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Except where noted, all original text & art ©2008 Eddie Flowers
16473 McKeever Street
Granada Hills CA 91344
USA

CDs FOR SALE (R - Z)
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CHRISTIAN RAINER
Mein Braunes Blut (Bar La Muerte; Italy) $10
Modern Italian chamber music with operatic female voice on most tracks. Released 2002. This is NOT rock, noise, improv, etc. Here's the Bar La Muerte review: "Christian Rainer is an artist in the round (visual arts, music, etc...). He composed this sublime chamber music CD, melting, epic, majestic in its piano, strings, voice and winds srrangements. He eats in a bit Rachel's, Godspeed YBE, and all chamber dark. You didn't expect this one from Bar La Muerte, uh?"

RATS WITH WINGS
Out Vile Jelly! (Gold Soundz; Norway) CDR $10
All hail the Ratking! These winged rodents from Australia make with ultra-groovy, super-listenable fuck-you noise and rocket-ship drones. Lots of rhythmic umph breaks up the proceedings in a most rewarding manner. The heart of nada just the way you like it. 76 minutes in the nether regions of neither. Good, good bad stuff. Do not avoid. Released 2005.

REAL AX BAND
Nicht Stehen Bleiben/Move Your Ass In Time (Fünfundvierzig; Germany) $11
Reissue of 1977 LP by Swiss-German prog-fusion band with female singer from Ghana. Slick jazz-rock mixing in elements of Latin, African, and soul music.

RED GLANCE
Swirls Away (Gulcher Records) $10
Gulcher catalog: "The early 1980s were a great time to make music. The liberating effects of punk unleashed a gush of energy and emotion into the mainstream of rock'n'roll. The early 1980s were a horrible time to make music. The liberating effects of punk seemed destined to be co-opted into the synthesized blandishments of new wave. Labels large and small were changing the face of corporate rock, but that face was heavily made-up, shoved under a pile of hair and over a skinny tie. The energy and emotion had to find its way underground, to backwaters like Athens, GA, Minneapolis and, well, Indianapolis. For a short while in 1982, a little band in the Hoosier capital found a big voice and hammered it for all it was worth. Weaned on everything from 60s British Invasion to Heavy Metal to Neil Young to Funkadelic, filtered through bands like the Velvet Underground, the Ramones and, most profoundly, Television, what came out was moody, sometimes dazzling rock'n'roll. What REM was working on in Athens and Husker Du in Minneapolis, Red Glance was doing in Indianapolis: re-examining rock's past and pointing toward it's future. Here are the roots of alternative rock, grunge, emo and whatever else you want to call where rock has gone and is still going. Unfortunately for them, Red Glance was short-lived and land-locked. Unlike REM, HD, and other contemporaries like the Dream Syndicate or the Replacements, they never found an audience or a contract. It would be a shame if Red Glance were ignored again. Not so much for the band--they are all getting old and gray and are used to being ignored. It would be a shame for you to have missed them twice. Just for you, Gulcher Records is proud to present Swirls Away, a collection of Red Glance recordings made over several months in the summer and fall of 1982. Never intended for public release, these recordings were all done live, into little cassette machines. Even at that, they carry quite a wallop and still sound as fresh as this afternoon. They are all that remain of what was a very good band."

THE RETREADS
Highway to Helsinki (Gulcher Records) $10
John Sewell/Mean Street: "Hailing from the musical backwater of Muncie, Indiana, the mighty Retreads are a rock-music equation that makes perfect sense. And I'm not talking about the 'heartland rock' morass that is synonymous with 'Little Pink Houses,' etc. That said, it kinda makes sense that a gut-bucket, fuel-injected hot-rod of a band like The Retreads would come from such a mundane burg as Muncie. Propelled by cheap beer, testosterone, maybe a few cheap drugs, and an unstoppable desire to rock like mofos, The Retreads are a no-bullshit band that works their magic well outside the machinations of hype and rock-scene politics The 'Treads exist out of sheer force of will, and that will is a mighty force indeed. The band started as teenagers with a Ramones fixation, but after a couple years of four-chord hormone-inspired buzzsaw pop, the guys saw fit to retool, revamp, and rock the fuck out! With the musical 'maturity' that occasionally happens to particularly rawk-crazed 20-year-olds of twisted vision, the 'Treads burrowed further into the uglier side of proto-punk and early metal, producing a sound that is an amalgam of Dead Boys, Stooges, MC5, AC/DC and Blue Oyster Cult, tempered with a hint of stoner rock and hardcore. But instead of just spewing out xeroxes of these earlier sounds, The 'Treads mashed a junkyard full of fantastic rock through their own private trash compactor. Leave it to Indiana's original punk label, Gulcher Records, to give credit where credit's due and dig a winner when it's heard. Originally released on The Retreads' own Cock Rock Records, Highway To Helsinki is a diamond in the rough, honed by anger, desperation, and sheer force of will. What more can be said? Rock out and 'Do It For The Dudes'! Retreads Uber Alles!"

REYNOLS
Live in Chicago (Carbon Records) $8
"Reynols started its activities in 1993 in Argentina. Since that date the work of the band has been basically oriented to improvisation, droning and deep experimental research, etc., employing diverse acoustic & electric instruments, tapes and electronics." Um, yeah. This live set finds the trio in fine form. They begin with a bit of unknown tongue--incredible acapella voices--primal and curious. Then they begin to explore their surroundings, guitars soaring and whooping, drums pounding freely--and things yet to happen! They keep going for half an hour or so, but it seems so brief. Real cool time. Limited edition of 500.

REYNOLS
Live in Stavanger (Humbug; Norway) CDR $11
This disc finds half of the Reynols quartet in Norway, while on their 2003 European tour. Guitarists Moncho Conlazo and Anla Courtis whup up a nice improvised mess, with missing members Miguel Tomasin (drums, vocals) and Pacu (percussion) credited with "astral" contributions. It also sounds like the missing players might be occasionally present on tapes against which Moncho and Anla seem to be heaping their big mounds of murky drone and noise. As usual, the Reynols brand o' drone is way more lively than the more "pure" stuff that most soundmakers push your way.

RENATO RINALDI
The Time and the Room (Public Eyesore) CDR $8
Italy 1999; edited 2003. Renato Rinaldi on guitar, bowed strings, and other sounds. With Christian Alati, Alessandro Bosetti, and Giuseppe Ielasi.

CLAUDIO ROCCHETTI
The Work Called Kitano (Bar La Muerte; Italy) $11
Italian soundmaker Rocchetti has put together a brilliant album that uses elements of minimal music, electroacoustic, and the outer fringes of the DJ thing (no hiphop). But there's nothing obvious here. The moods are subtle and ever changing--even the somber moments are alive with invention and movement. Recommended.

ROLLERBALL/OVO
My First Cowboy (Bar La Muerte; Italy/TMR Recordings) $11
Not exactly a split CD between Oregon's Rollerball and the the ever-changing Italian group OvO (based around Bruno Dorella and Stefania). There are nine tracks with Rollerball and OvO collaborating, and seven tracks with Rollerball collaborating with other musicians. The results are far ranging and consistently inventive. Free rock, free jazz, noise, no wave, groovin', skronkin', floatin' on a cloud--all that sorta stuff and more. Released 2002.

R.O.T.
R.O.T.2. (Veglia; Belgium) CDR $9
Second full-length thing by Belgium improv group is filled with low-key drone, inner space gurgle, and just a bit o' crunch. Edition of 60 in homemade package: clear plastic CD container with info taped to the outside; art on the label of CDR acts as "back cover."

