RALPH'S WORLD
All Around Ralph's World
Rain on the City
Rain on the City is Freedy Johnston’s first album of new originals in eight years. Recorded in Nashville with producer Richard McLaurin, it’s one of the best song collections of Freedy’s career, featuring a diverse array of rockers, heartbreaking twang, even hints of blue-eyed soul and bossa nova. "Johnston also seems to have gotten his stride back as a songwriter, and these 11 tunes are full of the sharp but thoughtful wordplay and unique characters that make his best work so pleasurable; quite simply, it's hard to imagine anyone else writing something quite like "The Devil Raises His Own," "Venus Is Her Name," or the title track, and his dusty Midwestern tenor brings these stories to vivid life, which listeners can soak up like they would a good book." - All Music Guide |
Fa cé-La (single vers.) b/w Raised Eyebrows limited edition Insound 7" single containing the single version of "Fa cé-La" b/w "Raised Eyebrows" (album version). |
Crazy Rhythms
The Feelies, debut album Crazy Rhythms released in 1980 is finally back in print. The much loved group of hyper active indie rockers from Haledon New Jersey influenced the sound of college radio and inspired many to pick up guitars and form bands. Crazy Rhythms is a masterwork of perfectly honed minimalist rock ‘n’ roll that leaps and darts into the corners of the listeners consciousness, a true sonic achievement that Rolling Stone called one of the 100 Best albums of the 1980s. Fans of the Velvet Underground, Wire and Brian Eno’s early solo albums will surely appreciate their forces at work. • Bonus material including demos, b-sides and new live recordings will be included via download cards inserted in the LP and CD • Deluxe packaging with liner notes by Jim DeRogatis • Release to coincide with Feelies performance of Crazy Rhythms in its entirety at All Tomorrow's Parties • Available for the first time in over a decade. |
Crazy Rhythms Limited 180 gram LP. Download card included which contains the entire album plus bonus tracks either as 320 MP3s or WAV files. |
The Good Earth
It took the Feelies six years to create The Good Earth, their follow-up album to Crazy Rhythms. The album was co-produced by Feelies co-captains Glenn Mercer and Bill Million along with REM’s Peter Buck who was a Feelies admirer since his days as a record store clerk. The Good Earth was an early release on Coyote Records the label started by Steve Fallon of Maxwell’s in Hoboken where the group became one of the club’s most popular acts. The Good Earth featured the line-up that continues to this day. The album is an interesting mix of layered acoustic and electric guitars and their signature percussion sound. • Bonus material including EP tracks and a new live recording will be included via download cards inserted in the LP and CD • Deluxe packaging with liner notes by Jim Sullivan • Available for the first time in over a decade. |
The Good Earth Limited 180 gram LP. Download card included which contains the entire album plus bonus tracks either as 320 MP3s or WAV files. |
Here and Now hERE aND nOW is the first new collaboration in almost two decades by Peter Holsapple and Chris Stamey, the acclaimed songwriters and creative nucleus of The dB’s, whose wistful Repercussion album (1979) proved influential on the careers of R.E.M., They Might Be Giants, Matthew Sweet and many others. From the opening strains of “My Friend the Sun” (yes, the obscure Family song from the ‘70s, recast as as this album’s positioning statement), you’ll know it’s the goods. The album features legendary saxophonist Branford Marsalis on two tracks, drum aces Jon Wurster (Superchunk, Son Volt, the Mountain Goats) and Logan Matheny (Roman Candle, The Rosebuds) and percussionist Gary Greene (Hootie and the Blowfish, Big Head Todd) bring power to tracks such as “Some of the Parts” and “Widescreen World,” and the dB's’ rhythm section Gene Holder (bass) and Will Rigby (drums) join in on the atmospheric “Santa Monica.” "Once in awhile a record comes along that is so special, so singularly amazing, that it nearly defies criticism. The album hERE aND nOW by Peter Holsapple and Chris Stamey is such a disc.” —MUSOSCRIBE.COM |
