Date: June 10th 2010

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More good lovin' with a sufficient amount of new and recent jams. AND, as an added bonus, we are currently in the midst of invetorying ALL of our 12" vinyl, so you'll find some sweet oldies mixed in below that have been "unavailable" (i.e. not showing up in our database!) for years now, but we found em buried in the stockroom.

Indulge yourself!
Dan / Tonevendor
http://www.tonevendor.com


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** EXCLUSIVE AND/OR RECOMMENDED **

BLACK TAMBOURINE-s/t CD (Slumberland-$12.99)
BLACK TAMBOURINE-s/t LP (Slumberland-$13.99)
They released only a handful of songs their two-year lifetime, but BLACK TAMBOURINE has been hugely influential in the world of indie music. Conceived as an explicitly pop band pop bands were pretty rare in America, they wore their influences on their sleeves: The Jesus and Mary Chain, of course, but also folks like Phil Spector, Smokey Robinson, Love, The Ramones, Shop Assistants, Pastels, 14 Iced Bears, Orange Juice and the list goes on... The band's dark, dreamy sound was consonant with the shoegaze sounds of the day, but the classic '60s-influenced songwriting gives their tunes a timeless appeal. Formed in 1989 as a side project by members of Whorl and Velocity Girl, they soon recruited Pam Berry as vocalist. Two singles quickly followed, along with a few compilation contributions. Alas, other obligations became more pressing and the band called it a day in 1991.
Though their recorded output was quite limited, the music continues to inspire indie, punk and indie-pop bands. As the band's 20th anniversary arrives, just about any review of or article about a noisy pop band drops their name, and their influence on bands as diverse as Vivian Girls, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, A Sunny Day in Glasgow, Wavves and Dum Dum Girls is continuing proof of Black Tambourine's legendary status in indie music. It appears that 2010 is the year for Black Tambourine!
Black Tambourine gathers all the songs released by the band, and handily trumps 1999's Complete Recordings reissue by including six unreleased tunes. Songs like "Black Car," "We Can't Be Friends" and "Throw Aggi Off the Bridge" are foundation documents of indie-pop and sound as fresh today as when they were recorded 20 years ago. And while classics like "Pack You Up" and "Drown" can stand on their own just fine, the band has taken the rather unexpected step of reuniting to record four new songs exclusively for this compilation. Consisting of two originals and two covers (of Buddy Holly and Suicide), these recordings include all of the original members and are quite true to the Black Tambourine spirit. The songs were part of the band's repertoire back in the day and never got recorded, so these added tracks truly round out the Black Tambourine picture and make this a very special release indeed.
The words "essential" and "seminal" are thrown around a lot when talking about reissue compilations, but this is one case where those adjectives are truly earned. Presented in an expanded and deluxe edition, and on 12-inch vinyl for the first time, Black Tambourine is one of the crucial releases of 2010.

PANDA RIOT-Far and Near EP CD (Mirror/Mirror-$6.99)
Six new awesome tracks, dancey and shoegazey and blissfull and poppy and just like the Panda Riot songs you already love - only maybe even a smidge or two better than that. Track Listing: julie in time, motown glass, streetlights and you and me, when you said/ When I said, parallax, 16 seconds.
"Their new EP Far & Near is a testament to their talent, featuring six songs that combine classic elements of the genre with electronic touches for ear-catching results" - The Examiner


** LES COMPACT DISQUES **

ARIEL PINK'S HAUNTED GRAFFITI-Before Today CD (4AD-$11.99)
No longer a bedroom venture, Haunted Graffiti is now a fully realised band, comprised of Kenny Gilmore (keys/guitar/vocals), Aaron Sperske (drums/vocals) and Tim Koh (bass/vocals), all characters from the underground LA scene.
The initial sessions for Before Today took place at Encino at the House of Blues studio (once Tito Jackson's home studio) before additional tracking at the band's home studios. The album took nearly six months to complete, with around half of the record completed with Sunny Levine at the dials (the rest being self-produced and recorded). Rik Pekkonen, the engineer for the House of Blues sessions, has previously recorded many great 70's acts including Bill Withers, Seals & Crofts and Bread, all on show as Before Today muddles glam rock, West Coast funk and Merseybeat harmonies.
For such a unique act, Haunted Graffiti manage to weave such a beguiling range of influences into their music. They can veer from the demented heavy metal of 'Butt-House Blondies' to the classic synth-rock of 'I Can't Hear My Eyes', 'Revolution's A Lie' with its pulsating motorik tints to their cover 'Bright Lit Blue Skies' (originally recorded by the Rocking Ramrods in 1966).