ROUGE
Live 1976 (Captain Trip Records; Japan) $14
Loud, dumb, barely competent Japanese glitter-rockers. The messy Dolls/Stones raunch includes "originals" like "No! (Born to Be School's Out)" (with a bit of Alice's "Titanic Overture" lifted for the chaotic opening), "Star Fuck," "Heavy Mama," and "New York Baby," but they do give credit to Chuck Berry for their mangling of "Johnny Be [sic] Goode." This is probably way better or way worse than you think, depending on the depth of the dent in your head.

R.U.N.I.
Il Cucchiaio Infernale (Bar La Muerte/Beware!/Wallace Records; Italy) $10
Italian rock band with touches of Kraut-beat electronica, 70s prog, Italian folk music, exploded funk, and heavy metal. Recorded in early 2000.

SAN AGUSTIN
Amokhali (Family Vineyard) $10
1999 recordings by post-rock improv trio from Atlanta. While drums break apart the rhythm into jazz-like non-grooves, two guitars hover and intertwine in interesting low-key ways that recall everything from Loren Mazzacane to early-70s Dead tapes. Shimmer shiver plunk 'n etc.

SAUCE OF THE FUTURE
Saliva (Sauce Of The Future) $10

THE SCREAMIN' MEE-MEES
Live from the Basement 1975-1997 (Gulcher Records) $11
Oh boy! Listen up, music lovers and noise heads, improvisers and olde-skool punks: This 'un's gonna knock yer sox off! It's a collection of the 7-inch vinyl output from the Screamin' Mee-Mees, legendary pre-punk crazies from St. Louis, Missouri. With this disc, Jon Ashline and Bruce Cole finally get the respect they probably still don't think they deserve. Such is the self-deprecating racket-roll these two yahoos have been spewing about in Bruce's basement since 1972. This disc picks up the story with the release of their debut EP Live From The Basement, recorded in '75/'76, but unleashed during the punk-rock frenzy of 1977. The Mee-Mees were punk more by timing than by design. It's true they grew up on the Stooges, Velvet Underground, and 60s garage sounds--like many early punk-rockers--but they were equally influenced by more outside sounds like Amon Düül I, the Godz, Silver Apples, Captain Beefheart, etc. Although a few of their songs are composed in the old-fashioned way, most are spontaneous eruptions of rhythm, sound, and absurd word play. I should also mention that the Mee-Mees possess a very strong all-Amerikan sense of stoopid. They recorded a second EP, Home Movies, in 1978, but it remained unreleased until their comeback in the '90s. The '80s were pretty dry for the duo, but they returned in 1992 with the Clutching Hand Monster Mitt LP. The post-Monster Mitt singles are all here: "Pull My Finger"/"Family Tree" (Electric Records '92), "Life Never Stops!"/"Oscillations" (Dog Meat '94; B-side is the Silver Apples song), and "Answer Me!"/"Arthritis Today" (Brinkman '96). Also included is the Mee-Mees' cover of the Twinkeyz' "Cartoon Land" from a split single with Mike Rep & the Quotas; and "Squawk Squawk Squawk" from a comp EP for Whump! fanzine. The most recent tracks are from Bruce Cole's 1997 Venusian Plateaus solo EP, which you probably missed completely. Bruce took a very natural turn into more overt forms of improv, noise, and drone. Half of the Gulcher CD tracks are re-mastered from the original tapes, most done properly for the first time after various botched vinyl jobs. There are also numerous extended versions, with music, noise, and conversation not included on the original 7-inch releases. Lots of great sounds here, boys and girls! And it all comes packaged with a 20-page booklet full of rare photos, reproductions of the sleeves, an interview with Bruce Cole by Jeff Kopp from Head In A Milk Bottle fanzine, and notes by yours truly Eddie Flowers.

THE SCREAMIN' MEE-MEES
Plastic Hong Kong Door Bell Finger (Gulcher Records) $11
The Screamin' Mee-Mees are back! And it's back to basics, kids. For the Mee-Mees' first proper release in eleven years (after a slew of archival digs more recently), they turn away from the psychodelik tweaks and layering of their 90s recordings. The duo returns to its basic mid-70s form: two adult children bashing away and making it up as they go along. That's Jon Ashline on drums and stoopid ad-lib lyrics, and there's Bruce Cole on the guitar. The guest bass seat this time is filled by Ann Rerun, the first female to enter this brotherhood's inner sanctum in its 35 years of existence. The five "tunes" with Miss Rerun concern a variety of social topics: plentiful gasoline, fried chicken, spillin' stuff on people, special sales, and reality itself. Bruce finds his voice on the brief but brutally effective "Blue Trashcan." The boys get kinda "experimental" with a lengthy double-guitar thing called "Flyin' Skull Fragments," which sounds like what a Captain Beefheart demo might've been like if Mr. Van Vliet plucked at guitar strings instead of playing one-finger piano. The two final "top secret mysterious unknown bonus tracks" find Bruce screwin' around with his audio generator in a fidgety Krautrock-like manner. The end. Now, how 'bout a sip of the Mee-Mees' new hot sody? It's been settin' in the sun for quite awhile now. [Released 2007]

THE SCREAMIN' MEE-MEES & HOT SCOTT FISCHER
Warp Sessions 1972/1973 (Gulcher Records) 2CD $18
Five years before they released their first EP in 1977, the Screamin' Mee-Mees (Bruce Cole and Jon Ashline) were already making lots of racket. The two musical outcasts would get together in Bruce's St. Louis basement and switch on the tape recorder to document their undisciplined musical madness. Jon banged on drums and homemade percussion, yelping out spontaneous lyrics. Bruce added guitar and other electronic junk to the mix. It was self-contained and must have seemed like an elaborate private joke to the duo--freaking in the basement, isolated and pure. In 1972, a little bit of the outside world entered in the form of "Hot" Scott Fischer, a local rock writer who had found underground notoriety in the pages of rock mags like CREEM and PHONOGRAPH RECORD MAGAZINE. Scott was the first writer to make the connections between Krautrock and the Stooge-garage-rock underground of the early 70s. The first recorded session with the Mee-Mees and Fischer took place on the balcony of Fischer's apartment. As the boys jammed their primitive Midwestern blend of the Godz and Amon Duul I, local kids showed up to gawk, and the cops eventually shut down the proceedings. Almost an hour of chaos and space-age freak-out came from this meeting: "Edge of Space," "You're Now in Our World," "Take Cover," "The Attack of the Intergalactic Cement Mixers," "In the World of Space," and a spastic take on the Velvet Underground's "Sister Ray." In 1973, the trio got together again, this time in Bruce Cole's basement (the scene of pretty much all other Mee-Mees recordings over the next three decades). This yielded more crazed rambling and free-form jamming. The outer-space themes had already been replaced by something darker, hinting at punk-rock that was already in the air: "I Am Nothing," "Mommy I'm Falling," and two more originals that even had titles which would later become underground touchstones: "Final Solution" and "Another World." No, they don't sound like the Pere Ubu or Richard Hell songs of 1976, but what did Ubu and Hell's Voidoids sound like in '73? Oh yeah, they didn't exist yet! Yes, these guys were "ahead of their time" in more ways than one. Thanks to the ever-groovy Gulcher Records, the two WARP SESSIONS from '72 and '73 (released as limited-edition Slippy Town CDRs in 2000 and 2001) are now available on a handy double CD. Also included is the previously unreleased "Floorbored," a bit of lunacy done by Bruce and Scott for the amusement of Jon, who had left St. Louis for college. Dig!

SCREW BONKERS (Captain Trip Records; Japan) $14
Unlike most bands, Japanese garage-glamsters Rouge took a step back to their pre-Dolls Stones roots in '77 instead of taking the punk route. Along with the name-change to Screw Bonkers, they added a Hammond organ to their basic line-up of vocals, guitars, bass, and drums. The playing here is perhaps a shade better than the inspired semi-comptent stumble of Rouge's Live 1976 CD, but it's still pretty primitive by most standards of that particular day. It's hard to tell the "originals" from their covers of "Brown Sugar," "It's All Over Now," and "Johnny Be [sic] Goode."

