyl and 200 copies on 190g blue vinyl. All records come in an embossed cover with stamped oval diecut, a full colored 12" sized inlay and a 12-paged 9"-sized booklet with info on every contributing band. Order this now from Blind Date Records, and if you still haven't ordered Shadow of the Torturer "March into Chaos" LP from them, I advise you to order the 2 as a package and save some cash!

Lord Vicar - Fear No Pain 2xLP

2009-11-06T04:40:00.000-08:00

Wow. Lord Vicar is a new doom metal outfit, but somewhat different from the one started by the the kids in your neighbourhood who think that wearing a Paradise Lost shirt makes them as doom as gloom. Oh no. Lord Vicar is a new band featuring Chritus (Count Raven, Saint Vitus, Terra Firma) on vocals, Jim Hunter (Revelation, WHW) on bass, Gareth Millsted (Centurions Ghost, End of Level Boss) on drums and Peter Inverted (Reverend Bizarre, Orne) on guitars. That's right! And what else can we expect from an international line-up of doom legends than Tru Kult Doom in the line of Saint Vitus, Trouble, Sabbath and Pentagram.

Their debut full-length "Fear No Pain" was released on vinyl this August by The Church Within but only now caught my attention because they played a show in my town with The Gates Of Slumber recently. Now, the "Fear No Pain" 2xLP looks i.n.c.r.e.d.i.b.l.e as it comes on high quality vinyl, but the real eyecatcher here is the hardcover gatefold with a 24 page full-color book. I'm definitely dishing out the $30 and ordering this 2xLP from The Church Within. US readers can also order an imported version over at Parasitic Records

Daniel Menche - Odradek 2xLP

2009-11-06T02:45:00.000-08:00

Daniel Menche is like Portland's Fear Falls Burning: has been going for years, has more releases under his belt than my number of one-night-stands, and is only inspired musically by himself. Daniel Menche makes harsh ambient structured in layers and layers of drones, and has released albums on Important, Utech and many other labels, so if you're afraid of the drone, leave this one alone!

His new 2xLP "Odradek" will be released in December, and is limited to 200 handnumbered copies on 220g vinyl in a book bound sleave and features "a 20 minute track that will have a spoken word (in German) reciting the Franz Kafka story of the creature." Available for pre-order now from Beta-Lactam Ring

TODD - Big Ripper

2009-11-06T02:18:00.000-08:00

Riot Season are taking CD pre-orders for TODD's newest album "Big Ripper". Enough with those CDs already, give us the vinyl!

Acid Mothers Temple and The Melting Paraiso U.F.O.- The Early Acid Mothers Temple Recordings 1995-1997 2xLP

2009-11-06T02:03:00.000-08:00

Stream of consciousness. Important Records -> Weird -> Psychedelic -> Acid Mothers Temple. Get it? Well, that's what my mind just did, and I'm happy it did so, because I stumbled upon a collection of early Acid Mothers Temple recordings that I don't own yet, and more surprisingly even though released in 2007 and limited to only 408 copies, it's still available. Well, I'm not stalling any longer!

"The Early Acid Mothers Temple Recordings 1995-1997" 2xLP on 150g vinyl comes in a gatefold sleeve, and compiles their earliest recordings previously available on extremely limited cassette issues on the Acid Mothers Temple label. Order it from LOOOP

Mountainhood - The River/The Road - 7"

2009-11-06T01:25:00.001-08:00

Important Records just released a new 7" by Mountainhood called "The River / The Road". Check that artwork, it moves! Crrrazy! This 7" is actually called "Part 2 in the Larger Multivisorial Dreamsaga Called: The Light", but that's kind of hard to remember, right? What to expect from Mountainhood? Pretty hard to describe really, this is some obscure, dark avant-folk that goes all over the place. Important tried it as following: "Somewhere in the realm of the Holy Modal Rounders, Tower Recordings, Diane Cluck & Daniel Johnston".

"The Road" 7" is limited to 300 copies, all with handmade covers by Michael Curtis of Mountainhood himself, available from Important. Also, Mountainhood recently released a one-sided LP called "Death Pod" limited to 320 copies on Blackest Rainbow which you might like to order as well.

Guiltmaker - Dilemmas LP

2009-11-05T09:07:00.000-08:00

Relevation just got these in, but apparently already released sometime this summer is the debut LP by Guiltmaker entitled "Dilemmas". I haven't been able to hit up their Myspace yet so I can't tell you if it's the true what they say, but according to RevHQ this sounds like "post-hardcore and ambient in the vein of Engine Down, Sparta and Quicksand, some even say in the vein of "The Moon Is Down"-era Further Seems Forever." Sounds good right? Well, will it help you even more if I tell you Guiltmaker also features members of Hex favourites Reversal Of Man, Early Grace and Combat Wounded Veteran? I thought so.

The 1st pressing of this "Dilemmas" LP is limited to 556 copies, of which 130 on Clear Red vinyl, 80 on White and 346 copies on Black vinyl. No idea which version RevHQ has for sale, but maybe you can also try your luck with the label direclty over at Kiss Of Death Records. Anyone who has heard this album, please let me know if it's as good as I hope it is.

Keelhaul - LP Reissues

2009-11-05T08:08:00.000-08:00

Conspiracy Records are about to re-issue the first 3 Keelhaul albums just in time for their upcoming European Tour with Isis & Circle. If you read what I write over here, you know how much I adore Keelhaul, and in fact, for some strange reason I don't own their "Subject To Change Without Notice" album on vinyl, so now is the time!

The "bad" news is these re-issues are pressed on picture disc, so we'll have to wait and see/hear how good the audio quality will be, but I must admit, they look crazy. On the picture discs are pictures taken by Prutpuss for his alternative nude zine "Poupy Whoopy", and honestly, nipples and vinyl are always a golden combination. These LPs are limited to 300 copies each, and Conspiracy will only have 50 copies for sale directly, the rest of the LPs will be sold during their European tour, so wishlist from Conspiracy to reserve your copy - either seperately, or the 3xLP bundle.

I'll upload some better pictures once I have the LPs.

Trash Talk - Shame LP

2009-11-05T07:52:00.000-08:00

Lack of updates, you know the drill by now: work... Gotta pay the bills for all these records... Anyway, today I have two releases for you that despite work, I simply have to mention. First up is a new LP by Trash Talk. These guys are one of the few hardcore acts out there that I still follow, because they simply do it well. Trash Talk have the hyperkinetic energy that's not uncommon for hardcore, but at the same time they incorporate elements of spun out doom, blast beats, sludgy mosh parts and what not. Plus, their last album was produced by Albini, that says enough that they're not just any snotty hardcore band.