GALAXIE 500-This is Our Music + Copenhagen 2xCD (20/20/20-$15.99)
After producing two albums celebrated by a thirsty underground network of fans, Galaxie 500 released what turned out to be their unexpected swansong, This Is Our Music. The title is an intentionally declarative statement. After being labeled masters of the disengaged and forlorn, Damon Krukowsi, Dean Wareham, and Naomi Yang delivered a full-length comprised of their most stately material. Here, one can hear potential realized, as well as changes afoot. "Fourth of July" is a surprisingly up-front song for the band, with rolling drums and a bass-heavy refrain, and it proved to be their most popular single. The track sets the stage for the dynamism of This Is Our Music. When Galaxie 500 sounds wistful ("Summertime"), it sounds like years of yearning actualized; when the band sounds regretful ("Sorry"), it comes pleading on its knees. The trio found a beautiful balance between increased production values and knob-twiddler Mark Kramer's odd-handed approach. This Is Our Music is on
ce again available, now as a double-CD with deluxe packaging, featuring the bonus disc Copenhagen, a live album capturing the band at their most fully realized. It documents what was to be one of their final performances ever.

GALAXIE 500-Today + Uncollected 2xCD (20/20/20-$15.99)
When Galaxie 500's Today was released in 1988, it set off a chain reaction of quiet explosions still being felt. Never before had a record so emphasized the calming elements of rock music, transforming what at first seems like a collection of bridges into fully realized songs. And one can draw a straight line from here to the many groups they influenced, like Low, Belle & Sebastian, and Bon Iver. Today is full of idiosyncrasies. The trio of Damon Krukowski, Dean Wareham, and Naomi Yang were recent Harvard grads who intuitively eliminated any histrionic tradition to rock songs, leaving core emotion (not for nothing did they include a cover of "Don't Let Our Youth Go to Waste," by the kings of feeling, The Modern Lovers). It was produced by Mark Kramer, who was best known for his work with cataclysmic slop rock pioneers such as Bongwater, Ween, and King Missle. The band's hometown of Boston was just coming out of its love affair with Mission of Burma and pouncing upon the spasm
odic electricity of The Pixies. Despite, or perhaps because of, all these elements, Today thrived. More than 20 years after its initial release, its title is still no misnomer. The music, recorded with what many thought at the time was too much reverb, sounds present, alive, and indeed a product of today. Songs like "Flowers," "Temperature's Rising," and of course "Tugboat" (the band's debut single) stand the test of time and exist in an eternal now. Today is now back in print, available as a double-CD with deluxe packaging and featuring the bonus disc Uncollected, a compilation of vital B-sides.

KONONO NO. 1-Assume Crash Position CD (Crammed Discs-$15.99)
"Assume Crash Position" is the new album from Congolese street band Konono No.1, the fourth volume in the Congotronics series from Crammed Discs. It will be released in May/June 2010.
Once again recorded in their home domain of Kinshasa, DR Congo by Congotronics series producer Vincent Kenis, the long-anticipated follow-up to Konono's 2005 debut sees their trademark thrilling junkyard sonics and relentlessly hypnotic percussive grooves (as created using thumb pianos and drums made from scrap metal and disused car parts) further elevated with electric guitars and bass - played by neighbourhood musicians from a young Konono covers band! - as well as a wider range of vocalists plus guest appearances from guitarist Manuaku Pepe Felly (Zaïko Langa Langa) and members of fellow Congotronics band Kasai Allstars.
The band's music is and will always be a very precise mixture of traditonal bazombo trance music with the distortion of their modern home-made equipment... but their sound on "Assume Crash Position" is somehow deeper, more layered and ethereal, without losing any of that signature raw power and driving energy. Those gloriously extended full band tracks take off like never before - but also, for the first time, we hear Konono stripped right back to their essence: the album's final song, "Nakobala Lisusu Te", features just the band's founder and master, Mingiedi (now in his late-seventies) and his likembe. "I don't feel like getting married any more", he sings in sweet and mournful tones, "because women nowadays think marriage is just a six month affair".
The album title is a rough translation from the Kikongo meaning of "Konono", and if you've heard or seen the band in full flight before you'll have some idea of the ride you're in for here. If not - well, strap yourselves in...

THE LODGER-Flashbacks CD (Slumberland-$12.99)
Flashbacks by Leeds' The Lodger was recorded in Autumn 2009 onto tape at Hall Place Studios by local genius and sociable recluse Richard Formby (who had just finished Wild Beast's critically acclaimed Two Dancers and back in the day played guitar on Recurring by Spacemen 3). Formby kept Ben Siddall (vocals, guitar) fed throughout with Ennio Morricone compilations and obscure Bryan McLean LPs while Joe Margetts (bass) and Bruce Renshaw (drums) read old copies of Uncut and played with the vintage analog toys. The new album continues the lyrical themes that informed the first two, including love, loss of innocence and memories of adolescence, fused with The Lodger's trademark upbeat melodies, jangly jazz chords, bouncing basslines and energetic drums, but with the addition of new textures and a more straightforward approach to recording, as Siddall recalls: "I'd had conversations with many friends about the pros and cons of editing the heck out of recordings to clear the mistake
s that musicians make and computer trickery in general, and I decided to adopt an approach where everything had to be real. Real strings and horns, untuned vocals, etc." All he had to do now was get down to the small matter of actually writing some new songs. "Every time I was in my girlfriend's car driving somewhere, we kept listening to the magnificent first Left Banke album and I started getting a bit fixated with the idea of doing something with orchestral instruments and actually trying to dot it all out on manuscript myself. Not a baroque-pop soundalike necessarily but something that embraced classical music within pop. A challenge." With Mr. Formby's firm hand on the tiller all went according to plan and the result is Flashbacks. A bold step forward from 2008's well-received Life Is Sweet, this excellent album is simply a must-hear for fans of smart, soulful guitar pop. Touching on crucial references like The Jam, Orange Juice and Aztec Camera, The Lodger has created something at once familiar and totally new. Fueled by Siddall's songwriting vision and the band's creative energy, Flashbacks is an ambitious addition to the classic pop canon.

