A nice little epilogue to Grouper's stunning album from last year. This split continues in Harris' clearer yet still entrancing direction an City Center provides the perfect counterpoint.

	Grouper / City Center - Split 7" An absolutely beautiful split from these two ethereal acts. The Grouper side would fit in perfectly with the best of Dragging A Dead Deer... with its subtle melodies and insistent strum. Liz Harris continues to entrance us with each new release. On the
split, City Center are a perfect fit with a shrouded pop masterpiece that fades in and out of consciousness, occupying some of the same narcoleptic space that Grouper has mapped out. The whole thing is pulled together on marbled grey limited vinyl, making this a wonderfully essential single. Download: [MP3] Grouper - False Horizon Support the artist. Buy it HERE

The Alps

This super limited set of CD-rs (each in a run of 100) document the recordings that led up the The Alps' beautiful record III released on Type last year. The tracks on A Path Through the Sun and A Path Through the Moon sift through layers of gorgeous drone, stream of conscious field recordings and seared folk. Though these are the bits that didn't make up the eventual album, that's no slight on the quality, both discs are full of The Alps keen sense of space and heavy hand on emotion. Just as with the album, the band's eclecticism remains the strength here, combining nods to everything from kosmische to Jewelled Antler and making it all fit together like a deftly woven tapestry. Which should come as no surprise considering the talent that's made up this psychedelic powerhouse; Jefre Cantu-Ledesma of Tarentel, Alexis Georgopoulos (ex-Tussel, ARP) and ex-Troll member Scott Hewicker. These are definitely in short supply and will go quickly so if you see them be sure to snatch them up.


Download:
[MP3] The Alps - Lunar Mansions
(from A Path Through the Sun)
[MP3] The Alps - Breaking Clouds
(from A Path Through the Moon)

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

Golden Triangle

Golden Triangle have been ripping through the limited press circuit from Rob's House to Sangre Libre and now have a meatier 12" out on Mexican Summer. Mixing girl group charm, garage ethos and a touch of glam style never seems to hurt anyone and it's certainly working for this 6-some. Tearing up 5 originals and a ferocious Redd Kross cover on this deluxe 12, that's as sparkly as the band itself and super limited (500 press almost sold out). The band is a party on stage so it's no coincidence that they've hooked up with King Khan for a full on assault of a tour. Pick this one up where you can and definitely jump on a chance to see the band if they roll through your town.

Download:
[MP3] Golden Triangle - Prize Fighter
[MP3] Golden Triangle - Annette's Got the Hits
(orig by Redd Kross)

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

Sore Eros

So far the vowel deficient SHDWPLY hasn't led me astray; they've had great releases from Gary War and Teeth Mountain and now Sore Eros. Mostly the work of Robert Robinson who has spent some time in Ariel Pink's band, and while that touchstone bears some merit, Robinson's songwriting inhabits a much more lush and blissful side of sedation than Pink's Xanax music box melodies. Much of Second Chants feels caught in between the blurred rings that form when you stare at the sun too long, warm and shimmering with a flood of colors just around the edges. There are other modern pop touchstones swimming in this humid soup of an album but honestly to draw comparisons seems to detract from how uniquely absorbing this album is. Second Chants just seems to grow deeper on each listen. As with most SHDWPLY releases this is limited and I've a feeling this might not grow dusty on shelves.

Download:
[MP3] Sore Eros - Smile on Your Face
[MP3] Sore Eros - Whisper Me

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

	Stained Glass - Aurora The band began releasing singles for RCA in '66 bolstered by their affinity for Beatles covers, a hint of which tainted the remainder of their releases. This, their second album, followed after the termination of their RCA contract and a
subsequent signing with Capitol. Though some of the early singles were well received (not really top charters though) their albums both fell on less than stellar reviews and little air play. This seems rather unfortunate as even with the slightly derivative nature of the music, there remain some decent songs on this album. The lackluster sales eventually led to the dissolution of the group, with bassist/ songwriter Jim McPherson later going on to play a role in Copperhead with John Cipollina of Quicksilver Messenger Service. Download: [MP3] Stained Glass- Sweetest Thing [MP3] Stained Glass - The Kibitzer Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

Comet Gain

What's Your Rupture has always seemed like a perfect settling place for Comet Gain. Pretty much the bulk of their roster owes something to the jangly indie-pop that the band has churned out over the last decade +; though it seems that the list of bands that might owe a little something to their breezy jangle is growing by the hour these days. Nevertheless Broken Record Prayers is an essential document of out-of-print 7"s and lost tracks (with a few new ones sprinkled in) from this often marginalized band. Full of bristling ennui and equal amounts of sunshine strums and gnarled fuzz, their catalog never feels stagnant. This ought to please a few collectors angling for lost eBay gems and I'll definitely be in line for the double LP spread of this one. If you're already a fan then you're probably already excited and if you're not currently acquainted get ready to join the ranks.