The 'Shame' 12" that they have up for pre-order is an Anthology of sort, featuring 30 tracks from their Walking Disease, Plagues, S/T, and East of Eden releases and includes album footnotes, a full size poster and tons of extras. Very limited vinyl pressing on 180g vinyl, pre-order your copy from the band directly.

Yeasayer - Ambling Alp 12"

2009-10-30T09:04:00.000-07:00

Brooklyn's Yeasayer are finally giving us some new music after their amazing "All Hour Cymbals" LP released in 2007. They describe their music as Middle Eastern-psych-snap-gospel, to me they're one of the most refreshing outfits around, along with their peers Animal Collective and Vampire Weekend. The "Ambling Alp" 12" is the first single of their upcoming "ODD BLOOD" album and includes title track as well as remixes by Memory Tapes + DJ /rupture and instrumentals.

The track itself is available as a free download, but this 12" will only set you back $8, or for $28 you the limited bundle with an exclusive t-shirt. As the vinyl version of "All Hour Cymbals" was extremely difficult to find, don't miss out on this release and order it from Yeasayer directly

Fucked Up - Couple Tracks 2xLP

2009-10-30T08:48:00.000-07:00

Matador are taking - early - preorders for the upcoming "Couple Tracks: Singles 2002-2009" 2xLP by Fucked Up. The title is pretty self-explanatory, so what we get is a collection of hard-to-find previously uncollected 7" and 12" tracks from Fucked Up. In total there will be 24 songs on the "Couple Tracks" 2xLP, which will be accompanied by a 7" with the same title. I gave up on trying to purchase all these separate 7"s a long time ago, and will just spin this after listening to the "Epics In Minutes" album.

Pre-order the "Couple Tracks" 2xLP + 7" from Matador for $18. Make sure to enter the promotional code "Fucked" to get 15% off.

Oxbow - Songs For The French LP

2009-10-30T08:35:00.000-07:00

Oxbow are gearing up to cross the Great Pond, and will have a limited edition tour-only 12" version with them of "Songs For the French", featuring 3 new tracks on the A side and on the B side 4 live tracks from oxbow's 2008 European tour. Get this 12" at one of the upcoming shows as listed here

A regular LP release should follow somewhere this winter on Hydrahead. I'm thinking the HH version will look something like this:

You Weren't There – A History Of Chicago Punk 1977-1984 LP

2009-10-30T07:16:00.000-07:00

What we have here is a documentary about the early punk days in the Windy City entitled "You Weren't There – A History Of Chicago Punk 1977-1984" which was released earlier this week, and is accompanied by a vinyl edition of the soundtrack. What we get on the movie are talks with the DJ's, musicians, promoters, artists, and fans who were pivotal in creating the Chicago Punk scene and rare performances by Articles of Faith, Mentally Ill, Negative Element, Tutu and the Pirates, Jeff Pezzati, Big Black, Rights of the Accused and Steve Bjorklund. The soundtrack has other illustrous punk outfits such as Buzzards, Toothpaste, Verboten and many others.

This limited edition DVD+LP is on sale now and will set you back $30 over at Factory 25.

Fear Falls Burning - The Rainbow Mirrors A Burning Heart LP

2009-10-30T06:29:00.001-07:00

Here's a litte heads up! I'm not sure how, but ConSouling Sounds Records have some copies available of "The Rainbow Mirrors A Burning Heart" LP by Belgium's drone pride Fear Falls Burning. This record was originally released in 2006 and captures a live performance of FFB in Germany somewhere late 2005.

This LP is/was limited to 300 handnumbered copies and as far as I know has never been repressed, so I'm guessing these guys won't have that many copies either, so just to be on the safe side, get it immediately from ConSouling Sounds.

The Swell Season - Strict Joy 2xLP

2009-10-30T05:34:00.000-07:00

I'm a sucker for romcom movies. Once wasn't one per definition, but still kind of. More importantly, it had that guy from The Frames in it. And I'm definitely a sucker for The Frames. The soundtrack for "Once" obviously featured all the songs that Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova - together called The Swell Season - performed in the movie, but for "Strict Joy" there was no movie. Just music. So, we'll have to create our own images, for now while listening to the stream over at 3voor12

If you like what you hear, pre-order the "Strict Joy" 2xLP which comes with an etching on the D-side from Anti.

US Christmas - Eat The Low Dogs 2xLP

2009-10-30T04:51:00.001-07:00

Definitely one of the best and most intriguing bands on the current Neurot roster is US Christmas. I'm Better Than Everyone Records are now finally releasing their "Eat The Low Dogs" on 2xLP vinyl - dammit, why didn't I think of doing this myself?! Anyway, what's so special about US Christmas? Well, they're one of a kind. You see, they're definitely tuned down enough to D to feel at home at Neurot, but are way more psychedelic than other slugde or post metal acts on the label. Instead, US Christmas grab back to the 70s, reminiscing the greats such as Hawkwind, but still "post" enough to make it comfortable for me to name them an apocalyptic doom version of Dead Meadows or the US version of Ufomammut.

The "Eat The Low Dogs" 2xLP is limited to 500 copies, of which 400 on thick black vinyl and a limited eidtion of 100 copies on blue and maroon haze vinyl with a different layout, but that will cost you more. Head over to I'm Better Than Everyone Records for more info, and you might also still want to order that EyeHateGod album - even if the limited edition is sold out.

Pyramids With Nadja

2009-10-30T03:24:00.000-07:00

I've been looking forward to this release for a few months now, so join me and head over to pyramidswithnadja.com for a full stream of the upcoming Pyramids with Nadja LP. The CD version is already up for pre-order over at Hydrahead, no word on an LP release date yet. However, Ulver and Lustmord apparently remixed the first track on this album, "Into the Silent Waves," for a limited 12" to be released early 2010. Stay tuned for more info.

I Can Watch This For Hours

2009-10-30T03:21:00.000-07:00

An Albatross - London Live LP

2009-10-30T03:05:00.000-07:00

Kitty Play records just released a limited tour only LP by An Albatross. This album is a live-recording from their show in 2008 in London's Astoria, and "captures the AA FAMILY at breakneck-psychedelic speed, belting out a veritable sonic asswhipping!" Those of you who have ever seen them live, know it's quite an experience, so this live album might actually be fun! An Albatross are an amazing noise band, highly recommended for fans of The Locust, Melt Banana, Lighning Bolt with a touch of Slayer and Napalm Death. That's right.