My Friend the Sun b/w Broken Record (7" single) limited edition 7" single featuring two album tracks from "hERE aND nOW". "My Friend the Sun" b/w "Broken Record". Locked-groove on "Broken Record"! |
Eleven Songs
Luka Bloom, the much loved Irish troubadour, has been impressing audiences for years with his exhilarating live solo performing style. ELEVEN SONGS is his 11th album and it is a return to the bold production work of his early Warner releases RIVERSIDE and THE ACOUSTIC MOTORBIKE. In the interim he has continued to work on innovative approaches to solo acoustic guitar and his voice has developed an incredible range that rolls from deep bass tones to soaring falsetto. For the new album he has written a classic batch of songs including the catchy country folk of “On Your Side” and the poignant tour de force “Don’t Be Afraid of the Light That Shines Within You.” Produced with David Odlum of the Frames. |
Defektor Greg Camp, guitarist and Grammy nominated songwriter has stepped out of the SmashMouth fold after 10 years. Having penned most of the pop outfit’s multiplatinum hits, Camp has decided to take this step in an effort to further explore the hidden corners of his overactive pop muse. Defektor boasts songs about sticky-fingered hotel maids, unpredictable ex-lovers, the end of the world and strung-out super models and plays like a guided tour through Camp’s diverse musical imagination. The album was written, recorded and mixed in Camp’s new recording studio Seavolt Sound, where left to his own devices, he ditched all ballast and chased countless ideas down rabbit holes. He emerged from the studio with a healthy handful of shiny new songs, spanning influences from 60’s pop, surf, garage, spaghetti western soundtracks, rock ‘n roll, new wave, and funk. |
Lavalogy Richmond, VA's Hot Lava present a collection of incredibly fun, joyous, and endearing songs; contemporary indie-rockness with a retro flair, calling to mind bobby socks and beach blanket bingo. RVA Magazine describes Lavalogy, "Stirring up the ingredients of surf music, lounge and pop rock, then throwing them into some sort of lo-fi electro tornado, they've crafted one fine birthday cake you know something wonderful is about to jump out of." "This is pink tambourine utopia!" enthuses Perfect Sound Forever, waxing poetic about Hot Lava's "digital basement bling" and "under the charm killer songwriting... polaroids from teen eternity." |
Clouded Staircase Starling Electric was originally formed by singer/songwriter Caleb Dillon, and has since grown into the dynamic four-piece that exists today. Described as "...startling and arch orchestral pop music of the best kind", the group is a melting pot of 60's and 70's influences - the melodic harmonies of the Beach Boys, Zombies, and The Byrds; the prog and art-rock exploration of Yes, 10cc, Genesis, and Elton John; the baroque craftsmanship of the Left Banke and Love; and the pomposity and swagger of The Who, Queen, and ELO. In their first two years playing together, they've shared bills with Robert Pollard (of Guided By Voices), The Hidden Cameras, Evan Dando, Saturday Looks Good To Me, The Sights, Canada, Chris Bathgate, Great Lakes Myth Society, The Satin Peaches, and many others. "'Clouded Staircase' is definitely a TOP TEN record for me personally..." - Jon Auer, The Posies/Big Star |
Firecracker People Firecracker People the sophomore effort from former Ben Folds Five drummer Darren Jessee’s Hotel Lights is the group’s first studio album since 2006’s self-titled debut and the subsequent goodnightgoodmorning EP, released later that year. Of the debut record, Harp Magazine says, “The Lights prove capable of everything from gently ferocious propulsion to crystalline balladry.” A virtual who’s-who of the Brooklyn-by-way-of-Chapel Hill music scene, Hotel Lights features Jessee backed by band member and producer Alan Weatherhead (Sparklehorse, Camper van Beethoven, the Comas), Zeke Hutchins and Jay Brown (both of Tift Merritt’s band). |
Summer of the Whore Shannon McArdle releases her debut solo album, Summer of the Whore, through Bar/None Records on August 5, 2008. This is the first recording by McArdle since the Mendoza Line disbanded in 2007. Collaborating on arrangements with former Mendoza Line alum Adam D Gold, her album is a sparse, haunted affair that delivers a wide variety of moods and textures. “Debbie Harry had her finger on this trigger in Blondie's "Rip Her to Shreds," but Shannon McArdle makes you think she didn't pull it.” - Greil Marcus / SALON.com |
