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NOTE: This LP comes with a coupon for a free MP3 download of the album, including tracks not found on the vinyl. Just go to the URL on the coupon, enter the unique code and download 192kbps MP3s direct from Secretly Canadian's...
expand review website.
The press release for this album compares Bobb Trimble to Jandek and Daniel Johnston, but I'd have to disagree. While it's true that Trimble is considered an "eccentric outsider," unlike those more (in)famous fellows, Bobb's music could stand on its own without the help of any mystique. This is his (again) crazy rare second LP from 1983, now reissued by Secretly Canadian so that a wider audience can feel the warm fuzz that comes over you the first time you hear Bobb's layered psych-out arrangements and beautiful falsetto. A bit more ambitious than his debut record, Harvest of Dreams finds Trimble awash in flute, harmonica, and plenty of vocal and guitar fx. The music itself is tough to pin down, except to say that whether Bobb's rocking out or folking down, it all feels "psychedelic"... which is to say that it was probably made while on drugs and is best enjoyed that way as well. Tracks to check: "Armour of the Shroud(1)," "Another Lonely Angel(2)," "Selling Me Short While Stringing Me Long(3)," "Paralyzed(4)" and "Premonitions - The Fantasy(5)." 10 tracks on the vinyl; 13 on the digital download. -Larri Byrd
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BONUS: Buy Portishead's Third on vinyl and receive a coupon for a free download of the entire album in MP3 format, redeemable at PortisheadDownload.com
I know you've all been waiting for another installment from our favorite downtempo/trip hop trio Portishead. Well, here it...
expand review is! And we only had to wait like 10 years. Like many of you I'm sure, I was in middle school when Dummy came out. When I heard it I was in love. Their whole sound was so unique and unlike anything else at the time. Even still, no one really does what they do. You can put them in whatever box you want, but I think ultimately they stand alone. When I first listened to Third I guess I was expecting/hoping it to sound exactly like their other records. It doesn't. But the more I listen to it, the more I realize it has all the elements of what we already love about them, it's just presented differently. The beats are actually more sparse, but almost with an industrial/metallic sound. Not like NIN industrial, so don't freak out. It just doesn't have that certain smoothness that came with their earlier stuff. Check out "Hunter(1)," "Rip(2)" or "Nylon Smile(3)" if you want start out with something familiar. But then please, branch out. Listen to the whole thing. It will grow on you. Vinyl version is a limited edition 2LP in a beautiful gatefold sleeve. 11 tracks; 50 minutes. -RikRok
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New pressing! Remastered on 180g audiophile vinyl, and it comes with a code for a free digital download of the album. Just go to the URL printed on the coupon within, enter your unique code, and you can download a zip file...
expand review with 256 bitrate mp3s directly from Matador.
Me and Stony have a mighty addiction to Belle & Sebastian. On those rough office mornings, there's nothing more soothing than a little Tigermilk. It's not the best way to convey the macho boss exterior (hit that mute button if an unexpected guest comes in), but it's that good that we'll risk taking on the "pussy music" looks from the Shipset. This is B&S second album from 1996, generally considered their best album thus far (we have a pref for aforementioned Tigermilk), and the first of their Matador high quality vinyl reissues with FREE MP3 download! I'll leave a real music critic to breakdown the inner-workings of the album and the general bizzaro-ness of the band itself, here's a sampling (in an instance you will either love it or throw up a little in your mouth): "Seeing Other People(1), The Fox in the Snow(2), Get Me Away From Here(3), Mayfly(4), etc. 10 tracks in all. -the mgmnt
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This album has been on heavy rotation in the office. Even Kate Moss is buying into it (she's dating the dude). Furthermore, your boy XXXchange produced some of the tracks! Plus, this vinyl version comes with a free mp3 download. Do you...
expand review need any more convincing? The single, "U.R.A. Fever(1)," which been getting radio play isn't even the best song. Check out the perfectly punchy "Cheap and Cheerful(2)" produced, of course, by Mr. Epton. What about the Le Tigre-esque lo-fi sounds of "Tape Song(3)" or the Pixies-esque magic of "Last Day Of Magic(4)" or the skate-rock ferocity of "Alphabet Pony(5)?" 12 tracks in all, recommended. -the mgmnt
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BONUS: This LP includes a coupon for a free download of the entire album in MP3 format, redeemable at touchandgorecords.com
Debut solo outing from Peter, sans Bjorn & John. The Pitchdorks don't like it 'cause it's got a totally different feel from the...
