Rur037 Mike Tamburo & Matt McDowell - 'At Bohemian Grove' CDr
"A long dark, bleak ode to Moloch, the God of the Supreme Power. Heavy and noisy, more than everything else." Pro printed cover & insert. exclusive artwork. ltd66. MORE

Rur038 M/A Jarvis - 'Jun' enhanced-CDr
"purity & simplicity Beautiful 6 songs ep : acoustic and ethereal voices for a worldwide journey. Artwork by George Parsons (Dream Magazine and previous works for the North Sea, Sunburned, Verdure, Broken Face…)." ltd60 (video included) MORE

Rur039 Przewalski's Horses - 'Mendota Hotel' CDr
"Very first music ever recorded by the Horses, before the releases on the reliable Phantom Limb, Ikuisuus, Foxglove labels. Less abstract this time-more organic and intime, the music reverberates in the echo of the raindrops of the rising spring." ruralfaune tapestry cover. ltd54 MORE

Rur040 Part Wild Horses Both On Mane Sides - 'Escaping Boar' 3” CDr
"Ritual percussions trapped in a long jam of fuzzy sounds. You can feel the heat of the fire camp, you can hear the sound of the pineapples burning in these two tribal masses. Totally hypnotic and transcendental (PWHMOBS is the duo of Phil Nichols & Kelly Jane Jones, variously involved in Rayon records, Axis Mundi, Stuck O Meter…)." Oversized sleeve (4,5”x7,5”- 11x19cm). ltd48. MORE

Rur041 Inca Ore - 'Ballet Chop' CDr
"An ethereal vox, building some dreamy soundscapes over the northwestern hills. Escaped from Jackie O’M, Inca Ore also delivers us." ruralfaune tapestry cover. ltd80. MORE



Rur042 Book Of Shadows - 'The Cosmic Doctrine' CDr
"Beautiful and meditative journey through an unknown galaxy of magical practices and new philosophies. Start your initiation to the rituals of a new age. BOS is from Austin, Tx, they have upcoming releases on Ikuisuus and MYMWLY." Oversized Sleeve 20X14cm (7,87”x5,5”). ltd64 MORE

Rur043 Pumice - 'Punches' 3” CDr
"To celebrate his successful world tour, here it is a very limited 6 songs ep, included covers of Black Flag, Twinkeyz, Adolescents and the legendary Gfrenzy. Act fast !" Oversized sleeve & exclusive artwork by Stefan. ltd60. MORE

Rur044 Goliath Bird Eater - 'Black Pentagon' CDr
"The pentagon is everywhere, the pentagon is among us, the pentagon is a part of us. Your heart is a pentagon. Black is the pentagon. Dark is your heart. Bobb Bruno (with help from Pocahaunted on the first mass) initiates us to the cult of the Pentagon." special artwork with possibility of 5 different front covers. ltd77. MORE

Rur045 Throuroof - 'It’s raining over Memory at 7.00 PM' CDr
"Spastic brother cdr of “Infinity less Moontales” born last october on
musicyourmindwillloveyou, the adventure continues with again some beautiful drift tones & drones." textured paper. ltd61. MORE

Rur046 Fabio Orsi - 'Picture myself in a Cloud' CDr
"Another journey over Italy in a sky full of drone meditations and floating melodies. An impressive work by one of the new master of drone music psych butterflies artwork by George Parsons of Dream Magazine." ltd83. MORE

WEBSITE

From Italian label Primoregistrazioni:



Obsolescenza Programmata - 'musica per esposizione' CDr 5€
"ideal soundtrack for Ettore Frani’s Frammenti d’Amor (Love Fragments) painting exhibition in 2004, with radios and guitar and reverbs and alarm clock noises. Drones, isolation ambient, unidentified percussions. Hypervitaminic psychodelia." HERE is a good audio-video summary. 11 tracks. Homemade minimal digipack. Original 100 hand numbered copies sold out. This is the second press.

Obsolescenza Programmata - 'detrito' CDr 5€
"dark industrial tribal noises, beating bass drums with power electronics beside. Between Einstuerzende Neubauten and Brise-Glace and 23 Skidoo." 6 tracks. Homemade minimal digipack. Original 100 hand numbered copies sold out. This is the second press.

Obsolescenza Programmata - 'risulta' CDr 5€
"kind of b-sides collection, witness of sonic madness. Crossgenderism leads us from rudimental dub to rhythm noise, to freak and ruined pop, to noisy guitar songs." 7 tracks. Homemade minimal digipack.

Obsolescenza Programmata - 'mu – o dell’inabissamento' CDr 5€
"a brief concept suite about civilization sinking into the abysses. Powerful low frequencies and massive noise ambient, the whole stuff really concentrated and under control, though you loose yourself in the final human elliptic cry." 3 tracks. Homemade minimal digipack.

SAMPLE and WEBSITE

This thing’s been out for a while, albeit in an edition of 500, so we can walk (though a little running never hurt anyone.) The pair of Jeremy Earl (The Woods, Fuck It Tapes, artist to the stars) and G. Lucas Crane (most suitably identified by the bands he’s NOT in) make good on the promise of their precious preludes like their untitled Fuck It tape and split with Quintana Roo. The cryptic disc art may designate sides, in which case what I believe to be the first of both untitled tracks descends upon a motley flock of brassy overtures and deep, hollow percussion warm-ups in a lurching psychedelic of metal and wood. With each clattery pass of an unidentifiable mercury, the bedlam becomes more rhythmic – a beaty tempo and minimalist loop of notes – the percussion, horns, and effects gathering in unison so as to subvert this with embellished, reserved freedom. An unexpected Zornism, this sentiment continues through the ecstatic tribalism of the reverse, a tom-heavy rite agreed to by gullish bursts of horn, distorted in a guttural cry; assailed by heavenly drones like sunburst, the grief subsides momentarily as the brew congeals in spots with new textures and a solemn melody wafting in sincere farewell. Second pressing on white vinyl with insert and sticker art by Earl, and in a heavy, full-color pro sleeve featuring a faux-Lomo of non-sequitur fotos. Recommended, and definitely worth the extended pressing. (DNT 7”, $5.5 HERE)

ORR-009 Gorman - 'Snow Melt' CDr $7(US)/$9(World)
"A bit fuzzier than previous transmissions, these three tracks open up a bit of different space. Whistles and squeals mix with the guitar and vocal drones and at times the entire jamz get thrown down into the fuzz pit. All three tracks are carried by the same tiny tone like strange sisters. Treble heavy splash and crash, and wordless ghost moans. You know how it is." Edition of 29 stencil sprayed CDRs.