All LP's are 4-color hand screen printed and come in a limited edition of 500 copies on multicolored marble vinyl. These records are normally only available from An Albatross directly on tour, but if you get in touch with Kitty Play Records, you might still get your hands on one, and some of you lucky bastards might even be able to get one of the test-pressings for $20.

Them Crooked Vultures - Them Crooked Vultures 2xLP

2009-10-30T01:08:00.000-07:00

One of this year's most anticipated releases is now up for pre-order from Insound, the debut album by Them Crooked Vultures. This new supergroup featuring Dave Grohl, Josh Homme, and John Paul Jones has obviously gotten a lot of attention thanks to the line-up and their heritage, but truth be told, so far I haven't been too impressed by what I heard. I do appreciate their somewhat mysterious first sparks of life and the whole art theme they have going on, but will wait for a full album stream before actually purchasing this.

For those of you who can't wait, head over to Insound and reserve your copy before the November 23rd release date.

Grief - ... And Man Will Become The Hunted 2xLP

2009-10-30T00:34:00.000-07:00

Oh hell yes! Boston's influential doom metal outift, Grief who inspired many of our favourite acts out there such as Electric Wizard, Unearthly Trance, Floor and even Sunn0))), are seeing their farewell album "... And Man Will Become The Hunted" finally released on vinyl by Spain's Throne Records. They split up somewhere around 2000 and this is their last studio-album, but Southern Lord released a live album of theirs from a reunion gig somewhere around 2005.

Grief are essential listening with their take on monolithic and nihilistic doom, and I personally only own their split 7" with Corrupted on vinyl, so this one is definitely essential for my collection. Pre-order the "...And Man Will Become The Hunted" before the early December release date, and get one of the 166 handnumbered copies on semistransparent brown / grey splatter 180g vinyl, only available from Throne Records directly. Total run is 666 copies worldwide on 180g, in a deluxe gatefold with black inked paper bags. Get it now, now, now for €30 in Europe and €37 worldwide - shipping included - from Throne Recs.

Coalesce - OXEP 12"

2009-10-28T08:09:00.000-07:00

The Omega Order are now accepting pre-orders for the 12" vinyl version of "OXEP" by Coalesce, the continuation and completion of their "Ox" album which was released earlier this year. For those of you unfamiliar with one of Midwest's most shattering and heavy outfits around (still!), you can stream the entire album right here. There was a time that they formed the Holy Trinity of C's, along with Cave In and Converge as leaders in the whole mathrock/metal thing, but then they went on a 10 year hiatus. I must say, I had no expectations at all for "Ox", but after finally seeing them live in Europe, these new tracks managed to blow my mind and still manage to accompany me at least once a week on my drive home. Given the fact that I mostly have a headache after work, that says alot.

Anyway, what we have here is the follow-up to that album, and according to the band OXEP contains: "5 new original coalesce songs. There are 7 tracks, but 1 and 7 are a percussive intro and outro. These songs are not cuts that didn’t make ox. We wrote and recorded these songs specifically for an ep release after ox was already done and delivered to Relapse for production. We continued our americana theme and expanded them on these songs, therefore wanted them to be considered part of the 2009 ox sessions". Check out their myspace for one new track from the "OXEP" sessions.

As usual, no direct pre-ordering from Relapse yet, but you can send your money to The Omega Order to reserve your copy of the vinyl edition. I personally don't have any experience in ordering from them, but they seem to be a huge, well-run distro. I myself, am hoping that these 12"s will also go online from the band directly, so I can get that OXEP Engraved Folding Knife as well.

Agnostic Front - Victim In Pain LP Reissue

2009-10-28T07:47:00.000-07:00

Has it really been 25 years? Well, apparently so, because Bridge9 is gearing to re-issue the classic debut album "Victim In Pain" by the Godfathers of NYHC: Agnostic Front. This LP also comes with their first 7" from 1983 entitled "United Blood". The album comes in a special gatefold cover with emblossed logo, original (uncensored) artwork .

The "Victim In Pain" and "United Blood" records come on black, red, and gold vinyl. The limited edition of the LP + 7" comes on gold vinyl, and first come, first serve. There's also a package available, including a limited shirt, a poster and whatnot. This is the only Agnostic Front worth purchasing, so head over to Bridge 9 and complete your essential NY hardcore discography. If you don't know who AF are, don't start bothering now.

The Brown Book - Thirty Nothing LP

2009-10-28T05:06:00.000-07:00

Haven't quite made up my mind about this release, as it seems to please me in many ways, but then again there's something nagging here that I can't exactly put my finger on. The Brown Book are an instrumental post-rock band who will definitely please fans of acts such Russian Circles or Don Caballero, but will also do something for those of you into Oxes or earlier Liars. And maybe that's just what's nagging at me. When I put on a post-rock record, it's because I'm in that kind of relaxed mood, I don't want to hear some guy singing or screaming, but I also don't want to be abruptly woken up and thrown into a discordant loud mess. Then again, that might just be their strength. Oh, now I'm confused.

It seems like these guys are getting quite some attention, and are having a record release with the almighty Ocean coming up. That's a good thing in my book. "Thirty Nothing" was recorded by Keith Souza by the way, who also worked for Battles and Lightning Bolt, and mastering was done by Alan Douches who worked his magic on Animal Collective, Dillinger Escape Plan, Mastodon and a ton others. So, they seem to be surrounded by the right people, now all they need is for you to pick up their record, right here.

Boduf Songs - Inviolate Projection, Blood From Rome (Blankets) 10"

2009-10-28T04:07:00.000-07:00

I wrote about the Latitudes LP by Boduf Songs a couple of weeks ago, and now I managed to bump into a killer 10" by England's "Ministrel of Misery". What we have here is a one-sided 10" with a 12 minute track of dark singersongwriter doom/drone. That description doesn't make much sense, but just imagine fragile, whispered vocals on top of some creepy eerie drones and minimal acoustic guitar riffs and you'll get the picture.

This 10" comes in a silk-screened sleeve, and comes on black vinyl, with an incredible etching in pearl ink on the B-side. This is a limited, one-time pressing of only 300 copies worldwide, so I suggest you order from Blue Sanct right away.

Devotion - Bastard Son of Affluence Blues LP

2009-10-28T03:53:00.000-07:00

Up for pre-order from Rivalry Records is the debut album "Bastard Son of Affluence Blues" by Devotion. This band is actually a solo-project of Mark Palms, the former frontman of hardcore outfit Go It Alone, with a little help on drums from ON's Aaron O'Neil. I've heard one song off this album, and it reminds me a lot of Damnation A.D. which is a very good thing.