NEVEREVER-Angelic Swells CD (Slumberland-$12.99)
Jihae and Wallace Meek, a couple with a keen ear for pop, have travelled the world together in search of the perfect tune. Having met in Glasgow while Ms. Meek was the singer for The Royal We and Mr. Meek helmed the excellent Bricolage, they eventually relocated to Los Angeles to soak in the sunny vibes and pop history. Surrounded by stacks of dusty 45s, crack musicians and dinette counters lined with hopefuls and has-beens, Neverever is their new band, a tough group with a flair for echoey three-minute symphonies, marrying classic pop melodies with punk-informed crunch and glam-infused '70s stomp. Angelic Swells, the group's debut album, is a remarkable effort that takes in '50s rock 'n' roll, '60s girl-group sounds, the '70s glam heyday of Slade and Suzi Quatro and '80s power-pop on its way to creating a bang-up-to-date idea of what pop should sound like in 2010. It's a timeless sound: fuzzy riffs, pounding rhythms and tales of teenage love and lust. From the epic, widescre
en opener "Here Is Always Somewhere Else" to the breathless tale of adolescent sexual awkwardness that is "Coconut Shampoo" to the slow-dance swoon of "16th Wonder," every tune could be a lost hit crackling from an AM radio. Not that there's anything lo-fi happening here; the band worked hard with Jeff Ehrenberg at famed Los Angeles studio Infrasonic (No Age, Beck, Peter Case) to give Angelic Swells that warm, technicolor sound that marks so many great records. First single (under the name The Champagne Socialists) "Blue Genes" is here in freshly recorded form--its catchy guitar riff and rama-lama drums jump from the speakers and head straight for your feet, sure to pack the dancefloor and get you hand-clapping along with the chorus. "Young Runways" and "Teardrop Tattoo" go for a Shadow Morton vibe--updated slices of girl-group goodness that re-imagine the Shangri-Las as they might have sounded playing at CBGB in 1976: brilliant power-pop for the new millennium with nods to Blondie and Shop Assistants along the way. The connection is made explicit by Neverever's cover of The Plimsouls' "Now," which fits in so well with the rest of the songs that you'd think it was an original. Neverever knows their pop history and how to write great songs. Angelic Swells is a an ambitious, iconoclastic record packed with rambunctious riffs, rumbling drums, ear-nagging melodies and, most of all, timeless tunes.

RADIO DEPT-Clinging to a Scheme CD (Labrador-$13.99)
The long wait is finally over! The Radio Department's "Clinging to a scheme" is without doubt this year's most eagerly anticipated Swedish indie pop album. It's been four long years, but a simple press on Play and you'll know it's been worth every second.
"Clinging to a scheme" combines the best components from their previous albums "Lesser matters" and "Pet grief" with soul guitars, P-funk, cut/paste-beats and 70's futuristic orchestra sounds. Breathtaking!

RATATAT-LP4 CD (XL-$11.99)
The Brooklyn-based instrumental electro-rock duo Ratatat is back. The new album features the same bold guitar leads and precise drums these guys are known for, along with some more worldly influences and a sample from the Terrence Malick film Days of Heaven.
Since we last checked in with Evan Mast and Mike Stroud, they graduated from remixing rap tracks in their own image to working with a real-life MC on Kid Cudi's debut album last year.


** YE OLDE TYME VINYL **

-- The following few titles are described in the CD section above --

ARIEL PINK'S HAUNTED GRAFFITI-Before Today CD (4AD-$12.99)
THE LODGER-Flashbacks LP (Slumberland-$13.99)
NEVEREVER-Angelic Swells LP (Slumberland-$9.99)
RATATAT-LP4 LP (XL-$12.99)


AESOP ROCK-Easy 12" (Def Jux-$5.99)
From AESOP ROCK's kick-ass Bazooka Tooth album. "Easy," the infectious A-side, is a signature album tune that's sure to be a wax weapon for DJs around the globe, while the flip features the unreleased "No Jumper Cables," along with a remix. Includes an instrumental version of "Easy" which is available nowhere else.