SHAFER/TUNIS
Drum Improvisations (Carbon Records) CDR $8
Brian Shafer and Joe Tunis cook up more than an hour of drum/percussion improvs performed with drum kits, Tibeten prayer bowls, mini-gong, brushes, sticks, cello bow, cymbals, lighting fixtures, thumb piano, bells, the walls of the room, etc. Numbered edition of 75. Released 2001.

SHEET
Live at the Bug Jar (Cardon Records) CDR $8
Before he got around to writin' songs for sad gurls, Hilkka member Nuuj did this half-hour assault that starts out pretty groovy and then becomes, um, harsh. It's a big 'un.

MIKE SHIFLET
Xenakis Youth (Carbon Records) CDR $8
10YR.Series.02: second in Carbon Records' 10-year anniversary CDR series. Carbon catalog: "This is an AMAZING collection of tones, glitches and drones. Would fit perfectly on your shelf alongside releases from such labels as Mego, Touch, Raster-Noton, etc. I was blown away by this when i got the master CDR from Mike in the mail." Released 2004.

SHIFTS
Vertonen (Humbug; Norway) CDR $11
Dutch composer Frans de Waard is Shifts. This is another of his nifty minimal crawls along the banks of the river nada. Much of it sounds like a scratchy, stuck record repeating--but pumped up so much that the cartridge hum overwhelms even the stuck-stylus. Amazingly, it's really constructed from samples of acoustic guitar! Here's some thoughts from the man hisself: "VERTONEN was recorded in 1995 when I lived in Den Haag. It's the first release (and maybe last?) by Shifts that uses samples, here all of the acoustic guitar. It was recorded on four track. These are the first five pieces on the release. I can't remember when I added the sixth and seventh piece, but basically it was still sampler and four track. the eighth version of vertonen will be released on Humbug's Cottage Industrial series and is a computer version of the original source material."

SHIFTS
Pangaea (Elsie and Jack Recordings) $11
Elsie and Jack: "Shifts, another pseudonym for Frans de Waard, a co-founder of Beequeen, also renowned for his ongoing experiments for recycling music with Kapotte Muziek. de Waard likes to treat his various guises with a broad stroke of monochrome paint...each name is something else, something different. Shifts as an idea has existed on paper for a number of years--only recently fully materializing in the form of two 7"s released on de Waard’s Korm Plastics label. d e W a a r d = m i n i m a l i s m and Shifts embraces the traditional concept of minimalism implementing multi-layered drone guitars and overtones that create an overwhelming atmosphere. Pangæa is indeed a concept album, inspired by the process of the earth's plates drifting apart into the four separate continents becoming the world we know today. The plate tectonics that cause the drifting is echoed in the music...blocks of sound are repeated in several layers to create an unworldly soundscape. There are four distinct sections to be noted here--although indexed as one track. There is a guitar sound to be spotted in the first and in the last section, the large middle section is just guitar generated overtones. Shifts, an altogether successfully realized observation from the ever prolific Frans de Waard." Released 1997.

SLUNKY SIDE
Warui Buttai (Captain Trip Records; Japan) $11
Fifth album by contemporary Japanese heavy-psych band. Released 2004

SPARKLE
Namaste Presents Jamana Hamro Laagi Ho... (Captain Trip Records; Japan) $12
All-girl pop-rock band from Nepal. Released 2001.

SPAZZMODICS
Vermin Perm (Dual Plover; Australia) $12
Dual Plover catalog: "If click clack front and back got you dancing prepare to stand again. if hall and oates had taken matches to puppies on stage they'd sound like this. Loud enough to attract complaints from your neighbours while smooth enough to entice them inside." Huh? I hear shit-grinnin' toe-tappin' sample-loop-noise-pop from a group who probably have no worse habits than the truly decadent poop that dominates the airwaves--airwaves which should be filled with this sorta culture-smashin' crab-dance mania. It's just Spazzmodics is more honest and much more exciting. Listen as they merrily mangle the pop-cult that blindly mangled Spazzmodics in the first place. No "songs" here, music fans--just the grooved-out remains of your world re-assembled for new listening possibilities. Shake yer head yes. Released 2003.

SPEED
Live at Loft '85 (Captain Trip Records) $12
Captain Trip catalog: "Speed was a legendary band formed by Kengo and Shinichi Aoki (ex.-Murahachibu) in 1976. This CD includes unreleased live recording from 1985. Cover art: Shinobu Ishimaru."

SQ
Monosite (Carbon Records) $8
Marc Faris + Joe Tunis 1997 Rochester NY 19 minutes mono handheld cassette recording free rock whirrrr grrrr hummmm mumble yell. I dig.

STALINGRAD SYMPHONY
Struggle (no label) CDR $8
2001 release by Bill McCarter (guitar), Michael Leigh (guitar), Leonard Keringer (bass), and Robert Kemp (drums). Bill McCarter was a founding member of Crawlspace, but left at the end of 1989. Leonard Keringer was also with Crawlspace in 1987, and currently plays with the Lazy Cowgirls. Michael Leigh is also with the Cowgirls. Robert Kemp runs a music store in Vincennes, Indiana--the small town from whence came the original Lazy Cowgirls (but not Keringer or Leigh) and most of the original Crawlspace (except yours truly Eddie Flowers). So, what kinda thang did these four guys do when they got together at Earle Mankey's studio? Well, it's sure not punk-rock! Instead, they whup through an intense 40-minute free-rock sprawl that's full of Velvety roar from McCarter, rock-jam diddlin' from Leigh, and a pretty swell rhythm section 'neath it all. My favorite "Crawlspace-related" release ever! (Sorry, Fearless Leader!)

HOWARD STELZER & THE CHERRY POINT
Gross (Carbon Records) CDR $8
Recorded in Boston and Los Angeles by Howard Stelzer and Phil Blankenship. Carbon catalog says: "the ninth in the Carbon 10 year anniversary CDR series. 46+ minutes of bi-costal, brutal, tape/electronic fabric. full, and right on!"

SUNSHIP SEXTET (Carbon Records) CDR $8
Cock E.S.P. and friends (including TLASILA go-go girl Misty Martinez) stir up a low-hum guitar-grind that slowly develops into "noise" and eventually some space-warp action. Recorded 2000 at a Sonic Youth gig in Minneapolis. Lmited edition of 100, each packaged in handmade cardboard cover with toner-transfer artwork and full-color inserts (including a provocative shot of Ms. Martinez). Not to be confused with Campbell Kneale's Sunship "power trio" from New Zealand.

DAMO SUZUKI BAND
Vernissage (Damo's Net Work; Germany) $15
Live in Austria 1990 with Can members Damo Suzuki (vocals) and Jaki Liebezeit (drums) joined by Dominik von Senger (guitar) and Matthias Keul (bass), members of Damo's 80s band Dunkelziffer. With covers of Can's "Halleluwah" and "Mushroom."

TABATA
Brainsville (Elsie and Jack Recordings) $10
Solo album by Zeni Geva guitarist Mitsuru Tabata. Released 1998.

