v

DateAdded	Artist	Title	Format	Price	Label	Description
7/10/2008	"V"	Standing Still In the Celestial Sphere	CDR	$7.99	Peasant Magik	"From France, members of Monks of The Balhill, releases on Rural Faune, Akoustic Desease, etc... Limited to 100 copies, hand numbered / stamped. Black cdrs with full color labels, packaged with hand marbled paper and full color wrap around art."
8/2/2008	'V'	The Chanting Path	CDR	$12.99	Blackest Rainbow	"Whilst chilling on a train I got an email from this guy Vincent who is "V" about maybe doing a release for him and I checked it out and damn it sounded good... like some kinda folk-spectral-ether drone, really nice... after many disasters with masters and file downloads, and months on this is finally coming out... its one helluva hazy starry summer night trip."
6/11/2006	MV/EE & The Bummer Road	Mother of Thousands	DBL CD	$14.99	Time-Lag	"After piles of privately released CDRs and long gone vinyl-only releases, here's the MV/EE (MATT VALENTINE and ERIKA ELDER) album for the masses. Don't be fooled though, this is neither the MEDICINE SHOW zone of recent years, nor a mere echo of the TOWER RECORDINGS flame, but a new beast stirring awake in the beaming sun of now. Aided by the bummer road and Elder, MV has pushed his cosmic sounds beyond the apex of high. No doubt there's plenty of lifted rural raga vibrations, and big woozy doses of haunted folk-blues as well, but the mix of flat-out killer 'songs' and extended electric psych-outs is something of a revelation. Throughout the album both MV & EE's vocals are more present & stronger then ever, and the harmonies have a real sweet lonesome glow. Includes contributions from MO' JIGGS, SPARROW WILDCHILD, NEMO BIDSTRUP, TIM BARNS, and SAMARA LUBELSKI. CD is packaged with nice inserts, and woven japanese inner sleeves. First edition of 1000 copies."
9/17/2009	VagusNerve	Lo Pan	CD	$13.99	Utech	"The lo pan is an ancient, intricate compass used in the practice of traditional Chinese feng shui and is sometimes referred to as “the universe on a plate.” A lo pan consists of two parts – a square wooden base into which is fitted a freely rotating saucer-shaped disk. In the centre of the disk is a small depression containing a magnetized needle. Between the needle and the edge of the disk are engraved several concentric rings, each divided into sectors containing different sets of Chinese characters. The relationship between this physical object and the music you hear on this album was inspired by a dream that Li Jianhong (guitar) had in June 2006. In his dream he came to a clearing in a dark forest which contained a huge lo pan, as big as a table. Convinced that the device could provide a way to summon UFOs, he lay down on the lo pan and began to rotate around the various symbols on the concentric rings. As he did so, a vast array of UFOs appeared above the forest. For Li Jianhong then, the lo pan represents a form of ancient knowledge that can be used to unlock the secrets of the universe. His collaborator in VagusNerve, VAVABOND (laptop), reads the lo pan in a slightly different way. For her, it is a device which can be used to discover a balance between the individual and the cosmos, by aligning personal energy with the cosmic. This idea of balance runs through the music as it pulses, shifts and resonates freely, seeking to create and then destroy structures of equilibrium." - label. 3 tracks - 58 minutes.
12/29/2001	Vajra	Sravaka	CD	$15.99	PSF	"Fourth album by the power-improv trio of frightening instinctional authority. It seems entirely appropriate that the one hundredth release on PSF should be by Vajra. Appropriate, of course, because the group contains two of the most legendary talents that the label has introduced to an unsuspecting world Kan Mikami and Keiji Haino (who between them have appeared on almost a third of PSF's releases). But also appropriate because there is no group on the label that better sums up the PSF aesthetic breathtaking sounds of mystery that somehow never fail to move on a deeply human level. Experimentation and 'progress' but possessed of a wide knowledge and love of all music and a soul (if that that were not too much of a cliche). This fourth album see Vajra scaling yet higher peaks of collective individuality. I can only pray that both they and PSF continue to enlighten the world as to the meaning of committed and genuine music for as long as (a few) ears remain open." - Alan Cummings.
2/7/2009	Vakhchav	Hunting Horns	CDR	$5.99	Abandon Ship Records	"Recorded mostly in 2007 when most of my dreams consisted of running into a crystalline water mass. Safe to say, usually awoke with no scratch but with ambitions of translation. Lots of florescent drones, stirred briskly into 1 part acoustic + 1 part synth anaesthetic equaling out a hefty mess of sun dogs." - Nickolas Mohanna." Edition of 50
6/9/2011	Valentine, Matt	What I Became	LP	$15.99	Woodsist	"If string theory is correct, this is approximately the thirteenth album Matt Valentine has released that definitely shouldn't be filed under a group name (Tower Recordings, Bummer Road, Golden Road, etc.). On the other hand, if string theory is correct, this might also be his 11,000th album. The truth, one suspects, is somewhere in between. Since bedding down in southern Vermont at the dawn of the century, MV has been as cussedly prolific as anyone. The gout of LPs, cassettes, CDRs, singles and 10-inches emerging from Maximum Arousal Farm has dwarfed the output of everyone 'cept maybe Sunburned or Thurston. Regardless, there can never be enough MV LPs in the world, and What I Became is a beaut. Most of it is as solo as Satan, apart from percussionist Jeremy Earl (of Woods fame), whose presence is sometimes felt more than heard. Erika "EE" Elder and Mike "Muskox" Smith also pop up on a track, but the general approach here is as naked-and-loaded as the soul of Icepick Slim. As usual, MV's tunes and procedures beggar easy generification. Elements of deep forest psychedelia brush against Crazy Horse guitar / vocal flourishes that explode to reveal volk-based form mayhem at its hickiest. My particular fave here is "PK Dick," a paean to nth dimensional logic in the form of a Swedish psych-folk readymade. My son prefers the haunted-Harvest-vibe (his words) of " Ave. B." My wife goes for the Seventh Sons approach offered by "Sweet Little Indian Girl" (always a fave with the ladies). And my daughter nods in the direction of "Continuing the Good Life" for reasons she will not explain. I suspect it's the hooty vocals, reminding her of teen pop giants like The Shins and Of Montreal, but she ain't sayin'. All this just goes to show that What I Became is a fun album for the whole family. It will soothe your savage breasts. It will turn your evil mother-in-law into a porpoise. It will wash yr dishes and darn yr socks. Darn them! Motherfucker, who else would do that? Nobody, Jack. 'Cept MV. This guy has the magic touch. And it has never been displayed better than here. Just get the fucking rec. Or prepare to go sockless. Kind of a no-brainer, eh?" -Byron Coley
1/1/2008	Valentine, Matt 'mv'	P.K. Dick	7"	$5.99	Time-Lag Records	"A-side is a dusty gem of a solo track, unearthed on a mysterious Space Shanties-era tape reel last New Years day, and now presented to the masses after quite a time lapse. A prime slice seeped in the lo-fi analog glow of Tower Recordings, with MV spilling some lucid lyrics & smokey vibes. B-side is a more recent counterpoint, a bit more bent on the rural/spectra solo wandering of his most zoned & serene acoustic/electric back porch pickings. Sweet vibrations, folks... packaged in a two tone heavy textured art paper cover, with silver/blue/black offset printing & silver/blue labels. Edition of 550 copies."