Fields/Aquamarine
At long last for the first time on CD comes the complete recorded output of the Individuals, one of the bands that pioneered the Hoboken N.J. music scene of the early ‘80s along with the dBs, Bongos, Feelies and Yo La Tengo. Their album Fields was named as one of the ten best albums of the year by Robert Palmer in the NY Times in 1982. Their single “Dancing With My Eighty Wives” was played often on WLIR on Long Island while “Walk By Your House” was a hit at WHFS in DC. Produced by Gene Holder of the dBs, Fields was the first album to be recorded at Mitch Easter’s Drive In Studio. The re-issue also includes their first EP Aquamarine as well as B-sides, extended single mixes and alternate takes. Extensive liner notes and rarely seen photos. 21 tracks in all! "Fields yields it’s rewards with familiarity, springing its surprises like carefully timed bombs. Accepting this album into your home is, as one song title here puts it, a ‘Leap of Faith.’ Take it and be amazed.” - David Fricke/Rolling Stone “This is the most impressive rock debut so far this year” - Robert Palmer/NY Times (1982) |
Take the Whole Midrange and Boost It Bar/None is truly stoked for the release of Oppenheimer's second album, Take the Whole Midrange and Boost It. Alarm Press says that Oppenheimer "continues their disarming fascination with synthesizer fuzz and boisterous, bright pop. The album combines the admitted influences of Brian Eno, Kraftwerk, and My Bloody Valentine with the spirited harmonies and concise compositions of Brian Wilson." Twelve new songs including a guest appearance from Matt Caughtran from thrash punk god-heads The Bronx. Download this free non-album track only available here: Straight out of Comp'in' |
A Moveable Feast It is the third LP from The Sharp Things, possibly the only symphonic pop band in their native city of New York. A Moveable Feast was recorded in 4 months, traversing 3 of the 5 boroughs of NYC by piecing together sound bites on a laptop. Considering indie economics, The Sharp Things could have limited themselves. Instead, they went for broke. The result is an undeniably big pop record. In addition to tracking the 10 members of The Sharp Things in their rehearsal spaces, living rooms and basements, the band recorded their friends- Broadway luminary, Michael Cerveris (Sweeney Todd, Love Musik, Tommy, etc), in his living room, Franz Nicolay, the curiously mustachioed accordionist/keyboardist of The Hold Steady in his kitchen and a 40 piece orchestra in their concert hall, among other cool stuff. |
Penny Arcade The music of Philadelphia's Emily 'Birdie' Busch is natural. There is no pretense, nothing forced or processed - just delicate, beautiful melodies and deceptively simple lyrics that resonate deeply upon further discovery. If the first album was like peaking into a quieter world of journal meanderings and short vignettes, consider Penny Arcade a musical manifesto, with declarations covering forgiveness, mercy, mysticism, and beyond. Expect some pop culture references in songs like "Go Go Gadget Heart" and her interpretation of the Steve Miller Band gem, "Wild Mountain Honey". One of the standout songs is "The Huff Singers (North Philly)", about a gospel singing group Birdie met while waitressing at a gospel brunch. |
The Ways We Try Beneath her unassuming and gentle demeanor lies a free spirit, an open heart, and an uncompromising integrity that lives to, in the words of Townes Van Zandt, "sing for the sake of the song.” Inspired by writers like Paul Simon, Gillian Welch and Neil Young, there is a distinct jubilance to her writing that is informed with a sweet sorrow – creating a musical balance that is at once comfortable, familiar and still unique. Born in Philadelphia amidst a great wealth of talent, The Ways We Try has captured the essence of Birdie Busch and the players who so generously gave of their time and skills to bring these joyous songs to life. Produced by Devin Greenwood (Amos Lee, the Weeds, JF Maher) and recorded at Scullville Studios (Dixie Hummingbirds, Larry Campbell, Soozie Tyrell), the album represents Birdie's first full-length release. |
