COIL PERFORMANCES AT THE WHITE CHAPEL, CANCELLED
The show has been cancelled, demand refunds from Ticketweb if you already bought them. More details available at the Coil website.

CURRENT 93/NURSE WITH WOUND SELL OUT
The limited 2CD set of Bright Yellow Moon/Purtle is now SOLD OUT from Durtro. Any orders received but not yet processed, or in transit, or that have been reserved by e-mail will be honoured. World Serpent have taken from Durtro a small amount of copies which will be available from their mail-order department. The standard issue of Bright Yellow Moon will be released in June on CD and on vinyl; these will be available from durtro.com and World Serpent.

little annie and antony at joe's
Tuesday, May 29th 2001 @ 8:30pm: Antony and the Johnsons with Johanna Constantine & Dr. Julia Yasuda with a special set by Little Annie at 8pm. Joe's Pub at the Public Theater is located at 425 Lafayette Street NYC. For reservations phone 212 539 8777. Tickets are a cheap $15.

windy & carl to play with aube in detroit
A week-long visit to Detroit will end in a special concert by Japanese experimentalist Akifumi Nakajima, a.k.a. Aube. The show, with special guests Windy & Carl and Princess Dragonmom is scheduled to take place on Saturday, June 23 at the CPOP GALLERY: 4160 Woodward Ave, Detroit, (www.cpop.com) from 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM. Tickets are $10 (and the first 50 admissions will recieve a FREE exclusive AUBE CD). Phone 313-833-9902 for more details.

V/Vm presents Dr. Fred & Alien Porno Midgets
Being a V/Vm fan requires a willingness to be continually entertained by the same joke and a willingness to part ways with a lot of money. Here we have two more in an ongoing series of cute, color coded 3" CDs. Both take source material and effect it in some way either to mangle it or simply borrow it. The Alien Porno Midgets disc does it with 8 tracks (different from the preceding Alien 7") of traditional Hawaiian music. Ukeleles, pedal steel and island rhythms are still recognizable but certainly altered as several tracks are reduced to a sonic sludge.
The Dr. Fred disc does it with 7 TV medical drama theme songs: Casualty, Dr Killdare, Quincy, A Country Practice, St. Elsewhere, Young Doctors and E.R., plus 3 short untitled tracks. I've never been a fan of any of these shows so I'm only vaguely familiar with a few of the themes. St. Elsewhere and E.R. sound the most interesting as they're the most obliterated. The last track is a creepy, pitch shifted and slowed down rendition of The Living End's "Prisoner (On the Inside)" that's on par with "The Lady in Red" from the "Sick Love" cd. Wacky. But these will surely pale in comparison to the pair of 'HelpAphexTwin' 3" CDs and 'Sick Love Will Tear Us Apart' 7" due out soon. - Mark Weddle

samples:

• Dr. Fred Plays St. Elsewhere
• Dr. Fred Plays track 10
• Alien Porno Midgets - Blue Hawaiian UFO Farewell
• Alien Porno Midgets - Waikiki Beach

monstre, "sucre 3"
The debut full-length release from Montreal's one man group known as Monstre fades in like a slow train coming into the station in the middle of your nightmare. Punchy vocal samples obscure the views in a scary dreamlike state, fading in and out with distorted percussives. Before long, barking voices take over the role of percussion while bass lines or toy pianos move the music forward. Abstract, surreal, hardcore, evil. It's taken a long time to actually verbalize how this release can be both nauseating and captivating at the same time. Thursday night I saw a double feature of classic Italian suspense, 1971's "Schizoid" directed by Fulci and 1970's "Bird with the Crystal Plumage" by Argento. Listening to 'Sucre 3' again the day after these silly yet haunting films seems to help me understand the music a little better. Monstre could very well be providing the score between songs, the stuff that never makes it onto the soundtracks, the bits and pieces between Ennio Morriccone's themes, things which are usually some of my favorite parts of a film's score. Further along, the instrumentation gets weirder. Explosions are created inside the mouth, the percussion role becomes taken over by baby toys, ambience is provided by bubbling bath in the background, school children dance and sing unintelligable songs while creepy melodies ring out like a demented jack-in-the box waiting to spring out. Oh my god, there's been a car accident outside, the horn is stuck a solid blare, is my microwave oven's dinger sounding off over and over again? I want to wake up now! Okay, things are chill again, the kids are happily playing outside my window and the sun is shining as the credits roll and it was only a dream. I think I'm gonna buy the Brattle Theatre a copy of this disc so they can play it between movies instead of that awful crap they had that night. - Jon Whitney

samples:

• track 5
• track 8
• track 11

CEX, "STARSHIP GALACTICA"
Young Ryan Kidwell of Baltimore, MD has recorded for Underscore, Tigerbeat6 and 555 Recordings and is pals with Kid606, Lesser, Hrvatski and Electric Company. On this 22 minute, 8 track EP Cex continues to keep it real in a variety of sexy styles, namely a hip hop informed IDM. Tracks such as "Cal and Brady Style", "Cex Can Kiss My Soft, Sensuous Lips" (which perpetuates the '*insert artist here* can kiss my ass' joke begun by Lesser and Kid606) and "Your Handwriting When You Were a Child in the Winter" feature playfully impressive Autechre-ish (has this word made Webster's yet?) melody/glitch programming. "Get in Yr Squads" adds clean guitar to the mix while "Tattoo of a Barcode" foregoes beats altogether for a couple minutes of drone and crackle. Other than the brief spoken word/beat box intro, there are two more humorous tracks. "Hi Scores", probably a poke at Boards of Canada, creates the auditory illusion of Cex in the act of sex. The title track brings the disc to a close with a rousing, lo-fi sing along by Cex and friends over generic, pre-programmed riffs from a cheap keyboard. You can't help but smile from all the fun these guys are having. Cex is currently touring Japan and will hit various North American locations throughout the summer. - Mark Weddle

samples:

• Cal and Brady Style
• Cex Can Kiss My Soft, Sensuous Lips
• Get in Yr Squads

Pele, "The Nudes"
How is it that a band can make a record that doesn't do anything particularly new, but still sounds incredibly fresh? It's all in the songwriting. Melody, interplay, musicianship: these should be watchwords for any band. Too often it sounds derivative, or bands resort to gimmicks to distinguish themselves. Milwaukee-based trio Pele craft a sound that explores familiar indie rock territory in that they are primarily a guitar, bass, and drums rock band. Through fresh tones, melodies and spirited rhythms, Pele separate themselves from the pack by not dragging everything to a slow crawl or halt. "The Nudes" is infectious in its simplicity, but there are tricks up this trio's sleeve. In moments that must be formed on improvisation, like on "Visit Pumpy," Pele, well, rocks out to great effect. Elsewhere, skill with their instruments shows through and Pele take on a very rigid rhythmic structure ("Total Hut") that depends on their playing extremely well as a unit. This being their fourth release, and second in this formation, it's obvious that these musicians have played together a while, and that they can almost sense each other's next move. I'm amazed, and somewhat disappointed, that I've never heard of this band before this. They're that good. Dammit. Now I'm going to have to buy their whole catalog, too. I hate this. Rob Devlin

samples:

• Nude Beach - Pinhole Camera
• Black Socks
• Visit Pumpy

aranos, "magnificent! magnificent! no one knows the final word"
At first listen, I was a bit disappointed by this Aranos release, mostly because of the repetitious string sounds which commonly open several tracks. But it definitely is one of these albums which grows on you, as a unity of sound and theme, emerging from a well-balanced tracklist. At times it reminds me of his first collaboration with Nurse With Wound, 'Acts of Senseless Beauty', with unexpected sounds jumping in the middle of bass, cello, viola, violin, guitar, or mandolin layers. No surprise, you'll probably not dance on every track, but may certainly nod on various songs, thanks to colorful rhythms which lead back to the cello or piano chords pulsing all along the record. More than strings or piano, the side elements are the most efficient — a wide variety of gentle percussions, and the haunting voice, which I find even too scarce. "Spirit Fragrance" arrives like a big surprise — a faster-paced song in a style reminiscent of Emir Kusturica and the No Smoking Orchestra. It's tracks like these where it becomes obvious that Aranos isn't lying on the resume about his extensive musical background. A complete contrast to this, the disc's closer is a long, minimal piece of meditative music, consisting of lengthy tones often made out of percussions with subtle crumpling sounds in the background.
More surprising than the music itself is its "experimental anarchy distribution" system. It will quickly be shipped to you from Aranos himself, under conditions that I'll let you discover on his website. It comes in a beautiful hand-made paper cover (made in Nepal under fair-trade agreement) with bamboo strip details and a hemp tie. This can sound strange, but really makes it. - Bruno Henlé

samples:

• Out of the Void Leap Wooden Lambs
• Regardedretarded: Life in Bernard's Kitchen
• Spirit Fragrance

The Comas, "A Def Needle In Tomorrow"
For a while in the early to mid nineties, Chapel Hill, NC, was being touted as the new Seattle. In the Raleigh-Chapel Hill areas, fifteen minutes apart at the most, there co-existed some twenty-five bands, all of which wrote their own brand of energetic pop-based music. Some were the flagships for their particular brand of music (Squirrel Nut Zippers for hot jazz, Whiskeytown for "alt-country," etc.). Others were trendsetters with no real brand to speak of (Ben Folds Five, Archers of Loaf). Still others were just a reaction to what was going on around them at the time. The Comas formed as a joke, hoping to make music that made fun of the alt-country scene. When they realized they might have something that could work better than the joke they had in mind, they stuck with it. "A Def Needle In Tomorrow," their second album, is a pure pop treasure. Don't expect to bounce around at their music, however. This is laid-back thinker's pop. The melodies are gorgeous, the songs lush and expansive (producer Brian Paulson is to be thanked for this, I'm sure), and the lyrics are more fun than a barrel full of emo bands (pun intended, but probably not achieved). On "Arena," the album opener, guitarist/vocalist Andrew Herod sings of Princess Leia and fastest ships, and on "Tiger in a Tower" he works "Pissing on a plastic flower" into the rhyme scheme. The vocal harmonies are what is most interesting about The Comas, and this release in particular, as Herod, bassist Margaret White and second guitarist Nicole Gehweiler sound wonderful together. Little flourishes here and there add to the sound, as no band member plays just one instrument and drummer John Harrison works in samples and turntable work. Lagniappe ("a little something extra") seems to be the order of the day, as there's even a video for album track "Sister Brewerton" on the CD. Overall, a fine pop record that proves The Comas trendsetters in their own right. - Rob Devlin

samples:

• Arena
• Sister Brewerton
• Sweet Sweet 69

nurse with wound, "funeral music for perez prado"
Admittedly, 'Yagga Blues' and 'Soresucker' are not my favorite singles from NWW, but if you're developing your collection of Wound music and have yet to pick the two up, this disc will fill that gap conveniently. Unfortunately if you're a die-hard and own these two already, the extended versions of both the title track and "Journey Through Cheese" are a mild annoyance. "Funeral Music" is perhaps one of my fave NWW tracks. The music embraces beauty through layers of lengthy harmonically compatible samples, 'centering around a shakuhachi phrase played by David Jackman in 1987' (according to the original liner notes). On this collection it lives lavishly in its full form, stretching well over 35 minutes, as opposed to the 9+ minute version which originally appeared six years ago. "Journey Through Cheese" is also bigger, stretching to about 25 minutes, but the extra 15 minutes to me just drags the song out far longer than it needs to go. "Yagga Blues" of course is a classic tune, incorporating primitive rhythmic loops with sound effects and a haunting echoing vocal track. The beats and themes were completely exhausted however on the full-lengther 'Who Can I Turn To Stereo' from 1996, the versions here are nice and compact, with a slightly abridged break time inbetween tracks (30 seconds on the previous release, down now to about five). - Jon Whitney

samples:

• Funeral Music for Perez Prado
• Yagga Blues
• Journey Through Cheese

coil reissues: StevĂ, pay us what you owe us!
Hard to believe 1984 was seventeen years ago. At the time, Thatcher and Reagan were in power, Cabbage Patch kids were in style, Duran Duran were selling out arenas all over the world, researchers published reports on the link between HIV and AIDS, Indira Ghandi was assassinated and Apple introduced the Macintosh. Coil also released their debut album, a record at the time which was embraced by the post-industrial scenesters, yet over time has become regarded by many as somewhat of a cult classic. The music contrasted the trends: where Psychic TV and Chris and Cosey were softening up — heading down a more easily digestible pop route — Coil were summoning pan, waking Maldoror, digging up sewage and turning shit into gold. The album, produced by Jim Thirlwell features guests like Marc Almond, Gavin Friday, Alex Ferguson and a new third member, Stephen Thrower. Coil weren't afraid to push the boundaries of the genres, using varying sounds from electric and organic instruments and collected samples from all over the world. Why can't they get the CD release correct however? The first time around was an unauthorized issue circa 1990, the original release was issued with a running order inconsistent with the sleeve and a half-assed mastering job. This time around the running order was corrected, but there's a brand new typo on the booklet and the mastering job is worse. Louder doesn't necessarily equal better, the equalization was tweaked to make certain things sound clearer, but the volume was beefed up to the point of clipping on the really bombastic sounds all over the disc. Here I was originally thinking this would be something wonderful but when compared to the original vinyl edition, I'm severely let down. For those curious, the same bonus tracks from the first issue of the CD are here: Tainted Love, Restless Day and the longer version of Spoiler.
Originally titled 'Funeral Music for Princess Diana,' Coil's second full-length album surfaced in 1986. While the album was more consistent in its theme (various perceptions of death) it was recorded in various studios with various producers at the knobs. While the production might sound dated in parts, the songs themselves are once again timeless classics. Like 'Scatology', 'Horse Rotorvator' splits genres with the varying styles - a beefy opening dance track, punchy post-indusrtial sound collages, creepy sequenced melodies, loud guitar riffs, big bands, bugs and guest speeches. Fortunate concert-goers over the last year have paid witness to Coil's revival of "Blood from the Air" which sounds as fresh now as it did 15 years ago. Unfortunately, once again I have issues with the mastering job. Like the other reissue the equilization has been tweaked, this time beefing up both the low bass and high end, coupled with a volume increase. The main result isn't clipping this time (except for the track "Ravenous") but a cassette-like hiss sound, much like that out of place thread in the curtain - once you notice it, you can't ignore it. The track listing has been corrected where once again the first issue of the CD was inconsistent. The artwork includes the cover picture from the original LP and previously unissued photos inside the booklet. Fans who already own the original issues and are quite satisfied with their versions need not worry about the reissues. Obsessives with moral obligations and relatively new fans shouldn't waste time however. Coil are getting paid for these versions, and at $13-15 USD a pop, they're more than worth it. - Jon Whitney

samples:

• At the Heart of It All
• Tainted Love
• Blood from the Air
• Who By Fire

Fuck, "Cupid's Cactus"
Note: My review could have read entirely like this: "What the Fuck is this? It's fucking Fuck that's what the fuck it is, you fuck. Oh, Fuck, this is good. It's fucking so good Fuck is 'Fuck-ing' again." Some people think that sort of thing is clever. Luckily, I don't. Okay, now to the real review. It's interesting listening to any band with a name designed to incense. Crunt, for instance. 1,000 Homo DJs, for another. However, what seems to be the most interesting part is that none of these bands set out to incense people with their music. It must be a let-down, in fact, when some people set out to play a naive practical joke on their friend by buying them the record with the "F-word" on the cover, actually listen to the record and realize two things: 1) The music doesn't really match the name of the band; 2) The music isn't half bad. And that's exactly what I'd say about this current effort. "Cupid's Cactus" finds the band with their most laid-back release to date, and that's saying a lot. Fuck has always been this way: one short step away from a country western band with folk tendencies, determined to rock you, just with subtlety. It's one of those records you put on at a party when everyone is having deep intellectual conversations anyway. It's perfect for your cocktail party. Songs labor on, building sweetly and deliberately, piling on the histrionics until they stop, then start again as before. It's a great sound. Sometimes it's enough to make you want it to just explode. It never does, thankfully. It's not the best thing ever. It's not going to change your life. Occasionally it's good to hear this kind of record. Something original enough to be daring, but not complicated enough to make a fuss about. It's just good, laid-back, and easy to listen to. You'll find yourself tapping your toe repeatedly. Just subtlely. - Rob Devlin

samples:

• Glass Charms
• Panties Off
• Someday Aisle

to rococo rot and i-sound, "music is a hungry ghost"
Fans of To Rococo Rot's last full-length release beware, click/glitch fans beware, both worlds share the car ride here on a disc which (consistent with other TRR releases) has taken a few listens to be completely appreciated. I must start by admitting a scary realization: I sometimes get the feeling that there's too many clicks in my music collection right now. This whole click/glitch trend is rightfully doomed if it continues to go nowhere. To Rococo Rot have probably realized something similar and decided to actually go somewhere. "Hungry Ghost" sounds like a sonic painting of a car ride with NYC-based DJ I-Sound, stopping along the way to pick up and drop off passenger Alexander Balanescu (violinist of the Balanescu Quartet). It's a 45-minute score to an overnight trip — the "Trance of Travel" if you will — claiming "How We Never Went to Bed," and went "From Dream to Daylight" "Along the Route." Then of course there's the "Mazda in the Mist" "She Tended to Forget." Beyond that concept, TRR made a prime example of how to couple the tools of today's technology with real musicians to push the musical evolution forward. While I warmly welcome this to the click genre, I accepted it with loads of hesitation to the TRR sound. The catchy tunes and driving melodies which littered their last release are less prominent throughout the 45 minutes here. In their place are more sound effects, whirling, buzzing and yes, clicks. The band has not completely given in, however, and are indeed still actually playing their instruments. I was so in love with 1999's release 'The Amateur View,' that I sincerely hoped they could build on that foundation, yet I'm thrilled somebody is making an effort to drive the clicks off of laptop-exclusive music. This album succeeds in the sense that it would make a perfect disc for driving with a bunch of friends, providing a gentle ambience perfect for talking over with the occasional noticing of quiet high-pitched clicking things. - Jon Whitney

samples:

• Overhead
• A Number of Things
• From Dream to Daylight

Mellow, "Another Mellow Spring"
It's pretty much a common rule that the first track on the CD is the most important. It's the first paragraph in a manifesto, the first line in a love letter, or the first scene in a really good play. It sets the stage for the whole release. If the first track is not to your liking, chances are you won't like much or all of the CD. Mellow start off "Another Mellow Spring" with "Shinda Shima," a track that changes approaches twice before actually arriving at the meat of the song. And what fine tasting meat it is. References to Pink Floyd are consistently versed in press about Mellow — their bio even says they're "checking Beck's head through Pink Floyd's stethoscope" — and not without justification. "Shinda Shima" settles into a very Floyd-esque vibe. And that's when the vocoder comes in. Suddenly the soundscape has changed. Seems that's the order of the day for Mellow, as the second track, "Paris Sous La Neige," sounds vaguely Brit-pop. And then things shift again. This is one of the most viscerally satisfying releases I've heard this year, for that very fact. Styles shift, weird sounds emerge, and the whole time the trio of Stephane Luginbuhl, Pierre Begon-Lours and Patrick Woodcock sound like they're having the time of their lives. They should be: it's exciting stuff. The only complaint I have is the inclusion of several versions of "Mellow," their debut single, including a Fila Brazilia mix. It almost always signifies a lack of material to justify a full CD instead of an EP. Mellow show promise, though, and I definitely look forward to hearing where they go from here. - Rob Devlin

samples:

• Paris Sous la Neige
• Part 1
• Shinda Shima

ovalprocess, "ovalcommers"
Ovalcommers starts and ends with high marks, with the anti-compositional composer incorporating new sounds into the audio soup. The pulse is strong and the noise is multi-dimensional, dynamic, mobile and emotive. This eventually fades however, into the proverbial array of untitled tracks packed with multi-tonal scratchy hums. By the middle of the disc, the music has become ambience, eyelids sink, and other activites win attention until it nearly ends. But before it quite ends, Popp has sadly chosen to do one of the most irritating trends in the past ten years: he leaves 25 minutes of silence on track 11 before a new unexpected (de)composition jumps in. The music that arrives after this silence is phenomenal. The first song is an excellent match of bombastic low end, drifting harmnoics and captivating high pitches, the second pursues the more typical Oval sound with scratching rhythmic sounds, yet adds more fluid melodies and song structure. This portion of the disc is so much more exciting and unpredictable than the rest of Ovalcommers that I wonder what's holding him back fom making a phenomenal album. I honestly can say I like his stuff, but does he really want to keep releasing the same album over and over again? Is he afraid to explore new grounds as Oval? To me, the process is getting rather tired and the journalists who herald this stuff over and over again are merely chasing their tales. You've presented the process, perfected the process, now do something with it. - Jon Whitney

samples:

• track 1
• hidden song 1
• hidden song 2

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

MONDAY
310 - After All CD/LP (Leaf, UK)
Air - 10,000 Hz Legend CD/LP (Virgin/Source, UK)
Jim Avignon - NeoAngin CD/LP (Wonder, UK)
Baby Dee - Little Window CD (World Serpent, UK)
* William S. Burroughs - Break Through In The Grey Room CD (Sub Rosa, Belgium)
Mira Calix - Prickle 12"/CDEP (Warp, UK)
Current 93 with Aoife Gibson - Who is the Sufferer? 12" [ltd edition picture disc] (World Serpent, UK)
Four Tet - Pause CD/LP (Domino, UK)
Freeform - A.T. Home 12" (Quatermass/Sub Rosa, Belgium)
Funki Porcini - t.b.a. 12" (Ninja Tune, UK/Canada/US)
Peter Green - MacBeth: An Original Score 12"/CDEP (Rephlex, UK)
Hypo - Kotva CD (Spymania, UK)
Leggo Beast - Sines & Cymbals CD (Pork, UK)
Loretta's Doll - Creeping Sideways CD (Middle Pillar, US - World Serpent, UK)
* Nurse With Wound - Thunder Perfect Mind CD [reissue with a new bonus track] (World Serpent, UK)
Panoptica - Kinki Bitsuri 10" (Certificate 18, UK)
Phluidbox - These Found Habits CDEP (sp.ark, Spain)
Plaid - Double Figure CD/2xLP (Warp, UK)
Slag Boom Van Loon [µ-Ziq & Speedy J] - So Soon CD [remix album with mixes by Boards Of Canada, Leafcutter John, Tipper, Horse Opera, Four Tet, Pole, Coil, Matmos and µ-ziq] (Planet µ, UK)
The Soil Bleeds Black - Quintessence CD (World Serpent, UK)
Tim Tetlow - Cyrenic 7" (Planet µ, UK)
UKO - UKO CD/LP (Klein, Austria)
Various - Breakin' Presents Volume 2 CD (Breakin', UK)
Various - Compost 100 2xCD/4xLP (Compost, Germany)
Various - Matt Howden Presents Redroom Compilation CD (World Serpent, UK)
* Various - Traveller '01 CD (Six Degrees, UK)

TUESDAY
Air - 10,000 Hz Legend CD/LP (Source/Astralwerks, US/Canada)
Brian Eno & Peter Schwalm - Drawn From Life CD (Astralwerks, US)
Hellbent - Regurgitator CD [collection of rarities and new tracks] (Invisible, UK)
* Legendary Pink Dots - A Perfect Mystery 2xLP [vinyl reissue of previous CD release with new bonus tracks] (Beta-Lactam Ring, US)
Lesser - Mensa Dance Squad CDEP (Tigerbeat6, US)
* Neu! - Neu! CD, Neu! II CD and Neu! 75 CD [official reissues] (Astralwerks, US)
* Michael O'Shea - Michael O'Shea CD [reissue] (WMO, US)
Plaid - Double Figure CD/2xLP (Warp, US/Canada)
Safety Scissors - Parts Water CD/2xLP (Plug Research, US)
Various - MD2 minidisc [with Endorphins, Funckarma, Vcam, Quench, Lusine ICL, Proem, Eaven, Cenik, Thug, Jvox and Spark] (n5MD, US)

WEDNESDAY
Various - The Sound of MUTEK CD [collection of tracks by artists performing at the MUTEK festival in Montreal including Thomas Brinkmann, Akufen, Jetone, Matmos, Closer Music, Dettinger, AE Lab, Mikael Stavostrand, Process, Goem, Jonas Bering and Mitchell Akiyama] (MUTEK, Canada)