5/15/2007	Valet	Blood Is Clean	CD	$13.99	kranky	"Debut release for Valet (Honey Owens - Jackie-O, Nudge, World). Dreamlike trances channeled down and processed via guitar effects, laptop. Moving thru the disc there a drum clusters, clouds of static guitars, layers upon layers of breathy vocals - all in all it's a real trip. Spirit drone meets shoegaze blues soundscapes."
3/2/2008	Valet	Naked Acid	CD	$13.99	Kranky	"Naked Acid is the second solo release from Portland artist Valet, aka Honey Owens. She states: 'These songs were Inspired by the Pacific Northwest landscape, semi-conscious dream states and the idea of one's DNA code being accessed as eternal memory. I started off with the idea to make a "songs" record but it really didn't turn out that way. Instead, the record became its own story. Track one is a static beach journey duet with Adrian Orange, and tracks 3, 4 and 5 are collaborations with Mark Evan Burden (Silentist) on drums.' From the gentle narcotic haze of the album opener 'We Went There,' which is dissected by Honey's trademark incendiary guitar work, to the lazy alien country blues of 'Fuck It,' and through the hyperventilating rhythmic distortion of the closer 'Streets,' Naked Acid is a fever dream of ghostly incantation and smudged psychedelia."
4/27/2011	Valet / Richard Youngs	Tsuki no Seika Volume 2	7"	$6.99	Root Strata	valet - touch me im sick (5:50)/ richard youngs - fen flowers (2:25) "march 2010 release ; second in the "tsuki no seika" series of voice-only singles, this time offering a pair of incantations from honey "valet" owens (electro-acoustic spoken word piece that rises into a ruth white-esque electronic shitstorm- i.e. not a cover of the titular mudhoney gem) & richard youngs (laundry-list style acapella performance piece ala his excellent "summer wanderer" lp) Š" - Keith Whitman
1/24/2009	Vampire Blues	Turkish Petroleum Company	cassette	$9.99	Blackest Rainbow	"Swirling drones smothered in pure electric guitar anthems from two Jon's, one being Jon of The Hunter Gracchus / Singing Knives, and the other being Jon from Serfs. This is their debut release and is a real beauty, psyched out blues for a dark back room in hut out in the woods. Limited 100 hand numbered copies."
1/17/2010	Van Luijk, Timo / Kris Vanderstraeten	High Noon	LP	$26.99	La Scie Doree	2008 release. "2nd issue of 200 copies, olive green silkscreen on white die-cut sleeve." On white vinyl.
6/19/2007	Vanadium	The Existance 1	CDR	$7.99	Hoopty	"Pre-curser to Run-J.M.C., recorded with actual 4 and 8 track machines, features the guitar work of Byl Cote. Monstrous fuzz rock jams - campfire intimacy meets unearthed membranes of the Dinosaur Jr generation."
7/16/2009	Vanilla Host	Folded At The Face	c30 cassette	$4.99	Housecraft	"Xiphiidae and Mossy Throats meshed in the mail. numbered edition of 50"
6/19/2007	Vanishing Voice	Daze on Days	CDR	$11.99		Tour cdr - edition of 150 copies.
3/21/2007	Vanishing Voice	Stone Tablet	CD	$14.99	Important Records	"Total Can-style audacity from Brooklyn drone stew Edward Goreyian broken house Sufic wanderers the Vanishing Voice. Whatever Kraut or Swede compatriots that may be a part time relation the Vanishing Voice are mining the sound of the naughties in a subterranean part of Brooklyn, as reprehensible as that place might be the beast still roams Gotham and these fuckers got him by the tail. Stone Tablet is a trip to be sure. Mother Mark Ospovat cracks the whip of dogsled Imandi while snarling bad dog Pete Nolan kept a forward propulsion on skins and molten guitar spew. Mad man Steve J Taveniere of local faves Meneguar lent a cool head and a popular sensibility to the proceedings with skills on the acoustic axe to be sure. Non horse Crane, magnetic wizard and DJ let loose his usual bag of hidden charms and H. 'Reality' Diehl, with a voice said to make many a grown man cry, a magik trash harp and the mind of the other, kept us all in the ethereal realm."
3/27/2008	Vanishing Voice	The Morning After	CD	$10.99	Three Lobed Recordings	"The Morning After is a Wooden Wand-free affair that sticks with the same lineup heard on their strong, kraut-inspired Stone Tablet and Nordic Visions albums. Totally freewheelin’ into the joint, in The Morning After, Vanishing Voice have assembled a wonderfully understated snapshot of the band’s current artistic status. Whether it is through the near-hypnotic groove of "2029," the grace-via-dissonance of "crystal peak" or the gracefully subdued "weapons cache," the entire disc is one completely absorbing experience. after a flurry of potent, expansive releases over the course of 2007, The Morning After demonstrates that the band demands your attention *now*." Originally released as a "bonus" disc to the label’s latest subscription CD series.
3/26/2006	Vanishing Voice, The	Nordic Visions	LP	$17.99	Gipsy Sphinx	"While Wooden Wand and Satya Sai jammed with the Sky High Band in beautiful California, the Vanishing Voice dug in deep in the frozen northeast. Snowed in with utopian texts and mounting paranoia, Steven the Harvester, Heidi White Diamond Diehl, and Pete Wolfy Nolan joined Nonhorse in an abandoned textile factory, boiling out these ballads of suspended disbelief and hope for the better world." - Vanishing Voice. Originally released as a limited edition cdr, a new Belgian label has issued this on heavy vinyl with color artwork and a nice insert. The pressing sounds great and is limited to 525 numbered copies. Recommended!
9/14/2004	Vapaa	Iluei Antil	CDR	$9.99	Outa	“Vapaa means free in Finnish, and this improvising unit explores some of Sun Ra’s more frenzied territory. Blistering sax, explosive drumming, dark piano clusters and clattering percussion move in fits and starts, tiny storms of dissonance balanced by swathes of silence. The six short improvisations are disquieting and restless, but in their brevity, pointed attacks. Live the group experiments with string textures, electronics and even more silence, promising an intriguing, probing future.”
12/24/2005	Vapaa	Koneitten Siritys	CDR	$12.99	Imvated	"Live tracks ranging from heavy Fin-fun to quieter drones. The cdr is attached to a painted cardboard with cover art by the band!"
9/17/2003	Vapour Theories	Decant	CDR	$14.99		“Vapour Theories is aka the Gibbons brothers, Michael and John (Bardo Pond) both on guitars and synthesizers. Old friend Isobel Sollenberger lends her flute talents to ‘Sediment Pt. 2’. All tracks were recorded in the Lemur House 2001 - 2003.”
12/25/2005	Varricchio, Daniel	Daniel Varricchio	CDR EP	$7.99	Rhizome	"Live recording from screaming soul master, where elevated Haino-esque electronics give way to super-intricate Steve-Reich-goes-metal guitar filligree. Completely unique. Terry Riley's "In C" fed through Slayer's amps. Ltd to 50, no repress."
	Vas Deferens Organization	Sweat Your Cheeses, But Not In My Salad	CD	$29.99	Charnel	Difficult to find 1996 release
5/16/2010	Vava Kitora	The Spinning Song	CD	$12.99	There	Vava Kitora is Sachiko (voice, electronics, etc.) and Yama-akago (effect voice, natural voice, theremin) female duo. Live recordings at Yokohama Clib 24, 29 July 2005 (track 1 - From The Deep Wood) and Shibuya Aoiheya 15 July 2006 (track 2 - The Spirit Who Knocks At The Door). Japanese female psychedelic & noise duo with voices & electronics.