There's no limited vinyl edition, just regular black vinyl, but don't let that stop from pre-ordering this LP from Rivalry. Non-US customers are forced to buy a minimum of 2 releases though, but as Rivalry also released vinyl for The First Step, Verse and Go It Alone that shouldn't be too hard.

Young Governor - Hidden Love 12"

2009-10-28T03:22:00.000-07:00

Released sometime this summer is the Young Governor "Hidden Love" 12" and I only found out about this record yesterday. So much for checking this blog to discover new releases, hey? But, I figured it's still worth a small mention, as Young Governor isn't just any another sweet lo-fi band following the steps of Kurt Vile or Jay Reatard. You see, Young Governor is actually Ben Cook's solo project. Some of you might remember him from fronting one of Canada's most popular hardcore acts No Warning, since then, he's been playing in Violent Minds and then ofcourse, anno 2009, the most important reference of all, Fucked Up!

For those of you expecting hard-hitting singalong hardcore anthems might be down in the dumps, for those of you expecting sweet summer melodies ala Jay Reatard, "Hidden Love" will be right up your alley. This 12" is apparently already sold out from the label, but I'm ordering mine from Revelation HQ

Former Ghosts - Fleurs LP

2009-10-28T02:56:00.000-07:00

Former Ghosts was a name that drew my attention, the title of their debut "Fleurs" did it less for me, but who am I to complain about flowers? Former Ghosts are yet another supergroup of sorts, featuring Freddy Ruppert (of This Song Is A Mess But So Am I), Jamie Stewart (of Xiu Xiu) and Nika Roza (of Zola Jesus). What we get on "Fleurs" is an album of melodic synth-pop, with some crazy discordant moments, pleasing fans of Joy Division or Interpol relying heavily on synthesizers.

Available from Upset The Rhythym is a white vinyl pre-order LP edition of "Fleurs". As this label is UK based, US customers can also get the regular black version from Insound for $15,99.

Animal Collective - Fall Be Kind 12"

2009-10-28T02:35:00.000-07:00

It's been a while... All work no play make... So, anyway, what's in stock for us this week? First up is the the new "Fall Be Kind" 12" EP by Animal Collective! There were some rumours about this, nobody sure what it was all about, but according to Insound this EP has "five brand new studio tracks that are every bit as lush and beautiful as those found on Merriweather."

This new 12" isn't available from Domino directly yet (though the Brother Sport 10" is still up for pre-order), so for now pre-order it from Insound before the December 8th release date.

Pontiak - Sea Voids LP

2009-10-23T02:38:00.000-07:00

Released yesterday is the new "Sea Voids" LP by Pontiak. I only have their split LP with Arbourteum from last year, and apparently this is already their 3rd new record since! Impressive to say the least. And even more impressive that they somehow manage to still release quality music, even at that rate! Now, besides the fact that their names always make me think of cars, Virginia's Pontiak are definitely one of my favourite new acts out there because their monolothic metal infused with southern stoner and some fuzzy psychedelic acid reminds me obviously of Dead Meadow but also of The Walkmen at the same time, and one of their new tracks is riff-worshipping ala Black Sabbath or Led Zep, with the desert feeling of Master of Reality, and the first seconds are equally downtuned as OM . If you're into any of these bands, "Sea Voids" is definitely a safe bet, and for only $13 a pretty cheap one too.

"Sea Voids" is limited to 1,000 copies worldwide and comes in a custom fabricated jacket silk-screened with metallic gold ink, available from Thrill Jockey.

One Starving Day - Atlas Coelestis 2xLP

2009-10-23T01:28:00.000-07:00

Here's another reader submission, thanks guys! Up for pre-order is the "Altas Coelestis" 2xLP by Italy's sludge metal/hardcore ensemble One Starving Day. I'd honestly never heard of these guys before so I'm quite grateful they wrote me, as this Italian band has been around for over a decade already, and their music is right up my alley. One Starving Day have nothing in common with that other Italian band One Fine Day. They do have something in common with other avant-garde, atmospheric, claustrophoic and dark acts such as Mogwai, Isis, Neurosis, Swans and GYBE! I did like One Fine Day back in the 90s though, I should try to sort out my mess and see if I can still find one of their albums in my house somewhere. If you point your cursor on the album artwork, it'll direct you to their myspace and you can check out some recordings, neat hey!

Anyhoo, as far as I get it, this new 2xLP by One Starving Day which was mastered by Shellac's Bob Weston by the way, the vinyl is available in Europe through Narshardaa Records, and the CD version will be handled by Beta-Lactam Ring Records. The "Altas Coelestis" 2xLP is due late November and is limited to 50 copies on 180gr. black vinyl, 100 copies on red vinyl and 100 copies on regular black vinyl. Pre-order Here

Bonny Billy & The Picket Line - Funtown Comedown LP

2009-10-23T01:06:00.000-07:00

Life is keeping me from updating this blog as much as I want, but expect much more next week. Life isn't too bad, Sunn0))), Sonic Youth, Amenra and Massive Attack concerts plus work commitments are keeping me busy, not too shabby I guess.

Today, for starters, I have the following for you: the new LP by Bonny Billy & The Pickets. I'm not 100% sure about this, but what I managed to understand is that this is a live recording by Will "Bonnie 'Prince' Billy" Oldham under once again another moniker, with a bunch of his friends, aka The Picket Line. Here's what Drag City has to say, which makes much more sense: "next-generation bluegrass band known as The Picket Line. They’re the official dance band of Funtown, a metaphysical little community in the woods outside Louisville. Bonny and the boys (and girl) run through a set of BPB classics, some Palace songs and a few classic country covers."

The Funtown Comedown LP is a vinyl only release, gotta love it! I for one am trying to complete my Bonnie "Prince" Billy collection, and am pre-ordering this LP from Norman

Nurse With Wound - Chance Meeting On A Dissecting Table Of A Sewing Machine And An Umbrella 2xLP

2009-10-21T03:07:00.000-07:00

Now here's a mouthful. The re-issue of the "Chance Meeting On A Dissecting Table Of A Sewing Machine And An Umbrella" 2xLP by Nurse With Wound went online last week over at Dirter Records and it looks like this a real collector's treat. What we get here is the re-issue of their debut album from back in '79, and 30 years after its original release Nurse With Wound proves to still matter anno 2009. Like Dirter put it, this debut album is "the Sgt. Pepper of the avant garde" which seems quite fitting.

As for the vinyl? Well, this 2xLP comes in a beautiful gloss laminated sleeve, including printed inners with liner notes by Steven Stapleton. Plus there'a a bonus track on here called "Strain, Crack, Break" which comes for the first time on vinyl. To top things off, there's an etching on the D-side. I'd get it for the artwork alone. For only £20 UK, £25 Europe and £30 for the rest of the world, that's a pretty good deal over at Dirter.