ORR-011 Gorman - 'The Holy Eightfold Path vol. II: Right Purpose' C30 $7(US)/$9(World)
"The next chapter. Multi-instrumental drones and scrapes. Live to tape." Double sequin stuck tapes in an edition of 6.

ORR-013 Vesuvan - 'Ethereal Hands' C10 $7(US)/$9(World)
"Far from the rumbling sludge filled wetlands of the Swamp Doctor (that we swear is coming), J Burke finds himself coasting on clouds of comforting fuzz and mellow tones. Smog clouds of twinkling guitars and walls of beautiful smoke mix and twist with occasional percussion and cross over into epicly intense song structures. A gentler side of Vesuvan, though just as powerful as before." Edition of 25 hazy cased hazy tapes.

ORR-014 Gorman - 'Home' C30 $7(US)/$9(World)
"Recorded in one sitting at night in the basement on a snow day in January, filled with microphone feedback in the most disorientating and hypnotizing way possible. Slow and steady rumbling and guitar drones over a head filled with thoughts of leaving home for good in the fall." An edition of 10.

WEBSITE (it's got samples)

Arbor65 Tusco Terror - 'Psychedelic Narcosis' CDr $7
"Cleveland noiseniks, Tusco Terror, barrage the earth with their subterranean dirt worship. Having just released a split LP with Emeralds on Ecstatic Peace, this crew is ready to take their Midwestern gear slaughter beyond the realm of the breadbasket. Operating with a loose lineup usually ranging from 3-5 players all jamming in their own private zones, contributing their own part to the psychedelic nonsequitors and cosmic confusions contained within the recording. Pile upon pile of unrecognizable source contort themselves into an unrecognizable yet brutally intriguing end result. Don't stop digging." In two editions: A( of 68 numbered copies in silkscreened, watercolored, and sewn sleves with screened discs) and B (of 32 numbered copies in printed collage sleeves with screened discs).

Arbor71 Uneven Universe - 'Clump Humans' C44 $6
"From the iciest mounts of Michigan' most frozen brains come massive sounds of sax/electronics duo Uneven Universe. Dan( from Haunted Castle) and Holly (who are both in Cardboard sax with John Olson) wreck havoc on the basement, turning it into an epic snow storm of tape loops and electronics. Through the totally solid murk saxophones, harp, and bells toll, slicing their way into your eardrums in the most hypnotic way. Prepare to get zoned and frozed." In a numbered edition of 100 tapes with full color collage art and printed labels.

Arbor80 Treetops - 'Flannel' C15 $6
"Yet another seasonal progression in the ongoing Treetops saga, "Flannel" captures the recording of suburban basement mantras; holy rituals recorded on a snow-day. Tape murk drenches the bass while vocals and sk1 rain down like sleet, freezing upon impact. Dulled by the warmth of shelter of totally conscious of the wasteland that lies beyond those four walls; Dismal, yet comforting." In an edition of 50 labels tapes.

Arbor83/JK38 Widening Horizon - '10000 Feet Above Us, 100 Years Behind Us' C20 $6
"This collaborative project of Treetops and Laissez Faire, expands itself beyond the constraints of a roster, opening the doors to all psyched youth(in particular, on this tape: Z.Z. and L.S.). The battling acoustic/electric vibes of the last tape are lost, traded in for an entirely communal psychic journey propelled by multiple guitars, horns, keyboards, drums, recorder, loops, and vocals. Spiritually united youth create a pure and uncompromising 20 minute soirée travelling in and out of styles like clouds through the sky. You are now free…" In a numbered edition of 50 full sleeve wrap around double sided vellum prints, co-released with bro label JKTAPES.

Arbor84 Drenches - 'Universal Vomit' C15 $6
"Ecstatically moving upward while remembering the gritty deprivation of the past, Branden Diven of Warmth, Quilts, Knife City incorporates elements of his other projects into his latest solo effort, Drenches. The transcendent keyboard loops of warmth and quilts meld effortlessly with the twisting static feedback of Knife City. Covering the width of aural planes in a way very reminiscent of Creature Comforter era Black Dice, Drenches mixes the beauty with the carnage, lining itself with subconscious consuming rhythms." In an edition of fifty tapes with double sided collage art and painted labels on grey shells.

WEBSITE

Government Alpha - 'Tune Of Oblivion' CDr $6/$7
"Over 40 minutes from Japan's classic noise artist, Government Alpha. Three tracks of expected perfection. Harsh and grinding away to spactic loop work to trade mark filter work." With pro printed covers on card stock, silver/silver cdrs with pbr trade mark center square sticker, numbered by hand. Ltd to 50 copies.

Ryan Bloomer - 'An Old Score to Settle' CDr $6/$7
"One 30 minute track from Canadian hard hitter Ryan Bloomer (aka Flatline Construct and a member of Zenta Sustained and Stegm). Inteligent thought out harsh walls, the sound of insects eating away your ear canals from the inside." With pro printed covers on card stock, silver/silver cdrs with pbr trade mark center square sticker, numbered by hand. Ltd to 40 copies.

Nkondi - 'Reportonplanetthree' CDr $6/$7
"Over 40 minutes of off the wall harsh noise from this American noise standard spaning three evolving tracks." With pro printed covers on card stock, silver/silver cdrs with pbr trade mark center square sticker, numbered by hand. Ltd to 40 copies.

WEBSITE

From Chris Miller (Number None, Rebis) and Steve Fors (unseen|unknown) comes the disc ‘First’, precisely that for their new project Flux Bouquet. Two tracks in 22 minutes, “Afterglow” consumes two-thirds of the total with an ecstatic power drone ala Charlemagne Palestine, a building crest of heavy vibration and starched white noise behind which a variety of keys, electronics, and possibly a lapsteel guitar craft miniature figures in a milky way like a marred black scratch pad behind which a bright spectrum shows through with no hopeful sense to be made. With the cutting clarity which Miller/Rebis’ releases have come to be known for, the bliss-out continues with the sugary rejoinder “Splenda”, an accumulating mass of yawning vocal samples over midi-style bass scales, a welcomed squall of high-frequency/low-impact noise washing over as new electronic embellishments emerge at various points of the sound field, noise gaining in discrete intervals to saturation, the effect approximating a Sigur Ros without a headmaster. No frills, etchable-yet-unetched CDr comes in a slim jewel-case with a gorgeous inkjet print on cardstock with illusory tuft [someone got a new computer!]. A Drone Cowboy release limited to 50 copies, available for $7 by EMAIL.

