The Vanishing World Within

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Expo '70's The Vanishing World Within CS. One of my favorite releases from Expo '70, 20-minute drones into mixed with banging riffs. Enjoy!

"Comprised of skeletal recordings started over a year ago, finally finished. "The Vanishing World Within" presented in five phases, cultivates a body of sounds new and familiar for Expo '70. "Phase I" is a lesson in meditation with reverberating organ drones cascades into "Phase II" where things get weird with pulsating synths and textured tonal waves of electronics, the Goblin vibe is heavy on this. "Phase III" closes side A with a heavy locked guitar riff summoning Hawkwind backed by Neu! syncopated drumming by David Williams (Sounding the Deep), looped guitar echoes intertwine layered guitar lines alongside a thick doomed-out guitar riff.

Side B opens to "Phase IV", bringing us back to to pulsing electronics with soft haunting melodic synth parts causing cosmic reverberations that are accompanied by analog drum machine leads to "Phase V", full of sine waves, leading into serine delicate guitar work."-Solid Melts

Roman Holiday

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Dark Goth industrial/Post punk from Houston, Balaclavas may currently be the most mysterious and all around best act in town. Roman Holiday is a true breakthrough for the band. Filled with dancey yet dark polyrhythmic drum beats, dub bass lines, and reverb drenched drones, Balaclavas have a sound completely of their own that keeps you coming back from more. Enjoy!

Futue Weather

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Philadelphia's The War On Drugs, featuring Kurt Vile, 2010 Future Weather E.P. Dreamy songs, layered in wash/drone, blues/psych, and melody/atmosphere, The War on Drugs have a perfect chemistry for unique modern rock band. Highly recommend! Enjoy!

On The Beach

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After being stuck on Harvest and After the Gold Rush for years, this album has taken me by surprise. The B-side of this record has to be some of Neil Young's greatest moments. Enjoy!

The Hunchback

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Kurt Vile & the Violators The Hunchback E.P. Kurt & the Violators is the equivalent of Neil Young and Crazy Horse. Enjoy!

Gettin' Around

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Dexter Gordon's 1965 Blue Note record Gettin' Around featuring Gordon on tenor, Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, Barry Harris on piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums. Recorded in the middle of the Blue Note renaissance, Gettin' Around "mid to up-tempo, hot, broad, careless, exuberant, and vigorously swinging." Bobby Hutcheson's vibes truly make the album. A bit less "cosmic" or "free" as many of the jazz records I post, this is a solid and pleasant listen. Enjoy!

Everybody Loves Sunshine

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Roy Ayers Ubiquity's classic funk/soul/jazz album Everybody Loves Sunshine. This record is sexy as hell and every song is a hit. Enjoy!

New History Warefare Vol. 1

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Colin Stetson's New History of Warfare Vol. 1. Enjoy!

Holocaust Hymns

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Crisis's entire discography from 1978-1980. Crisis were a political British punk band, which included Douglas P. and Tony Wakeford, who would later create Death in June and Sol Invictus. Enjoy!

Peaceful Snow/Lounge Corps

Peaceful Snow/Lounge Corps
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"Gone the Totenpop guitar, it's now time to march to the 88 keys of the Lounge Corps Piano Bar; 'PEACEFUL SNOW'!" Peaceful Snow is the latest LP between Douglas P. and Slovakian pianist Miro Snejdr followed up with Lounge Corps, Snejdr, piano renditions of classic Death in June hits. Heilige!

New Thing At New Port

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A split live at New Port in 1965 between two Impulse! superstars John Coltrane and Archie Shepp, playing some live classics as My Favorite Things, One Down, One Up, Ginger Bread Boy, and Scag. Coltane's is along with his usual personal Elvin Jones, McCoy Tyner, and Jimmy Garrison, while Shepp brings Bobby Hutcherson on vibraphone, Barre Phillips and Joe Chambers to his side. Two of my favorite tenors, enjoy!

Echo

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A.R. & Machine's kraut masterpiece Echo. Echoes of the past, present, future, time and space. Enjoy!

V/A: Eccentric Soul: The Prix Label

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I've recently started to explore the Numero Group Compilations and have been discovering gems ranging from soul, funk, R & B, disco, etc. I highly recommend the Eccentric Soul series. The Prix Label is a compilation of soul artists on the Capsoul label out of Columbus, Ohio in the 1970s. I found it to be a fun place to start in the series. Enjoy!

End Hits

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An often overlooked Fugazi record, End Hits. The last record before their four year hiatus before releasing the Argument, End Hits includes some great Fugazi tracks in their progression to their "art rock" sound including No Surprise, Guilfords Fall, Pink Frosty, and Arpeggiator and a bigger presents of Joe Lally as a song writer. Enjoy!

Normal Never Happened

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2010 Normal Never Happened 7" on Fan Death. Two of their finest tracks with equal part Sonic Youth worship and the uniqueness of their own. Enjoy!

Smoke Ring For My Halo

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This album screams summer. Lo-fi folk hits with Vile's own touch of polished greatness..

''Once compared to Leonard Cohen, Tom Petty, Psychic TV, and Animal Collective in the same review (for 2009's Childish Prodigy), Kurt can bring to mind anything from Suicide to Leo Kottke to My Bloody Valentine, Bob Seger, Nick Drake, and Eastern ragas. Still, he pieces together these disparate elements so seamlessly and unpretentiously that such reference points are rendered pointless by the singularity of his sound. Kurt Vile might belong to a long lineage of classic American songwriters, but he's the only one who's alive and in his prime today.'' Enjoy!