Fu Manchu - Signs of Infinite Power LP

2009-10-21T01:40:00.001-07:00

Has anyone heard this yet? Released last week with little fuzz which is weird given they have the patent for heavy fuzzed-out desert-riffing. So,"Signs Of Infinite Power" is already the 11th studio album by Fu Manchu and I can't say I've been eagerly awaiting this album, nor that the artwork inspires me to get excited, but they are a legendary act so worth the write-up. The strange thing is that only European distros seem to have the LP version available, but I could be mistaken of course. Best deal out there is the limited ed. LP + CD for €17,99 from Just For Kicks out of Germany.

If you happen to catch them live, they also have a limited 7" with them called 'Bleach Blanket Bongout", only sold on tour, featuring 1 song off "Signs Of Infinite Power" and a JFA cover on the b-side. Limited to 1000 copies.

Molina and Johnson - Molina and Johnson LP

2009-10-21T00:55:00.000-07:00

They've already aptly been dubbed "The Phantoms Of Folk" in reference to that other indie supergroup, but what we have here is the collaboration between Jason Molina from Magnolia Electric Co. and Songs: Ohia and Will Johnson of Centromatic and South San Gabriel. Two heroes in my book, and judging by their first song on their myspace this debut album promises to deliver 14 tracks of dark, introspective folk-infused singer-songwriter music, which will most likely become my partner on late-night roadtrips.

Order now from Secretely Canadian who are rapidly becoming one my "blind buy" labels. Speaking of which, I picked up the Volcano Choir "Unmap" LP last weekend, and it's beautiful!

Enablers - Now You Can Answer My Prayers 10''

2009-10-20T08:51:00.000-07:00

Released somewhere late July, but only now caught my attention is this superb new 10" by Enablers. This 10" has 2 new tracks on it with a hand etchted foil blocked sleeve and face it, it looks killer.

I honestly only have their Neurot release from way back, but for those of you who don't know, Enablers are a band with members of Swans, Tarnation, Nice Strong Arm and Toiling Midgets who create big melodic soundscapes and are fronted by Pete Simonelli who does a kind of spoken narrative.

Order this from the label directly via paypal to hello@lancashireandsomerset.co.uk for £9.50 ppd UK, £10.50 ppd Europe, £11.50 ppd USA, or if you're afraid of paypal order from the aforementioned Music Fear Satan

The XX - Islands 7"

2009-10-20T08:21:00.000-07:00

The XX are one of the hottest acts bands of 2009, and so will this "Islands" 7" be. Why? Because all their 7"s sell out in no time, but thanks to this little blog and the fine folks over at Banquet you can pre-order the 7" and make sure you get your copy. Ordering isn't even up from Young Turks yet, so yeah! This 7" by the XX features 'Islands' with a remix/cover of Kyla's UK funky anthem 'Do You Mind?'.

Arctic Monkeys - Cornerstone 10"

2009-10-20T08:03:00.001-07:00

Domino have the pre-orders up for the "Cornerstone" 10" by the Arctic Monkeys. This is their second single off the "Humbug" album and gives us three new b-sides – “Catapult,” “Sketchead,” and “Fright Lined Dining Room”. Actually, this releases comes both on 10" format, and on 7" version but then you only get the 2 first songs.

That's all I have to say on that, so head over to Domino and get this 10" or 7", just know that most of their EP's are sold out and worth a dime or 2 by now.

The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble - Here Be Dragons 2xLP

2009-10-20T07:07:00.000-07:00

Have you heard that The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation album called "Succubus" yet? Well, you should!!! It recently served as my soundtrack while reading "The Road" and what a perfect company it proved to be. Well, The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation are actually The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble, the latter just with a few less people helping out. And yes, they like long names and yes, they like to stress that they're an ensemble/corporation, but just like that other "Club" this Dutch outfit succeeds in creating amazing dark nu-jazz that will take you on a mysterious trip through space and time.

I actually prefer their Mount Fuji incarnation because it focusses more on doom and drone, whereas the ambient Kilimanjaro depends more on electronics. But, both bands will please anyone into other darkjazz music such as Bohren & Der Club Of Gohren (yeah, thàt other club) or let's say David Lynch soundtracks in general. The 9 epic and at times creepy tracks on this new album "Here Be Dragons" can be streamed entirely over at 3voor12. Check it out, and order the 2xLP from Ad Noiseam and while doing so, send them a note and bug them for a vinyl version of "Succubus" as well, will you? Thank you.

Shadow of the Torturer LP - Marching Into Chaos LP

2009-10-20T06:41:00.000-07:00

Read this over at the almighty HSJ site, a much darker place for all your metal, doom and downright freaky needs: up for pre-order from Blind Date Records is the Shadow of the Torturer LP called "Marching Into Chaos" and boyee is this heavy. Apparently this is an already defunct band compromised of members of Yob, Aldebaran and H.C.Minds. What we get here are 5 songs of sloooow, epic doom metal and although the tracks on their myspace lack somewhat in recording quality, they still sound heavier and scarier than about 79% of the rest of your collection.

Pre-order this LP from Blind Date and I would hurry up as there are only 100 copies on white vinyl and 200 copies on black vinyl. Once again, thanks a lot to HSJ for introducing me to this band and now that this is finished, let's have The Great Cessation on vinyl please!

Forfeit - The Lower Depths LP

2009-10-20T02:07:00.000-07:00

Even more hardcore here at Hex? Well, just look at that artwork and you'll get why it caught my attention. Besides that, I must admit that Forfeit was a surpise to me, and a pleasant one as they play heavy mid-tempo hardcore that one can mosh to and also point some fingers to and even sing along to during the melodic vocal parts, reminding of bands like Cold World, Blacklisted, Unholy with a slight clevo twist to it. Check out their myspace to get into the groove.

There are tons of blogs out there who write exclusively about hardcore which are much more fun to read, so I'll just leave it at this and give you guys the heads-up for the pre-order of the vinyl version over at Reaper Records (yeah, run by Patrick Kitzel of Spawn/True Blue). The LP comes on either red or white vinyl, so order now from Reaper Records and show it to your friends.

