A Couple From Crucial

I ordered up a couple of new releases from Crucial Blast and they arrived today. After reading some reviews and an interesting description of their music, the debut full-length CD from Wildildlife sounds right up my alley. Yet another Nadja album has been released, this time it's not a reissue but brand new material from the duo who both play bass and are accompanied by a live drummer this time around. Can't wait hear where their sound is heading. Both CDs come in high quality mini-LP gatefold sleeves.

CDs From 20 Buck Spin

Put in an order to 20 Buck Spin since there was a distro sale and some new releases available. As a teaser for the full length album, the collaboration between Black Boned Angel and Nadja has produced an EP with a 21+ minute track. Can't wait to hear how the full length album will turn out for 20 Buck Spin. The lone new label release comes from Humanfly. They're one of the best bands from the Neurosis/Isis mold I've heard in awhile.

Other distro items include the debut double album from Monarch! and collaborations Fear Falls Burning did with Nadja and Birchville Cat Motel.

While I Was Away And A Trip To Lou's

While being out of town for awhile, I got a couple of packages in the mail. The second release from Volcom's 7" split series features the pairing of Witch and Earthless doing exclusive tracks. I have a feeling it will be my favorite of the series. As arriving were a pair of releases from Profound Lore - Half Makeshift's Omen and Nadja's remastered reissue of Bliss Torn From Emptiness.

At Lou's Records I picked some new releases that came out on Tuesday by Nine Inch Nails, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and Torche. I also bought newer releases from Silver Mt. Zion, Dead Raven Choir and yet another Nadja reissue.

Three New Ones From Archive

Arriving yesterday were the latest three new releases from Archive CD.

After releasing the collaboration with Keiji Haino, Sitaar Tah! now have their own Archive release and it's a monster of a track. 40+ minutes of subtle variation with lots of textures from percussion and sitar orchestra. There's even some throat singing added to the mix.

Religious Knives is a name I've been seeing in my search for new music but I never did check them out. So when I heard Archive was doing a live release from them I decided to wait for it to be my introduction to them. Sounded good to me first listen so I'll have to track down more material by them. It's been awhile since I've listened to Double Leopards but I this seems to be a much different project for the duo.

Nadja have (I believe) put out their first live album that features a pair of lengthy tracks from two of their albums from last year. Since it was performed as a duo live, it has a bit more of a stripped-down feel to it.

For distro items I picked up the latest double album from Suishou No Fune and the first pressed CD (to my knowledge) from Silvester Anfang.

Back To Lou's

Now that summer is over with and traffic on the freeway is not insane, I finally made a trip to Lou's Records in search of some new releases. All but one of the CDs was a recent release and I managed to score some good vinyl.

CDs:
Area C - Haunt
Kawabata Makoto - INUI 4
Nadja - Radiance Of Shadows
Om - Pilgrimage
Deathspell Omega - Kenose

Vinyl:
Oren Ambarchi - Stacte Motors
Oren Ambarchi & Scott Horscroft / Hado Ho - Split
Big Business - Here Come The Waterworks (gold vinyl)
GHQ - California Night Burning Dreams (plus 3" CD-R)
LSD March - Shindara Jigoku
Silvester Anfang - Echte Vlaamse Geiten

Arriving the mail during the weak was another vinyl release from Three Lobed Recordings. Under the name of Basalt Fingers, Elisa Ambrogio, Ben Chasny and Brian Sullivan play some improvised guitar-only music that take up both sides of the record. I previewed a bit of the music just hear what it was like (different from what I expected) so I still need to sit down with this one for a spin. Love the fact that a pressed CD of the vinyl material has been included with the silk screened packaging.

Heavy Stuff

The latest batch of purchases focuses mostly on the heavy side of rock music. I picked up the new Baroness album simply titled 'Red Album'. A departure from their two EPs as the aggression has been turned down for more varied songwriting. Nadja's millionth release of the year is an EP called 'Guilted By The Sun' that is probably the heaviest thing they have done so far as well as their shortest release and individual songs. Valkyrie's self-titled debut album came recommended and after liking the first track I ordered the CD. I still need to listen to the whole thing.

For some older albums I picked up The Mystick Krewe Of Clearlight's self-titled album that has some fine southern-inspired (instrumental) swamp jams on it. For a freebie I got Stinking Lizaveta's album 'III' which I believe is all instrumental as well. The lone LP in the group is a reissue of Sleep's coveted second album 'Sleep's Holy Mountain'. Comes in nice gatefold sleeve with original artwork and lyrics. Nice to see this hit the wax.