6/17/2004	Vectorscope	Monitoring The Blind	CD	$13.99	Maor Appelbaum Productions	"Vectorscope is a one-man project, showcasing unique musicianship and experimentation . The album was created by experimental artist Maor Appelbaum using eclectic instrumentation and numerous sound techniques. Walking the thin line between space age electro music and old school avant-garde, Vectorscope creates its very own musical cubicle, existing as a unique, independent musical experience. While its roots are deep in experimental music, the album lends its unparalleled creativity from other, multi-disciplined genres, thus creating a truly magnificent piece of sound and atmosphere. With our world in chaos, and mankind on the brink of destruction, Vectorscope is the obvious musical outcome.” File this under experimental / avant-garde.
3/21/2009	Vee Dee	Public Mental Health System	double LP	$16.99	Criminal IQ	"Heavy times call for a heavy soundtrack, and that's what Chicago's VEE DEE has accomplished with their new double album Public Mental Health System. This record blurs the lines between garage, punk and psychedelia; it is the sound of desperate, no-compromise rock 'n' roll of the past being absorbed and then re-interpreted for NOW. The title gives name to a non-existent institution our country could use, and is a statement of intent for the 13 songs on this record. VEE DEE conjures a dark world that exists both in the personal psyche and the society around us. This is not a complete bleakness however- there is a fiery spirit here that is very much alive and joyous. Short fast dark garage punk segues into heavy riffing and guitar freak-outs. Moody folk chords bang up against frantic fuzz turnarounds. Over it all, lyrics of abstract yet direct poetry are hollered and crooned, aided by well-placed backing vocals. Dan Lang's thick fuzz bass powers each song, bringing huge bottom to the moody chord changes and often adding a sublime melodic edge. Nick D'Vyne's guitar playing is both rhythmic and capable of face-ripping leads utilizing fuzz and chaotic wah. Chicago garage heavyweight Matt Williams (Hot Machines, Lover!, LiveFastDie) keeps this whole thing moving with his booming, trashy drumming. Two songs, "Dog's Breath" and "Electric Room" feature VEE DEE's new drummer Ryan Murphy (Ex-M.O.T.O.), who brings a super solid rhythmic dynamic to the band's sound. Their first album was titled "Furthur" and with Public Mental Health System, VEE DEE has indeed moved their sound along." Guitarist Nick D'Vyne also plays in Plastic Crimewave Sound.
4/7/2011	Vee Dee	Vee Dee	LP + download	$12.99	BLVD	"Chicago garage underdogs and legendary psych-rockers VEE DEE return with their third, simply self-titled, full-length album. Apt, as this record is a simpler exercise than their expansive 2009 double-LP opus, Public Mental Health System. Vee Dee, led by guitarist/vocalist/songwriter NICK D'VYNE, have slowly stretched all notions of "garage punk" throughout their over-a-decade-long stint together, deconstructing psychedelic rock'n'roll into blues-tinged, jammy dirges complete with stoned-out choruses and scuzzy sonic explorations. The nine songs on this album range from two-minute punk jams to epic burners that recall Rocket From The Tombs' experimental punk compositions, but with a heavy '60s Moby Grape rock drawl. As usual, you get the one-two kick of D'Vyne's vocals combined with his out-of-this-world-for-garage-punk guitar playing rolled up with wah-wah and layered effects, in addition to bassist DAN LANG's signature fuzz sound and drummer RYAN MURPHY's precision stomping. Basically, Vee Dee kicks ass and this record is amazing...don't sleep! Edition of 1,000 copies, includes a download."
9/30/2005	Vegas Martyrs	Choking Doberman	7"	$5.99	Kitty Play	Conceived in the heart of Brooklyn, but born in New Brunswick, NJ, VEGAS MARTYRS recorded this gem straight to walkman to capture their sheer wall of noise being cut by razor sharp guitars along with minimalist drumming and black metal vocals. Vegas Martyrs features DOMINICK FERNOW (PRURIENT) on guitar, RICHARD DUNN (F.F.H.) on electronics and vocals, and JOE POTTS (DRUMS OF MYRRH). In the few months Vegas Martyrs have been together they have already shared the stage with Lightning Bolt, Aaron Dilloway (Wolf Eyes), Mouthus, and Jessica Rylan. This record is limited to 500 copies on white vinyl."
9/16/2007	Vegas Martyrs	The Female Mind	LP	$11.99	Troubleman	"Vegas Martyrs is another proper "band" featuring members of FFH and Dominick Furnow of Prurient on drums. Total blown out hardcore destruction. Very ugly. Will not be on tour with the Arcade Fire any time soon. 750 pressed."
2/16/2003	Veliotis, Nikos / Costis Drygianakis	28/04/01	CD	$9.99	Absurd	"Recorded live at the 2:13 Club in Athens where the club focus is on the art of free improvisation. Nikos Veliotis on cello & Costis Drygianakis on tape recorders. Veliotis started improvising with his cello whil Drygianakis records him and plays the resultant tapes. After a while Drygianakis starts interfering with the recorded tapes while Nikos kept on cello improvisations. Nikos also interferes with Costis’ sounds with a wah-wah pedal. A great play with improvised sounds, silence, at times a la ‘musique concrete’ moods, etc." Edition of 160 copies packaged in beautifully printed cardboard covers.
2/16/2003	Veliotis, Nikos / Dan Warburton	VW	CD	$9.99	Absurd	"Veliotis & Warburton played a live set together in Paris in June 01. But they weren’t that satisfied from the result so each of them afterwards isolated from this recording the sounds of his instrument (cello & violin) and worked on loops of these recordings. The result of this effort can be heard in the 2 tracks they came up with. Veliotis with his cello loops is in a more minimalist yet haunting lowercase atmosphere though Warburton makes a really impressive electroacoustic piece." Edition of 150 copies packaged in beautifully printed cardboard covers.
12/24/2005	Veliotis, Nikos / Nicolas Malevitsis	Murder Melody	CDR	$12.99	Absurd	"Nicolas Malevitsis is probably best known for his Absurd label, releasing CDs and CDRs of all kinds of experimental music, but he has dabbled around himself with experimental music too. Here he releases a recording of himself on turntable and Nikos Veliotis on cello. Veliotis released an excellent solo CD of his drone related cello playing on Confront (see Vital Weekly 405). On this almost eightteen minute recording, Veliotis takes the leading part with some soft and subtle playing of his cello - and maybe a bit of delay on the microphone. Long sustaining sounds occur over which Malevitsis improvises with obscure scratches of vinyl, rather than making long spins. In the second half of the piece both sounds seem to collide together and play unisono. Nice work, but a bit short." - (FdW). Edition of 111 copies.
5/6/2011	Velvet Elvis	Favorite Horses	c27 cassette	$5.99	//cae-sur-a//	"Thundering in like a psychedelic unicorn from outer space, Velvet Elvis is the five-headed Hydra of stoner rock. Expanding across the galaxy in their own Ship of the Imagination, the exceptionally crafted songs on Favorite Horses pummel the listener with their heavy riffing and crooning voices. Hand numbered edition of 100."