FRIDAY
Aranos - Whilst Your Gaiety Melts 10" (Beta-Lactam Ring, US)
Tear Garden - For Those Who Walk With the Gods CD ["best of" release with two new tracks] (Brudenia, Russia)

Tortoise/Autechre/Nobekozu Takamura/Prefuse 73 & Mr. Lif
It was nice to see this show at the Roxy in Atlanta — a welcome relief from the smoky, sticky cement-floored dives I usually frequent. With the bars and bathrooms outside the doors to the performance space, there was little to distract from the music and audience. Imagine seeing a show like this where you can comfortably sit on a carpeted floor! Prefuse 73 opened with some nice loops and beats, unfortunately accompanied by MC Lif. While Lif did display some lyrical talent, his junior high-ish audience participation bits and incessant requests for us to "make some noise" and "wave your hands in the air" wore thin very quickly. He topped it off by ranting about, surprise, George W. Bush and sunk into a very typical rap about being oppressed by the man. I think it hindered the experience, which would have been excellent as just an "instrumental" set. Scott Herren and his DJ were in fine form, and the live drum accompaniment by John McEntire was a nice highlight.
Takamura's set began with a minimal beat and macintosh-sung vocals, a cutesy robot animation playing on the screen above them. It was a very pleasant little tune, and made me consider buying a CD in the lobby. Overall, the rest of his set made me change my mind. There were two more songs using singing macs, and the glitchy stuff was nice but not totally unique. The rest of the animations were identical to the first, except using other pictures than the robot-still pictures would have been much more effective. Obviously not much thought went into the visuals, although they get points for trying to distract the audience from the dazzling spectacle of two people motionless in front of their laptops.
The beginning of Autechre's set was confusing, as they chose to sit hidden behind a table at the very rear of the stage with a blank white screen overhead. This led me to wonder if anyone was going to be upset that they were not twiddling knobs in full-view. Their set went for about an hour, during which they effectively dismantled my sense of balance. Although there were a couple of over-repetitive lulls, the music was very engaging, and ended with some very satisfying hardcore beats. After their first "song" the screen went dark, so I am not sure if they were intending any visual effect or not. I usually close my eyes at shows like this to avoid seeing raver kids performing their spastic dancefloor seizures.
Tortoise came on a bit earlier than expected after a barely audible street poet they were dragging around with them. The constant switching around between instruments was nice without being pretentious, and the band played with a real sense of showmanship. Rhythm got out of their hands a few times, but it was impressive to see them faithfully reproduce the sounds from their last couple of records especially. Interesting video on the screen accompanied the music, enhancing the experience. While Tortoise is often accused of being too subdued, they really rocked out at points. It's hard not too like a band that puts on a great show with a shot of personality. This was just what I needed to scrub out my ears after an involuntary attendance of the current Eric Clapton retirement rock tour. ugghhh. - Jesse Niemenen

Nobukazu Takemura

1. Do you snowboard?
   No
2. Did you ever snowboard?
   No
3. Do you have long hair?
   Yes
4. Did you ever have long hair?
   Yes

"Hoshi No Kue" is now available on Thrill Jockey. Catch him on tour with Tortoise.
Thanks to Fakejazz.

heavy metal parking lot, others online
There's two type of people in this world: those who have seen Heavy Metal Parking Lot, and those who don't know what they're missing. For everybody who's heard of this classic and has been dying to see it or those who have seen it at some random person's place and want to watch it over and over again, your prayers have been answered. Planet Krulik not only showcases the classic 15-minute film shot at a Judase Priest concert parking lot in 1986, but features many other Jeff Krulik classics like "King of Porn", "Show Us Your Belly" and "Neil Diamond Parking Lot". Forget reality TV as you know it and watch some of the originals.