THUNDERTRAIN
Teenage Suicide (Gulcher Records) $11
Thundertrain was a struttin', hard-rockin' band that came out of the mid-70s Boston scene that also included Willie Loco Alexander, DMZ, the Real Kids, Third Rail, Ready Teddy, and many others. A year after the band got together, they released their first single, "I'm So Excited"/"Cindy Is A Sleeper," in 1975. Although this was becoming more and more common for the neo-punk underground that was on the rise, the kind of hard-drivin' cock-rockin' sound Thundertrain produced was usually diluted for major-label consumption. But these New England boys opted for a more direct attack than their peers, casually merging bottom-heavy rippin' hard-rock with teen-pop sensibilities and occasional slide-guitar bursts that sounded like prime Johnny Winter. In fact, at the heart of Thundertrain are the same sort of blues riffs that defined rock'n'roll in the first place. Not many hard-rockers in 1975 claimed Paul Revere & the Raiders, the Remains, and the New York Dolls as prime influences. In 1976, with Willie Alexander sitting in on piano, they released a killer single called "Hot For Teacher!", beating Van Halen to the punch by many years. In '77, with the punk-rock revolution in full swing, they released an LP called Teenage Suicide. It was a great album, recorded live in the studio, but there was no way post-Sex Pistols punk-rockers would embrace something so hairy and full of cut-throat blues licks. Like so many bands before and after, what made them special was also what placed them outside of their own pop time. A few years earlier, they would've fit nicely beside other Boston bands like J. Geils and Aerosmith; and in the 1980s, they would've been the best "hair band" on the planet! Besides "Hot For Teacher!", the Teenage Suicide LP included eight other gems. "Hell Tonight," "Cheater," "Love The Way (You Love Me)," and "I Gotta Rock" are near-perfect 70s rockers--cut from the same gawdy cloth as Slade, T. Rex, Alice Cooper, Brownsville Station, and other pre-punk rabble-rousers. "Frustration" shows their 60s garage roots, with slashing "Louie Louie" chords. "Modern Girls" and "Forever And Ever" come close to garage-influenced pop in the Real Kids style, but with hard-rock swagger and big crunch added to the formula. Gulcher Records is now making Teenage Suicide available on CD, along with the "I'm So Excited"/"Cindy Is A Sleeper" single, Thundertrain's two songs from Live At The Rat (a double-LP comp recorded at the legendary Boston club), an unreleased studio track, and a radio interview. The disc comes packaged with a 24-page booklet that includes lots of photos, the Thundertrain story as told by frontman Mach Bell, and interviews with the other band members Steven Silva, Ric Provost, Gene Provost, and Bobby Edwards. To my ears, Thundertrain sounds even better now than they did a generation ago--no fashion show or aesthetic theory to detract from the uninhibited raw rockin'. This should be a mighty sweet listen for unrepentant rockers who choke at the putrid corpse that's usually presented as rock'n'roll in the 21st century. Take off your thinking cap and put on some stompin' shoes--this is the real shit, boys and girls.

THUNDERTRAIN
Hell Tonite! (Gulcher Records) $11
Live at the Summit Club in Peabody, Mass. on February 1, 1979. With versions of "Hell Tonite," "Love the Way," "Forever & Ever," "I Gotta Rock," "Cheater," and "Hot for Teacher" from their '77 TEENAGE SUICIDE album; previously unheard originals "Afterschool," "Readin'Riotin'Rock'n'Roll," "Counterattack," "Got Past You," and "Anything Money Can Buy"; covers of "Dirty Water" (The Standells) and "Mama Weer All Crazee Now" (Slade). Liner notes by singer Mach Bell.

TIERE DER NACHT
Sleepless (Captain Trip Records; Japan) $12
Maybe the most groove-dominated of the Tiere Der Nacht CDs, from '98. Almost as relentless as modern synthetic dance music, but that's still Mani Neumier and Luigi Archetti interacting like humans at the heart of every cut. Includes two prominent guest appearances by Cluster synth-man Moebius.

TRAVELIN' OCEAN BLUEBIRDS
Live in Lives (Captain Trip Records; Japan) $11
Live 2000 album from band led by Hiroshi Segawa of the Dynamites.

YAGIHASHI TSUKASA / SATO YUKIE / HIGO HIROSHI
Kumisuru (Jabrec Art Music; Japan) $14
Yagihashi Tsukasa (alto sax), Sato Yukie (electric guitar and "electro goods"), and Higo Hiroshi (electric bass and "electro") recorded March 2003 in Tokyo.

TV KILLERS
Playin' Bad Music Since '92 (Dead Beat Records) $7

12 CENT DONKEY
Where There Are No Roads (Gulcher Records) $11
Hoverin' low over the imaginary bayous of New England, 12 Cent Donkey's ambient boogie twists and turns, flows and moans, gets back and jumps ahead. 12 Cent Donkey is the duo of Steve Painter (guitars & effects) and Rick Breault (guitars & effects, tape manipulation, Ebow, electronic instruments & effects, bass, drums). These good ol' boys come from Massachusetts. Their first release was a CDR called No Cash Value (Slippy Town, 2004). This is their second thang. Dig it before they dig your grave. This is what I heard through the swelter of Valley heat and the fuzz of too much lager. . . . (1) "Where There Are No Roads" (title track): Birdies singin', guitars whirrin' and whinin', drum click-clackin', or is a train rollin' 'cross the tracks? No matter, the sounds all merge--no separation possible--yet we are all still doomed. (2) "Submerge": Slow burnin', guitar churnin', cranky chankin', lift-offin' surges of hard-pillow outside-in. The blues according to nobody but Donkey. But is that the ghost of Robert Pete Williams rockin' in his grandma's chair? Somebody just fell off the back porch. Again. (3) "Under the Bridge" (over the rainbow?): Crickets are chirpin'. Again. Guitar starts with a bit o' old-timey pickin' but quickly gives way to out-o'-timey drone and very swollen noisy clankin'. A vision of Desmond Dekker hoppin' off a freight train. Not that this is remotely reggae--but the roots are real deep--like the roots of an overgrown tree slowly rippin' up your floorboards. Mumblin' background, rumblin' foreground, tumblin' dice. Guitar soundin' like a busted harpsichord--baroque down in Clarksdale--call Johnny Lee, see if he can give us a ride to town. (4) "Swamp Shivers": Some peckerwood done slipped dowers into CCR's water cooler. The rhythm section nodded real quick, and yep, there goes J. Fogerty. Brother Tom gives Loren Mazzacane a call--CCR takes a whole new direction. And yeah, I still remember them groundhogs barkin'. Again. Boogie on. Tell Lightnin' Slim the news. (5) "To 7 Directions" (at least): Vocals on this one. Like singin'. Yeah, it's closer than anything else here to a "song." Well yeah, it is a song. Real nice guitar interplay--"primitive" but crystal clear even with wind blowin' sweetly against the microphone. Pack my grip, mama, I'm movin' to the country in the city in the sky. Keep on, honey, keep on--ain't nothin' to livin' but dyin'. Have another sip, pardner. End of (this) story.

U CAN UNLEARN GUITAR
No Strings (Yelpco/Sunship Records/Little Mafia Records/Breathmint) $10
"Best of" CD by U Can Unlearn Guitar a.k.a. Andrew Marshall Alper. Acoustic (mostly) "folk" songs of absurdist views and wiseguy humor mixed with tracks of noise, loops, etc. You get 21 cuts from nine albums released since '96.

THE UNKNOWN CASES & PHEW (Funfundvierzig; Germany) CD EP $9
Japanese singer Phew did a kinda classic self-titled album in 1981 with Hoger Czukay, Jaki Liebezeit, and Conny Plank. Twenty years later, this short disc (17:19) finds her working with a current German "club" band called the Unknown Cases. The music is dreamy post-Krautrock techno/trance, with Phew's vocal interjections and statements weaving in and out. The first mix of "Mishiho" has a nice Yoko-dub-techno thang goin' on.