11/20/2010	Velvet Hour	Velvet Hour	3" CDR	$6.99	Black Petal	"Beautiful quiet sounds from Tim Coster and Shannon O'Brien, who also play together as Silent Spring. Guitar, harmonica and softly breathed vocals from Shannon. Mesmerizing in its stillness." - Boa Melody Bar
10/31/2009	Velvet Underground, The	In 1966 There Was...	double lp	$32.99		"This collects a bunch of mostly live tracks from 1966, in the early and most experimental days of the band. From a performance at The Factory on Jan. 3: "Heroin," "Miss Joanie Lee," "Boom Boom," "Green Onions," "There She Goes Again" (Lou singing), "Walk Alone," "Venus in Furs/Cracking Up," "There She Goes Again" (Nico singing), and 3 untitled instrumentals. From The Factory on March 7: "Get It on Time"and "I'll be Your Mirror" (Lou singing). From a performance at NYC Filmmakers Cinematheque on Feb. 6: "Heroin," "I'll Keep It Mine," and "European Son." From a recording made at John Cale's loft sometime in the winter of '66: "Sheltered Life" and "Here She Comes Now." From the East Village Other's (a NYC underground newspaper) "Electric News Paper" LP recorded on Aug. 6: "Noise," plus a short interview with Andy Warhol on WNET-TV on Feb. 7. Sound quality ranges from very good to very primitive. Color vinyl pressing, UK import."
4/15/2011	Velvet Underground, The	Loaded	LP	$17.99	Cotillion	180 gram reissue of 1970 lp. "LOADED was a fitting end for the mighty Velvet Underground. Lou Reed had penned an album seemingly packed with hits, but by now, four LPs into the Velvets' career, only a sad few record buyers appreciated the band. Resignation permeates the album. Reed's voice is noticeably ragged, and bassist Doug Yule ended up recording many of the vocals for the final mix. Drummer Moe Tucker was pregnant, and Yule's brother Billy sat in on drums for most of the sessions. This was no longer the art rock Velvet Underground, but a far more accessible version, relying on Reed's songwriting over the band's overall musicality. Yet LOADED is arguably VU's most immediately satisfying album. Less overtly experimental than any of their other releases, the record still overflows with hooks, churning grooves and Lou Reed's irresistibly unique pop sensibility. In addition to the certifiable rock classics "Sweet Jane" and "Rock & Roll" (which alone should elevate the album into the rock pantheon), there are shiny, ironic ditties ("Who Loves the Sun"), cool, folk-rocking groovers ("Cool It Down"), and beautiful, weary ballads ("Oh! Sweet Nuthin'"). LOADED shimmers and gleams for all of its finality. While the album closed the book on the Velvet Underground's life, it also solidified their significant niche in rock history."
8/20/2011	Velvet Underground, The	Praise Ye The Lord	LP	$19.99		"A reissue of a famous 1988 fanclub release, these live recordings from 1968, 1969 and 1970 include a rare complete live recording of "Head Held High," a more full version of "I'm Set Free" than on the third album, a somewhat subdued "Run Run Run," the only known version of "Candy Says" with Lou on vocals, a swinging and crunchy "That's the Story of My Life," and a gripping and stark 9-minute "Train Round the Bend" that leads directly into "Oh! Sweet Nuthin'," those two being their only known live versions and totally different from those on the "Loaded" album. Definitely a must for all Velvets fans! Good sound and artwork, Euro import."
5/14/2007	Venison Whirled	Deaf Spongue	CDR	$8.99	Curor	"In the vast grey sea of plumber cracks looming over Line-6 pedals that is the meathead noise underground, Venison Whirled stands out like a glorious yellow rose. Easier said than explained perhaps (and harder still to explain why you shouldn't just skip over this and hit play already), but given that 'musicality' and 'noise' are ultimately useless as signposts depending on your vantage point, how to define the parameters of these glorious straight lines? Lisa is an alchemist of no small skill on any instrument, but how she squeezes the mercury from tiny piezo mikes and drum heads is quite beyond little ol' gtr lunkhead me. I can say this is a bit fuzzier and sculpted compared to the unattended processes of her earlier CDR, but ultimately she might as well be dropping mikes deep into the Edwards aquifer for all I can tell. So lets just say this is rippled shimmering drizzle drawn out of a cloudless TX sky (OK)? And what really counts is the lasered focus, the infinite roads to the horizon, the wide-eyed journey to the clear light beyond. As Tommy Hall once said, "Know naught!/ All ways are lawful to innocence" (or was that Merrell Fankhauser)?" - Tom Carter (wholly other/charalmbides etc)
1/13/2004	Venrooy, Esther	To Shape Volumes, Repeat	CD	$15.99	Robo Records	"Esther Venrooy resides in a constant snakepit of modular movements and sonic acupuncture. An imaginary, almost filmic world where gameboys morph into howling wherewolves, ravening the shattered bits of saxophone sounds with vague buzzing and popping crackles. Anchored by the subtle use of harmony and dynamism, she opts for processed meditations in maze examples, combining more traditional electro-acoustic composer techniques with frigid, slightly harsher shots of deconstructed digital fuckery. She sure sharps some sonic pencils with swirling layers that are cut up, mangled and dragged into the present. Not your average run of the mill cocktail waitress becomes Hollywood coddle story but pretty goddamn addictive blackened ambience. Bathing in a self-consciously dense atmosphere, loaded with contrasting metallic chunks of noise, she manipulates the rumbles with rich expression and acute arrangements that develop into a desolate electronic landscape. The balancing cord between audio and visual thundering she aspires towards. Her approach never wears out and diving into the realms of film fragments and striking field recordings, she pursues a journey where the source material is anything but traceable. All that megaton sonic alchemy weighs up and shows this is way more than an angry lady that turned her back on academic audio processing, the kind of sweaty dust that belongs in retirement homes. Next thing you know you are fragmented into a non-executable floorplan. The storm has spent itself."
10/17/2009	Vente de feu	Hébertisme	3" CDR	$6.99	self-released	"Formed in 2008, Vente de feu («fire sale», literally) is an economically non-viable pulsation from Québec City. Concerned by chaotic forms and polluted ambiances, the band mainly works with an acoustic instrumentation (guitar, clarinet, double bass, drum), without however completely pushing aside the use of electronic devices. Vente de feu's curious sound blends the liberty of european free improv, the energy of free jazz and the sketchiness of no wave. Composed of 4 tracks (total lenght: 21 minutes), 'Hébertisme', is the debut album of the band."