And with ‘Blastula’, Towering Heroic Dudes hit a new low in renegade CDr publishing, blighting the disc and its respective sleeve with sharpie scrawl, and stuffing it with a quartered liner sheet of Xerox in a mini manila envelope onto which more Xeroxed labels have been artlessly arranged (and which the cat has been chewing on, adding to the crusty appeal). Kudos! This rough presentation fits well the destroyed electronics within, moving through the contact clatter of intro “Frontis” into crackled mess of “Everything Happens at Once”, 9 and ½ minutes of oscillating distortion, moaning bass vibrations, tossed wrenches, and treble - lots of treble. It’s a lot like Skaters or Axolotl, but much uglier. The last strands of the latter create the punchy rhythm of live piece “Sikel” (or possibly “Sike!”), a raw jam ala recent Horse Head of garbage can percussion, strangled guitar, and non-committal vocals. Ten minutes of manipulated recordings separate the wayward Eagle Rock brut-folkism “Jersey Don, A Plea”, a non-sequitor, should’ve-been-hidden track of Kool Thing story-telling over tourist click-clack percussion and flute, with a sing-along refrain. Truly a motley affair, available in an edition of 75 from Obsolete Units for $7 HERE.

BFD from FIT:

POCAHAUNTED - 'PEYOTE ROAD' LP $15
"Evolving comes easier to some than others. A lot of the 21st century's chief underground ringbearers are happy mining the same psych-ditch for the same warped ore, tape after tape and day after day. But Eagle Rock, CA's Pocahaunted are too restless (and easily annoyed?) to sit still like that, and so spent all of '07 throwing ever weirder new figures and moods into their amplifier family, and "Peyote Road" shows the motion of their transformation agenda. The A side ritual, "Divine Flesh," stirs hand drums and chimes into a bellydancing blur of voice smoke and rhythm before breaking down into its base elements and slowly reforming. The flip side ("Heroic Doses") documents Pocahaunted's set opening for Thurston Moore on Halloween night in the wasted and highly un-mystical California desert town of Visalia. Bobb Bruno and Britt Brown backed up the ladies' blown-out but melancholy wailing wall with electronic drums and drones, and the recording treads a dim, no-fi path into a bleak and holy void. With tribal-psychedelia collage jacket artwork by Owl Eyes." Edition of 500.

WEBSITE

CAM DEAS - 'Five Bells' CDr £5
"The initial 2 seconds of the opener on this 6 track blazer from Cam are screeching electronics which vanish instantly into a seance of a doomed village, with the leader strumming out some bleak herbal drug folk ritual/haze. Track two, 'Where We've Been' blurs into an intense dronescape, smearing into a lighter, more psychedelic, drone piece 'Where We're Going'. 'The Days Are Over' has a floating drone back, layered on top with guitar ala Jack Rose, Blackshaw etc. Title track 'Five Bells' follows burning the guitar into a flaming rage, with a few remaining strum yelps struggling through the flames. The disc closes with a sweet guitar piece entitled 'Two More Days', again similar to Blackshaw and Rose. Cam just moved up for the smoke to the steel city and a bunch of us just discovered his musical vibes. He has a bunch of things dropping soon, and had a split release with Sindre Bjerga not so long ago. The dude has the skills." Edition of 55 copies. SAMPLE

NACKT INSECTEN - 'Live At Inner Rainbow' one-sided cassette
"Brand new fuzz drone from my Scottish bro Sanachan, both recorded live. Some real psychedelic shit, the man's sound is developing with every release... wobbling drones, sheets of shattering aluminium, and hyperactive yelps." Colour covers, limited to 40 copies.

NACKT INSECTEN - 'Mysterious Ceremonial Disc' CDr
"Another new blast from NA. Space psyche drone whirring back and forth with slashes of metal feedback guitar from Gavin Will. 3 outer limit tracks." Colour Cloud covers, limited to 70 copies.

IAN W - 'Oslo Solo' CDr
"Ian W is Ian Wadley. He was in an Austrailian band that came over here and played shows a few years ago, total gutter garage rock. Here Ian perfroms in Oslo solo, hence the title, improvisational guitar, bluesy and bleaky soundtrack music, this reminds me of a ton of stuff, even Haino, at his most pluckery." Limited to 60 copies.

WEBSITE

MJC166 ANDREW COLTRANE - 'nightvision' C30 $7(No. America)/$10(World)
"Here's another contributing to the growing catalogue of diverse awesumness pouring outta this Michigan magician. >From limited shiners on his own Hermitage label, to bangers on American Tapes, RRR & Sound Holes, "nightvision" continues the reign of Andrew's nightmare. This is a nice companion to his "Rotton Blues" tape if y'all can find it. ~ hits direct in the high octane strings/tapes/tronics vein = heavy dosage ! - imagine A.C. plucking some homemade contraption-- string-up&out, screwed,wires smokin metal blues burnin in the devil's backyard. Each side is comprised of 1 long full-on & 1 quicksand twisted smoke-outro- Definately, higher." limited to 43

MJC167 'TERROR TAPES vol 29': SOUP HORRIFIC/PHOSPHENE FORM C60 $7(No. America)/$10(World)
"side a = Soup Horrific "Melting Streets vol 1" ~from Spain: Stephane Kerandel, the man behind the TerrorTank project and Spread The Disease label, we have this strange piece. Field recordings of streets actually melting?!? Voices, traffic, footsteps and the hum of urban hauntings- howling as they burn to the ground. A feeling of nausea builds. side b = Phosphene Form "Ghetto Mechanism" Hamilton's own Kenny G (Rocket Pony) with bedroom synth jams. This side is split into two loop-based tracks- first builts around an almost dub-step noddin in alien waves lanes & conversation~ the second is a 3-D FX journey of a spacecraft, a crashlanding, equipment malfunction, recharging. hear him http://www.myspace.com/phospheneform." limited to 27

MJC168 ZOMBIE BROWN C90 $7(No. America)/$10(World)
"what happens after the end of music? brown bird wings risin from the mud brown phoenix this tape is death this tape is birth." limited to 27

HERE and THERE

[tzpCD25] Phroq - 'The Hazards Of Sound' CDr 5€
"Intense and dense. Harsh VS concrete music. Lucky you... this live set was captured for yr audio pleasure." 50 copies. Black CDr

[tzpCS05] Anonymous Tapes Series Vol. 4 - 'Second Couteau' C20 5€
"Fourth volume in the Anonymous Tapes Series. Solo act from France : Effects+Voice+Child Synth. Bad energy. Screams. Noise." 2 different cover art.
20 copies.