Songs for Ice Cream Trucks Are you tired of hearing the same old two or three ice cream truck songs over and over? Michael Hearst certainly is. That's why he's created an entire album of new songs for ice cream trucks. "Whenever I listen to this album I find myself screaming. What about you? Shouldn't you scream? Shouldn't we all scream for this album?" -Lemony Snicket. "A miniaturist masterpiece, it somehow feels as crucial, in a tiny, strange, magical way, as the trucks of summer whose fleeting melody it invokes." -Michael Chabon |
We Died, They Remixed Limited Edition remix album featuring Hot Chip, Safety Scissors, Isan, Mockey and many more completely reworked tracks from Architecture in Helsinki’s In Case We Die album. Order it here while supplies last. |
Eisenhower There is something impossible about The Slip. Something humble and heroic, hard and tender, soft and monstrous. Their approach to rock is reaching countless new fans while still inspiring the faithful. Eisenhower stands as the their most cohesive and evocative work to date. Includes "Children of December", "Even Rats" (featured on the wildly popular video game Guitar Hero) and "Life In Disguise" (as heard on "Grey's Anatomy"). |
Mosquitos III Mosquitos mix bossa nova grooves and playful indie pop to make a sophisticated and dreamy psychedelic third album. Brazilian frontwoman Juju Stulbach offers her most beguiling vocal performances and emotionally revealing lyrics to create a new batch of sunsplashed tunes that are sure to keep a sexy warm weather vibe going throughout the chilliest of seasons. |
HELLO RADIO - The Songs Of They Might Be Giants In 1986, Bar/None Records released They Might Be Giants first album. Now to commemorate 20 years of influential music, we issued a very special tribute to Brooklyn's legendary alternative rockers. Die-hard fans can expect appearances from some pretty heavy hitters and some good friends of TMBG. Artists appearing on the album include Frank Black, The Long Winters, OK Go, The Wrens, as well as Bar/None artists Hotel Lights andJason Trachtenburg (of Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players fame). There's truly something for everyone from the casual fan to the obsessive completist. |
Oppenheimer Their song "Breakfast in NYC," was singled out by the the BBC for being "all poetic and blip-tastic" and DJ David Holmes couldn't believe the sound that was coming out of his hometown. "With a dazzling sound grounded in a whirl of influences that range from My Bloody Valentine and Mates of State to David Lynch and Hunter S. Thompson, Oppenheimer have spent the last year on the road and have committed themselves to truly honing their craft." -DROWNED IN SOUND |
Hotel Lights The stunning debut from Ben Folds Five founder Darren Jessee with help from members of Sparklehorse, Archers of Loaf and Fountains of Wayne. An album you'll want to hear every day, with pop songs that you get closer to after each listen. The music is richly layered with melodious keyboards, crisp guitars and soft pianos. Hotel Lights play with authority and confidence, creating their own brand of timeless pop. Jessee's vocals are as distinct and endearing as the songs themselves. And his lyrics set him apart from his peers, with an honest, storytelling that repeatedly touches upon the holy trinity of great pop records: love, loss, and starting over. |
The Finest Example Is You Burnside Project return with their second album, The Finest Example is You, produced by the band and mixed by Paul Mahajan (Yeah Yeah Yeahs, TV on the Radio). From the buzz-saw keyboard introduction of the opening track, “Signs of Perfection,” to the scratchy, dueling guitars in “And So It Goes,” you can tell that the New York City trio’s follow-up is far more urgent in tone than the introspective, narrative approach of their last record. The Finest Example is You is truly Jankovich, Hammill and Searing’s shining moment. |
El Ten Eleven El Ten Eleven is the name adopted by Los Angeles based musicians Kristian Dunn and Tim Fogarty. Armed with only bass, drums and an array of foot pedals, the duo creates lush instrumental soundscapes reminiscent of the music of Tortoise, Radiohead and Sigur Ros. The people at Amoeba Records have described their music as "Odd, atmospheric Tortoise-style post rock... moody, nutritious." |