Insurance Risk - Violence In Our Minds LP

2009-10-20T01:45:00.000-07:00

Released late last month is the discography LP by Insurance Risk called "Violence In Our Minds". I rarely post about hardcore records, let alone listen to them, but I'm glad to make an exception for Norway's Insurance Risk. I'm guessing these guys are no longer active, and only released 2 7"s or so, which have now been compiled onto one LP. Why is this record any good though? Well, because Insurance Risk were the real deal: raw old-school hardcore influenced by the likes of SSD, DYS, Negative FX and other early Boston Crew bands. No frills, just angry hardcore that will make you punch the walls.

Get the red vinyl edition limited to 259 copies or the black version limited to 261 from Crucial Response and pay your respects to one of Europe's best HC bands in the genre.

Thou / Salome - Split LP

2009-10-19T09:00:00.001-07:00

Thou shall not kill...easy for now. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife...tough One. Thou shall not purchase this record...a damn shame. Because what we have here, is two of the Greats pressed onto one piece of vinyl to worshop the power of the Riff. Thou and Salome teaming up is definitely one of the best split albums of the year (on paper, haven't heard a single note of it, but who cares), and will hopefully deliver some amazing sludgy doom metal to get us through the winter.

The Thou/Salome split LP is limited to 1000 copies, 900 on black vinyl, 100 on red vinyl reserved for pre-orders, so make sure that's you. Or, you could whine and complain about the euro-dollar currency, the steep shipping and whatnot ofcourse. I for one applaud the times that the cool releases come from this side of the pond, because normally it's us Euros who have to import everything. There! International customers have to pay...€17,00 shipping included. Not too bad I guess.

Pre-order this Split LP from Vendetta and while you're at it, they'll throw in the Salome 's/t' LP for a nice discount price, and you might also want to pre-order another upcoming split LP by Omega Massif and Mount Logan.

Taint - All Bees To The Sea 12"

2009-10-19T08:41:00.000-07:00

The Welshmen Taint are a sludgemetalforce to be reckoned with and are back with a new 12" called "All Bees To The Sea" - a title that intrigues. What we get here are 4 new tracks plus a full live set taken from their Roadburn appearance in 2008, on limited 12" vinyl. There are 200 copies on transparent yellow vinyl and 300 copies on transparent blue vinyl, that's all folks.

It feels like these guys have come a long way and deserve the support. At first they were just trying, these last few years they're actually creating, and though not new perhaps, it's definitely cool to see a band play with the sound of Led Zeppelin or Jethro Tull and give a modern sludge metal twist to it. If you care, you'll head over to Destructure and order it for only $10, and while over there you'll remember that I posted about that limited Euro version of the Lords "FAYMF" LP that's worth getting as well.

Cremation - Black Death Cult LP

2009-10-19T08:35:00.000-07:00

It's been a while. Busy busy. But that doesn't make the metal stop. So, up for order is the "Black Death Cult" LP by Cremation. This consists of long-gone demo material, containing the Demos “Pire Gah Hoath Raclir Od Lalpor” from 1993, “Hail The Rise of Med Pe Gal” from 1994 and “The Flames of An Elite Age” from 1995. The LP comes on heavy vinyl with reverseboard printed jacket, A2 poster, and insert. There's also a die hard version on gray vinyl with patch and sticker, as pictured above.

Cremation were an early death metal band, who over the years turned more and more black metal. They're mostly known because their drummer went on to other notorious acts such as Conqueror, Revenge, and Axis of Advance. Here's your chance to own some classic metal antiquity, so order now from Nuclear War Now!

Rorschach - Protestant LP & Remain Sedate LP

2009-10-16T07:42:00.001-07:00

Rorschach, next to Deadguy one of the most influential hardcore / metal bands on the last decade recently played some reunion shows, and for that occasion both the "Protestant" and "Remain Sedate" LPs got repressed onto 180g vinyl, and put into a gatefold 2xLP package. Now, the shows are over, but there are still some copies left over, on gold, blue, silver, red, green or clear vinyl. Each colourway is comes on an edition of 150 copies, limited to one per customer.

Not too impressed by the layout, but very much by their music, so let's order from Gern Blandsten shall we?

Rumble Mumble Jumble

2009-10-16T02:38:00.000-07:00

- From Ashes Rise are back from the ashes! Makes me happy.
- Small Brown Bike are riding their bikes again. Makes me happy.

- I hear something about a Casket Lottery discography 2xLP? Does Second Nature still exist?
- Will Haven have their original singer back. Couldn't. Care. Less. But nice for them.
- Insound are already taking pre-orders for the new Vampire Weekend LP. A bit too early for my tastebuds, but you have the address.
- There are less than 50 tickets left for the Amenra showcase in Kortrijk, Belgium next week. Hurry up and order now
- The Pixies concert of "Doolittle" was pretty amazing. The LP reissues are still and will always be too expensive. My girlfriend mixes Frank Black with Jack Black.

- I saw some shitty flyer for a repress version of the "Eternal Jihad" LP by Day Of Suffering on xCatalystx. Does anybody know if those straight-edge warriors actually released this?
- Listen to the last Bon Iver show for a while here
- Beck is going to tackle the Leonard Cohen legacy with help from Devendra Banhart and MGMT, sounds promising.

- I like pictures. This one served as inspiration for Chris Walla and J. Robbins.

- The new Death Cab For Cutie song doesn't do it for me. It's for some movie.

- In movie news, 3 parts of Arcade Fire have composed the score for that upcoming The Box movie. Someone in the world will die.

- I'll also go see "Where The Wild Things Are". But not for the score. Karon O Can Suck It. Why else would they use an Arcade Fire track for the trailer?

- Keelhaul will be touring Europe with Isis and Circle. Be excited.
- Isis will have the new Live V LP for sale on tour by the way.
- I like Tool. I detest Puscifer. Just so you know.
- Two new Integrity songs are available off their upcoming Deathwish album. Holy Terror on Myspace
- Jason Molina and Will Johnson are "The Phantoms Of Folk". Album due November 3. Expect me posting some rave blog about this soon.
- Pelican are getting their own burger of beef, scallops and lardons. No bird meat will be used.
- I'm wondering if this weekend I'll finally take the time to discover Mammifer. It seems I might want to like them.
- The Iceburn Collective LP version of "The Power of the Lion" might just be the coolest piece of artwork I've held in my hands in weeks. So nice.
- If I would live in NYC, I'd go to the VICE Helloween party with Bad Brains and The Jesus Lizard. But I don't.
- Don't attempt washing gonnorhea-stained underwear. Best to throw it away. Trust me on this one.

- Hex Vinyl is on Twitter now. I don't quite get it yet, but tweet me or whatever they call it over there. It feels evil though.
- With the recent announcement of a special Racounteurs LP and random White Stripes 7" I'm considering paying that Vault thing over at Third Man Records. Has anyone subscribed yet?