3/5/2009	Vercammen, Wout	Wout Vercammen	LP	$23.99	Ultra Eczema	"Wout Vercammen (1938) is a highly influental visual artist from Antwerp, Belgium. A nonstop performer since the early 50's, described by Ludo Mich as 'the Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde from Antwerp. A tight dressed dandy, going bananas every night, and looking as tight and clean the morning after'. He has been inspiring the Belgian underground art scene for more than fifty years. He was the youngest artist making real paintings at the end of the fifties. Abstractionism reduced to one gesture. One sweep. One movement of the sword. One twirling horizonŠ Pulling Hokusai into space and time, Vercammen organised and executed the very first happenings in Belgium in the early sixties. Great collages, the only real pop artist in Belgium, latex word paintings, pneumatic forms before someone else got bigger with it. Always on the move. The way Wout Vercammen acts, performs, talks and moves is perfectly captured on this LP! When living in Antwerp, chances are you witnessed a Wout Vercammen performance without even realizing it, this is possible at any given moment. Smuggling jenever into prison, painting the copper dome of the Carolus Borromeus church white, filling blue garbage bags with air, and especially howling like a wolf, primitive troat singing and using the whole bar as a percussive instrument!!! Wout Vercammen changes reality, and makes it a tiny bit better. This record is a collection of accidently recorded "moments" and a composition of a black, a yellow and a red paint bucket all shook up through a synth and a 4 track! All varying from percussive punk primitive madness comparable to Kommisar Hjuler, a strange conversation in a garden to soundpoetry, howling and screaming. I am absolutely psyched to release this, as Wout Vercammen along with Ludo Mich has always been my favorite Antwerp psycho! Reminiscent of Ludo Mich, Kommisar Hjuler, the Vienna Actionists, Hans Krüsi...The LP comes in a offset printed sleeve with pictures of the artist, an insert with more pictures and liner notes by art critic Hans Theys! Limited to 400 copies"
6/9/2010	Verde	Tapes	c54 cassette	$7.99	Sloow Tapes	"Pulsating and buzzing electronics from another dimension by Mika Rintala (see also Circle, Ektroverde), king of homebuilt analogue synthesizers. This tape starts with a heavy krautrock vibe and gradually gives way to more abstract soundscapes with fieldrecordings, recalling Faust, Ilitch, Nurse With Wound etc. Lineup features Jyrki Laiho (Kuusumun Profeetta, Stalwart, Circle), Pekka PT (Gelsomina), Janne Tuomi and Sami Kukka. 70 copies."
2/10/2004	Verdure	Cross & Satellite Station	CD	$14.99	Lexicon Devil	"Yes, you may ask yourself this very question - Who in the goddamn heck is Verdure? - but that's why I'm here. Verdure is one man: Donovan Quinn. He resides in Walnut Creek, deep in the East Bay of San Francisco and is a 'member', so to speak, of the mysterious Jewelled Antler Collective (detailed heavily in issue #219 of The Wire from 2002). Verdure is not a JAC artist. Verdure is simply Verdure. Although a fairly prolific recording outlet for Quinn, Verdure has never, until now, released anything beyond CD-Rs for a rather immediate circle of fans and friends. The music of Verdure is a strange beast to pin down. Sure it's got your trappings of what socially-challenged collector types like to term 'acid-folk', though Verdure never succumbs to the gloomy, death-fixated clichés of the genre, with the incredibly strong song-writing and, dare I say, awe-inspiring pop hooks being far too invigorating to be tamed by the death-folk chorus. Of course, that's not to say that there isn't a charmingly ramshackle approach on display here. The lo-fi mix of aching vocals, strummed guitars, tape loops, thundering organ, scattered percussion and the odd sample here and there is a sound for the ages, and I swear that when the electric guitar breaks into that fuzzed-out solo on 'Pope Innocent X', or when Donovan bursts into the chorus on the mesmerising 'Sun's Gonna Come Take Over My Sky', it even made a believer out of an old crank like me. Donovan Quinn is a major goddamn talent, of that I am convinced, and that's why Cross & Satellite Station is here on Lexicon Devil for your general perusal. If you've ever dug the sounds of Marc Bolan's Tyrannosaurus Rex, Skip Spence's Oar , Nikki Sudden/Epic Soundtracks, Syd Barrett at his most eccentric or Jandek at just about any point in his recorded life, then you owe it to yourself to discover the music of Verdure."
6/4/2010	Vertical Slit	Slit And Pre-Slit	LP	$18.99	Smudge	"Originally released in a vanity pressing of 100 copies, this debut by James Michael Shepard & Vertical Slit has long been a holy grail item on many a collectors list. Legend has it almost 1/4th of the pressing ended up in the hands of luminaries such as Todd Rundgren, John Cale, Robert Fripp & Peter Hamill to name but a few. Musically this stands toe to toe with the cream of Nurse With Wound list prog obscuros AND Acid Archives psych outsiders. Imagine a bridge between Magical Power Makos self titled debut lp & The Decayes Ich Bin Ein Spieglei. Mastered in the furnace of the future so to bask in the luminous glow of the past. Edition of 350." - Smudge. 1977 LP of recordings made between August 1974 and January 1977.
9/29/2005	Vertonen	One Telescoping Spine	3" CDR	$7.99	Chondritic Sound	"you may know vertonen as an ever-changing fixture in the chicago scene.. you might be familiar with him as head of crippled intellect productions, a label that has churned out stuff by wolf eyes, crawl unit and z'ev. this release finds him moving through both harsh and minimal territory with his own brand of noise. blake should have some of these on his current tour, so pick one up from him if you're gonna check out his live show. full-color artwork, full-color insert and painted cdrs." Edition of 133 copies.
9/30/2008	Vesuvan	Swamp Doctor	cassette	$7.99	Open Range Records	"After a number of silly set-backs this monster is ready to eat your boombox from the inside out. Melting it with algae too thick to squeeze through the speaker holes and vocal sounds so sludgy they'll get the insides all fried up. You won't even know what you're listening to anymore. The sound of being thrown out of your giant fan-powered boat right into the mouth of a gator. In a good way. Hand painted tapes and Art by SDReed. Limited to 50."
7/16/2004	Veulemans, Dirk	The Weasel Is Living On The Lofts Now	CD	$14.99	Robo Records	"Dirk Veulemans focuses on the composition of multichannel tape compositions and measures the inside of the human ear with daunting extremes of electro-acoustic music. As composing is often based on the sound parameters (timbre, pitch, texture, etc.) shifting in function of time, there still remain oceans of difference between experimenting with computer aided composing. The bile and colossal sound manipulations, raining down like napalm, are dished out in monstruous proportions. A grandiose declaration of radical electronic music that flows and ebbs with both power and grace. Dirk Veulemans has unleashed an exhausting vehicle to pollute souls into electro-acoustic sound territories. May his ‘unbegrenzten’ sound spectrum grab you by the throat. His melancholic inspired songcrafting stings like a bee. Flemish folk-tinged clusters hustle on board and harmonic clouds pirate the airwaves – as if mysterious unexplainable forces of nature have emerged from the woods. An almost deliciously summery record, though it’s uniqueness and competence make it work during all seasons. He has more than one true color. An uncompromising gradually dawning epic, that dabbles in behemothic melancholy and flashes of lightning. I make no bones about it. This is pure turbulent intensity. Start digging your grave. This works well six feet deep… This is the first available production of his amazing compositional abilities. His studio consists of a digital part for audio production and an analogue part for monitoring. This monitoring passes trough an 8 channel sound installation with 8 Dynaudio Audience40 speakers and 2 subwoofers. "Driven by my musical interest and my sensitivity for the physical properties of sound, I started controlling sound parameters about 1987 when I came in contact with the electronic features of the analog synthesizers and when I bought my first computer in 1981. This gave rise to my musical experiments." Packaged in a DVD box including booklet with extensive liner-notes and background information for each individual track. For fans of Luc Ferrari, Bernard Parmegiani etc…."