Sights And Sounds Of Previously unreleased material from the king of Space Age Bachelor Pad Music. Recorded in 1975 to be used as a promotional tool for, La Margarita - a popular Mexican restaurant in Chicago where Esquivel! was in the middle of a 6 month engagement. It was recorded live in the studio without overdubs. The only thing that was added was the applause. Includes a great arrangement of "Rhapsody In Blue", "Good Morning Heartache" and "Delta Dawn." The final Esquivel recording made during the lounge era. |
Nice and Nicely Done The Spinto story started back in 1996 when Nick Krill found some songs in the attic penned on the back of Cracker Jack boxes by his grandfather, guitar player Roy Spinto. Those lyrics inspired Nick and 6 of his high school friends to form The Spinto Band penning their own songs that the Philadelphia Weekly calls "... unlikely beauties somewhere between Pavement, Yo La Tengo and The Flaming Lips". |
Foxes & Hounds “Unleash the hounds! New York's own Sharp Things prove that their surprising, well-received orchestral pop debut Here Comes The Sharp Things was no fluke, because this one's even better. Imagine The Divine Comedy circa A Short Album About Love without the Noel Coward Englishness, but with the same lush Scott Walker-isms of "Cowbells Shakin'" or The Left Banke of "Shadows Breaking Over My Head." Then imagine something just as lush, but with a more American drive and you have the standout "Homeless." The strings and horns and pianos whirl and twirl, always fitting hand in glove with the bright and airy, quintessentially tuneful, neo-classical pop songwriting. Delightful! Charming! Splendid! “ — Jack Rabid, The Big Takeover |
In Case We Die The second album from Australia's indie-pop chamber orchestra. This is what Rolling Stone says about them, "There are eight of them. And they make an orchestra's worth of sumptuous music, bently movning music (electronics, brass, xylophone, boy-angel vocals, enchanted schoolgirl chorals) that improves on the arctic mystery of Sigur Ros by adding the infectious thrust of the B-52's." |
Petra Haden Sings The Who Sell Out The latest chapter in the always provocative, often unpredictable yet never less than fascinating musical career of Ms. Haden. The impetus for the project, came from her friend, bassist mike watt who suggested that she attempt to re-imagine this classic Who album as an a capella album. He gave her an 8 track cassette tape with the original Who album recorded onto one track and the other seven empty, for her to fill with intricate vocal harmonies. Not only did Petra re-imagine all The Who’s singing and instrumental parts – including drums – she also tackled all the interstitial mock radio commercials so integral to The Who Sell Out experience. The final result is a technical tour de force that also invites a fuller appreciation of The Who’s own achievement, bringing to the fore all the original elements of chorale music, vaudevillian schmaltz and Renaissance chamber ensemble playing. |
Dead Dog's Eyeball - The Songs Of Daniel Johnston Former lead vocalist of Glass Eye records an album worth of songs by the great Texas lost boy Daniel Johnston." Music so elegant and pointed, pleasure so direct, hasn't been heard very often since the heyday of Lennon and McCartney...this is the real thing, something new." Austin Chronicle. This is one of Bar None’s finest releases. Includes "Rocket Ship" as heard on Futurama. |
The Seven Autumn Flowers Trembling Blue Stars is a collaboration between London-based singer-songwriter Bobby Wratten (lead singer and songwriter of English cult faves the Field Mice, flagship group of the much-loved and very idiosyncratic indie label Sarah Records) and Los Angeles native Beth Arzy (from Sarah label mates Aberdeen). The Seven Autumn Flowers, produced in collaboration with Saint Etienne engineer Ian Catt, is the first TBS disc of all-new material in three years. This North American edition includes four bonus tracks previously available as import-only B-sides. |