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Black To Comm #25 fanzine + Imants Krumins Golden Jubilee Commemorative CD $15
CD with Simply Saucer, The Battleship Ethel with David Nelson Byers, The Coachmen, Ruby & The Rednecks. There are two unreleased 1974 live tracks by Simply Saucer ("Clearly Invisible" and "Ring-a-Ling Oh My"), four things by J.D. King's current incarnation of the Coachmen, two songs by Ruby & the Rednecks from their 2002 reunion at CBGB, a lengthy bit of free-rock sprawl from the Battleship Ethel with David Nelson Byers, and a bonus-track radio ad for Von LMO at Max's Kansas City. The zine is 164 pages, published late 2003. Chris Stigliano's long-running zine dedicated to obscuro 70s/60s rock, pre-80s fanzines, 50s TV culture, etc. He keeps his "anarcho-capitalist"/right-wing political blather to a minimum this time. What you get in this issue is 70s rock writer Scott Fischer's recollections of recording noise with the Screamin' Mee-Mees in '72/'73; the outside areas of 70s NY rock (Von LMO, Ruby & the Rednecks, journalist Fred Kirby, Max's booker Peter Crowley, Dictators, no wave, etc.); interview with comix artist J.D. King; gig listing and photos of Simply Saucer; a long letter from Lester Bangs to Miriam Linna; 70s fanzine stuff; lots of reviews of 60s garage, 70s punk, Krautrock, free jazz, and even some modern improv/free-rock stuff.

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Cottage Industrial Volume 2 (Humbug; Norway) CDR $8
With Pal Asle Petterson, the Cherry Point, United Bible Studies featuring Vinny Dermondy and Colleen, NOL, Edward Ruchalski, Anders Gjerde, Shifts, Peter Wright, Ivar Grydeland & Oyvind Torvund, Murmansk, Agitated Radio Pilot, Uton, and the Magickal Folk of the Faraway Tree.

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Damo Suzuki Presents: Inside Network (Damo's Net Work; Germany) 2CD $23
Double CD comp from ex-Can singer Damo Suzuki's German label. With Cul De Sac, Jelly Planet Featuring Michael Karoli, Tiere Der Nacht (with Guru Guru drummer Mani Neumeier), Farflung (doing a version of Can's "Future Days"), Anubian Lights, Sesku Roba, Sumski, Dominik Von Senger, Lee Buddah, Zeitloop, Yellow Sunshine Explosion, Uwe Jahnke, Mandog, Dead Voices On Air, Stephan Hendricks, Thomas Hopf, Maqam, Mahatok, Jonathan Lamaster & Principle Hope, Hendricks & Young, and Kukuriku.

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Elsie and Jack and Nick Drake: Sculpting from Drake Volume One (Elsie and Jack Recordings) $11
Nick Drake tribute disc from 2000. With Archer Prewitt ("Parasite"), Au Revoir Borealis ("Fruit Tree"), Flashpapr ("Northern Sky"), Ben Vida ("Horn"), Northern Song Dynasty ("Place to Be"), Electroscope with Zurich ("Things Behind the Suit"), Warn Defever ("Which Will"), Drekka ("Know"), The Autumns with Simon Raymonde "(Time of No Reply"), and Ray Speedway ("Pink Moon").

VARIOUS ARTISTS
The Gaiety Records Story (Pacemaker; Canada) $12
Canadian garage-rockers from the 1960s. The Checkerlads' five cuts are cool Mersey-influenced pop tunes played in a fairly tough straight-ahead style, with moments that also flash on Byrds/Dylan. The white-suited, bleach-blond White Knights seem like lounge goons giving the new moptop thing a whirl. With a name change to Tomorrow's Keepsake, their music became more, um, "psychedelic." Fuzzy guitar and California harmonies lead them to the inevitable conclusion that "our love is so groovy!" Which then leads to the more improbable "Eat Your Hotdog Boy," as they name-check their favorite fatty foods. The Plague do four snarling, slightly druggy tunes that nicely combine early psychedelic urges with real fuzz-punk stomp. Their version of "High Flyin' Bird" makes the West Coast acid connection clear. After changing their name to Lexington Avenue, they made the jump into "serious" late-60s rock, although the results sound closer to the Monkees than Jefferson Airplane. NRG do a Bee Gees-imitation pop tune, and then turn it up for a sweet toke of fuzz. Solid Reputation contribute two mild pop-psych tunes.

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Kick Off the Jams (Captain Trip Records; Japan) $12
Captain Trip catalog: "Live album recorded in Korea/Japan independent label Festival 2001. Including 19 tracks by 5 Korean groups (Kopchangjeongol, Oh! Brothers, Eunhee's Noul, My Aunt Mary, Cocore) and 2 Japanese groups (Mama Guitar, Marble Sheep). All unreleased tracks. Special poster cover. Japan only release."

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Love, Peace & Poetry: Asian Psychedelic Music (Q.D.K. Media; Germany) $14
Solid collection of 60s and 70s psychedelia from Asia and the Middle East. Best of all are the tracks by Turkish heavies Mogollar, Erkin Koray, Baris Manco, and 3 Hürel. Also of drop quality: "Simla Beat Theme" by the Fentones, from India; a wild anonymous rocker from Cambodia; and good for the gigglin' comedown is a fuzzy cover of "26 Miles" by the Quest (Singapore). Plus cool stuff by Teddy Robin & the Playboys (Hong Kong), San Ul Lim (Korea), Justin Heathcliff (Japan), the Mops (Japan), the Confusions (India), Jung Hyun & the Men (Korea), and Yuya Uchida & the Flowers (Japan) covering Jefferson Airplane's "Greasy Heart."

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Love, Peace & Poetry: Latin American Psychedelic Music (Q.D.K. Media; Germany) $14
18 tracks of super-rare Latin-American psych, 1967-1972. Featuring these artists: Almendra (Argentina), Laghonia (Peru), Traffic Sound (Peru), Kaleidoscope (Mexico), We All Together (Peru), Los Gatos (Argentina), Kissing Spell (Chile), Los Mac's (Chile), Los Vidrios Quebrados (Chile), Som Imaginario (Brazil), Ladies W.C. (Venezuela), Módulo 1000 (Brazil), The (St. Thomas) Pepper Smelter (Peru), and Dug Dug's (Mexico).

VARIOUS ARTISTS
The Noise Is All in Your Head (Gold Soundz; Norway) $12
International comp of noise and related sounds, with an emphasis on Norwegian artists. With Oren Ambarchi, Continental Fruit, Thurston Moore, OJN, Sindre Bjerga/Anders Gjerde, Noxagt, Lasse Marhaug, Volcano The Bear, Neil Campbell, Rats With Wings, The Wife Contract, If You Meet Your Anti-Self Don't Shake Hands, Dylan Nyoukis, Julian Bradley/A Companion As Glamourous As Sleeping On Wheels, Duo Kanel, Songs Of Norway, and DJ Bra Nesegir.

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Ones, Twos, and Threes (Old Gold) $7
From the liner notes: "Ones, Twos, and Threes is an occasion for individuals to explore new territories in improvisation and unfamiliar situations. The musicians participating in Ones, Twos, and Threes will come each Tuesday as individuals, apart from any existing ensembles--open to whatever possibilities might arise, and making music with other musicians who they may never before have met. The stage at Ones, Twos, and Threes is open to any musician who is open to improvising in unique circumstances. Vocalists, instrumentalists, dancers, poets and other improvisational artists are encouraged to participate. The program will consist of concise [under] statements by soloists, duos and trios with a possible finale by a large improvisational ensemble." Recorded in Atlanta, 1996, featuring these players: Jill Burton, Andrew Barker, Rob Mallard, Wes Daniel, Rob Pareham, Troy Piper, Charles Waters, David Daniell, Stewart Voegtlin, Ben Davis, Ben Young, Marshall Avett, and Andrew Burnes.