Download:
[MP3] Comet Gain - Brothers off the Block
[MP3] Comet Gain - Beatnik

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

Wooden Shjips tease those of us in the States with a UK only single from their last tour. A nice little one-two shot with a Neil Young Cover and a new original.

	Wooden Shjips - Vampire Blues/I Hear The Vibrations 7" I don't know if Wooden Shjips would be the band I'd peg as most likely to spin off a Young cover but then again I guess that's not too far fetched. The band tear up "Vampire Blues" off of On The Beach and its a far cry from the
original, draping Neil's stark nihilism in some heavy fuzz and a blues beat. On the flip just as much scorch and rumble as you'd expect from the Shjips making their upcoming album Dos on Holy Mountain seem pretty enticing. Track this down if you can. Available in super limited red screened sleeves and a little less limited white sleeves. Download: [MP3] Wooden Shjips - Vampire Blues Support the artist. Buy it HERE

(or try eBay)

Super Minerals

There are many rumblings coming out of the Magic Lantern compound these days. While the band is as work on their forthcoming LP, the members aren't exactly neglecting their side projects. Keeping up with their bandmate Cameron's Sun Araw, Will Giacchi and Phil French have released their first official (non CD-r) Super Minerals album, Multitudes. Not as heavily into concept as The Pelagics but the duo is still pillaging the murky depths of drone; landing them at the calm center of the storm that is the Magic Lantern family. Multitudes, like its predecessor exhumes the tormented ghosts of ancient animal races, creeping forth into your cranium like the unanswered wail of extinction. The album's pieces flow into each other in such seamless perfection that each new one is another glimmer into Multitudes' dense symphony. Beautifully packaged in a limited gatefold cover as only Digitalis can do.

Download:
[MP3] Super Minerals - Graves
[MP3] Super Minerals - Heatless

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

Vibes

Functioning like a Not Not Fun supergroup, Vibes have been rocking pick up parties around L.A. and have finally brought their Spirit-Funk psych musings down to tape. You God It, recorded in Bored Fortress Studios, plays just like the live show parceled onto gritty tape. Swinging from gritty drone out psych jams to stutter funk beats with Amanda from Pocahaunted doing less of her divining of lost souls and instead just divining SOUL on this project. Still this ain't no Candy Staton outtake, this is soul by way of the NNF desert chill out vibe, some serious 4 A.M. outta body type of shit. Hopefully this is just a taste and the band will put more down to tape soon. Since there's an upcoming Pocahaunted/Sun Araw tour, I have a feeling that more just might be in the works. This is sold out at the label but some nice distro searching should turn up a copy.

Download:
[MP3] Vibes - Understand This
[MP3] Vibes - Shake It Off

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

Elegi

What Svarte Greiner is to being lost and eaten alone in the woods, Elegi is to being slowly dragged under water in a combination of freezing to death and drowning. Tommy Jansen's last album Sistereis centered around the scavenging of sunken graveyards and his nautically morbid tendencies haven't let up any on Varde. The album centers on the fateful expedition of Captain Scott and his demise in the Arctic. Chilling in every respect the album trades in both otherworldly soundscapes built from bits of field recordings and more traditional composition that while beautiful, never fails to be as dour and funereal as possible. Jansen's talents make the homage feel very realistic and the crushing weight of his music puts the cold clamp of ice in your lungs from the very first strains. Varde is as bleak as the tundra and with its cinematic scope you feel for better or worse ensconced in Captain Scott's fate.

Download:
[MP3] Elegi - Skrugard
[MP3] Elegi - Fandens Bre

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

All right it has been a while since the Jukebox appeared here so I guess that means its time to round up another collection of sweat stained garage tracks. Here's a bunch that goes from well known to unknown and polished to ragged and raw. Enjoy!

[MP3] The Zombies - Stick and Stones
This early Zombies single is a far cry from Odyssey and Oracle material, that's for sure. No lush pop here, just vamped up R&B with a great organ break and a hot shuffle rhythm. Dig that yowl. "I've been abused". Definitely one of the Zombies' greats from their back catalog.