[tzpPRO06] Evil Moisture - 'Rotten Burger' C30 5€
"Two live sets by Andy Bolus. Total Lo-Fi restitution. 1st side live in Japan ? Total cut-up. Fucking weird. 2nd side live at Galerie en Marge, Paris. False starts then it's growing like a monster." 50 copies

WEBSITE

The first from Earjerk:

Grass Magic LP $12(printed covers)/$18(hand-screened covers)
"Hand screened on recycled album covers, this LP features members of The Skaters, Jewelled Antler Collective and Davenport, all kicking up dust in a rickety old barn. A spontaneous happening. The few hazy nights leading up to PastureFest 2004 may not be easily recalled, but the christening sounds, emanating from a ramshackle farm in the vales of southeast Wisconsin, are imprinted here on this unassuming LP. Featuring an alternate B-side jam (of music pulled from the same session) not found on the cassette version. Otherworldly and just down right cosmic!" Here's the line up: Glenn Donaldson (Jewelled Antler Collective, Skygreen Leopards, Blithe Sons), Clay Ruby (Burial Hex, Zodiacs, Totem), Mansfield (Bruce Carkiss, Mansfield Deathtrap Re-recordings, Garage Indians), Nic Stage (Davenport,), Endless (Craig Microcassette System, Drunjus), Tyler Olson (Davenport), Clay Kolbinger (Math Balance Volumes, Davenport), db Pedersen (Ng Keindhiet, Three Bags Full, Rope), Spencer Clark and James Ferraro (New Age Panther Mistique, Vodka Soap, The Skaters). 200 copies.

HERE

What does it mean that Growing has a new album? First, “album” is a bit strong language for a four-song EP the length (20 minutes) of one track from the band’s ‘Color Wheel’ or the untouchable ‘Sky’s Run Into the Sea’. Further, the duo’s inexplicable retrogression into the near-past of recent Black Dice (so perfected in recently adopted abstract-geometric cover art) and their own ‘Vision Swim’ LP continues with further exploration of thumbnail doodling, rejecting the drone-minimalism of their past works for a more restless generation of sound: the uncharacteristically dry static of “Swell” clears the sonic space for the semi-familiar hydraulics of alternating flange in each ear, the absolute-familiar flutter of bass guitar percolating calmly in the rear as a guitar drone washes over in rote climax from the busy mixture. “First Contact” threatens an almost-perfectly melodic guitar line in its chewed-up mandolin wheedle like Jim O’Rourke or Richard Bishop, the skronky bloops of amp contacts found on many a late-period track creating a percussive rhythm. Degraded further, the choppy production of title-track “Lateral” will have you checking your disc lest you reach the entrée of sea-foam drone beneath this beaty synthesis; with a cavernous clattering, a machination subtle depth elongates the cone of this sound-form, spun significantly on its side in the final minute to imply a heavy, entirely new sense of IDM beat in the band’s composition. Final entry “After Glow” appears appropriately so, as a looping effect of gentle murmurs distorted by distance, a refracted melody drone ala William Basinski, the entire thing an eerie luminescence of a track washed-out in muted production with a tidal rhythm. Thus, what a new album means is a greater sense of loss for those who needed a Growing in the oeuvre, a spheric weight to retreat and respond to, to align one’s equilibrium. But of course it also means an undeniably unique - albeit intermediary – sound, and the hopefulness of progression through the pair’s gratefully, tastefully prolific sense of creation. Seeing in just what direction is the intrigue of each new transmission. Buy vinyl. (The Social Registry CD/LP, $10 HERE)

From Italy's Palustre:



MATTEO ALLODOLI - 'di Goljadkin'/'Lania' 3” CDr + tape 15€(WORLD)
"Like from a Dostojevsky's character, four songs on cdr and three on tape written before "22:22" (pal2,2006), Matteo’s previous album. A miniaturist work: reflections, meditations and trauma in his closer human relationships, written for guitar, voices, flute and electronics taken in an apartment in the city suburbs after his return from journeys to India, deserts, Andalusian valleys, a lamp marked skin, a translated-into-notes surrealist sculpture." 20/20 copies.

ALDO BECCA - '...alla pantera rosa ?' business card CDr 6€(WORLD)
"A very little but engraved love epitaph-expiation song, then ghosts & reverbs from the empty inside of Ravenna’s Cathedral. This work consists of a guitar and voice song followed by an instrumetal track." 30 copies

AAN - 'kultainen kupoli' + 'parantavassa kehdossa' 3” CDr + 5” CDr 14€(WORLD)
"Jani Hirvonen and Jari Koho are two of the most hidden, thrilling sound manipulators from the icy Finland, and they also spread the holy seed under different monickers (uton, kulkija, vapaa); their collaboration started few years back, and the result is a subliminal trip into dense atmospheres and tribal-like fuzz dreamy orchestrations. Cold, dark mellow vibes filled with acid bells and shamanian memories."

'MUSICA PER UNA BALLERINA A TRE GAMBE' ('music for a three legs dancer') 25 BOX x 3 tapes 19€(WORLD)
3 MARCO LAMPIS/DONA FERENTES - 'defrag/decrypt'
tape 30 min. "...A split tape betweeen two italian demented-noise isolationists: Marco Lampis now lives in Berlin, a cool place when he'll surely spread his blackened sonic usurpations: DEFRAG.DECRYPT on the other hand is a collection of relic-screams and impro-noise guitar abuse by Dona Ferentes (aka Michele-Palustre): tortured mourns from beyond the line of mental sanity..."

2 MARCEL TURKOWSKY - 'rippling star dice'
tape 15 min. "...We met with Marcel Turkowski last years while we was touring here, and were totally embalmed by his musical explorations: this cass has two sides of his star-buzzing miscellaneous sounds! Artwork on translucid paper."

1 RINUS VAN ALEBEEK - 'erinnerungen eines lumpen sammlers'
tape, 15 min "...fields recordings and polite words from around Europe, hand-.assembled tape loops created by the craaazy Rinus Van ALebeek. A photo-shoot made of sounds."

WEBSITE

SOD-39 Cloaks - 'Serene' CDr
"Cloaks is the nom-de-plume of Spencer Doran, a Portland based musician who also moonlights as a member of RV Paintings. Doran employs acoustic piano, guitars and various electronics to sublime effect. Obvious comparisons can be made to the flurries of overtone piano that Charlemagne Palestine has pioneered, but Doran truly has crafted an unique and inspired voice of his own, weaving clouds of piano with spiralling plumes of FX and warm gushes of plaintive guitar. Positively magical." ltd.100

SOD-40 Jefre Cantu-Ledesma - 'Shining Skull Breath' CDr
"Shining Skull Breath" documents the latest solo recordings by Root Strata label head and founding Tarentel member Jefre Cantu-Ledesma. Those familiar with Jefre's recent solo outings, such as "The Garden of Forking Paths" and"Floating Weeds," will recognize the stunning, wistful, barely-there melodies which abound on those albums. However, this time around these slow orbits of somber, evocative tone aresubmerged in boiling vats of molten fuzz and static making for an increasingly dynamic and bewitching listen. This truly is brilliant, potent, deep listening of the highest order." Second edition of 100 copies.