AIDS WOLF-Cities of Glass LP (Lovepump-$13.99)
AIDS Wolf embraces the hate. If they can't draw you in, they will make you run away cursing and bitching. Their songs speak to the terminally alienated, the relentlessly negative, the inherently repugnant.
The Montreal four-piece (two guitars, drums and insane warbling) formed in early 2003, to the protestations of most of humanity. Since the beginning, they've sought to live the life: to practice complete aesthetic immersion, create music in some form every day, and live healthfully to facilitate their creative endeavors, no vacations allowed. AW greets our modern gloom with heady zeal.

AIR MIAMI-Me Me Me 2xLP (Teenbeat-$8.99)
Excellently-priced double album cut at 45 rpm for maximum fidelity. Mark Robinson and Bridget Cross's first post-Unrest venture from back in the day.

ROY AYERS UBIQUITY-Lifeline LP (Verve-$6.99)

BEATNIK FILMSTARS-Theme From Foreverdrone 12" (Vinyl Japan-$6.99)
4 track ep from 1992 featuring missed, snowdrifter, 9or7 & moreover. some shelfwear from being shuffled about over the years, but new and unplayed.

BLACK FOREST/BLACK SEA-s/t LP (Music Fellowship-$11.99)
BLACK FOREST/BLACK SEA is the Providence duo of Jeffrey Alexander (mostly guitar) and Miriam Goldberg (mostly cello). They play free-form music that draws from folk traditions. The have toured extensively in the US and Europe, from Savonlinna to Sicily, Riga to Reykjavik and Portland to Portland. This is the fourth BF/BS full-length, and the 2nd self-titled album - recorded in Providence, RI, Portland, ME and Montague, MA with guest performances by Italian sound sculptor Stefano Pilia (guitar, tiny sounds) and Miriam's sister Margot Goldberg (phonorgan). Yet another sister - Gillian Goldberg - provides lyrics. Miriam and Jeffrey also incorporate voice, ur-pedal, casio, bul bul tarang and omnichord. **This pressing of the BFBS LP is limited to 500 copies and are on 12x24 white stock. The covers are hand-silkscreened with the same artwork.

TIMK BUCKLEY-s/t 180g LP (Elektra-$10.99)
An exceptional early release from the tragic Tim Buckley -- done with a really unique sound that mixes late 60s folk rock with some subtly jazzy overtones! The record features beautiful string arrangements from the legendary Jack Nitzsche, and some beautiful work on piano, harpsichord, and celeste by Van Dyke Parks! But Buckley's the main star of the set -- crooning beautifully with his sad-tinged voice.

TIM BUCKLEY-Greetings From LA LP (Warner Bros-$8.99)
Gatefold exact repro reissue, manufactured by Rhino. "Buckley sounds completely at home, stretching easily from swampy blues to straight-ahead rock, injecting a generous dose of funk into the proceedings. Both musically and lyrically, this is an orgy of a record, dripping with sweat and sex, and Buckley -- whose sense of humor is fully evident for the first time here -- throws himself headlong into it. With its conventional rock songs, there's nothing innovative about Greetings From LA. Even so, Buckley's character is all over it. His impressive vocal range is still obvious on the opening triad of 'Move With Me,' 'Get on Top' and 'Sweet Surrender,' as well as on the string-washed finale, 'Make It Right.'" -- Trouser Press

DONALD BYRD-Mustang! LP (Blue Note-$6.99)
Donald Byrd, a talented hard bop trumpeter during his prime (although rarely reaching the technical heights of Lee Morgan and Freddie Hubbard), performs a varied repertoire on Mustang!. "Dixie Lee" has dated rhythms, and "Mustang" was an attempt to achieve a hit on the level of Morgan's "The Sidewinder." However, Byrd sounds fine on those numbers; he digs into the complex chord changes of "Fly Little Bird Fly," is sensitive on "I Got It Bad," swings on his "I'm So Excited by You," and performs his memorable countermelody to "On the Trail," which had been recorded earlier by several other musicians. Teamed with a typically impressive Blue Note crew (altoist Sonny Red, tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley, pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Walter Booker, and drummer Freddie Waits), Byrd performs high-quality straight-ahead jazz that fits the modern mainstream of the era.

CALEXICO-Spoke LP (Quarterstick-$13.99)
The back cover photo of Spoke is a furrowing farm machine. When I see such machinery working, clouds of birds follow to eat up the disturbed insects. Calexico snatches up the bits of Americana turned out by a rototilling of the national music psyche. The nineteen resultant tracks can be insect small (0:28 to 3:54) and erratic in flight. The tracks are lo-fi songs suggested and themes follow without concern for what preceded. One bit is held up by guitar, another by accordion, then one by vibes. A bit of desert dust sprinkled throughout may be the only constant theme - a Santa Fe rummage sale of sounds. Spoke is very intriguing and well-worth exploring.