2/10/2004	Vibracathedral Orchestra	My Gate's Open, Tremble By My Side	CD	$14.99	Lexicon Devil	"Yep, you heard us right: that roving bunch of wacky minstrels, Vibracathedral Orchestra, have finally succumbed to our shameless begging and allowed Lexicon Devil to put back - and properly - into print their obscenely rare (250 copies) 1999 vinyl-only album on the Roaratorio label, My Gate's Open, Tremble By My Side. Scramble to ebay now if you wish to blow a small fortune getting the thing. The slightly less obsessive might want to stick to the CD reissue. Not only is the album considered by many fans (and even the band itself! Wow!) to be their finest work, but the CD contains a bonus three tracks from the same recording session that until now have remained unissued. Musically, it all scorches in that patented Vibracathedral style: monolithic sheets of organic, repetitive drones that arch into quieter, more subtle territory, rhythms and grooves never outstaying their welcome."
2/11/2005	Vibracathedral Orchestra	Ragged + Right	LP	$29.99	Hot Boots	"Ragged + Right was originally released (on CDr) in a minuscule edition of 60 to coincide with a live performance at the Holy Trinity Church in Leeds. Chances are, if you weren't in attendance that night you probably missed out on this one. In this day in age where bands crank out limited edition CDrs on a weekly basis, another one slipping through the cracks would hardly merit further mention - simply add it to the pile of decaying plastic discs and move on. Such a fate for Ragged + Right however, would be a severe injustice given this release is certainly one of the highlights in the VCO discography (and is also notable for the inclusion of special guests John Godbert, Marc Orleans and Matthew Bower). With this in mind, we've taken it upon ourselves to bring this album to the masses with a fanclub edition reissue. You don't get second chances like this very often, so you'd better be quick...this one definitely wont be around for long."
11/12/2003	Vibracathedral Orchestra / Phonophani	split	7"	$19.99	Safe As Milk / Melektronikk	"Here it is! The second release in Safe as Milk Rekords and Melektronikk's Milkland spilt 7" series. Sweet sounds baked into white vinyl. Milkland is where ends meet; The experimental electronics of the Melektronikk label and the experimental rock of Safe as Milk Rekords. On Milkland 1, This is Music inc. and Andreas Meland shared wax. This time it is Phonophani from Bergen, Norway and Vibracathedral Orchestra from Leeds, UK. Vibracathedral Orchestra has been jangling on for quite a few years now with their ecstatic folk drones. They've toured west of the sun and east of the moon, and has released about 10 records, including splits with Low and Jackie-O Motherfucker. The vibraists edition of the good old drone-song is levitating, grand and playful. Spastic guitars, boiling organs and a swarming cello build up an huge hay-drying rack of sounds with crooked sticks of acoustic percussion stabbed into it. Phonophani is one of our favorite Norwegian laptop musician, both as a solo artist and as one half of Alog. Phonophani's music is playfully inventive and organic. He uses all kinds of exotic instruments and process them into a seemingly chaotic beehive of melodies and beats. We love Phonophani's music because of the courageous attitude that lies behind it; Phonphani is juggling with fire and knives! He is pushing his songs and ideas to the edge, throwing them k_kallevik: higher and higher. Just as it seems too late, and everything seems to fall, Phonophani stretches out a mysterious third hand and picks up falling notes."
12/24/2005	Vibracathedral Orchestra / The Telescopes	Live at Audioscope04	10"	$24.99	Fourier Transform	"Two edited live sets from two of the best bands at last year's Audioscope festival, an annual charity event held in Oxford to raise money for Shelter, the UK homeless charity. Leeds' finest Vibracathedral Orchestra deliver a sprawling, spiritual, free rock freak-out, while indie legends The Telescopes head off into deep space, their mesmerising drone'n'howl set culminating in significant holes being powerdrilled into guitar pickups. Opaque blue 10" vinyl EP, hand numbered edition of 500. Each record comes with a genuine piece of the Audioscope banner used as a stage backdrop during the gig. All proceeds from the sale of the record will be donated to Shelter."
2/10/2004	Vibrasonic	Instrumental Vibrations	CD	$13.99	Yep! Records	"1997 private press album of whacked out psychedelic instrumentals with an Elevators edge and a surf flavour. Fuzz guitar and keyboards ride through a maze of psychedelic electronic effects. Crazy '60s acid a-go-go music made today. Excellent stuff!"
2/10/2004	Vibrasonic	Instrumental Vibrations	LP	$13.99	Yep! Records	"1997 private press album of whacked out psychedelic instrumentals with an Elevators edge and a surf flavour. Fuzz guitar and keyboards ride through a maze of psychedelic electronic effects. Crazy '60s acid a-go-go music made today. Excellent stuff!"
2/10/2004	Vibrasonic	Vibrasonic	CD	$13.99	Yep! Records	"Absolutely incredible!!! '66 styled psych influenced by Prunes / Elevators, Ravi Shankar, Ventures etc. Thunderbirds on Acid! As essential as Dukes of Stratosphear / Tyrnaround etc. Psychedelic to the extreme in a kinda plastic bubble kind of way."
3/6/2010	Video Loops Vol. 1	Salad	DVD-R	$7.99	Scumbag Relations	"First in a series of digital video loops. This one clocks in at 1 minute 15 seconds. Great for de-programming. Leave it on all day and night, you'll feel better already. Packaged in clear slim-line cases. Double-sided laser print covers and glossy labels."
1/22/2011	Viking Jews / Smycken	split	LP	$21.99	Release The Bats	"Hailing from Gothenburg, Viking Jews is the brainchild of Hannes Norrvide (also a member of bleak rascal duo Lust For Youth), which after a few self-released cassettes here offers up 20 shimmering minutes for his vinyl debut. Melancholic and rhythmic stuff melted through cheap keyboards, distinguished vocals and some serious cassette-flippin', somewhat covered under layers of dust, delay and piles of trashed skateboard decks. Twisted west coast ambience and Scandinavian heat all over. Think of Monopoly Child Star Searchers, early Dolphins Into The Future and Innercity and maybe you are halfways. All new material, except the inclusion of the beautiful ambient-closer from the Boneless cassette which we just couldn't resist to put on vinyl. Smycken resides in Gothenburg/Malmö/Copenhagen and consists of Rasmus Svensson and Hanna Nilsson. Just as with Viking Jews, this is the first vinyl-apperance from Smycken after most notably a cassette on Night People and a CD-R on Psychic Malmö (both released in 2009). 4 tracks of hazy and dreamy music, pushing forward everything towards a more refined pop-sound but without loosing it's initial Fonal-esque psychedelic blurs and almost folky undertones. Current popular culture is being demolished and embraced at the same time. Tracks like Marble Slabz will have you, with a big smile, asking yourself what the fuck just happened and the closer Mysterious Moonlight is the closest thing we have come to a ballad in the RTB discography since... well, ever. Mastered by Viktor Ottosson. 275 copies. Blue vinyl."
4/24/2006	Ville A.E. Suopajärven Puiset Heilat	Ville A.E. Suopajärven Puiset Heilat	3" CDR	$7.99	267 Lattajjaa	"Folky songs about bubblegum girls and soft explosions."
7/30/2006	Ville Moskiitto	Kaikki Mitäunohdin Sanoa	CDR	$7.99	Foxglove	"Finnish troubadour ville moskiitto returns with his second full-length for foxglove. "kaikki" is quite different than his previous efforts, though, focusing more on acoustic and organic sounds to get through the long winter nights. from soil-soaked whimisical folk roots to angular forest squawk, moskiitto's alter-ego is pure magic. whispered vocals and accordians create sonic depth and push "kaikki mitäunohdin sanoa" further out toward the midnight sun. 100 copies." - label
3/11/2005	Ville Moskiitto	Ylistyksiä	CDR	$9.99	267 Lattajjaa	"Crackling mumbling free-association drone recorded in the deep and dark caves of Turku: drawing inspiration from the dim and snowless winter, sleep deprivation, sickness and alcohol. Try and catch the wind."