SOD-42 Terracid -'2023' CDr
""2023" marks the latest interplanetary excursions by Michael Donnelly (mymwly/Brothers of the Occult Sisterhood) and it's a diverse platter of headtripping psych-drone-clatter-rock if ever I've heard one. In fact, each of the album's twelve tracks finds Donnelly mining different territory, channeling the psychedelic ghosts of Japan and Germany through the lens of the sonic traditions of planets light years further away from the Sun than our own." ltd. 100

SOD-56 Fabio Orsi - 'Before Long, Before Anyone, The Stars Will Be Walls In My Mind' CDr
"The final installment in the Orsi SOD trilogy, "BeforeLong..." is as a slow-moving star in orbit, all evanescent low-register drones and scintillating harmonics. Orsi's deft hands and painterly approach have once again concocted a beautiful, expansive space for your mind to roam about. Music for telescope nights." ltd.100.

SOD-62 Procer Veneficus - 'Deathwanderings' CDr
" On "Deathwanderings," Procer Veneficus appropriates drifting fugues from Chopin, Satie and Schubert and distorts them into beautiful smears of wistful ambience. These are pieces that, Derek notes, have "been examined, assembled, and deconstructed into cavernous resonance. Originally intended for use as a soporific, this is music for worlds of ice constructed in the deepest recesses of the mind, and for wanderings at the threshold of death." Not a million miles off from recent Andrew Chalk recordings, and gorgeous as all hell." ltd. 100.

SOD-65 Concern s/t CDr
"This self-titled release is the debut by Concern, a solo endeavor by Gordon Ashworth, who is perhaps best known for issuing complex harsh noise missives as Oscillating Innards. That said, Concern is an entirely different affair. Here, Ashworth's principal focus is on the drone - shimmering, multi-layered and dynamic, he stretches loooong tones into gorgeous sonic tendrils which dissolve or implode into impossibly nostalgic field recordings and static. Recorded throughout the years 2004 - 2007 and, surely, not to be missed." ltd. 100.

SOD-68 Natural Snow Buildings - 'Laurie Bird' CDr
"Hyperbole aside, here there is magic. "Laurie Bird" marks the first of three planned Natural Snow Buildings releases on Students of Decay, with a deluxe 2CD reissue of their epic self-released "Dance of the Moon and Sun" and a double disc set of new recordings entitled "Snowbringer Cult" both due out in early 2008. This may well be many listeners' first exposure to the NSB cosmos, as all previous releases, each painstakingly handmade and impossibly beautiful, have been limited to under 50 copies and have long since sold out. The scope of Mehdi and Solange's artistic vision is staggering, moving from the cinematic to the plaintive, and from the rhythmic to the abstruse with preternatural fluidity and inimitable poise. Utterly spellbinding and entirely essential." ltd. 100.

WEBSITE

Working under the name Crow Feathers, Brandon Miller releases the double 3” collection ‘Imaginary Scores’ on Abandon Ship. Miller offers bright, digital-aged compositions like soundtracks for the sci-fi of Cronenberg, the exposed code in the banality of Haynes, or of deep sea documentary recorded by robot: past Yo La Tengo’s ‘Sounds of the Sounds of Science’ and to the blackest abstraction of inner space; the sharp colors of electronic embellishments like luminances reflect against the bold body of droning murk, creating a contour of the terrain with nearly echo-location realism. Flexing his cinephilic savvy, Miller dedicates “Blind Chance” to that hypothetical anti-fatalist Krzysztof Kieslowski: a permutation appropriately of three peaks, the soft powder of synthetic swell acts as a tissue through which the blinking string of aural LEDs is sequenced. Mid-track, the watery chirping of “Our Red Flower” emerges just briefly to a dry atmosphere and the harsh lines of terranean sculpture, the qualities of which so dearly dampened by the diffusion of the liquid are now made violent, and unbearable. This noise resumes through the blowing anxiety of “Perfume” on the second disc, an experiment of dipping the camera in a sort of reverse water-boarding, exposing the blister of surface noise with varying amounts of subdued calm, the hideous shriek becoming delicate harmonies in the saturated ether. At last, the vibrato of steel guitar strings echoes through the busy calm of “Tobik”, a southerly noir of sustained tones, overlapping in the hot stains of a watercolor over etching lines of ink. An odd inclusion stylistically, the song is also the shortest, concluding just shy of seven minutes, situated against tracks of more or less ten minutes each; regardless this incongruity, the song is fantastic – possibly the best of the lot – and the whole collection succeeds with the alternation through the division of the two discs. Labeled CDrs come in a sturdy clamshell with vivid, full-color artwork. Limited to 100 copies, and highly recommended. (Abandon Ship 2x 3”CDr, $7 HERE)

SKULL DEFEKTS - 'DFX' CDr CH018 7€/9€
"Crushing two piece thick new album by some of the fiercest electronic damagers to come out of Norway. DFX channels two twenty minute bolts of post-industrial sonics. First piece puts up a fog of hazy electronics reminiscent of early Broken Flag tapes by the likes of Maurizio Bianchi and Giancarlo Tonutti whilst gradually morphing into harsher ground. The second piece starts like a lost Wolf Eyes side with a multitude of sinister effects and Industrial beats. Crazy energy building, a whirl of voices lost in a bottomless well, Skull Defekts seem to do it for no less than the most impressive of dystopian soundworlds." 100 copies inside cardstock covers by Gio/Canedicoda.

6MAJIK9 - 'THE SPACE BETWEEN' CDr CH031 7€/9€
"Sucking up fluids from middle earth and releasing them through weirded out psych jams, 6majik9 represent a blossoming Australian underground centred around the ever incredible Musicyourmindwillloveyou label, Brothers Of The Occult Sisterhood, Terracid, etc. Enough loner vibes on this one to loose yourself in for a couple of days on end. Rural murmur, entrancing drones, minimalist percussion trails, baby’s crying, uknown magickal devices emitting electronic incense, the smell of wet leafs, the moon bigger and brighter than usual." 66 copies in square dvd cases with b/w artwerk and inlay.