expand review PB&J stuff, but I gotta say, the guy's got a knack for this bedroom folk sound. Definitely digging the vibraphone vibes on "Tell Me In Time(1)," plus the hand-clappy "Social Competence(2)," piano-driven "Twisted(3)," and breezier joints like "Missing Link(4)" and "Le Petit Coeur(5)." 10 tracks total. -Chris Lemon-Red
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Stupid (borderline retarded) fun and highly anticipated debut album from New Zealand's first ever HBO sitcom-having, Sub Pop-signed, Grammy-winning comedy-folk duo. The difference between the Conchords and most musical comedy is they've got the chops to back up their haha's. In fact,...
expand review on tracks like the faux French "Foux du Fafa(1)" and Depeche Mode style "Inner City Pressure(2)," the music can be even stronger than the joke. Along with singles "Business Time" and "Most Beautiful Girl In The Room," the album has show favorites like the Murray-featuring "Leggy Blonde(3)" and Brent-on-acid "Pretty Prince of Parties(4)." Also check the quasi-conscious "Think About It(5)" and groover "Ladies of the World(6)." This vinyl version comes with a coupon redeemable for a full MP3 download of the album at subpop.com. -Chris Lemon-Red
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Ghislain Porier, my bass-obsessed Quebecois brother from another, drops his first full-length for Ninja Tune! This is what they call big tings. Ghis is once again joined by collaborateurs like Omnikrom and Mr. Lee G, but his beats still end up stealing...
expand review the show. All of Ghislain's tracks are simultaneously bassy and somewhat abrasive, yet SO DAMN CATCHY and extremely well-crafted. Last time I visited his house, he was holed up in the basement meticulously cutting and pasting every bar onto a track using only CoolEdit and Fruity Loops. This man means business. He also effortlessly switches up between dubstep, ragga, French rap, leftfield dance, and a dozen other styles. Check out the heater singles "Blazin'(1)" and "Dem Nah Like Me(2)" for a start, then proceed to deeper cuts like "Jusqu'en Haut(3)" with Omnikrom, "Go Ballistic(4)," "One Hand Can't Clap(5)" and "Ladies & Gentlemen(6)." 14 tracks total. Recommended. -Larri Byrd
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This is the deluxe double vinyl gatefold version which includes a FREE digital download of the album.
The Fiery Furnaces could be straight out of a Wes Anderson flick. Real life brother and sister from Oak Park, Illinois form band; move to Brooklyn;...
expand review sign to Rough Trade; release heralded, quirk-filled indy rock albums; sister dates the lead singer from Franz Ferdinand; signs over to Thrill Jockey... But really, all that fades into the distance when you listen to this album. This is some of the most inventive brain matter you'll hear all year. Just check out the opener "The Philadelphia Grand Jury(1)," a beautiful song that sounds like a collage of old dollar bin records and Os Mutantes vocals. An audio snippet doesn't justify the awesomeness of "Clear Signal From Cairo(2)." It's a good example of the open-form, epic nature of their songs, complete with pleasant opening, hardcore breakdown, and uptempo beats outtro... brilliant!!! There's even subtle dance sensibilities underlying the tracks, check "The Hag Is Sleeping(3)" and "Ex Guru(4)." At other times, the songs are genius-level controlled chaos, check "Uncle Charlie(5)" which seems to channel... Primus! And yet another underlying theme is French rock, check the wicked Gainsbourgian "Restorative Beer(6)." So much more to discover... recommended. -the mgmnt
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Man, I can't remember the last time I liked a "rock" album this much.