[MP3] The Easybeats - She's So Fine
Always love the Easybeats for garage singles, the band has a knack for matching catchy choruses with raw energy and a nice mix of twang and rollick. Nice vocal harmonies round this one out to be one of their best.

[MP3] The Litter - Whatcha Gonna Do About It
These local favorites from Minneapolis tear through this classic and giving it a little grit and bounce. It's easy to see why the band were so revered in their hometown, clean harmonies and tight playing plus a not too shabby solo make you wonder why this band didn't go further.

[MP3] The Ugly Ducklings - Just In Case You Wonder
This Canadian band were favorites with The Stones whenever they toured through the North and its easy to see why. Covered in fuzz, the band take straight R&B and crust it up with the kind of buzz saw guitar that would make the average garage band blush. Definitely a classic track.

[MP3] John E Sharp and the Squires - She's Fine, She's Fine
Hailing from South Africa, the rough production on this is easily made up by its smoldering intensity and raw edge. No rounded edges on this dose of garage blues as Squire lets his guitar churn and the rest of the band keeps a smoky blues pace behind him.

Sun Araw / Predator Vision

We couldn't be happier around here than to see these two RSTB faves hook up for a split release. The beautifully packaged split, released on Not Not Fun, showcases the longform composition skills of both bands. The Sun Araw side is one of Cameron Stallones' best releases yet. Starting of in an early morning haze of restrained feedback and mournful trumpet, the piece builds into a storm of squall until about the 9 minute mark when the clouds clear and it breaks into a jumble of jungle funk letting the bass wobble and the rhythm flow. On the flip, Predator Vision doesn't disappoint either, with a sprawling torrent of laid back guitar burbling that builds over the side-length track into a furious rage of growling before cooling back into smoke. This release is absolutely essential for fans of both bands, and looking to be a hard contender to beat this year as far as great records. Though I suppose I'll have to reserve judgment since I've got a feeling both bands have a few more releases to come over '09.

Download:
[MP3] Sun Araw - Hey Mandala! (excerpt)

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

The second two releases from Trensmat's awesome 7" series / tribute to Hawkwind and they're just as essential as that White Hills / AMT split. Keep an eye out for these to be collected on a CD version soon along with a few extras that didn't make the 7"s.

	Kinski / Bardo Pond - Sonic Attack (Lords of Light) 7" Not as blown out as the first 7" in the Sonic Attack series, Kinski and Bardo Pond temper the murky fuzz a little bit, but still keep their noses pointed directly towards space on these covers. Where the first single showcased Hawkwind's
heavy guitar hammer, here both bands shed light on their ability to weave vocals into oblivion, giving them due credit for melding face searing guitar with calm, blissful moments that clearly created something above and beyond the normal psychedelic bands at the time. Download: [MP3] Bardo Pond - Lord of Light Support the artist. Buy it HERE
	Mudhoney / Mugstar - Sonic Attack (Motorheads) 7" Mudhoney might not be the band you'd imeediately think to tap for a project such as this but the Seattle grunge veterans absolutely kill their rendition of "Urban Guerilla". This finial disc which also features the curators of
the project, Mugstar, holds up the proto-metal furry that Hawkwind evolved into over time. Not quite as hard as Lemmy would grow into on Motorhead but definitely a more grounded, gritty side of Hawkwind on display here. Download: [MP3] Mudhoney - Urban Guerilla Support the artist. Buy it HERE

Christmas Island

San Diego's Christmas Island has landed in all the right spots, seemingly simultaneously. Though the band currently have only a split 7" with Le Jonathan Reilly and an appearance on The World is Lousy With Ideas 5, they're looking at an onslaught of releases in the coming months. A full length, Blackout Summer is set to be released shortly on In The Red with 7"s on Captured Tracks, Sacred Bones (split w/ Meth Teeth) and Woodsist (split w/ Waavves) scheduled shortly before or after the record. It's pretty easy to see why so many labels are interested; the band has a subtle charm that mixes sunny California harmonies with a nod towards the garage in the vein of Kiwi poppers like The Clean. Keep your ears perked and ready for more because as I said, when the releases start tumbling out of this camp, its going to be too much to handle. Can't wait for that full length, In The Red is really killing it in '08 - '09.

