OUT OF THE COUNTRY
Daniel McKernan is taking over senior editorial duties for the next week as Jon will be hiding out at Sonar. Look for the brainwashed shirt and win a prize!

SUPPORT FROM THE PIG
V/Vm gets a slot supporting a Sonic Youth show in London on 1st of July. Bring your sausages! Brainwashed wants photos of a Sonic Youth audience reaction.

KRANKY ON YOUR BACK
Now available from kranky - sweet lookin' 100% cotton t-shirts - black with a logo on the front and the latest kranky motivational slogan on the back in white. Look for models and pictures soon.

SONIC YOUTH, "NYC GHOSTS & FLOWERS"
Perhaps there was a time that Geffen was pressuring Sonic Youth to make more hit singles, as it looks now, thankfully they have hopefully given up. Gone are the whiny rock chick antics of the early 90s Kim Gordon and the chord banging Thurston Moore. There's much more care and delicacy to the noise banged out, this could be the result of Jim O'Rourke's production and occasional playing on the record. Spoken and sung bits through the last part of the disc echo of Slint stuff. On the back is displayed the total time as 42:22. Perfect! We don't get to hear 15 minute long drones in a pop context. Sonic Youth are no longer trying to sneak noise in, they're using carefully constructed dissonance in an album which is arguably their best pop record (Musical Perspectives 1-4 aside) since Daydream Nation. - Jon Whitney with Andrew Shires

samples:

• Nevermind (What Was It Anyway)
• NYC Ghosts and Flowers
• streamXsonic Subway

KU-LING BROTHERS, "CREACH"
Ku-ling Bros. is Stephen Mallinder and Shane Norton. The music is far more accessible than Richard Kirk's recent output, however it is easy to hear the late Cabaret Voltaire influence (see 'Plasticity'). Originally designed as a remix alias, Ku-ling Bros. now have two EPs available in addition to the new CD; 'Systematic Hipster' 12" vinyl (forthcoming) and 'Evolution Of A Dope Fiend' (OFFWORLD2).
Off World Sounds has some screwy catalogue numbers. For instance, Sassi & Loco's 'Bibleopoly' CDS (the label's first release) is catalogue number OFF1, while the various artists compilation, 'Cooking With Gas' on 12" vinyl is catalogue number OFFWORLD1. Furthermore, the CD version of 'Cooking With Gas' is catalogue number OFFCD3.
By the way, for those of you into Fila Brazillia you'll find the track 'Speewah' on 'Cooking With Gas'. Also worth mentioning is the various artist compilation 'Heat Electric'; available on 12" vinyl (OFFWORLD4) and CD (OFFCD5).
There is hope for all you mad trainspotters who have been attempting to round up all of the compilations that feature one of the four or five odd Sassi & Loco tracks. Rumour has it that Stephen Mallinder is planning to release a retrospective of the duo's 18 month studio output. The retrospective should feature 'Bibleopoly' and 'Orange Street' from the 'Bibleopoly' EP, 'Away Away', 'Tommy Roberts', 'Lost Loco' from the 'Trans Pacific Express' compilation, as well as other exclusive mixes. - Ross Owen Katz

samples:

• don't count on it

BELLE AND SEBASTIAN, "FOLD YOUR HANDS CHILD, YOU WALK LIKE A PEASANT"
This ever-growing Britpop legend has come through once again, though with a few weak spots. After having heard the teaser single, "Legal Man," which is not available on this album, I was surprised at such a new sound and was curious to hear more of their new material. The single does not have the same feeling - that classic Belle and Sebastian mood - that the album does. The opening tracks, "I Fought in a War" and "The Model" show lots of promise, retaining the band's older styles and Stuart Murdoch's wonderfully emotional voice, but still moving forward. However, the third track, "Beyond the Sunrise," completely breaks the flow of the album with mellow acoustics and deep, funny sounding vocals. The album picks up again after this, with wonderful tracks like "Don't Leave the Light on, Baby," and "Family Tree." Some of the lyrics on this release seem a little sillier than previous albums, but for the most part they are still fairly classic B&S. There is an even mix of male and female vocals, and also a balance of dancey and sulky numbers. For the most part, this album, despite those few "flaws," is a really nice listen: quaint. - Daniel McKernan

samples:

• I Fought in a War
• Don't Leave the Light on, Baby
• Family Tree

WILD PLANET
The new subConscious compilation featuring (as the last one, "Paradigm Shift") an array of unreleased or revised tracks from cEvin Key and related artists. Download's "Toooly Hooof" is a remix from III, nice and danceable with Key's stylistic touch. A Duck, D.R. Goettel's solo project, delivers "Quakerz (Revision)," an awesome tune light years ahead of its time insofar as techno sounds go. The platEAU track is quiet and makes a nice ambient break in the beats. The Doubting Thomas track has their classic dancey, hard-hitting beats with wavery synths in the background. The compilation stops to beat the dead horse that once was Skinny Puppy by including "Rodent (Remix)," seemingly stuck in here merely to have the name dropped (an "exclusive, unreleased" track). Next is a new Tear Garden track ? a bouncy and touching tale of abuse, from "To Be An Angel Blind" sessions. Ryan Moore donated a somewhat predictable Twilight Circus tune. Philth's track, "Sanity Shovel," is a bit boring at first, though later picks up and is reminiscent of his last album, The Escapist. Floatpoint is Philth and D. Handrabur ? who together create a wonderful electronic sounding track, "Foundflap," heavy on the Eastern influence. "I Still Ate Here," from cEvin Key sounds like an outtake from the 'Music for Cats' album which didn't make the cut. Lustmord's "Infinite Domain" is an alternate version from an upcoming album, 'Metavoid,' which has me convinced enough to look forward to it. Off and Gone consists of the same people as Floatpoint, but thri contribution is a faster A Duck-style beat-driven track. While "Fate's Faithful Punchline," from Legendary Pink Dots is beautiful, this 'version' is all too much like the original ? with very little differences. Dead Voices on Air meets Dropstar for album's closer, "Rijn" -- it's a minimal soundscape with quiet, processed vocals ? much like other DVOA stuff of this nature. This compilation is really a great disc overall, as expected when dealing with 14 exclusive tracks from some really wonderful artists. - Daniel McKernan

samples:

• A Duck - Quakerz (Revision)
• The Tear Garden - Things That Go Bump in the Night
• Floatpoint - Foundflap

LEGENDARY PINK DOTS, "FAREWELL, MILKY WAY"
A lovely recording of the Dots show from 1994 in Amsterdam's Milky Way Club. Not the best quality, but surely not the worst for it being a live show. There is a nice blend of songs on here ? mostly their fav's from their live line up, from "Space Captain" to "A Crack in Melancholy Time." Edward and the band jam together and, even though heard on a stereosystem, bring forth an array of sinister tunes that can truly bring you back to their captivating live performances. This version of "9 Shades to the Circle," like their current tour's encore, strays lyrically from the Nine Lives to Wonder original, and at this show includes very haunting percussion effects and startling crashes that literally made me jump and rush to turn the volume down. "Premonition 13" gives chills with its bitter edged bite of captivating words and changing melodies. The version of "Belladonna" is acceptable, despite barely being able to hear Edward's voice. The original version of "Needles" appears here as well, and eerily comes and goes, fading into an quiet, awesome and completely awe-inspiring extended version of "Space Captain," which is a definite highlight of the show. The Milky Way was the first club they played in Holland and this concert was their final show before the club closed its doors. - Daniel McKernan with Jon Whitney

samples:

• Space Captain
• Belladonna
• A Crack in Melancholy Time

RUMAH SAKIT
The San Francisco-based group pronounced "Room Uh Sock Eeet!" reminds me of one of the best characteristics of some of my favorite bands' early days. They're tight and solid, have excellent melodies, energetic as all hell and recorded the album almost completely live. You have to when you're just starting out, living in an expensive city and short on cash. There's no tricks and gimmicks on this disc, you're getting a sound from the best live concert you could experience, with a minimal amount of correcting (if any) going on in post-production. Lots of melody, a tight knit with the rhythm section, bits of distortion and feedback and no vocals, this disc is a great release from the seeminly endless train of minimal electronica driving through your living room right now. For those who know who Tarentel is, the bassist used to be in them. Rumah Sakit has been brought to us by our charming and sexy friends at Temporary Residence. - Jon Whitney and Andrew Shires

samples:

• Bring on the Cobras
• Careful with That Fax Machine
• Wind & Wing

TWILIGHT CIRCUS, "DUB VOYAGE"
Ryan Moore makes it sound so easy. He's really become a natural at the Dub Soundystem project. Over the last five years, his progress has moved into utilizing more electronic and organic instruments while staying true to the ideals of old school dubmasters. Organs and pianos echo, sub atomic bass lines swirl mesmerizing any listener caught in its path, new chimes ring in (almost never heard before), drum beats remain simple and reverberate in loops which end perfectly. The feelings are still there of a desolate scene in a hot western ghost town, or driving for hours in the desert. Listening to this sometimes makes me wish I enjoyed pot smoking as I can picture this would be a great soundtrack to chilling out with meaningless conversation, passing the coochie on the left hand side. Gosh that sounds tacky! - Jon Whitney

samples:

• Fast
• Heavy
• Slicer

THE THE, "SHRUNKENMAN INTERPRETATIONS"
What a grand idea. As opposed to the usual, overly done idea of having other bands remix songs, Matt Johnson's clever self has decided to have other bands cover (or "interpret") his songs. Even though it's not much different from a remix (now the interpreting artist sings as well), it's a refreshing idea. This single for ShrunkenMan starts with The The's original version. The first interpretation is by Daau, beginning with strings and some wind instrument playing the familiar tune from the original. In comes a piano, playing the recognizable hip melody. More beautiful piano follows as the song builds. Suddenly the song goes off with a new style. Cool drums and vocals take over, which are amusing. This half of the song hardly resembles anything of the original. I love it. The next interpretation is by John Parish. This version is all acoustic, much simpler and slower than the original. The final version is a dark, spooky interpretation by Foetus. I recognize this version as it was played as a prelude to their live concert I caught last month -- remembering that I didn't even recognize it until noticing some vaguely familiar lyrics. I like this interpretations concept, all the versions are great and very different from each other. If anything, the EP was a wee bit too short. Other than that, it was perfect and I'm very much looking forward to the next set of interpretations, which I believe will be for December Sunlight. - Scott Lundquist

samples:

• coming soon...

TOMMY GUERRERO, "A LITTLE BIT OF SOMETHIN"
From Mo Wax comes the second full-lengther from Tommy Guerrero, featuring a little bit of samba and spice tossed into an acoustic blend. It's pretty yet rather sleepy in parts. The drum machines are primitive but the guitar playing is nice. The overall impression I get from this album is that it's very elemental, with songs that could easily be used as a starting point for more exciting or evolving pop tunes. For the most part, it's a simple downbeat album, which could stand to be deeper and less repetitious. On the other hand it would make an excellent album for havng guests over for dinner when you want to impress them with something more atmospheric than a Portishead record where everybody's singing through their soup course. - Jon Whitney

samples:

• Four Trk Samba
• Tiny
• Four Trk Samba

OMD, "PEEL SESSIONS 1979-1983"
Listening to a peel session with songs you have known by heart for nearly 20 years gives you an insightful view of the band recording live in a contained environment. There's no time for corrections in post-production so the abilities to play really shine through. That said, these collections are really only very good for the fans of the bands. There's nothing new or 'non-released in a previous form before' on the collection. While it's great for a couple listens, I'm not sure how often I'll reach for this as opposed to the studio recordings. I do dearly love these songs, so I would rather recommend anybody to pick up the first 4 albums from Orchestral Manoeuvres instead. - Jon Whitney

samples:

• Red Frame/White Light
• Messages
• Electricity

We know that sometimes these CDs are somewhat challenging to find, which is why we have a RECOMMENDED STORES section which can be used to obtain nearly everything available on the site.

MONDAY
Appliance - Six Modular Pieces CD/LP (Mute, UK)
Deejay Punk-Roc - One More Bump 12"/CDEP (Epic, UK)
Elite Force - Bombin' the Subway 12" (Fused & Bruised, UK)
Endorphins - Dedication 12" + remix CDEP (Eat This, Holland)
Fink - Fresh Produce CD/LP (N-Tone/Ninja Tune, UK/Canada/US)
David Holmes - Bow Down To The Exit Sign CD/2xLP (Go Beat, UK)
Moby - Porcelain two CDEPs (Mute, UK)
Spring Heel Jack - Disappeared CD/LP (Tugboat, UK)
Twilight Circus - Dub Voyage CD/LP (M Records, The Netherlands)
Various - An Anthology of Noise 2xCD-R (Fusion Audio, US)
Various - Invisible Soundtracks Vol. 4 12" [with Freeform, Druckwelle, B Fleishmann and Manitoba] (Leaf, UK)

For a more comprehensive release schedule stretching far into the future, please check out the NEW RELEASES brought to you by Greg and Feedback Monitor.