(Like the WHOLE ALBUM. Imagine that!) If you're not familiar, the Mountain Goats are basically one Mr. John Darnielle, and even if "acoustic" and "folky" are apt...
expand review adjectives for most of his (hundreds??) of songs, the sum total of the music feels like a lot more. For the skeptics who have been listening a while, yes, the sound is far removed from the boombox recording days, but you gotta think of those as sketches and these as full-on paintings. And dude is Bob Rossing it! Except instead of happy mountains and clouds, Heretic Pride is rife with swamp creatures, chicks in Marduk t-shirts and Lovecraft-style paranoia. Of course in typical Darnielle style, the raw, jittery "Lovecraft In Brooklyn(1)" has the album's lol moment when he blurts out "woke up afraid of my own shadow...
like, genuinely afraid!" I could go on, but just check out the great opener "Sax Rohmer #1(2)" - if you like that, proceed to the title track(3), "How To Embrace A Swamp Creature(4)," "New Zion(5)" and "Autoclave(6)." Nice subtle production once again from John Vanderslice and Scott Solter. And did I mention it comes packaged with a code that gives you access to a free high-quality MP3 download of the full album? 'Cause it does. Obviously recommended. -Chris Lemon-Red
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NOTE: This LP comes with a coupon for a free MP3 download of the album, including tracks not found on the vinyl. Just go to the URL on the coupon, enter the unique code and download 192kbps MP3s direct from Secretly Canadian's...
expand review website.
This is Bobb Trimble's insanely rare debut LP, released in 1980, though it sounds like it could've come out of any decade from '65 to present... and maybe beyond. Secretly Canadian has mercifully reissued Bobb's two most sought after records, so now you don't have to drop few hundred ducats on the Bay just for the privelege of hearing his truly unique brand of psych / space / rock / folk (not to mention that otherworldly falsetto). Young Jonesy (of Caps & Jones) put me on to Bobb and I was smitten from the first time I heard "Glass Menagerie Fantasies(1)." Not to sound like a prematurely old man, but THEY DON'T MAKE SHIT LIKE THIS ANYMORE. Even when Bobb was recording this in 1980, he wasn't emulating the music of the changing times, but his idols like (Syd Barrett-era) Pink Floyd, (early) Bowie and The (weed smoking) Beatles. Filtered through Bobb's cracked kaleidoscope, it comes out as a more authentic and freaky trip than those guys ever cooked up in an expensive studio. Check out: "One Mile From Heaven(2)," "When The Raven Calls(3)," "Night At The Asylum(4)" and "Your Little Pawn(5)." 8 tracks on the vinyl; 11 on the digital download. Highly recommended. -Larri Byrd
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Here it is - the ridiculously deluxe vinyl box edition of Portishead's big comeback. If you're looking at/drooling over this, you probably already know about the record, so let's dig into the goods. The box itself is individually numbered (10,000 copies produced),...
expand review well-constructed and made of sturdy cardboard with a faux leather type finish on the front. Open it up to reveal a rubberized USB stick in the shape of the iconic "P" logo(!) which holds the entire album in 320kbps MP3 format. It also includes four short films: "Ade's House/Machine Gun" featuring a little behind the scenes action and an in-studio performance of the single, "The Rip - Live At Mr. Wolf's," a great animated video for "We Carry On," and "The Truly Spectacular Universal Conference Film" which is actually pretty spectacular. Also included is the one-sided etched 12" for "Machine Gun(1)" and a limited edition art print from animator Nick Uff. The packaging also promises "ongoing online content," which we can't attest to but most likely means future downloads and such. If you read this far and don't know what this album sounds like, here's some audio selections from resident Portishead fan and customer service gyal RikRok: "Hunter(2)," "Rip(3)," "Nylon Smile(4)," "Deep Water(5)," "Plastic(6)." -Chris Lemon-Red
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After a collaboration with Prefuse 73, Brooklyn's own School of Seven Bells are back to business on this limited green vinyl 7" for Suicide Squeeze's Singles Club. SoSB features twin sisters Alejandar and Claudia Deheza plus Secret Machines' Ben Curtis, and supposedly...
expand review they sound something like Broadcast, who I've never really heard. More importantly, "Silent Grips(1)" and "Used To(2)" both feature beautiful vocal arrangements from the ladies, complemented by Curtis' lush laptop beats. "Grips" starts off light but winds up with chunky drums and buzzing electric ambience; "Used To" focuses more on the breathy harmonies, riding atop processed guitar and a quasi-broken beat. As a bonus, each single includes a coupon good for 3 downloads of the 7" at SuicideSqueeze.net -Chris Lemon-Red
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