11/10/2011	Vinkenoog, Simon	Kunst Is De Liefde In Elke Daad	c60 cassette	$8.99	Sloow Tapes	"Official reissue of a cassette recorded in Antwerp and originally released by De Goddaert in 1984. Simon Vinkenoog (1929-2009) was a Dutch poet, social critic and literary innovator, a key figure in the international poetry underground of the 1950s and onwards. He participated in the legendary International Poetry Reading at the Royal Albert Hall in London, One World Poetry (Amsterdam), Poetry International (Rotterdam) and dozens of others literary showcases. With Jules Deelder & Johnny Van Doorn he introduced poetry as high performance to the Lowlands. Influenced by the Beats, psychedelic experiences (he took part in LSD experiments in the late fifties/early sixties), the philosophy of non-violence and the mystic tradition, he was involved with hundreds of titles and translated works by Allen Ginsberg, Timothy Leary, Aldous Huxley, Carlos Castaneda, Antonin Artaud et al into Dutch. On this cassette, Vinkenoog's readings (in Dutch) are accompanied by Louise Landes Levi, a founding member of The Floating Lotus Magic Company, the first fusion orchestra in the USA. She went on to study Indian music, was part of the Dreamweapon diaspora and worked with both Angus MacLise and Ira Cohen, its major proponents. Front cover by Eddie Woods. Edition of 100 copies."
3/28/2010	Vinter	Vinter II	LP	$26.99	Tjärnen	"Long awaited follow-up to their debut record. From the liner notes: "...these new songs weren't found in one place, they didn't just flow from some horn of plenty, they were slowly plucked like flowers along the road-side, dried in the sun and put next to each other in an album that grew in the months that followed that first session, while winter turned into spring, and spring into summer. ... some turned out to be small gems of a song that belie their impromptu origins, others wear their spontaneous creation proudly like a crown of fallen petals. Some are kalimba and banjo back of the woods folk music, others two chord pop songs with pump organ or plucked cello. ... and Martina's sad, gentle, shimmering vocals fill the room from end to end, every little nook and cranny, with a language of vaguely familiar words, whose sense is obscured like something seen through an old broken and dusty window-pane. This new record is another spell-book of the fey and brittle magic that Vinter cast upon the listener..." Edition of 266 copies, with screenprinted covers and an insert."
3/2/2005	Violence Beyond The Snowline	Hollow Shit For Dull Suburb Witches	3" CDR	$7.99	Firstperson	"Abstract & labour intensive electronic manipulation of the dearly held tool of 'rock' and 'pop' - the electric guitar. Jamie Stephenson continues upon his quest to strip all resemblance from the 'staff' by which so many stars of tomorrow cling to & in the process document the minute sounds he glimpses inside his inner ear & eminating between the cracks of the yellow & peeling fabric of (.....) a fine addition to a growing catalogue of releases on such esteemed labels as evelyn, fencing flatworm, matchinghead, kolorform, euth, traqueto, nid nod and sunny days out." 3" cdr housed in hand-made clear acetate covers with information printed on one side and an image on the other.
1/20/2002	Violence Fog / Jerusalem	SWF Sessions Volume 6	CD	$17.99	Long Hair	"SWF Sessions Vol 6. presents the 2 bands, Violence Fog and Jerusalem - 30 minutes of unreleased music by each band. Jerusalem is Westcoast influenced with 2 guitars (great jams) 3 long tracks. Violence Fog is Heavy Psychedelic Krautrock with trippy flute, 5 tracks. Both Sessions were recorded in 1971."
11/4/2006	Virgin Eye Blood Brothers	Tucky Mud	CDR	$9.99	Veglia	"New limited to 80 copies disc from the Virgin Eye duo of Pete Nolan (Magik Markers et al) and Kris Abplanalp (Valley Of Ashes/Sapat et al). First track is a phenomenal short burst of Sauter-esque sax and keening acid guitar waste. Moves into further, profoundly pre-lapsarian sonic environs on a drift of tongue-tone and a muzz of elegantly splatted electronics. Totally crude packaging too." - Volcanic Tongue
4/24/2006	Virgin Insanity	Toad Frog & Fish Friends/The Odometer Suite	CD	$24.99	P-Vine	"After releasing Illusion of Maintenance Man in 1971, Virgin Insanity evidently went on to record 2 more albums that never saw the light of day: Toad Frog & Fish Friends, also from 1971, and The Odometer Suite from 1973. This Japanese-only CD conveniently compiles the 2 together and throws on 2 bonus tracks of new 2005 recordings by the currently revitalized group. In a similar style to Illusion, but perhaps more freaked out, this is beautifully shambolic folk-rock from the edge of time, with parts of Toad Frog coming across like Texas' answer to the Godz. The Odometer Suite is a lot more '73 than '71 (guess that "makes sense") - the naivete is a little wobbly for today's sophisticates. But the now easily achievable completeness that P-vine makes possible with these 2 CDs is hard to beat."
1/22/2011	Virgin Spring	Excelsior	one-sided LP	$14.99	Gods of Tundra	"Debut vinyl. Wander in the wetlands and get lost. Lines tangle and tighten and then disintegrate. The next step is never certain. Breath in this unclear atmosphere. Ever upward. Edition of 100."
5/16/2010	Virginal Volcanoes / Clouds Without Water	Technicians of the Divine Vol. 2	c30 cassette	$5.99	Temple of Pei	"Virginal Volcanoes - Whiskey on the Rocks: On Tuesday, August 24th, 2009 an obscure fraternity was born between Telecult Powers & John Fell Ryan of Excepter. Transplutonian communication was attempted via liquid instead of the vacuum of space. JFR took the role as the houngan, Mr. Matthews as the host. Witchbeam most likely lost his mind. This recording is the result. Clouds Without Water - Lord of Unbalanced Force: Clouds WIthout Water is Brian Butler, a musician, magician, writer and filmmaker based in Los Angeles. He performs in a duo with the legendary Kenneth Anger called Technicolor Skull. He recently premiered "Night of Pan", a film starring Vincent Gallo in a dark ritual that "symbolizes the stage of ego death in the process of spiritual attainment." I first came across his work when I read the excellent Marjory Cameron article in the Disinfo Book of Lies."