The Way I Were "There are few artists that have a hidden treasure trove of unreleased songs from their early years that are of the quality of Freedy Johnston's. Now, at long last he offers them to the listening public. The 14 previously unreleased songs on The Way I Were reveal missing moments from 1988-1991, and provide a wonderful complement to his Bar/None and Elektra releases". - FILTER (Winter '04) |
Before Sleep Comes Before Sleep Comes Acoustic chill-out music for the soul - nine songs for insomniacs including new Luka originals and classic Celtic ballads, "The Water Is Wide" and "She Moved Through the Fair". Luka created this intimate album specifically for late night listening, for those last moments of wakefulness when the imagination remains fertile but the flesh is often worn out. This is Luka’s third album with Bar/None. |
Keeper Of The Flame "I decided to use this project to celebrate the work of artists I love," Luka Bloom explains. "This was the decision that caused me to get fired up about the CD: the idea of taking songs that are already loved, by artists who are already loved, and presenting them in a unique musical environment. Some of this was about interpreting songs I already knew and felt comfortable with. Some of it was about challenging myself to perform songs that supposedly come from outside my area, from artists like the Cure, U2, Radiohead, and Abba. |
Fortune The Mendoza Line has made Fortune, a glorious new set of songs that find our heroes swaggering like the Stones during their "Exile..." period. Whereas their 2002 album Lost in Revelry was a document of wayward and abandoned souls searching for any direction but down, Fortune is a hopeful and exuberant picture of a bright light at the end of a long tunnel. |
Horse And Fish Legendary Brazillian guitarist/singer/percussionist Vinicius Cantuaria creates a brilliant contemporary fusion of cool jazz and bossa nova with his group that recalls the pioneering work of Cantuaria's life long inspirations: Miles Davis, Chet Baker, Bill Evans and Antonio Carlos Jobim. New York Times critic Jon Pareles has described Cantuaria as an artist “confident enough to choose understatement.” One could call his approach on Horse and Fish a kind of sensual minimalism. |
Fingers Crossed The band finally let go of its precious, first born, Fingers Crossed, after nearly two years of work, shifting personnel and studios galore in 2004. Architecture in Helsinki is an eight-piece combo from Melbourne, Australia (not Finland) that makes ingenious chamber rock for the laptop age, combining guitar-bass-drums with horns, strings, male and female vocals, lots of handclaps, samples and subtle electronics. |
Use Your Voice With his new album, Use Your Voice , Mason Jennings uses his voice to question thinly veiled motives in "Fourteen Pictures." He uses his voice to emphasize the hallowed sound of a hammer swinging to the beat of a lonesome man's heart in "Empire Builder." He uses his voice to revel in the sweet satisfaction of a loved one's warm embrace in "Lemon Grove Avenue," and he uses this same voice to joyfully celebrate unconditional love in "Keepin It Real." And this voice, giving equality to all things great and small, also expresses the pain of death in the "Ballad of Paul and Sheila," the confusion of a soured love affair in "Crown," and the pains of a broken man in "Drinking As Religion." |
Century Spring Jennings' third album, Century Spring, purposefully aims for the hearts and minds of music lovers, connecting with its finely nuanced pop-rock and poignant and vivid lyrics. "I wanted Century Spring to feel very natural and honest," he says. "I think of the album as a single love story and I tried to cover the gamut of the different ways that love can make you feel." What also sets Jennings apart from others is his unique voice - an ancient sounding instrument that seems as if he's channeling some of music's most storied ghosts. |
Mosquitos The Mosquitos definitely have friends in high places. In Rolling Stone critic David Fricke's "Out There" column, he raved about the trio: "Just in time for summer's end: the endless summer and tender Braziliana of this New York trio's debut, a sweet hybrid of bossa nova hypnosis and indie-pop restraint. Juju Stulbach is a genuine gift from Ipanema, a Rio De Janeiro native, with a voice like warm night air; singer-guitarist Chris Root and keyboard player Jon Marshall Smith dust the soft hip shake of 'Rainsong' and 'So Far Away' with sprinkles of Neu! and Yo La Tengo. As the cold arrives and the nights grow long, this album will come in handy." |