CAMERA OBSCURA-The Nights Are Cold 7" (4AD-$4.99)
UK seven inch vinyl pressing of this 2010 single. The A-side is a cover of Richard Hawley's track, 'Nights Are Cold'. The flip side is a Richard Hawley remix of Camera Obscura's 'Sweetest Thing'.

JOHNNY CASH-Now Here's Johnny Cash LP (Get Back-$13.99)
"Originally released in 1961 on Sun Records. This is a classic album from the most imposing and influential figure in country music.12 tracks showing his deep, resonant baritone and spare, percussive guitar for a basic and distinctive sound." 140 gram red vinyl.

CATAPULT-s/t 12" (BBPTC-0$6.99)
Excellent debut release from great semi-shoegaze Swirlies-esque indierockers from the late 90s.

KIT CLAYTON-Repetition & Nonsense LP (Drop Beat-$6.99)
"San Francisco-based Joshua Kit Clayton makes his CD debut with the excellent, mini-LP length REPETITION AND NONSENSE. Clayton is a peer to such post-techno types as Oval or Pole (whose ~scape label released Clayton's first album, NEK SANALET), crafting insidiously catchy tracks awash in dub-like echo effects and littered with digital debris ("Settler," "A Choice of Words," "A Lack of Calibration"). The closing "Settler Rework" sees Clayton pursuing such painstaking processing to extremes, all but forsaking rhythm for textured abstraction and glitch-ghosted dissipation.
Clayton may love his software tools, but he also shares in the purer spirit of the Detroit and Berlin techno minimalists. His sublime "M-Shape" bounces along to a classic Motor City groove while echoing the clean, concise lines and melodic moirT of such avatars as Maurizio and Robert Hood. "A Measure of Loss," with its minute, incremental mechanics and shifting rhythmic center, and the house-spiked electronic funk of "VHS" combine the strongest points of both schools and represent what Clayton does best. All influences aside, this young musician is an original and a talent to watch closely."

CLUSTER-Soweiso LP (4Men With Beards-$17.99)
"Moebius and Roedelius aka Cluster, released this, their fourth album in 1976. Electronic rhythms combine with bubbling synths, piano and guitar to create sonic landscapes of pure bliss. Some of the greatest ambient electronic music ever, Cluster were on the cutting edge of German space-rock, and pioneers whose influence can still be felt today."

CLUSTER-Zuckerzeit LP (Lilith-$23.99)
"Originally released in 1974, Zuckerzeit marked a turning point for these seminal German space rockers. Recorded shortly after their move away from the metropolis of Berlin, it sees some of the abrasiveness of their earlier material slightly diffusing. With the addition of proto drum machines and the producing talents of Michael Rother, their sound here -- while remaining firmly anchored in experimental territory -- has more pop sensibility." New liner notes by Asmus Tietchens (which mention that the title translates as "Sugar Era").

MILES DAVIS-In A Silent Way LP (Columbia/Sony BMG-$17.99)
If one listens to Joe Zawinul's original version of "In a Silent Way," it comes across as almost a folk song with a very pronounced melody. The version Miles Davis and Teo Macero assembled from the recording session in July of 1968 is anything but. There is no melody, not even a melodic frame. There are only vamps and solos, grooves layered on top of other grooves spiraling toward space but ending in silence. But even these don't begin until almost ten minutes into the piece. It's Miles and McLaughlin, sparely breathing and wending their way through a series of seemingly disconnected phrases until the groove monster kicks in. The solos are extended, digging deep into the heart of the ethereal groove, which was dark, smoky, and ashen. McLaughlin and Hancock are particularly brilliant, but Corea's solo on the Fender Rhodes is one of his most articulate and spiraling on the instrument ever. The A-side of the album, "Shhh/Peaceful," is even more so. With Tony Williams shimmering
away on the cymbals in double time, Miles comes out slippery and slowly, playing over the top of the vamp, playing ostinato and moving off into more mysterious territory a moment at a time. With Zawinul's organ in the background offering the occasional swell of darkness and dimension, Miles could continue indefinitely. But McLaughlin is hovering, easing in, moving up against the organ and the trills by Hancock and Corea; Wayne Shorter hesitantly winds in and out of the mix on his soprano, filling space until it's his turn to solo. But John McLaughlin, playing solos and fills throughout (the piece is like one long dreamy solo for the guitarist), is what gives it its open quality, like a piece of music with no borders as he turns in and through the commingling keyboards as Holland paces everything along. When the first round of solos ends, Zawinul and McLaughlin and Williams usher it back in with painterly decoration and illumination from Corea and Hancock. Miles picks up on another riff created by Corea and slips in to bring back the ostinato "theme" of the work. He plays glissando right near the very end, which is the only place where the band swells and the tune moves above a whisper before Zawinul's organ fades it into silence. This disc holds up, and perhaps is even stronger because of the issue of the complete sessions. It is, along with Jack Johnson and Bitches Brew, a signature Miles Davis session from the electric era. -allmusic.com

MILES DAVIS-Birth of the Cool 180g LP (Jazz Tracks-$17.99)
German import.