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Porn to Rock (Normal Records; Germany) $12
With Saboteur featuring Chloe Nichole, Vinnie Spit featuring Mistress Jacqueline, Madison, David Burrill, Marshall O Boy, Johnny Toxic, Nina Whett, Midori, Candye Kane, Geoffrey Karen Dior featuring Stacey Q, Ginger Lynn, Suzi Suzuki, and Hyapatia Lee.

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Psychosis from the Thirteenth Dimension: Sixteen Eccentric Heavy Psych Songs from 1967-1973 (Sound Stories) $12
The title kinda says it all, huh? Except you might want to replace "eccentric" with "dumb" for quite a bit of this. But it's "good" dumb! Fun! My faves: George Romanos' Greek-language "Life Is a Dream," with intro lifted from "Eight Miles High" and a wild-ass guitar solo; the haunted-house organ-groovin' "In a Castle" by Crazy Elephant (the Kasenetz-Katz bubblegum group?); Carolyn Hester's "Rise Like a Phoenix," Fricso-style folk-rock with lots of fuzzed-out guitar; the apocalyptic jazz-rock of Osmosis ("Of War and Peace)"; ridiculous heavy version of "California Dreamin'" by Calliope; Phil Osophy's (ha-ha) fuzzy instrumental version of Jimi's "Voodoo Child"; and the Queens Nectarine Machine's silly, overly arranged "Mysterious Martha" ("she's only 23"). Also includes tracks by Surprize, Savage Grace ("All Along the Watchtower"), Sugar Creek, Ecology, the Yankee Dollar, the Nickel Bag, Freak Scene, Snow, and Uge.

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Rare Surf Volume 6: The Capitol Masters 2 (ATM Records; Germany) $14
This hodge-podge of "surf era rarities, hot rod music, and Brian Wilson productions" features 33 tracks from the Capitol Records vault. Hottest are the Brian Wilson productions: four songs by Sharon Marie, the brilliant "Guess I'm Dumb" by future country-pop star Glen Campbell, and two from the Survivors. There are also some non-Brian Beach Boys-related items: two tunes by Hot Rod Rog (a.k.a. Roger Christian, DJ and sometime lyricist for the Beach Boys) and four by Shutdown Douglas (sax player Steve Douglas who played with Duane Eddy before doing sessions with Phil Spector and Brian Wilson). Susan Lynne's two tracks get nice Brian-like productions from songwriter Artie Kornfeld. Three of the best tracks here aren't really surf-style "hot rod music" at all: Johnny Bond's 1960 hit of "Hot Rod Lincoln," rockabilly legend Johnny Burnette doing "Sweet Suzie," and the Four Preps' 1957 recording of "26 Miles (to Santa Catalina)." Not to mention "Black Denim Trousers" and "Chicken," two novelty-style mid-50s tracks produced by Lieber and Stoller (featuring 70s TV game-show host Bert Convy as one of the three Cheers!). There are also instrumentals by Davie Allan & The Arrows and the Hollywood Vines (produced by Nick Venet); hot-rod vocal stuff by the Super Stocks and the Storytellers (Steve Barri and Carol Connors); etc.

VARIOUS ARTISTS
The Rebirth of Fool Volume 2 (Dual Plover; Australia) $12
Noise, damaged pop, ravaged techno, cut'n'paste craziness, phone calls, found sounds, and other fugged-up stuff by these artistes: ViVi, Melt Banana, Funky Terrorist, Damian Gooley, New Waver, Sweden, Stacey Longbottom, Sister Gwen McKay, Spasmodics, Kitchen Poofter, Etahan Walls, SA3, Golden Device, Jobs Daughters, Delire, Mute Freak, Bradbury, Simon Abulafia, M.O., Spanky, Toydeath, Meat Paste, Vocabularinist, the Shit, and Burner.

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Red Snerts (Gulcher Records) $10
Reissue of 1981 Gulcher Records LP compilation of Indiana punk and new wave. Most of the bands fall roughly into two categories. The first is post-Ramones punk: Dale Lawrence's Gizmos ("The Midwest Can Be Allright"), the Panics ("Drugs Are for Thugs"), the Zero Boys ("New Generation"), the Jetsons, the Defekts, and Post Raisin Band. The other "category" is art-damage new wave, mostly of the post-Devo sort: Mr. Science, A. Xax, Dow Jones & the Industrials (kinda punk too), Last Four (4) Digits, and Amoebas In Chaos. The Dancing Cigarettes fit in there too, but you can hear a lot more going on with them: Canterbury prog, free jazz, Captain Beefheart. On the other extreme, teenage Phil Hundley does an inspired 30-second garage-a-billy tune called "30 Second Affair." The duo of bay-root offers up an effective, no-bullshit take on English-inspired post-punk. These guys came from the "scene" in smalltown Vincennes, Indiana that exported the Lazy Cowgirls dudes to L.A. For this recording, future Cowgirls Pat Todd and Allen Clark were the rhythm section; vocalist Pat played bass, with Allen on drums. It's the first recording by both, and Slippy Town fans might want to note that Allen was also a founding member of Crawlspace. Finally, there's Freddy & the Fruitloops doing a dopey ska tune that may or may not be a "joke."

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Simply Good Taste: The Sounds of Slippy Town (Gulcher Records) $10
Like a lot of things I like best in life, Slippy Town (the label) came about by accident. I had put together a bunch of cassette-only releases by Crawlspace in 1999, using the name Slippy Sound. When I bought a CD recorder the next year, I started doing the same with this new format, but using outsidetheanthill as the label name. After a few more of these, I released a Crawlspace CDR called Birds Of The Southern Regions using the Slippy Town name. Soon after, Tony "Fritz" Rettman asked if I'd be into releasing a CDR by Big Whiskey, the New Jersey improv group he had just joined with brother Don Rettman and Dave Bryson. I almost wrote back to tell him that Slippy Town was just another outlet for Crawlspace, not really a label. Instead, I said yeah. Almost immediately, I thought that Bruce Cole would probably let me release the cassette from 1973 of his duo, the legendary Screamin' Mee-Mees, jammin' with rock writer Scott Fischer. Bruce said yes, and I figured why not keep doing this! By the end of 2002, I had released 20 limited-edition CDRs, mostly as a result of people approaching me. "Accidents" keep it happening! Slippy Town has also released three CDRs featuring English improv outsider Phil Todd (Ashtray Navigations): Jarvis/Joincey/Todd, Blackthorne Stick, and since this Gulcher comp was finished, To Suckle The Pups. There was also early ('92) weirdness by English drone master Neil Campbell and erstwhile partner Stewart Walden; a great disc by Italian no-wave/noise gals Allun; early recordings from Scottish low-tech electronics dude Ian Middleton (a.k.a. Remora); a live set by Czech prog-punk band Lebedung; a short disc by Joe+N (a.k.a. Joe Tunis, who runs Carbon Records and plays in Pengo out of Rochester, New York); the debut by Swedish living-room psych-distortion "band" Joshua Jugband 5 (really Jakob Olausson doing everything on his 4-track); even earlier sounds by the Screamin' Mees-Mees & Scott Fischer (from '72!); reissues of the two Mee-Mees LPs from the 90s; Bruce Cole doing a kinda fill-in version of the Mee-Mees called Not A Sonata (from 1986); and more stuff by my band Crawlspace. Besides tracks from the various Slippy Town CDRs, this Gulcher comp CD includes a few unreleased things, including a couple groovy surprises. Allun mainwoman Stefania, boyfriend Bruno Dorella, and the rest of OvO contribute a wild slice of primo Italo-no-skronk; Joe+N clangs around for awhile on a new track recorded for the comp; and Crawlspace goes totally infantile on the pre-school rocker "Five." Adding to the timespacewarpage that always smells up Slippy Town real good are a couple unreleased 70s tracks from my personal past: the first take of the Gizmos' "Hey Beat Mon!" (with MX-80's Rich Stim on sax), and a no-fi crack-up of the Yardbirds' "Shapes of Things" done by Brooklyn's infamous O. Rex (Solomon and Jay Gruberger; Gizmos founder Kenne Highland; yours truly sittin' in on drums). Hope you enjoy 'em all as much as I do! Released April 2003.