ROB FUNKHOUSER - 'COSMOS' CDr CH032 7€/9€
"66 minute long tonal excercise that works the fringes of the current free-drone underground up to the cosmic paradise shaped by astral travellers Ash Ra Tempel and the minimalist magic of Steve Reich’s Drumming. Funkhouser has that focus of a determined soul, never rushing, calmly pushing Cosmos to desolate plains where the dark purple mood of the album cover lingers across the horizon. Music for the breaking of a gloomy autumn dawn, coming down from whatever trip you’ve been on, weedsmoke still curling up from the bong…not a jacker in sight. Break in and zone out." Edition of 50 in polyvinyl sleeves with moody artwerk.

HERE

l-t-(f)-r 016: Kelly Nesbitt - 'Beaks That Could Smile' CDr
"in which the dust settled on the antique photo album is blown, revealing all manner and layers of americana therein. kelly nesbitt has been known around town for years as a performance artist and folksinger with one ear in the frontier gothic folk/country ballad tradition and the other in a delightfully skewed avant-garde psychedelic realm, and on this album--her official debut--the two sides harmonize on a dusty spacetrip to places both hauntingly familiar and invitingly alien. it's a stunningly humble, graceful lo-fi world where a kazoo solo is a fine replacement for a guitar solo, and where perfectly-left answering machine messages deserve just as much appreciation as perfectly-delivered gospel-voiced folk songs."

016 - 'Beaks That Could Smile' 5" CDr $10
white-top cdr with handstamped bird. packaging: full-color copy of collage and hand-drawn art, pasted onto chipboard arigato pak and sanded till soft.
insert: fold-out 8x10" xeroxed sheet with typed and handwritten text, and bird stamp edition: limited, 50 copies.


l-t-(f)-r 017: Robert Stillman's Horses - 'Three Early Maine Films'
"in which nostalgia is gleaned from the parlour and the ocean; the fairground and the midnight air, in the form of moving postcards and one-man piano rags. using just two hands and two feet to play electric piano, a complete drumkit, nylon-stringed guitar, and tape fragments as though he were a full whiskey-soaked turn-of-the-20th-century band, robert stillman's music is transportive and transformative in any setting, but perhaps most effective as presented here: as the thoughtful soundtrack to archival silent documentary film footage of early 1900's maine loggers, fishermen, and lobstermen. the films and musical accompaniment are suspenseful, reverent, and playful - stillman's score perfectly matching the documentation of maine worklives with a veritable documentary of the american parlour sound."

017 - '3 Early Maine Films' DVDr/CDr $12
5"cdr: white-top cdr with handcut stamp in red ink. dvdr: white-top dvdr with handcut stamp in red ink. packaging: cream-colored heavy cotton paper gatefold sleeve, with black ink linoleum-cut print on the cover and typed liner notes on the inside and back cover. edition: limited, 50 copies.


and mailing #2 of the Tryst Haunt Series, Winter 2008:
LTH 704: bird microphone - 'memory songs ep'
"bird microphone follows up last year's paper mines split with cursillistas with this collection of original songs and appalachian child ballads. fitting six songs onto this 45rpm 7" record, bird mic. mixes her trademark dulcimer plucks and cut-up bell percussion clacks with a new focus on voice. love songs that aren't afraid to expose the dissonance; traditionals on the a-side, originals on the b. preview here." black 7" vinyl record with center labels hand-stamped on the A and hand-drawn/colored on the B-side, held in a heavy off-white cotton paper sleeve, with double-vision two-color screenprinted covers and an offset-printed back. hand-numbered to 300, and embossed.

LTH 705: white light - "saraswati" b/w barry burst - "rabies"
"ian paige's white light project turns in a graceful, drony and jangly piece of classic lo-fi psych-pop, with a subtle galloping rhythm track keeping the good vibes in line. swirls of phasing synth quietly sneak up on the sweet vocals and lead guitars until all ride off on the figurative elephant in the sky. meanwhile, perennial favorite barry burst crashes that elephant back to the earth dirt and kicks up a party that could only be described as bollywood on acid. tablas and a host of handclaps provide the rhythmic thrust, while eastern strings and a chorus of singers (a multi-tracked barry) parade the blissfully gone love-fest through town." black 7" vinyl record with hand-stamped center labels held in a tri-fold die-cut chipboard sleeve, letterpressed and screenprinted in a multicolor design, with screenprinted chipboard insert. hand-numbered to 300.

LTH 706: the red f - "fingers" b/w sarah ramey - "magic" & "jane"
"here we have a couple names new to the l'animaux tryst family, but no doubt familiar to those in the southern-maine know, here presented in split-single form as the official solo debut for both artists. the red f is the solo project of phantom buffalo guitarist tim burns, and there are shadows of his group's gentle and sweetly skewed indie-pop on "fingers". but pared down to just a voice, a creaky acoustic guitar, and the reverbed ghosts in the room, burns turns out one of the most affecting folk ballads we've heard in some time. on the b-side, sarah ramey (lead vocals and guitar for seekonk) presents two similarly pared-down tracks of acoustic strings and double-tracked vocals. the incredible intimacy with which she delivers each half-whispered word and melody alludes to warmth like the crackle of a woodfire on the coldest night." black 7" vinyl record with hand-stamped center labels, held in a heavy white cotton paper sleeve, with offset-printed art with watercolor washes applied by tim burns' hand. hand-numbered to 300 and embossed.

These three records are available as a set for $24 in the US or $28 overseas, or as part of the Tryst Haunt Series year-long subscription (twelve 7" records total, three with the change of every season) for $75 US or $90 worldwide. And there are definitely still full-year subscriptions available, so get in touch. Remember, all prices include shipping to the US, so worldwide customers will add a couple bucks and we'll knock a couple bucks off for multiple orders.

WEBSITE

n.o.t.#5 - 'first video' 3x 3" DVDr 8€(World)
"with video documentaries about Birchville Cat Motel, Charalambides, & Tarentel: 3x20mn videos of live footage and exclusive interviews with the bands, on high-quality video-dvd. Artwork out of real/dreamed maps..." HERE

"And - to celebrate this first year of existence of nothingness, the first release, sold out for months, is now available for download on the website on a special online version, with full tracks in .wav format and cover art. These are all exclusive tracks ! This web release will only be available for about a month. Including Black Forest/Black Sea, Drona Parva, L'Enfant Méduse, The Lost Domain and Przewalski's Horses HERE (under 'Info')

Funding a brief label tour is the latest from Australia's MUSICYOURMINDWILLLOVEYOU:

Mymwly0100 blank realm/6majik9 - 'live in toowoomba 2007' CDr $10
"Two east coast psych tribes deliver mind numbing sets recorded in the sleepy sunday warmth of toowoomba’s norville beer garden. Blank realm kick things of with a massive slab of krautrock hued space warp , huge shifting sheets of purelectronic noise rend the air while maintaining an earthly warmth thanks to some organic drum shuffle and trance inducing mouth organics. 6majik9 end it all with a free flowing prayer to the gods of Japanese noise , cartoonish heaviness gives way to ramshackle rhythmic dissolution which ultimately builds to a rock out in search of an angry velvet fix."