MILES DAVIS QUINTET-Relaxin' LP (Prestige-$11.99)
Relaxin' features the Miles Davis Quintet in a pair of legendary recording dates -- from May and October of 1956 -- which would generate enough music to produce four separate long-players: Cookin', Relaxin', Workin', and Steamin'. Each of these is considered not only to be among the pinnacle of Davis' work, but of the entire bop subgenre as well. As with the other titles, Relaxin' contains a variety of material which the band had concurrently been performing in their concert appearances. In a brilliant stroke of time conservation, the scheme was hatched for the quintet -- who includes: Davis (trumpet), John Coltrane (tenor sax), Philly Joe Jones (drums), and Red Garland (piano) -- to perform the equivalent of their live repertoire in the studio for eventual release. The results are consistently superior both in terms of song selection as well as performance. The solid nature of the unit as a singular musical force is immediately apparent. "If I Were a Bell" -- from the pla
y {+Guys and Dolls} -- includes some remarkable soloing via Coltrane and Garland. Davis' solos are additionally impressive, as they're derived from the same four-note motive as the melody. Hearing the many variations that he comes up with throughout the song conveys how intrigued Davis must have been by the tune, as it stayed in his performance repertoire for decades. Tracks such as "You're My Everything" and "Oleo" highlight the synchronic nature of Davis and Coltrane as they carry each other's melodies while trading off solos. The steady syncopation of Philly Joe Jones keeps the rhythms tight and the delicate interplay all the more conspicuous. Relaxin' offers something for every degree of jazz enthusiast. Likewise, the quintet's recordings provide a tremendous introduction for the curious jazz consumer. ~ Lindsay Planer, All Music Guide

DEAD SCIENCE-Villainaire LP (Constellation-$18.99)
Seattle-based band The Dead Science have created a majestic, ornate and soaring collection of post-punk avant-pop on this, their fourth full-length record. Villainaire is a brilliant song cycle driven by layers of Sam Mickens' vibrato-laden voice, dark lyricism and sterling guitar work. Bassist Jherek Bischoff and drummer Nick Tamburro anchor the tunes with endlessly inventive polyrhythmic suppleness. Together the trio unleash a truly unique sound, intensely literate in both word and sound, with a controlled and commanding fury. The songs on Villainaire range from epic orchestral pop to sinister jazz-rock to weary, soul-bleached balladry.

ERIC DOLPHY-Outward Bound LP (Prestige-$9.99)
This very likable set, Eric Dolphy's first as a leader, sees Dolphy teamed up with the young trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, pianist Jaki Byard, bassist George Tucker, and drummer Roy Haynes, Dolphy introduces his tribute to Gerald Wilson, "G.W.," and rips into "On Green Dolphin Street," stretches out on flute on "Glad to Be Unhappy," and takes a memorable bass clarinet solo on the delightful "Miss Toni." Hubbard and Byard are also both in good form. A perfect introduction to Eric Dolphy's versatile talents, this boppish set is more accessible than many of Dolphy's more innovative recordings. Recommended. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

EARLY MAN-Death is the Answer 12" (Matador-$2.99)

EXHALERA DECK-Exhale 12" (Fuzzy Box-$5.99)
Alternate band name from Chris Jeely aka Accelera Deck, from way back in the day.

EYEDEA & ABILITIES-Now 12" (Rhymesayers-$5.99)
Simply put Now is the amazing first single from the upcoming full-length titled E&A. One listen and people won't believe the growth of this young duo. The B-Side "E&A Day" is a hard hitting battle track which finds Eyedea giving Blaze Battle founders and other non- believers a piece of his mind while Abilities cuts shit up. As a bonus Jake One steps in and completely flips the vibe with a banging "E&A Day" remix.

FLAMIN GROOVIES-Supersnazz LP (Epic-$9.99)
"Supersnazz, according to group leader Roy Loney, was to be 'the Flamin' Groovies' Sgt. Pepper' -- a chance to blow out the doors of a major label studio with songs running the gamut from the decadence of 'The First One's Free' and 'Love Have Mercy' to the exotica of 'Bam Balam', the harmonies of 'A Part From That' and the Beatlesque shimmer of 'Laurie Did It'. Now with four bonus tracks and a dazzling array of previously unseen pics, Supersnazz is a Groovie grab-bag from the golden era of San Fran rock, circa 1969."

FRESH & ONLYS-August in My Mind 12" (Captured Tracks-$12.99)
"...the San Francisco crew's releasing a great six-song EP on Captured Tracks early next month called August In My Mind... they kick up an excellent, hazy dust storm with the standout opener "Diamond In The Dark." (Really, people should pay more attention to these folks...)" -Stereogum

LIGHT POLLUTION-Apparitions LP (Carpark-$14.99)
Apparitions, the first full length album by Chicago's Light Pollution has blown the roof off the building. This moody masterpiece of a record combines catchy melodic flights with an edgy sensibility that manifests itself in the subtle flourishes of pop-psychedelia, sophisticated harmonies and the evocative lyrics of front man Jim Cicero. The band's dazzlingly inventive soundscapes and choral arrangements push the current boundaries of pop music far beyond the breaking point to create a perfect hybrid of moody indie pop and psychedelia. Apparitions is incredibly formed and informed for a debut full length.