Summertime music fests!
Memorial Day Weekend is classically the beginning of the summer. With every summer, music fans can look forward to a whole host of exciting events happening. Here's a list of music events that would be great ideas, but will most likely not happen this summer nor ever:

1. Sigur Ros return to the USA, this time intending to truly conquer it and reclaim the land for the Vikings. Group arrives in a cold fog by way of ancient mystical battleship, dressed in horned helmets, brandishing large swords.
2. Thrill Jockey rents out a cruise ship and departs for a four-day, three-night cruise featuring at-sea entertainment from six people who can regroup as Tortoise, Sea and Cake, Directions in Music, Brokeback, Chicago Underground Duo/Trio/Quartet/Orcestra, Gastr Del Sol and Isotope 217°. Bobby Conn plays the role of bartender.
3. Kid 606, Nobukazu Takemura, Fennesz and Sean Booth from Autechre all bring their laptops and play Doom for three hours on a stage in Montreal.
4. Andrea Parker, Diamanda Galas, Neotropic and Karen Finley storm the Milwaukee stop of Lilith Faire, take Sarah McLachlan hostage and smash every acoustic guitar within a ten-mile radius. Rose McDowell casts spells on the entire audience making them bark like chickens uncontrollably.
5. Ted Nugent, Ministry and Death in June live in concert at Red Rocks, Colorado. Fascist rednecks from all over the world try to show up but can't bring their guns on the airplanes.
6. David Pajo "slips up" and accidentally plays for Stereolab in London, Will Oldham in Baltimore and headlines a Papa M show in Chicago on the same night. The world finds out the truth in that he's actually indentical triplets named Bob, Mike and Steve.
7. Bjork fans in Athens, Greece are treated to a 90 minute gay fisting video when Matmos "accidentally" slips the wrong video tape in.
8. Nick Cave and Shane McGowan show do a 'clean and sober' set in New York. A disappointed audience clears out half-way through the set to get liquored up and strung out.

dear shabby,...
Subject: Need advise

I have a question and I need advise. One established European vocalist is seeking collaborations with composers of modern music (with the focus on electronics sounds). Can anyone guide me in the right direction to assist in finding interesting "out there" copositions.

#1 Answer every ad you see for a vocalist by a compositionalist who describes themselves as "out there"
#2 Do the Karaoke circut in Manchester
#3 Down loads of cocaine and sleep with as many DJs as you can
#4 Stalk Bjork, there's bound to be some compositionalists (who would cream their jeans if Bjork would work with them) that you could meet along the way
#5 Buy loads of albums by instrumental acts, sing on top of the songs, send tapes back with naked pictures
#6 Hang out on IRC all day long and drop a lot of names.
#7 Show up at concerts with Mr. Microphone
#8 Call the Warp Records office ten times a day and sing to them

Where the fuck did you find that?? It is possibly the freakiest thing i have ever seen or heard. Creepy 11 year old David Koresh-alike.

Anyway, anyone that e-mails you to complain that you gave their fave band a bad review are cocksuckers pure and simple. These people should just get over it and enjoy the music they like.

Our links of the week arrive to us from various places, through suggestions, recommendations, emails or discoveries. As for fans and bands, everybody needs a hobby, right? How do you think this website started?

Hi. I make glitch-y collage music. I have a record coming out next year. I want to join the brainwashed team. My current web site is complete with mp3s and other glamorous information. I guess you probably invite all the artists you host pages for, but I think I should be on your team. Go brainwashed!

We don't think so. You might wish to look for established vocalists who are seeking "out there compositions" however.

Hi,

I'm trying to get in touch with Gary Wilkinson.

Would you happen to have an e-mail address or contact number.

Many thanks.

Would that be the Snooker Champ or the Plumber?

the world isn't big enough
Miles Davis - The Man With the Horn
v/vm / Jansky Noise - I'm Out of my Mind and Bacon Rind / Groovemeat (Why does it feel so sick?)
Jerseyband - Tragedi in the Mangky
Jamie Saft - Solvanut
Kid 606 - The Soccergirl EP
Coil - Horse Rotorvator
John Zorn - Naked City
Hrvatski - Raume
Steve Reich - Music for 18 Musicians
Lexaunculpt - Oh, Here's Some Noises
Anthony Braxton & Richard Teitelbaum - Duet: Live at Merkin Hall, NYC
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - Trout Mask Replica
Mr. Bungle - California
Buckethead - Monsters and Robots
Einsturzende Neubauten - Strategies Against Architecture II
Gyorgy Ligeti - String Quartets
Chris Wicks, bouncing between stereophonic devices located in Skowhegan ME, Rochester, NY, Oxford, OH and Palmdale, CA at a very disturbing rate.