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Snow Robots Volume 1 (Suction Records; Canada) $10
Suction Records catalog: "Snow Robots Volume 1 is a retrospective compilation CD from Canada's premiere source of robot music, Suction Records. Suction Records was founded in early 1997 by likeminded robot music composers Lowfish (Gregory de Rocher), and Solvent (Jason Amm). This CD compiles Suction's out-of-print vinyl releases from 1997 in their entirety, and also features several exclusive goodies, both new and old. Suction Records' first 2 vinyl-only releases from 1997 highlight their 'distortion pedal new wave' beginnings. These tracks by Solvent, Lowfish and David Kristian are now available for the 1st time on CD. Originally brought out of the woodwork by Aphex Twin's Analogue Bubblebath material, the Suction robots joyously indulged in raw, distortion-pedal analog madness. But this was no Rephlex knock-off, for the Suction robots had already built up an impressive resume, with several years of bedroom-studio experience, and well-versed in the early works of Cabaret Voltaire, Human League, and Skinny Puppy. The results are dark and filthy, but with a reckless sense of enthusiasm that will charm. To compliment the chaos, Suction have rounded out Snow Robots Volume 1 with six variations on Suction's patented melodic electro-pop theme: Two pre-suction tracks by Gregory de Rocher -- soothing, melodic and timeless electronica recorded in 1996 under the pseudonym Pest(e); A remix of Solvent by Detroit's mutant techno-pop duo, Adult., who also run the seminal Ersatz Audio label; A remix of Lowfish by Germany's Lali Puna -- moody electronic pop with paranoid female vocals (their debut LP was released on Morr Music / Darla); And a brand new, exclusive track each from Solvent and Lowfish -- two melodic electro tracks that are definitive Suction."

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Snow Robots Volume 2 (Suction Records; Canada) $10
Suction Records catalog: "Snow Robots Volume 2 is a retrospective compilation CD from Canada's premiere source of robot music, Suction Records. Suction Records was founded in early 1997 by likeminded robot music composers Lowfish (Gregory de Rocher), and Solvent (Jason Amm). This CD compiles Suction's out-of-print vinyl releases from 1999 in their entirety, and also features several new and exclusive goodies. Suction Records' 3 vinyl-only releases from 1999 chronicle suction's development from lo-fi electro mayhem to the melodic analog electro-pop sound that is now synonymous with Suction. This development was a reaction to changes in the bedroom-electronics scene, which was rapidly being overcrowded by computer geeks who treated music like code -- clicking their mouses furiously while already imagining the e-newsgroup fame that lay ahead. The Suction robots had had enough with all of this 'digital irony'; things just weren't sounding fresh anymore. And so, past masters were pulled from the record crates and re-evaluated with new ears; Depeche Mode, Roedelius, and OMD sounded warmer, and more vital than ever before, and this made a great impression. On Snow Robots Volume 2, you will still hear Suction's affinity for lo-fi weirdness, but you will also discover a noticeable refinement in these crucial robot-composer skills: melody, composition, and synthesis. In 1999, Suction Records sourced the globe for robot-composers whose music demonstrated an affinity for these musical ideals -- and found some: D'Arcangelo, from Rome, who have recorded for Rephlex, Nature and too many others to mention; Pluxus, naive electronic pop from Sweden; Tinfoil Teakettle, who were easy to find as they are in fact a Solvent and Lowfish collaboration; and Manchester's Brioche Kretzaal, a collaborator with UK labels Skam and V/Vm. The same traits were sought from our team of wonderful remixers: The UK's soothing electronica maestros ISAN (Darla, Static Caravan, Morr Muisc...); Rome's videogame-pop duo Mat-101; former Le Car member and current Detroit electro-pop subversive Perspects; and Suction's newest full-time robot, Berlin's Skanfrom, who's debut full-length CD will be released on Suction in 2001. Snow Robots Volume 2 also features a brand new, exclusive preview of Solvent's overseas collaboration with the highly-regarded Austrian vocalist and recording artist, G.D.Luxxe, whose last 12" on Interdimensional Transmissions left Solvent speechless. 'That,' he resolved, 'is the kind of vocalist I've always wanted to work with.' "

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Songs of Faith and Inspiration: Spiritual Psychedelic Rock for the Devoted Listener (Sound Stories) $12
Here's a twist on the old Nuggets-style garage-psych comp: the transcendent psychedelic experience presented, primarily, as the dualistic good/bad-on/off trip that keeps causin' all our troubles in the first place (sez me!). But who can resist a little Satan'n'God drama when it comes in such nutty, convoluted, rockin' forms! Topper's heavy, kinda proggy "Hell's Fire" suggests Crowley influences (+ Arthur Brown), and sounds possibly induced by actual chemical consumption (much of this CD does not sound like the real lysergic deal). It also suggests speed and/or strychnine laced into the sacred sugar cube--yiiiiiieeeeeee. Sounds good, though. On the flip side of this philosophical coin, the Crusaders do an early version of that hideous beast known as Christian rock, complete with cool fuzz solo. The Vatican's point of view gets warped and then flipped on the Little Boy Blues' "Cathedral," which beat Sabbath to the heavy-riff Catholic thing by a couple years. Speaking for the dangerously psychotic minority is Superfine Dandelion's "Janie's Tomb," a good-time jug-band tune about necrophelia! Most of the songs here aren't as explicit in their message as these examples, but there's plenty of churchy organ, vague lyrical platitudes, and righteous fuzz guitar. There's also the usual "psychedelic" cover versions: Screamin' Jay Hawkins' "I Put a Spell On You" by the Druids of Stonehenge (who should know what they're singing about!), Max Frost & the Troopers' "Shapes of Things to Come" done by the Glad, and Stepson's heavy take on the Animals' "In My Life." Penrod's intense "Sometimes Alone" is one of the few things here that seems definitely drenched by the L light; they start like a heavier 13th Floor Elevators, and eventually break apart into inspired guitar-overload chaos. Also of dose quality is "The Fourth Pipe" by Orange Swirl Society, full of heavy guitar vibrations, ascending double leads, and synthesizer burble-swirls; this 'un's got that melt-yer-walls quality all the way through. Plus tracks by Edge, Moonstone, Circus Maximus, Smokestack Lightnin', the Brew, Curfew, Plus, New Mix, Jolliver Arkansaw/Leslie, and Grapes of Rathe. Whew. Amen.

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Xmas Snertz: Have a Very Gulcher Christmas! (Gulcher Records) $10
Gulcher press release: "Happenin' holiday music from 16 Gulcher artists including Thundertrain's MACH BELL; GIZMOS Kenne Highland (Vatican Sex Kittens), Eddie Flowers (Crawlspace), Ted Niemiec, and Phil Hundley (back for his second helping of Snerts); the MX-80 SOUND Family of Angel Corpus Christi, Rich Stim, and MX-80 themselves; UK Power Pop from the STIFFS, MONSTERPOP, and the AUTOMATICS; Bill McCarter's STALINGRAD SYMPHONY; Ken Kaiser's X-RAY TANGO and, from '78 with Highland, THE KORPS; Bloomington's WALKING RUINS; and from San Francisco everyone's favorite queers, PANSY DIVISION!! Sixteen Holiday Rockers!! Thirteen Previously Unreleased!! Twelve Original Songs!! You'll have a VERY GULCHER CHRISTMAS this year!!" And here's what Slippy Town (Eddie) has to add on the subject: The Crawlspace track, "Christmas Time Is Here Again," is a very loose arrangement based on a little thing from the Beatles' 1967 Fan Club record (I was a member at ages 10 and 11). Original Gizmo Ted Niemiece gives us his first new public recording since 1978. MX-80 does "(I Spent) Christmas With the Devil." The Korps track is an alternate take of "The Blizzard of '78" from their 1978 HELLO WORLD! LP. The Stalingrad Symphony track is a section edited from their epic STRUGGLE CD, with a holiday title that suggests something I've yet to hear (eh?). Released December 2003.