MANATEE-Indecision 7" (Slumberland-$3.99)
Slumberland Records is very happy to present the first release by the San Francisco / Oakland band Manatee. Featuring Black Tambourine / Whorl alumnus Mike Schulman, Manatee was a relatively short-lived project that, on the evidence of this fine single, flamed out far too quickly. Inspired by bands as diverse as Velvet Underground, The Ramones, The Feelies and The Replacements, Manatee created a straight-ahead brand of power-pop that's as impassioned as it is timeless. "Indecision" is an uptempo tune driven by a naggingly catchy guitar riff and Keith Neal's ace vocals. Hearkening back to the '80s heyday of Game Theory, The Replacements and The Smithereens, the track is an effortlessly rocking pop gem that demonstrates the enduring strength of the basic guitar / bass / drums format when combined with great songwriting and a passionate delivery. "Fifteen Minute Drive" is a moodier affair, a minimal strum 'n' drum that snaps along nicely until it reaches a squalling stun-guitar
coda, what was once a subliminal bed of noise becoming a torrent of squeal and feedback. That combination of melody and untamed noise is a fine summation of the Manatee aesthetic, and of course makes the four-piece a natural for the Slumberland roster.

MOTE-Speed of Glasses 12" (BBPTC-$2.99)
4 tracks from 1999 or thereabouts. One-sided LP.

ORANGE CAKE MIX-Observations Of Tomorrow And Today 12" (bbptc-$4.99)
More oldies but goodies.

RED SPAROWES-The Fear is Excruciating, But Therein Lies the Answer LP (Sargent House-$20.99)
The group's sweeping guitar orchestrations thrive unbound by narrative, reliant on the merits & strength of their power alone.

SUMMER CATS-Your Timetable 7" (Slumberland-$3.99)
Melbourne, Australia's Summer Cats are keen students of pop in all its flavors. From the motorik strum of Modern Lovers to the folky lilt of early Creation / Sarah label bands to the feedback-drenched noisy pop of the '00s, Summer Cats have got you covered. Their 2009 Slumberland album Songs for Tuesdays dazzled with seemingly effortless song craft and sharp melodicism. Packed with proper tunes and confident vocals, it is one of the finest indie-pop albums of recent memory. Summer Cats' first single since the album is a corker. "Your Timetable" is a well-honed slice of noise-pop, full of fuzz guitar, romping organ and a chorus to die for. Augmented by new second guitarist Jeremy Cole (from excellent Melbourne band The Zebras), Summer Cats turn "Your Timetable" into a glorious racket of barely-contained guitar squall and crashing drums--a perfectly infectious two-minute pop gem. On the flip, live favorite "TV Guide" finally gets the studio treatment. Showing another facet to S
ummer Cats' pop sound, "TV Guide" is an organ-driven bopper featuring excellent vocals from Scott Stevens, restrained guitar jangle 'n' strum, and yet another indelibly catchy melody and chorus. With its charming minimalism, "TV Guide" could fit right in on an early Flying Nun compilation. Jangly, fuzzy and catchy as hell, Summer Cats make brilliant pop records to dance and swoon to, and this fine single is sure to please fans of all things melodic and groovy.

TENDER TRAP-Do You Want A Boyfriend? 7" (Slumberland-$3.99)
Tender Trap are now a proper girl-group! Neither Talulah Gosh nor Heavenly (Amelia Fletcher's previous bands) had this much vocal harmony going on. With two extra voices (from new guitarist Elizabeth Darling and new drummer Katrina Dixon), this great new single combines the harmonies, oohs, ahhs and sha-la-las of classic girl-pop with the stripped-down beats and dirty guitars of the Shop Assistants and The Vaselines. In contrast with earlier Tender Trap, which had a more electronic bent, the current line-up has stronger links to the pop lineage of its founding members; Fletcher and Rob Pursey were in influential indie-pop originals and John Peel favorites Talulah Gosh and Heavenly, who released records on Sarah Records, K Records and Stephen Pastel's 53rd and 3rd. Revered by today's revitalized indie-pop scene, their records are floor-fillers at indie dance clubs and their influence can be heard in bands such as Los Campesinos! (who namecheck Fletcher in their song "Internati
onal Tweexcore Underground") and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. "Do You Want a Boyfriend?," taken from the Tender Trap's upcoming album Dansette Dansette, is a perfect chunk of pop, but it's not as innocent as it seems--it celebrates the girl-pop phenomenon, but deconstructs it, too. Fletcher sings in response to Dixon and Darling's increasingly intimate questions about boyfriends, and her answers stray well outside the standard girl-group territory. The punk-rocking flip side "The Sum and the Difference" is the closest Tender Trap have come to Talulah Gosh; while guitars and drums rush by in a blur, Fletcher and Darling harmonize sweetly, contemplating whether to kiss or kill another unreliable partner.