- Because I absolutely adore Split Lip and Chamberlain, I figured the David Moore solo-album would equally satisfy me. I was wrong.

- RIP Dickie Peterson of Blue Cheer, the spirit of your riffs will love on for eternity.

- I'm sincerely hoping to piss off the US readers (aka most of you) by picking up some über-limited-tour-only-sold-out-before-it-was-pressed Sunn0))) vinyl after their show in Brussels next week.

- The weekend is coming up, which will affect the number of posts, because I'll be "busy". Enjoying it.

A Storm of Light - Forgive Us Our Trespasses 2xLP

2009-10-16T01:21:00.000-07:00

Up at one of thé bést labéls évér Neurot Recordings is the new A Storm Of Light 2xLP called "Forgive Us Our Trespasses". Great, but why don't they have that Shrinebuilder vinyl up yet to help me save on shipping!?! Anyway, A Storm Of Light are back with their sophomore effort, and even if I wasn't too impressed by their first album, after seeing them live I'll definitely pay a bit more attention to this one. On paper, this band is perfect though. Featuring current and former members of Blood And Time, Red Sparowes, Battle Of Mice, Asea and guest vocals by Lydia Lunch, Nerissa Campbell and Jarboe , they're bound to attract some hype. But, somehow their debut album didn't hit right the spot for me. Maybe it was the vocals, maybe because it didn't meet up to my expectations even if Josh Graham has surprised me time and time again in being able to deliver some crushing riffs, but no, it didn't feel right.

I'm thinking "Forgive Us Our Trespasses" might just change that. But then again maybe the vocals might... No... You see, A Storm Of Light get obvious comparisons to Neurosis because Josh Graham is their visual director, and the influence is definitely big, but it actually reminds me more of another band that's influenced by Neurosis: present day Isis. And on that note, the riffs, the feel, the doom are stronger than the later works of Isis, when the band is going all out that is. But Graham is no Scott Kelly, nor an Aaron Turner for that matter - but he definitely tries. Though not weak, his vocals just don't stand out enough, and getting backed by some of the most progressive female vocalists around definitely helps, but is more like a patch on a blister. It's not excruciatingly painfull, it just bothers you now and then. Another slight setback are the post-rock almost shoegaze passages like in Red Sparowes, which take away the sheer force and which I'd rather see replaced by some repetitive doom riffing. And oh yeah, synthesizers are just wrong. Wrong I tell ya. Skip track. But then again, all that synth and shoegaze and postrock stuff might just be what they're going for. And for that matter, "Forigve Us Our Trepasses" will definitely get more spins than their debut album over here, even if it's for the sole purpose of me deciding if I put it in my metal or post-rock shelves. If it has to compete with say the new Shrinebuilder or OM records, or with the new Russian Circles...? Hmm, choices.

On to the vinyl news then! Neurot are finally taking orders for the 2xLP of this album, and the outcome looks pretty amazing. There are 2 versions online, a European and a US one, now I'm not sure if us Euros aren't able to order the US version as well, so give that a try for yourself if you prefer the one or the other. The only difference is the marbled or splattered vinyl, but both versions look pretty astounding to me. No pressing information, but Neurot releases usually aren't too limited so for only $20 you might as well get both version from Neurot!

PS: I warned you these things might turn into reviews of some kind. My bad.

Apse - Climb Up 2xLP

2009-10-16T00:10:00.000-07:00

I told you guys about the teaser 7" a while ago, and now orders are popping up for the full-length 2xLP by Apse called "Climb Up". I'm pretty excited about this album, because Apse have always tried to be innovative and seem to reinvent themselves on each release, whilst holding on to their own personality. Always labelled "post-rock", but they have very little in common with the usual suspects like Mogwai or EITS. In fact Apse are pretty hard to pigeonhole, so check out 4 new tracks on their myspace and maybe you might agree with me when I say that their sound reminds of Sigur Ros, Faust, a mellow Arcade Fire or even Radiohead.

"Climb Up" will be a perfect companion for the gloom fall, and will keep you warm in times of need. I'm getting my 2xLP fix over at Norman Records. Their last release sold out pretty fast, so don't sit on it.

Akron/Family - River 7"

2009-10-15T02:53:00.000-07:00

Dead Oceans are taking pre-orders for a new 7" by one of the most groundbreaking acts out there: Akron/Family. This new single is called "River", and you'll never know what track it has on it?! So, besides this song that was already featured on their most recent album and that has nothing to do with Bruce Sprinsteen, there is also some new, thus more interesting work. The B-side has the wonderfully named "Morning on Michigan Avenue (Thinking of Old Friends)" song on it, which none of us has ever heard before! Hooray!

This 7" is limited, but Dead Oceans aren't giving pressing information. In my book, everything that is manufactured on scale is limited to some extent, so yeah. But who cares, this is Akron/Family we're talking about, so use today's lunchmoney to pre-order the "River" 7" from Dead Oceans.

Cant / Arthur Russell - Number One split 7"

2009-10-15T02:13:00.000-07:00

Grizzly Bear = Chris Taylor = Cant. Nuff said. Released this tuesday is the "Number One" split 7" by Cant and Arhur Russel. Cant is side-project of Grizzly Bear, on the Taylor's own record label Terrible Records, and sounds pretty much like a lo-fi, even dreamier version of Grizzly Bear. You can check out the track 'Ghosts' over at Stereogum if you're curious. On the B-side comes a long lost posthumous folk track by Arthur Russell. ‘Come To Life’....‘Come To Life’was recorded by Russell in the late 70s, and should have but didn't appear on last year’s Rough Trade compilation "Love Is Overtaking Me". So, here we have it, on a split 7" limited to 1000 copies. Get yours from Terrible Records today.

And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - The Century Of Self Tour Edition 2xLP

2009-10-15T01:24:00.000-07:00

Can't find much information about this vinyl pressing, but up for pre-order from Amazon UK is a Tour Edition gatefold 2xLP of "The Century Of Self" by Trail of Dead. Like I said, can't get any details, all I know is that I sincerely enjoyed this record as it sees Trail Of Dead returning to true form. So, up for pre-order for £12,98 is a limited edition tour version 2xLP, grab it while you can from Amazon.co.uk and let me know if you have more details about this.