Mymwly0101 rmeaajlimk – 'orphans all around us' CDr $10
"Post gig jam with stay up late members of blank realm and 6majik9 , melding blowout afterglow laziness with trance divination to smack a gleam of freedom. Stumbling clatter and teased out noise , hitchhiking trumpets , electronic fuckery and so forth."

Mymwly0102 terracid – 'skies' CDr $10
"An eightball of swallowed volumes and hippy rockwork for the wingless . spiraling drift thread thin like minute spider webs until the floor becomes the sky."

Mymwly0104 6majik9 – 'thank you for being my codeine' CDr $10
"Drawn from multiple sessions recorded in various locations by various formations of the band , resulting in a diverse collection of improvisations that nevertheless pursue the same tranformative path toward the undoing of time and space."

WEBSITE

The Magic I.D. - 'till my breath gives out' (ErstPop 001)
"The Magic I.D. is a Berlin-based quartet exploring the juncture of song forms with abstract music. The band, consisting of Margareth Kammerer, Christof Kurzmann, Kai Fagaschinski and Michael Thieke, formed in summer 2005 after previously being connected via smaller groupings and projects. till my breath gives out is their debut release, and consists of six intricately constructed gems, each with its own individual shape, painstakingly sequenced to form a record that becomes more than the sum of its parts. Kammerer was born in Italy and moved to Berlin in 1994. She is deeply involved in the worlds of both theatre and music, and has a lengthy resume in both areas. Her mostly solo album To Be An Animal Of Real Flesh was released on Charhizma in 2004, featuring collaborative tracks with Axel Dörner, Chris Abrahams and Tatusya Yoshida, as well as remixes from Fred Frith, Philip Jeck, Bernhard Fleischmann and Kurzmann. Her unique, distinctive voice has been underdocumented previously, but is showcased on till my breath gives out to riveting effect. Kurzmann has been a prominent part of both the Vienna and (more recently) the Berlin scenes over the past decade. As an organizer, he cofounded the phonoTAKTIK festival, helped found the famous Rhiz club in Vienna, and runs the prestigious Charhizma label. Kurzmann has been an essential part of many Erstwhile-related live events, in Tokyo, Berlin and NYC, and was the first to work at Amann Studios for an Erstwhile release, beginning a crucial relationship for the label. His duo with Burkhard Stangl, schnee, is one of the core projects of Erstwhile, with a third release for the label currently in preparation for release, and his duo with Ami Yoshida, a s o, is an underappreciated gem. Fagaschinski has leapt to prominence in the improv world over the last few years, with well-received duo projects such as Los Glissandinos (w/Klaus Filip), The International Nothing (w/Thieke) and Kommando Raumschiff Zitrone (w/Kurzmann). His music is rooted in abstraction, but with an increasingly insidious melodious element. This is his first Erstwhile release, and his second is already in the works, a duo disc with Stangl. Thieke was born in Düsseldorf and moved to Berlin in 1993. He works in a wide range of styles in the jazz and improv worlds, from a Mingus tribute to a collective trio on Ayler Records (w/Christian Weber and Michael Griener) to his own Unununium project on Charhizma to the aforementioned The International Nothing w/Fagaschinski, ranging from free blowing to sparse, pointillistic abstraction, from fully improvised to fully composed. The six pieces contained here are precise collective compositions, three by the full quartet, and one from each of the three potential “duos� (the two clarinets form one twinned instrument). till my breath gives out expands song forms through the prism of experimental sensibilities and meshes the two remarkably fluidly. The design has been sourced from a photograph taken by Gianmarco Bresadola in Alexanderplatz, Berlin, and stunningly reconceived by Berlin designer Marion Gerth." till my breath gives out is being released simultaneously in two formats: foldout digipak CD and gatefold 180g vinyl. The content and the running order are identical; the LP version was mastered slightly differently to better fit the format. The LP is an edition of 500 copies; the CD is unlimited and inexpensive.

HERE

Is this Saint Valentine's day? Perfect! Go: A welcomed sequel to a welcomed sequel, the self-titled full-length by The Watery Graves of Portland and/et Geneviève (Castrée, née WOELV) offers an extension to the elongated compositions, earthen tenors, and diversified techniques of the hip supper-jazz ‘Portland’, November’s follow-up to the Graves’ first long-player ‘Caracas’ from a way back. Released on the same day, the band’s collaboration with Francophone singer Castrée takes these incremental improvements to an album-ready echelon, leaving the leads and flourishes to the singer’s scalar contortions. The trio – Curtis Knapp, Adrian Orange, Davis Hooker – with help from the Knapp Family (Fox and Laurel) and some seventh-wheel named Phil Elverum, maintain their somber, understated cool ala Dirty Three, generally padding the sparse drum and bass rhythms, and denying the piano strings the brassy punch of Castrée’s throat strings. An open-mouthed coo holds the meter between the lines of “Un peu comme Dersou”, a soft, pulsing prelude to the hard come-on of “Agace-Pissette”, a fervent, angry riffing administered over a stubborn piano plod and jittery, skittery percussion; tugging at her Latin roots like the fiery monologues of Lila Downs, this traditional scat reflects the tenor of Castrée’s (presumably anti-) “war songs” as described in her foreword inscription, and the subsequent writing for this album of “dramatic love songs[…] sometimes comical, mostly bitter.” With the exception of two, four minute ballads, the bulk of the album skates by in one and two minute bursts of playful energy, convivial with the band’s pick-up style. For “Intmepéries” Castrée sings a cappella, but for the duration the band follows as would an adoring puppy, piano often mimicking her melodic embellishments in the syrupy spaces of “Page de Blanc” and “Notre mythologie”. Following the sultry, Brelian “Post-Partum”, “Les Nerfs!” is a fine piece of European pop-balladry, resting a lacy whimsy over a walking cycle of bittersweet scales, and elevating the climax with just the subtlest echo effects. Were the desire to end on a sour note, the too-brief “Sans pardon” would have made a fine occlusion, rekindling the spirited “Agace-Pissette” in a spitfire of climbing pitch with a small choral endorsement and a lively coda by m. Orange on percussion. Instead of this finale, a suitable alternative is decided upon in the jaunty “Pour Romain”: following a segue of comical dialogue starring the band, a roiling cadence is established for a sing-song Castrée at her sweetest, carrying, rather than thrusting her notes, a mischievous lilt added to each line; she disappears early, and the band swells with typical, guarded enthusiasm to obscure whatever has captured their comtessa’s attention. A welcome wedding of voice to the band’s sometimes overly-cool being. CD comes in a paper gatefold with equally subtle/fantastic, unattributed artwork (also available on LP). (Marriage CD, $10 HERE)