KURT VILE-Squre Shells 12" (Matador-$9.99)
Philadelphia singer-songwriter KURT VILE returns with a stepping-stone 7-song EP between Matador's reissue of his privately circulated "Childish Prodigy" album last fall and his upcoming new album recorded with John Agnello. "Square Shells" depicts some aspects of Kurt's music not immediately accessible on his last album, from dreamgazey jams to plaintive, folky melodies. Recorded in a brighter, less homemade sound, Kurt's extraordinarily evocative songwriting explores themes of friendship, loss and desolation.
As the title suggests, 'Square Shells' is also something of a collection of curios. Opening track "Ocean City" instantly grasps you with its charming, sunny melody - completely undercut by its loner lyrical vibe. If past Kurt Vile records channeled private-pressing downerfolk via early Pavement and Cass McCombs, this song layers Leo Kottke on Van Dyke Parks. Subsequent tracks move past the acoustic sound into beautiful layers of guitar and vocals. A perfect holdover for Kurt fans to bridge them to the upcoming proper full-length in fall 2010.

YO LA TENGO-Here To Fall 12" (Matador-$9.99)
YO LA TENGO have worked with a huge variety of artists from different genres over the years. In 1997 they released the "Autumn Sweaters Remix" EP, featuring remixes from Tortoise, Kevin Shields and µ-Ziq. In 1999, they released the "Danelectro Remixes," with remixes by Kit Clayton and Nobekazu Takemura. During the early 2000s, the band performed with members of legendary free jazz combo Other Dimensions In Music as well as members of the Sun Ra Arkestra. In 2010, the band presents an EP of remixes of "Here To Fall," the lead track from last year's "Popular Songs," by De La Soul, RJD2 and Pete Rock.
"Here To Fall" is the most popular track from "Popular Songs," a couple having a tense conversation about the future over the background of menacing, descending chords and distorted wa-wa guitar. Each of these legendary hip hop performers has taken the track and the story and made it their own. Maseo from De La Soul strips the song to its core only to add driving guitars and a heavy groove. RJD2's take is as cool and atmospheric as you'd expect. It is the EP's closer that truly takes the song to the next level - Pete Rock's remix is dusky, minimal, abstract and hypnotic - carving the song down to the discrete elements of the human relationship, then dropping a verse about Yo La Tengo themselves - in a word, awesome.

ZOLA JESUS-Stridulum 12" (Sacred Bones-$14.99)
Since her debut lp for Sacred Bones last summer, Zola Jesus's profile has grown exponentially. Her video for "Clay Bodies" debuted on The Fader and her likeness was plastered all over the Internet. The Spoils made dozens of year-end lists including The Wire, Pitchfork, The Fader, and Dusted, and fans and critics alike now seem rabid for new material. So without further ado, we present Stridulum, the new, far less lo-fi 6-song EP from Nika Roza Danilova. Recording her vocals for the first time with professional instruments, Nika's voice is brought to the powerful forefront of the mix unleashing the full range of emotions that had previously only been hinted at in her previous work. It's a siren song for the apocalypse, which manages to come across immensely nurturing at the same time.
Born and raised in the backwoods of Wisco, Nika Roza was literally raised by wolves (well proximally anyways). Trained as an opera singer from a young age, she applied to Julliard. At 10 years old. Rejection didn't slow her down, though, as she went on to complete high school in three years and is set to graduate from university with a double major in French and philosophy in the same amount of time. As soon as school's out this summer, she will begin touring full time with a full band on both sides of the pond. Until then please keep an eye out for weekend excursions and the requisite standard umpteen SxSW shows. Her next full length will not be 'til 2011, but we feel pretty certain this will tide you over until then.


** STUNNING VISUALS **

GALAXIE 500-Don't let Our Youth Go To Waste 2xDVD (20/20/20-$9.99)
Incredible low-priced re-ish of the plexifilm classic. Two years out of print, and just in time to go along with the album reissues, the double-DVD Galaxie 500 compendium has been made available once again via 20|20|20 at a discounted price. Don't Let Our Youth Go to Waste is a comprehensive visual document spanning the history of Galaxie 500. A collection of all their music videos, a TV appearance and an archive of over 40 songs performed live, this two-DVD set includes an unreleased original song "Buzz in My Head" and a live version of Jonathan Richman's "Back in Your Life," both of which were never recorded or released in any other form. The deluxe booklet contains photos and a new interview with all three members conducted by Yo La Tengo's James McNew.


** RESTOCKS **

COCTEAU TWINS-bunches of titles on CD
PAVEMENT-Lo-Cost Classix 120g LPs on the cheap!

And a lot more re-stocks on the website!

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