Download:
[MP3] Christmas Island - Morning Sunshine (Idle Race)
Removed by Request
[MP3] Christmas Island - Bed Island
Removed by Request

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

Pan•American

Mark Nelson continues his embryonic journey into the abyss with a new record under his solo Pan•American moniker. As with past releases, and indeed even with Nelson's former band Labradford, analog tones and minimalist structures are the focus. Nelson mixes this sparse formula with a bit of dub's sense of echo and space, rattling his monolithic tones around your head in reverberating quietude. What seems to constantly drape Nelson's work is a quiet longing, there's an awareness of surroundings but he's constantly focusing on the spaces between moments; stretching the yawn of the wind and the gentle Doppler of passing noise into meditative moments. White Bird Release plays up this sense of nature more than past Pan•American releases, letting bits of real world noise nestle into Nelson's slow motion balloon of a universe. Another absolutely beautiful Kranky release that further cements the label as an engine of glorious noise.

Download:
[MP3] Pan•American - For "Aiming At The Stars"
[MP3] Pan•American - How Much Progress One Makes

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

Ooga Boogas

More great rock from Australian turf surfaces around these parts. After a brief run in with out-of-print status, this Eddy Current Suppression Ring side project is back in full press on the band's Aaargt label. The Boogas feature guitar work from ESCR's Eddy Current himself and they share some of the gritty plod that he lays down in his day job. Missing however are Brendan Suppression's frank and visceral vocals which may be the main drawback of the record, but for the most part this is a solid 70's inflected garage punk killer. The guitar work burns with the same kind of welled up passive aggression that has always marked ECSR, but any sheen is worn away, leaving a grittier record that kicks like a squat party rager. Artwork on this sucker is primo and the full gatefold is covered in nods to Ed Roth styled hot rod culture perfect for the oil pan rock that awaits inside. Maybe not as "essential" as their brethren, but this certainly puts many lesser imitators to shame. As usual Goner's got the U.S. hookup so make a call to Memphis to snag a copy of Romance and Adventure for your very own.

Download:
[MP3] Ooga Boogas - Neon Sunset
[MP3] Ooga Boogas - I Can't Clear My Name

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

	Kahvas Jute - Wide Open This band featured members of the great undersung Australian band Tamam Shud. After the demise of TS, guitarist Tim Gaze and drummer Dannie Davidson hooked up with Bob Daisley (who worked with Rainbow and Ozzy among others) and Dennis
Wilson to create one of Australia's great lost gems. Wide Open is full of progressive arrangements rooted in hard British blues. The album has become a well sought after collectible not only in the Australian market but abroad as well. And its with good cause that collectors prize it so highly, along with Tamam Shud this is one of the band's that pushed Australian music further in the 70's. The band split not long after this album's release but due to heavy interest from fans and collectors they reissued the album in 2005 and did an accompanying tour. A must for fans of hard British rock or Australian rock history. Download: [MP3] Kahvas Jute - Odyssey [MP3] Kahvas Jute - She´s So Hard To Shake Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

Yet another great 7" from the kings of the single at HoZac. This is a slight deviation from the label's usual raucous conspirators but maintains the their usual instinct on quality.

	France Has The Bomb - Invisible Angle 7" Taking post-punk to the garage, FHTB slap some grit on the concept of angular guitar. No mistaking the A from the B side on this one, "Invisible Angle" is a surefire killer with tension strung like telephone wire and a slippery
rumble of bass underneath. The B-side takes a more indie-strum approach with some rather 90's influences. Another band that's hard to judge merely by these two tracks. A full length could either be all over the place or delightfully mixed depending on the way they play it out. Either way this stands as a pretty solid single in the early days of '09. Also be sure to sign up for HoZac's upcoming Hookup Klub - a series of 7" featuring DUM DUM GIRLS, IDLE TIMES, WOVEN BONES, ART THIEVES, FLIGHT, WHITE MYSTERY, TEEPEE, MOTHER OF TEARS, BOX ELDERS, TEETH (side project of BLANK DOGS and SPIDER) Download: [MP3] France Has The Bomb- Invisible Angle Support the artist. Buy it HERE

Svarte Greiner

Another trip begins into the frightening darkness with Erik Skodvin as lead tour guide. Few records in the last few years (outside of perhaps the Black Metal Genre), were as frightening as Svarte Greiner's Knive. Well as it would appear, no soft sensibilities have permeated the Svarte Greiner world in the years leading up to the release of Kappe. Perhaps Skodvin reserves his dreams as fuel for the more achingly beautiful work he does with Deaf Center, welling up the nightmares as fodder for the lonesome and ravaged landscapes that have made up both Knive and Kappe. There seems to be a constant chill wind in the world of Svarte Greiner, one that whips debris at your feet and howls through distant trees, not to mention the occasional clank of chains that might well be your own. The sense of dread is only heightened when the walls of drone seep in, building tension that hits your chest with dread that might well be of biblical proportions. There is definitely something otherworldly about the sound of these pieces, as if dread has finally taken sonic form. Few can match Skodvin's abilities in this realm and for his sake I hope that he pours all his darkness out in musical form, because if anything of this magnitude were left to fester, I'm quite sure it would eat a person pretty quickly.