The first magnetic releases by Digitalis:

ltd#4: xela - 'the illuminated' C42 $7(domestic)/$9(world)
"a new side of xela's schizoid personality is revelead on "the illuminated" as type records figurehead john twells unleashes two sonic barnstormers that cover a lot of ground. overloaded with copious amounts of analog synths, "the illuminated" is baked in the grimmest plot of scorched earth you've ever seen. twells wrecks his voice lamenting the black clouds above on "gilted rose," hoping for an exorcism that never comes. the doom is thick as thieves with this one, and the last candle has been smashed to pieces. underneath all the hell and fury, though, xela does attempt to bury the vaguest of melodies. it seeps into the soil, hoping one day to be dug out. bells and chimes sound like rusted chains slogging through the mood as the slaves march their way to the edge of the cliff looking for salvation dying down below." limited to 111 handnumbered copies, packaged in white-on-black silkscreened covers. Excerpt, order HERE

ltd#6: ajilvsga - 'gathering of owls' C42 $7(domestic)/$9(world)
"after a handful of releases on labels like not not fun, arbor, jk tapes, & abandon ship, ajilvsga finally returns to its native lands. "gathering of owls" features recordings from the hottest point of summer and from the birth pangs of 2008. showered in a thick layer of scorched fuzz, these songs are baked like clay bowls in the fire-orange sun. the sea is turned into a bed of sand, impregnated with salt so that everything dies in the womb. burning slow inside the decaying bones of blackened electronics and voices buried beneath the storm lies a single nugget of truth. what that truth is, though, can only be found by sucking out the marrow. "gathering of owls" is a battle for the plains with looped percussion providing the backbone to this death march. the chanting emerges from smoke signals on the horizon, coming at you full on with nobody to put on the brakes. bass rumbles and death guitars gnaw at the scraps of muscle left behind by circling vultures. this is ajilvsga's new dawn, born and bleeding." limited to 72 handnumbered copies, packaged in full-color prints w/ handpainted tapes. Excerpt, order HERE

DIGITALIS

New from the Root Strata:

Jefre Cantu-Ledesma & Paul Clipson - 'Corridors' DVDr $10(US)/$13(World)
"Latest installment from the ongoing collaboration between filmmaker Paul Clipson & musician Jefre Cantu-Ledesma. Paul's Super8 films, shot entirely in New York City, channel the blissed out states of color drenched psychadellia explored by Brakage as well as lovely black and white still life's that reminisce on Ozu's 'pillow shots' & Chantel Akermans monumental portrait of Pre-Giuliani New York 'Letters Home'. Jefre's music is culled from the same sessions that launched his 2007 release on Students Of Decay 'Shinning Skull Breath', (the two share a track in common). Billowy clouds of distorted guitar expand out into long passages of muffled static and fuzzed out melody." Edition of 100

Steven R. Smith - 'The Anchorite' CD $12(US)/$18(world)
"Originally released in 2006 on Important Records as a limited run LP in their ongoing Arts & Crafts Series, Root Strata is proud to present the reissue of The Anchorite, a dazzling jewel in Smiths substantial discography. Performed live to two track with the aide of tape loops and prerecorded takes, the music maintains a drifting, painterly quality that easily evokes the American west as much as the European east which Smith so lovingly mines for his Hala Strana recordings. Sepia toned and tinged with a luminous distortion, The Anchorite, as the name suggests, is reserved, pulled back and solemn, some kind of hermetic prayer for the end of the world." Beautifully repackaged with new artwork in a heavy black & white gatefold CD case with offset printing. Edition of 500

CATALOG

Though I must admit an almost perfect unfamiliarity with the deceased, the send-up ‘Taco Bell Fella: A Tribute to Quem Quaeritis’ is a nice introduction, idealized and removed, like hearing all the great stories about someone without the displeasure of enduring their filthy habits. They lived a short life (maybe 3 years), but from what I can tell, Quem Quaeritis (latin for “Whom do you seek?”) enjoyed a Reagan-era adolescence in the Los Angeles area, probably suburban in high school; in-language and general irreverence is nurtured in their lyrics, fella, with notable nods to Jim Caviezal, Desert Eagle pistols, and a marked fetish for the TV show Family Ties. A number of familiar and not-so-familiar Southern California artists are on hand here to pay homage, and more than a few provide noteworthy covers (again, not to be weighed by their relation to the original, for which I have no reference). An innovative - if not always pretty – mix of beaty electronics and hokey rock informs the bulk of tracks, often with a raw separation which splits the bulk of songs in two, making the disc that much more diverse: Child Pornography push the queer electrogrind of the odd Xiu Xiu track to a bumping new concern, Gowns pull off the diminutive laptoppop of their recently witnessed EP (all beats, gleaks, and strategically degraded vocal pile-up), Flaspar’s “Jah on the Haj”, if not a remix, is a remarkably subtle piece of Tussle-style dub, and Golden Boots launches the disc with the “Slangin’ Family Ties Dub”, a jaunty stretch of light Richman song-slinging with the voice of a young old man, awash in a crunchy trip-hop remix. A sloppier aesthetic coagulates around the center, as a stretch of home-tracked techno parts momentarily for the plucky folk-along “Hobo Chic” by Chinatown Bakeries and the most successful “Werewolves in the City” by Viking Moses - something between the minimal, drum-machining lectures of Arab Strap and, what, David Sylvian? Nice. Monster Dudes offer a refreshing glass of Truman’s Water dada, and Barra Barracuda garner the coveted closing position (deservedly) for their no wave take on “Billy Joel”, thick bass, anxious and disjoint percussion, shouted sass-mouth vocals – you know – real fresh. Unlike the vast majority of tributes where the band in question is more often roasted by crazed contributees, this disc stands up on its own, walks around a bit, shaking hands and inspiring no impulse to seek out the original article (the enigma of a good tribute – ultimately a bad idea?); and whether you hate Taco Bell or merely despise it, you’ll likely find more than a few things to like on this album. Mastered by American Gil with art by James Bradley. Stamped CDr comes in two-color screened sleeves with insert and Quem Quearitis memorial sticker, designed as if they wrecked their ATV in Glamis. (Folktale CDr, $5 HERE)