ESTHER VENROOY
To Shape Volumes, Repeat (Robo Records; Belgium) $12
Robo Records catalog: "Esther Venrooy resides in a constant snakepit of modular movements and sonic acupuncture. An imaginary, almost filmic world where gameboys morph into howling wherewolves, ravening the shattered bits of saxophone sounds with vague buzzing and popping crackles. Anchored by the subtle use of harmony and dynamism, she opts for processed meditations in maze examples, combining more traditional electro-acoustic composer techniques with frigid, slightly harsher shots of deconstructed digital fuckery. She sure sharps some sonic pencils with swirling layers that are cut up, mangled and dragged into the present. Not your average run of the mill cocktail waitress becomes Hollywood coddle story but pretty goddamn addictive blackened ambience. Bathing in a selfconsciously dense atmosphere, loaded with contrasting metallic chunks of noise, she manipulates the rumbles with rich expression and acute arrangements that develop into a desolate electronic landscape. The balancing cord between audio and visual thundering she aspires towards. Her approach never wears out and diving into the realms of film fragments and striking field recordings, she pursues a journey where the source material is anything but traceable. All that megaton sonic alchemy weighs up and shows this is way more than an angry lady that turned her back on academic audio processing, the kind of sweaty dust that belongs in retirement homes. Next thing you know you are fragmented into a non-executable floorplan. The storm has spent itself."

VIOLENT STUDENTS
Violent Students (Parts Unknown Records) $11

VOTE ROBOT
In Meorm NA (Scratch Recordings; Canada) $11
Vote Robot is two Canadian guys doing low-key electronic stuff that includes plenty of noisy glitchin', klangy grooves, spontaneous melodies, wheezy loops, and blissed-out floatscape. The 12 short tracks give the disc an odd, rock-like feel. Released 2001.

WAGSTAFF/JARVIS
Species and Severity (Imvated; Belgium) 3-inch CDR $8
Imvated catalog: "a little popalbum by two England hoolies Andy Jarvis and Joincey [Wagstaff]. this album was once set to flames by a guy called Greg Clucas." In this case, "pop" means improvised "songs" done in the free-noise manner. You might remember Jarvis and Joincey from their associations with Phil Todd and Betley Welcomes Careful Drivers (Jarvis/Joincey/Todd, Target Shoppers, Anna Planeta, Green Monkey, etc).

THE WALKING RUINS
Fall of the House of Ruin (Gulcher Records) $10
Remastered reissue of out-of-print 1996 CD by band featuring John Barge and Ian Brewer, formerly of 80s teen punks the Panics. These dudes' vision in '96 was pretty much the same as '81: they blast through nineteen short'n'fast manifestos, including "Lost Cause," "Withered Hand," "Won't Take My Medicine," "Cult Leader," "Stalin's Crayon," "Alien Autopsy," "Frat Row," and a cover of Vom's classic "Punkmobile."

DAVEY WILLIAMS
Charmed, I'm Sure (Ecstatic Peace) $12
Wild-ass distorto improv boogie from Birmingham, Alabama avant-guitar master. Davey gets surprisingly raw and aggressive, building up layers of guitars into rock/blues-like attacks. In the tradition of Sonny Sharrock's Guitar album, Pat Metheny's Zero Tolerance for Silence, and of course, Mr. Zoot Horn Rollo. Hotcha!

WOOLDRIDGE BROTHERS
The Unreel Hits (Gulcher Records) $10
Gulcher catalog: "Who are the Wooldridge Brothers? Likely a band you've already heard, without realizing it! Several Wbs songs have landed in some unusual places, including the movies Contact and Changing Habits, TV soaps Party Of Five and The Young & The Restless, and E! TV's Nearly Famous reality show. But the strangest appearance yet for these thoroughly Midwestern brothers was finding two of their compositions on the 'Anna Nicole Smith Show'! And why Gulcher Records?! As a matter of fact, Scott and Brian Wooldridge are making their second Gulcher appearance! Way back in 1981, when the brothers were learning to drive and cutting their teeth in the new wavey Post Raisin Band, Gulcher included their power pop classic 'Pink Lincoln' on its Various Hoosiers compliation, Red Snerts. Relocating to Milwaukee, Scott and Brian spent the 1980s polishing their songwriting in the Squares, and by decade-end had refocused as the eponymous Wooldridge Brothers. Prolific songwriters, the Wbs explored a range of styles on their three 1990s albums, Skeleton Keys, Star Of Desire, and Uncovering The Sun. Falling somewhere between Wilco and Nick Lowe, 'alt-pop-alt-country' could be their multi-hyphenated genre! A SXSW showcase scored a publishing deal, and the Hollywood song placements followed. By Y2K, fans were clammoring for unreleased material heard at Wbs live performances, circulating on tapes and MP3 players. In 2001, Brian and Scott released 13 of those songs on the original, limited-edition Unreel Hits, promoted through their website. Gulcher Records recognized a diamond in the rough is still a diamond, added three bonus tracks, and proudly presents this 2003 reissue of The Unreel Hits, a collection of Wooldridge Brothers demos and outtakes spanning seven years and three albums."

WORKSHOP
Welcome Back the Workshop (Captain Trip Records; Japan) $14
More garage dub, psych-o-delic grooves, and good humor from 90s Krautrockers. Reissue of their second album; like their first, released in 1990. The production is a bit more polished, the tracks are longer, and the colors are darker.

MYKAL XUL
Gizmo My Way: Unsung Anthems of Ken Highland & The Gizmos (Gulcher Records) $10
Mykal Xul covers 12 Ken Highland songs: "Juvenile Delinquent" (Afrika Korps), "Creem Dream" (never recorded), "Hot Shot" (Gizmos live song that was never given a studio treatment), "Refrigerator Rappin'" (Afrika Korps), "She Put A Spell On Me" (never recorded), "Ode To Adny's Dics" (O. Rex/Afrika Korps song that was never recorded), "Webzine Pussy" (update of "Fanzine Pussy" which turned up in demo form on the Gizmos' Demos & Rehearsals CD), "Lorraine" (Afrika Korps), "Talkin' On The Telephone" (Gizmos/Afrika Korps song never recorded in the studio), "Nobody's Girl" (The Korps), "Ready Eddie" (never recorded), and "Dance To The Beat" (never recorded).

YELLOW SWANS
Psychic Secession (Load Records) $10

YELLOW SWANS & THE CHERRY POINT (Troniks) $10

ZABLOUDILA
Plyta Kompaktowa Niskoszumowa (Manufracture/Malarie; Czech Republic/Bar La Muerte; Italy) $12
Gleefully crazed improv tribal stomp from a long-running group of Czech weirdos. Percussive hyper-strum guitar, rumbling bass, growling whooping femme vocal, free-float electronics, and caveman drumming move it along with itchy chaos and very strange charm. Three long pieces; just under an hour total. 2001 release. Highly recommended.

ZI:LIE-YA
Denkousekka (Captain Trip Records; Japan) $12
Captain Trip catalog: "New project of Toshiyuki 'Kiku' Shibayama from SONHOUSE (legendary 70's Japanese Group). Garage Punkish Rock'n'Roll!! MC5 meets LED ZEPPELIN."