A Place To Bury Strangers - Exploding Head LP

2009-10-15T00:40:00.000-07:00

Had my first go at the "Exploding Head" LP by A Place To Bury Strangers yesterday, and what a pleasant trip it was! What we get here from "The Loudest Band of NY" is a brandnew record of delicious 'total sonic annihilation' like they tend to call it. After a first spin, I'd say that this new album is a bit closer to their live-performances, meaning that the new tracks have a bit more structure and melody compared to their debut. Still, My Bloody Valentine worshipping is still high with these fellows, but one can also hear strong influences of The Cure or Joy Division on "Exploding Head", making their sophomore effort a must-have record for not only the shoegaze lovers, but for anyone into exploring the depths of pop-noise (does that term make sense at all?). The artwork is as tight as a duck's arse as well, so this is one seriously highly recommended album!

If you haven't done so yet, order your copy from Amazon because it's dirtcheap there!

Criminal Element - Guilty As Charged LP

2009-10-15T00:19:00.001-07:00

Now, here's one of the nominees for worst artwork of the year. Nevertheless, it did make my eyebrows slightly move, because Criminal Element features current and former members of Suffocation, Misery Index and Dying Fetus. The CD (which also had very poor artwork) was released last year, and as far as I can tell Germany's Damage Done Records only recently put this out on vinyl. This is a supergroup of sorts, call it the Shrinebuilder or Dead Weather of Death Metal if you like, and unlike many other supergroups (except for the aforementioned ones), these guys pull it off well together. "Guilty As Charged" is a hi-energy album filled with old-school trash metal with a lethal dose of death metal thrown into the mix. There are also 2 covers on this album, by Exciter and Carnivore, which are quite entertaining.

Comes on heavyweight black 180g vinyl with a gatefold cover. If you manage to forget about the artwork, this might just be worth picking up from Damage Done

Good Old War - Only Way To Be Alone LP

2009-10-14T23:50:00.000-07:00

Ok, never heard of Good Old War to be frank, but since their debut LP "Only Way To Be Alone" is up for pre-order and you have to pick up the Red Sparowes 12" and Russian Circles 2xLP anyway from Sargent House, I figured it might be fun to raise awareness for Good Old War as well. So, for those of you who are as clueless as me, head over to Goodoldwar.bandcamp.com where you can stream the entire album and decide if you like them at all.

I'm personally in dubio. These guys used to be in bands such as Days Away and Unlikely Cowboy, and this debut album counts 12 poppy, sometimes harmonic folky americana singer-songwriter tracks. Not too lo-fi, not too preppy either, so "Only Way To Be Alone" is quite an amusing album but I don't know if it will really stick with me. However, I do have my cowboy moments, so who knows what "Only Way To Be Alone" will do for me in months or years to come.

Pre-order the Brown/Gold Swirl Vinyl for $15, or get it in the pre-order bundle together with a t-shirt and more good stuff, from Sargent House

Horse Feathers - Cascades 7"

2009-10-14T04:17:00.000-07:00

Kill Rock Stars have pre-orders up for the new "Cascades" 7" by Horse Feathers. What we get here are 2 new tracks of fragile singer-songwriter americana with some faint blue grass influences. If it hadn't been for Bon Iver, Horse Feathers would have been all the hype last year, so pre-order this little pearl from KRS and give this a try as well.

Fever Ray - If I Had A Heart Rmxs 12"

2009-10-14T03:17:00.000-07:00

Here's the vinyl version of the Fuck Buttons remix of the "If I Had A Heart" track by Fever Ray. This has been floating on the net for a while, and now Rabid Records pressed it onto vinyl. On the B-side there's electro remix of the same track by Familjen. Get it from Booomkat

Keelhaul – Keelhaul’s Triumphant Return To Obscurity 2xLP

2009-10-14T01:17:00.000-07:00

Ah, how I heart Keelhaul. Ah, how good it is to have them back. After 4 years are so, Keelhaul are finally back with a new album on Hydrahead with the killer title "Keelhaul’s Triumphant Return To Obscurity". I for one can't wait to hear this album, and am kind of bummed out that I can't enjoy the online stream over at keelhaulstriumphantreturntoobscurity because I'm on the phone all day long (I post here while being kept 'on hold').

This new 2xLP will no doubt be another slab of fantastic stoner / sludge metal with a dirty Southern feel to it, even if the guys don't live anywhere close to the South - they have more in common with "Holy Terror Land" and have been spotted in bands such as Integrity and Ringworm to mention a few.

The official pre-order for this 2xLP which comes on black, white and translucent purple vinyl aren't up yet, but if you get in touch with Chel, he'll work his magic for you. For information on how that works, head over to chelvanin.com and figure it out. All orders placed before October 20 get $2 off the regular price of $20. If you order all 3 colours of the 2xLP it'll only set you back $50 and Chel might even throw in some mini Keelhaul binoculars, and there's a CD version that comes free with the 2xLP by the way.

PS: Chel has also some copies of the self-titled Xasthur LP, maybe you should get one of those while you're at it.

Brightblack Morning Light / Lungfish -Split 7"

2009-10-13T06:54:00.000-07:00

Last post of the day, but one I'm nonethless pretty excited about. I stumbled upon this little gem by accident, and the reason why I'm so excited is that this is the first time I've seen a new Lungfish release in years. Oh wait, dammit, it's a track from their last studio-album "Feral Hymns" on Dischord. Dam Mit.

The Brightblack Morning Light better be new then? Well, it's a live recording from a live performance in 2008 from their "Another Reclaimation" song. Not too big on live recordings either. Dam Mit.

But! This is an Anti-War release. The 7" is limited to 500 copies. It comes on red/clear vinyl. And both bands are great, so it's nice to see them share some vinyl, so order yours from Harvest Records

Chuck Ragan - Live from Rock Island: The Daytrotter Sessions 10"

2009-10-13T06:25:00.000-07:00

Vinyl Collective have a pre-order up yet another record by Hot Water Music's Chuck Ragan. This is a 10" featuring the Daytrotter sessions from earlier this summer (ah, remember the summer?) that Mr Ragan recorded. The pressing for this 10" is an edition of 2,000 (1,000 on black, 500 on white, and 500 yellow), the ones available from Vinyl Collective are the white version. Upon pre-ordering, you might win a test-pressing as well. Or might not.

I'm not too excited about this really, and am more than happy with the "Gold Country" LP, but it's only $7,99 and Vinyl Collective have tons more fun records you can order and thus save on shipping.

Bibio - The Apple and the Tooth LP

2009-10-13T06:02:00.000-07:00

Hot on the heels of the successful debut album ‘Ambivalence Avenue’, comes new Bibio work already under the moniker "The Apple And The Tooth". This LP features 4 new tracks of warm, lush urban hiphop meets techno meets lo-fi guitarpop, as well as 8 remixes by some of his friends.

"The Apple And The Tooth" is due 1o November from Warp, and already available for pre-order Right Here