Download:
[MP3] Svarte Greiner - Tunnel of Love

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

Tarentel

Not your average Tarentel record, but then again Tarentel isn't really your average band to begin with. The band landed on Temp Res and fit squarely in with the kind of epic rock that tied that stable together in the late nineties but since then they've moved to try on bits of ambience, glacial soundtracks, heavier beats and bits of noise. This limited release for Digitalis, ostensibly would fall closer to the latter two. Assembled from pieces of live performances across Italy and Switzerland, the album removes the band from any associations with slow swells and epic tones. Rattling on a base of eerie tones, static renderings that channel the last gasp of technology and pockets of field recordings; the album is has the feel of the somewhat burnt remains of the downfall of a civilization. Like a walking dream through piles of televisions barely tuned to looped recordings of nature shows interspersed with the crisp crackle of broadcast interruption. Meanwhile, somewhere in the distance an unearthly oscillator has begun to cry in inhuman tones. I'm not sure what reality Tarentel inhabit but it's certainly more complex than the one the rest of us share.

Download:
[MP3] Tarantel - Geneva, Switzerland
[MP3] Tarantel - Genova, Italy

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

Emeralds

Emeralds have returned with yet another release in their ever expanding catalog of nebulous drone clouds. Radiating with light and most certainly locking into the sympathetic tones of the universe, the band have made a career out of making improvisation sound like bliss. What Happened is no deviation from this path, as songs bubble and throb, begging for headphones or at least a quiet moment when you can turn the stereo up as loud as possible to allow yourself to simply fold into their psychosomatic analog void. The band are so prolific that its hard to keep up these days. Having released well in excess of 30 recordings over the course of the last 3 years, mostly on small run CD-rs. Good news is on the horizon though, in addition to this release on No Fun Productions, quite a few other labels have taken note of the Cincinnati Cleveland group's output and have come to the rescue to reissue some of the best of their long out of print classics. Definitely keep an eye out for the reissue of last years stunning Solar Bridge being put on LP by Hanson Records; also on the finally on vinyl front is Allegory of Allergies 2xLP (Weird Forest), Ledges/No More Spirits 2xLP (Troubleman Unlimited)
and Emeralds (s/t) LP (Wagon).

Download:
[MP3] Emeralds - Alive In The Sea Of Information

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

	Raven - Back to Ohio Blues The epitome of outsider prison blues from the 70's, this reissue of a complete unknown, barely issued, one man outfit is long overdue. Raven originally did a small press of this record and gave it to friends and acquaintances but never
officially put it up for sale at the time of its release. The record is packed with gritty nihilistic punk blues that revel in the artist's background amongst criminals and the biker set. Raven tears through tunes with no audience in mind and often referred to having to play "because it was in him". Following the recording of this album he wound up in California and then later the Army only recently becoming aware that copies of his original LP were selling for over $1000. So he decided to work put together an official reissue of the long out of print classic in all it's ragged glory. Download: [MP3] Raven - Can't You See [MP3] Raven - Raven Mad Jam Support the artist. Buy it: HERE

Lotus Plaza

Naturally Lotus Plaza is going to draw comparisons to Lockett Pundt's day job in Deerhunter. In fact listening to The Floodlight Collective is proof that his contributions helped give their last album a delightful shove in the right direction. However this album is so much more than just a Deerhunter offshoot. Without the overhanging presence of Bradford Cox's distinctive but occasionally overbearing persona, Pundt is able to unfold his songwriting skills on a more level surface. Awash in a foam of reverb and angelic vocal tones, lonesome guitars and the patter of hushed drums poke out as the only solid foothold to grab onto, but most times even they can't hold strong amongst the shimmering waves of reflected tones. Pundt's vocal delivery is much softer (if you can believe) than his co-worker Cox and as a result the record achieves a much dreamier quality than any of Pundt's previous tunes. Pundt delves much further into ennui and longing in contrast Deerhunter's anxious alienation. The album is warm and inviting while at the same time remaining somewhat beautifully sad. It serves as a pretty superb compliment to the desolate clouds of breath that hang in these winter months, dissipating slowly in the reflection of sunsets on ice.

Download:
[MP3] Lotus Plaza - White Out
[MP3] Lotus Plaza - Quicksand

Support the artist. Buy it: HERE