Trip To Lou's + TLR

Arriving on Thursday was the latest CD release from Three Lobed Records. Actually coming in a standard jewel case, the disc collects the best from three CD-R releases by Wooden Wand Hassara.

Titled Hassara 'Backyard I-III', the album features eight instrumentals that sounds nothing like I've heard from a Wooden Wand release. I had no idea what to expect on this release (would it be like the "free folk" of the Vanishing Voice albums or more like the folky singer-songwriter approach of the Sky High Band and Omen Bones Band) but find it's a bit of both styles with more of a psych rock approach. There are some nice long jams with most of the tracks over nine minutes in length. With only one listen under my belt, I've only scratched the surface. Should get better with more listens. Another solid release from Cory at Three Lobed. Can't wait for the Turnstone album.

Yesterday I went to Lou's to pick up a bunch of new releases that have come out in the past couple of weeks. The list:

CDs -

Do Make Say Think - Do Make Say Think :: finally completed their discography
Earth & KK Null Tour Split CD :: out of print so I had to snag a copy
Goon Moon - Licker's Last Leg
Grave Temple - The Holy Down
Michio Kurihara - Sunset Notes [2007 Reissue] :: finally released domestically for a much lower price
Nadja - Truth Becomes Death
Neurosis - Given To The Rising
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez - Se Dice Bisonte, No Bùfalo
Pelican - City Of Echoes :: I found this to be a much better album than I first thought
Queens Of The Stone Age - Era Vulgaris
Queens Of The Stone Age - The Fun Machine Took A Shit & Died (Single) :: Came with the above
Year Of No Light - Nord :: Domestically released by Crucial Blast

LPs -

Bardo Pond / Pre - Split 10"

Catching Up

Been getting lots of new stuff this week, most recently orders in from Eclipse Records and All That's Heavy. Many new albums from this year in this batch. So far 2007 has been a fantastic year of releases. The list of new stuff:

CDs:

Acrimony - Tumuli Shroomaroom
Brant Bjork And The Bros - Somera Sól
Buried At Sea - Migration
Causa Sui - Free Ride
Nadja - Corrasion
Orange Goblin - Healing Through Fire

LPs:

Brant Bjork And The Bros - Somera Sól
Raccoo-oo-oon - Mythos Folkways Vol. 1
Wooden Wand/Hust Arbors - Split 7"
Hush Arbors/Voice Of The Seven Woods - Split 7"

Trip To Lou's + ATH

A trip to Lou's Records and then an arrival of a package from All That's Heavy means many new LPs and CDs today. Here's the list:

CDs -
Asbestosdeath - Dejection Unclean (EP)
Green Milk From The Planet Orange - You Take Me To The World
Grinderman - Grinderman
Growing - Vision Swim
Johnny Cash - American Recordings
Nadja - Touched
Orthodox - Gran Poder
Porcupine Tree - Fear Of A Blank Planet
Sleep - Jerusalem
The Stars - Will
The Stars - Perfect Place To Hideaway
Viaje A 800 - Diablo Roto De...

LPs -
Boris & Merzbow - Walrus/Groom 12"
Godspeed You Black Emperor! - Life Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven! 2LP
Sunn O))) & Boris - Altar 3LP

Archive CDs

It's always a great day when the latest releases from Scott Slimm's Archive Records arrive in the mail. Being mostly a documentation of live shows, both of the new releases are actually studio works. First up is a collaboration between Carlos Giffoni and Lasse Marhaug titled 'Lesbian Brunch'. Second is a release from Aidan Baker under his Nadja moniker titled 'Thaumogenesis'.

I also picked up a couple of distro items he had: Titan's untitled album on Paradigms and a live tour-only CD from acoustic guitarist James Blackshaw titled 'Waking Into Sleep'.

Robotic Lore

A couple of orders came today. Robotic Empire put out the double vinyl LP of Isis' new album here in the US. I managed to snag a copy of the violet colored wax that is limited to 299 copies. The vinyl sounds fantastic considering it's less than 180g. Apparently the EU version was on 180g platters. The other order came from Canada's Profound Lore Records who reissued Nadja's Bodycage with a couple of untitled bonus tracks not found on the CD-R version and a copy of Asunder's Works Will Come Undone. I don't know anything about Asunder other then they play some long, epic doom metal.