Nice There's definitely more English on Nice, but language has never really been a problem for the duo and their fans. As a writer for Amplifier once put it, "Puffy AmiYumi proves that sheer fun transcends the language barrier." Just listen to "Tokyo Nights," which features Ami and Yumi quick-cutting between their native tongue and the western words they're still earnestly studying. The rapid-fire patter reflects an instrumental arrangement that morphs from Buggles-period new wave to Bee Gees-era disco, with a few seventies arena rock flourishes thrown in for good measure - all in about three minutes. |
Baby I'm Bored Baby I'm Bored is the first studio solo album from former Lemonheads frontman Evan Dando. Anyone unfamiliar with Evan's past will need no back story to appreciate this eclectic and affecting collection of songs, which ranges from bittersweet country rock to pure pop pleasure, dashed with a little indie-rock noise. |
Vintage Slide Collections From Seattle Vol. 1 The TRACHTENBURG FAMILY SLIDESHOW PLAYERS are a real family indie-rock conceptual art and music phenomenon, led by Jason Trachtenburg, on piano and guitar. Trachtenburg's daughter, Rachel Trachtenburg, plays the drums and Rachel's mom, Tina Piña Trachtenburg, controls the slide projector. They turn old, discarded slide collections into pop-rock music exposés based on the contents of each collection. "Move over, Partridges- here come the Trachtenburgs. There may be only three of them, but this eccentric ensemble is poised to snag the title of America's favorite musical family." -New York Post |
SONG-POEM ANTHOLOGY - Do You Know The Difference Between Big Wood & Brush While The American Song-Poem Anthology may sound like a Top 40 countdown from the Twilight Zone, you can be sure that none of it resembles the over-polished product coming out of the corporate assembly line at the other end of the music industry. These song-poems come from people who could be your neighbors, friends, fellow commuters, and co-workers. Or even you. We've all got a song in our hearts. |
The Networks, The Circuits, The Streams, The Harmonies The Network, The Circuits, The Streams, The Harmonies is the Burnside Project’s recording debut as a flesh-and-blood band, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. “Cut and pasted and recut and refucked with” is how one critic put it. But they’ve ditched the overarching irony, the tongue-in-cheek/deadpan-chic attitude of the “electro” scene, for a collection of midnight confessions from a dark corner of the dance floor. The Burnside album is almost cinematic in scope, or at least indie-cinematic, evoking the kind of skittering drum-n-bass rhythms that jacked up the tension in Darren Aronofsky’s Pi. |
Blood On The Tracks "Your eyes do not deceive you. And your doubts won't last. This is a complete re-creation of Bob Dylan's untouchable 1975 divorce album. Executed with a quaintly direct magnificence enhanced by the modesty of its origins (a one-time 2001 New York club show rescued from a soundboard cassette and eclipsed only by Dylan's definitive recording. There is a savory Blonde on Blonde air to the organ and piano coursing through the band's faithful acoustic picking, while the bright bite in Mary Lee Kortes' voice-the high-mountain sunshine of Dolly Parton, with a sweet iron undercoat of Chrissie Hynde- turns up the female hurt and fight in "Tangled Up In Blue" and "You're A Big Girl Now." The ultimate compliment; Dylan likes this album so much he has featured one of the tracks on his website." -David Fricke, Rolling Stone Oct. 3, 2002 (4 Stars) |
An Illustrated History Of Puffy AmiYumi In their home country of Japan, Puffy AmiYumi fill stadium-size arenas, sell hundreds of thousands of albums, host their own television variety show, “Pa-Pa-Pa-Pa-Puffy,” (in which self-proclaimed über-fan, Garbage’s Shirley Manson, appearsed, and have their likeness captured by an extended line of collectible toys. For anyone trying to sink their teeth into Puffy’s sugar-coated, pop music-filled, luscious layer cake, An Illustrated History of Puffy AmiYumi is the perfect first bite. Prepare for the Puffy AmiYumi Invasion! Loaded with J-Pop hits plus bonus video “Boogie Woogie No.5” |