THE CLIENTELE / FLARE / SCIENCE PARK
Headliners The Clientele from London returned to the USA for two small shows, here in Boston and NYC. It's always a treat to see them live, as they're excellent players. On record, their music can sometimes sound flat and two-dimensional. This is a result most likely of the choice to keep sounds and processes simple, almost remeniscent of music from the 60s. Watching them play, however is like watching a band from that era play, as there was no faking going on - musicians on the whole had to be good as there wasn't much room for noise, distortion or other clouds and smoke. Alasdair's lyrics are simple and pretty, drifting and contradictory what he's playing on guitar, a feat of talent for these guys, fresh off the airplane, playing at 6:30 am their time! Flare preceeded them as the second on the bill, featuring members LD Begtol and others from the revolving camp of Magnetic Fields. The music would have been much better if the sound man bothered to mic the cello, violin, ukelele or anything else LD would play. The tunes were gentle and I'm sure the musicians were playing interesting parts as they looked fairly involved. I wish I could comment more. Science Park opened the night. They keep getting more bouncy and more queer every time I see them, I'm not going to comment much more on that since Myke's a decent guy and the comments wouldn't be pretty. I did like the acoustic shows years ago, but Myke is afraid of being compared to the Goo Goo Dolls. Oh well. - Jon Whitney

MACHA / CALEXIO
Perhaps it's becoming too much of a recipe for "post rock" by including the vibrophones, but Macha pulled it off well, cleverly escaping any comparisons to other bands. Their music is vocal, song-based and rock oriented, the instrumentation varies from song to song, incorporating lots of malleted instruments including steel drums and marimbas (I'm guessing at that since I could barely see the stage). On hand that night was special guest Matt Kedane, former singer from Bedhead, who told me later that evening, "I've been playing with these guys for 20 years!" The renditions of tracks from the most recent "Macha Loved Bedhead" EP were amazing. What separates them from the rest of the pack is their songs are fantastic, taking steps and progressions where many have not ventured. The songs start with clear objectives, yet frequently end up as improvisational interplays that actually sound great to listen to. This is talent. Calexico on the other hand exhibit the skill. While they have wonderful playing techniques and bounce all over the place in their various Spanish folk influenced rock kitch, their songs are somewhat lacking in originality and allure. I found my attention wandering quite a bit whereas my face barely left the stage for Macha. - Jon Whitney

HRVATSKI / ?-ZIQ
I worked, I napped, I showed up just in time to catch the set from Reckankreuzungsklankewerzeuge recording artist Hrvatski. Sadly enough I missed the opening set from Electro Organic Sound System, a local incarnate featuring overlap from the Tone Burst Collective. Listening from the website - www.electroorganic.com, the sounds are nice and I want to catch this guy some time... Hrvatski's set started out rather quiet, somewhat minimal, the beats weren't particularly loud and the bass seemed absent. Drones from the guitar and fx were pretty, however. It was indeed a slow start, but bit by bit things started to fall into place. At the start the audience was growing itchy and restless, by the end the crowd was cheering to Hrvatski's mix of 606's "My Kitten," along with his "Mouldy Old Dough" and other faves. I wasn't prepared for the headliner however. Here I was dissing this guy at every single chance I get, all ready to record my own hit single, "Mike Paradinas Is An Overrated Talentless Lame Knob Twiddler," when he took to the decks and effects and blasted us all. Mu-Ziq's albums I have always found to be dull and boring, with loads of presets and no soul. Tonight's display of aggressive flooring drum and bass was punchy, fresh and exciting. The word from the experts was that it basically wasn't any Mu-Ziq stuff but bits and pieces from his side projects like Kid Spatula. I stand corrected on my former assessments of Mike Paradinas and now plan to sell all my Mu-Ziq material with the intentions of getting his other projects. - Jon Whitney

BANNERTOWN AT CHICKENHEAD
Whenever I get in the dumps and can really use a good cheering up, I go to Bannertown at Chickenhead - www.chickenhead.com/bannertown - it may have been around forever but it still makes me laugh every time.

I don't think it's public, but you can always email their label if you have important business to discuss with them.