Innocence & Despair The 19 tracks on The Langley Schools Music Project documents a 60-voice chorus of rural Canadian school children, age 9-12, recorded in 1976-1977. Technically untrained but mesmerized by melodic magic, the students sing from-the-heart renditions of tunes by the Beach Boys, Paul McCartney, David Bowie, Fleetwood Mac, The Bay City Rollers, and others. They accompany themselves with the shimmering gamelan-like chimes of Orff percussion instruments and elemental rock trimmings arranged by their "gypsy" music teacher, Hans Fenger. |
Cherry Peel Of Montreal has written what might be the best record of the year - a beautiful foray into the world of positive, loving, joyfully honest two-minute pop songs that aren't afraid to tell it like it is (or at least how it should be). Kevin Barnes has shared his first major vision with the world, and we're better for having listened - surprisingly complex. Fusing the shameless fun of Jonathan Richman with the mega-melodies of the Beach Boys by the way Weezer and the Beatles. Barnes has created his own signature style by building on the foundations of the geniuses who have come before him. - FLAGPOLE |
The Gay Parade "The Gay Parade is psychedelic pop's answer to The Canterbury Tales. Mastermind Kevin Barnes presents a series of colorful characters throughout these 16 tracks --the singer likens each song to a float passing through a happy parade...The Gay Parade bursts with over-the-top, theatrical arrangements. Barnes's multitude of guests adds horn, keyboards, toy pianos, bells, whistles and other embellishments -- there's even a 42-singer chorus. Of Montreal’s refreshingly honest emotions and its exuberant songs offer a much-needed escape from an angst-filled world." -Wendy Mitchell/CMJ |
Horse and Elephant Eatery This is a deep collection of material barely heard anywhere previously; bonus tracks from far flung continents as well as brand new tunage. Of Montreal are busting a move out of the Elephant Six collective and taking it to the streets of America and Japan one more time. They've never tasted so good. |
The Earth Pressed Flat Sometimes the simplest strategies yield the richest results. The Earth Pressed Flat is 10,000 Maniacs' most homegrown project since its earliest recordings seventeen years ago, yet it may be among the band’s most striking and eloquent. It was assembled from material they had been developing over the last four years – both before and after their 1997 Geffen release Love Among the Ruins – and recorded in an unhurried fashion in and around their Jamestown, New York base. |
The Oily Years Includes "Yellow Sarong" probably best known from Yo La Tengo's Fakebook album. This definitive collection of Scene Is Now material, showcasing their expansive, and eclectic career appeared originally in 1995. "The Scene Is Now was a kind of postmodern jug band comprised of a loose, ever-changing aggregation of downtown New York City musicians." - AllMusic.com |
Space Age Bachelor Pad Music "Esquivel is the great unsung genius of mind-curdling space age pop" -MATT GROENING, Creator of “The Simpsons”. The man who single handily launched the lounge movement- Esquivel is godfather of the new cocktail nation. Juan Garcia Esquivel recorded back when people wanted the hottest dynamic sounds to be coming out of their new fangled hi-fi's. Guaranteed to astound your stereo. |
Can You Fly On this remarkable second album, Freedy's singing and songwriting has grown exponentially. Album of the year in Musician, Spin, Village Voice, People, Playboy. Can You Fly is one of Bar None's proudest moments. |
Fakebook A collection of mostly acoustic songs; melodies so fine and warm they wrap you right up and send you home to mom. Called one the world's best bands by Spin, Yo La Tengo takes an acoustic journey through rock history. Sixteen songs - five by YLT and eleven covers of a distinctly non-Freebird variety including Daniel Johnston's "Speeding Motorcycle", The Kinks' "Oklahoma, U.S.A.", and Cat Stevens' "Here Comes My Baby". |