9/16/2007	Visitations	untitled	LP	$24.99	Time-Lag	"Well, here you have it. maine's cosmic mystery trio captured in vinyl for eternity, just for you... while everyone & their mother seems to have some sort of bedroom folk/psych project going these days, you'd be hard pressed to find another unit as pure in spirit & process as these here bodies/buddies. one of those rare vortexes of creation existing totally apart from all hype, pressure or pretense; in other words, timeless. always balanced on that fine and beautiful line between cosmic joke & aching depth. a simple & unadorned unfurling of strummed & fingered instruments, heartaching female vocals, woodland creatures, earthy male vocals, contrasting half written & totally spontaneous songs, twisting lyrics, haunted melancholy, lysergic joy, and a heavy dose of spooked new england lore. in a way, the recording scene itself is an almost perfect parallel to the sounds & vibes captured here: three shadowy figures laugh & sing around a dim campfire. no ones slept in days. they're nestled amidst ancient stone buildings, creeping foliage, and mounds of exotic flowers. the sun is setting over the mountains. but its all frozen in time. the clouds aren't moving. and that campfire, it's a microphone, isn't it? and all those flowers: plastic. the stone: paint. is it all fake? well, it is an ancient stone church. and those three really are making some very sweet sounds. in fact, its almost hyper real. almost impossibly so... is that reel-to-reel rolling? yes, it sure is... exquisitely packaged with a fold out double thick duotone art paper cover. outside is white paper with edge to edge antique letterpress printed eyeball melting hyper detailed art by the band. inside is black paper with red/orange screen printing. 180gm virgin vinyl. numbered edition of 500 copies. zero info of course, but take a peak at the cover in total darkness for a special surprise!"
2/20/2008	Vizusa	Vizusa	LP	$15.99	Seres	"Caitlin Cook and Calder Martin, formerly vocalist/players in EXCEPTER, resurface as a rock duo with Martin weaving holographic guitar riffs around Cooks wails and gloomy poems. The pair spent two years living in the skylight studio of the historic Matthew Brady Daguerreotype Building at 359 Broadway NYC, recording in the same vaulted rooms where Abe Lincoln, Felicita Vestvali, Edgar Allan Poe, Frederick Douglas, and Sitting Bull voluntarily screwed their heads into iron stabilizers in order to be photographed. The resulting album conveys a falsely two-sided pattern of epic American triumph, contemplative groovyness, and crumbling disaster in the guise of hyperactive fun. Cameo drum appearances blast through at key moments, courtesy of Spencer Herbst (Matta Llama), Nathan Corbin (Excepter), and the inimitable Fiz. Released on SERES, a longstanding label cohort of the NO-NECK BLUES BAND. At the right volume, the crackle of the amps will make your ass ripple."
10/25/2008	Vluba	The Green Lion Great Tapes Vol. 4	CDR	$8.99	Ikuisuus	"New set of hypnotic aural disobedience from Argentina's new kings of confusion Vluba. Two tracks of cartoon sci-fi ritual, moaning electro-drones, analog electronics and a heavy cultic vibe that's somewhere between Acid Mothers Temple, Amon Duul and a helium-powered Can. Comes packaged in a green DVD case with Black Sabbath tribute art." - Volcanic Tongue
7/16/2006	Vlubä	^'¨´^` ´´¨´¨¨¨¨¨'	CDR	$9.99	23 Productions	"Damn near indescribable collection of musics from the Argentinian astral warriors Vlubä. Each song it's own journey, from spin dizzy hallucinations to psychic nightmares. One more piece in the all out sensory assault that Vlubä has recently waged on this world."
12/26/2005	Vlubä	…	CDR	$12.99	Seedy R!	"We are Vlubä, posted at Buenos Aires at now, but borned in the chrome moon circa (since) 1965...Our music works consist at no music, drone music, freak rock, acid rock, cosmic music, conceptual art music, free improvisation, magical music for the high kings from the high spheres and extreme experimental music or whatever... some from this side of the planet, or the other planet? Crazy lo-fi Argentininian Psychedelia. Fans of Armpit will LOVE this..."
9/16/2007	Vlubä	Inventions For Inflatable Guitar	CDR	$11.99	Chocolate Monk	"Argentina's self proclaimed "Prehistoric Magical Psychic Band" blast off into the inner space void on this one. Electro-Accoustic brain burps ringing out through the cosmic ocean. Oh Mama!"
3/1/2007	Vocokesh, The	ŠAll This and Hieronymus Bosch	CD	$12.99	Strange Attractors Audio House	The Vocokesh formed in 1991 when guitarist Richard Franecki spun out of orbit from F/i, the legendary Milwaukee psychedelic veterans he co-founded. ŠAll This and Hieronymous Bosch, The Vocokesh's eighth long player, displays some departures from previous formulas, resulting in some of their finest and freshest sonics yet. Synthesizers and electronics, prominent throughout The Vocokesh's catalog, adopt more of a backseat role while the sitar, only sparingly used in the past, bubbles strongly to the surface.Masterful guitar work is still in rich abundance, but many of the dark psych passages The Vocokesh regularly navigate is offset by sunnier trajectories. As implied by the title, ŠAll This and Hieronymus Bosch hosts a surrealistic depth rarely matched in instrumental rock these days-a fantastic entry into The Vocokesh's ongoing psychedelic experiments." - label. "Vocokesh continue with the Pink Floyd swirl, krautrock bleeps, and Tangerine Dream's sense of cinematic dynamics. People digging the joys of Ash Ra Temple and SubArachanoid Space are going to love this-strictly for headphone heads!" - Montreal Mirror
8/17/2009	Vodka Soap	Interpretation of 'The Initiation'	cassette	$14.99	Pacific City Cassettes	"An interpretation of Roberto Matta's painting, The Initiation"
2/19/2007	Vodka Sparrows	Death A Thousand Times Over	CDR	$11.99	Black Petal	Anthony Guerra with Mark Leacy of Castings. heavy reverb soaked guitar music.. for drinkers, very elaborate cord-bound cover.
7/11/2011	Vogel, Michael	Ronde matutinale à Amillis / Berenice	LP	$21.99	PLANAM	"PLANAM proudly presents the second LP by the artist and sound sculptor Michel Vogel. Born in 1941 in Strasbourg, France, Michel Vogel artistic activities start in 1960 when, as a painter under the materic influences of Antoni Tapies and Jean Dubuffet, his mineral and sound experimentations built a universe influenced by free jazz, extra-European music and Olivier Messiaen. His researches develop with new sculptures and the creation of his own resonating metal instruments. His friends of the minimalist group, and specially the Fluxus artists, supported and pushed him to carry on his acoustics explorations while his sonic creations get closer to the music of John Cage, Philip Corner, Morton Feldman and Giacinto Scelsi. After the deep cosmo night music of "Une petite music de nuit" (Vogel first LP) PLANAM decided to issue two more early-morning oriented realizations, or "Ronde mattinale à Amillis" and "Berenice". These alfa-wave improvisations for 'prepared' gongs and self-built metal instruments, selected in direct collaboration with the artist, will make you enter into luminous sonic dimensions." Edition limited to 270 copies with full colour space cover and inner sleeve.
5/7/2004	Volcano the Bear	All The Paint I Can Breathe	10" + bonus 7"	$24.99	Beta-Lactam Ring	"Gatefold sleeve, full color insert, audiophile vinyl and limited to 500 copies. All the tracks were culled from the earliest VTB tapes of 1996, recorded on 4 tracks and less. The 7" features 'Yak Folk's Y'are' the very first VTB song recorded in 1995. 'Nothin' like a good huff of paint to start the day right! And there's no one like VTB to augment your daily dose of Dutch Boy. This 10" mini album presents some of VTB's very earliest recordings. The sessions seem to indicate that VTB enjoyed a particularly powerful vintage of Winsor-Newton cadmiums while recording. And for lack of VTB really repeating themselves, I can only paint an abstract portrait of the present opus. Their obsession with small sounds is in place and they already make for a crack improv ensemble, giving their pigment soaked inventions the kind of life that beckons many repeat listens. ATPICB is comprised in nearly equal parts of surrealist/dada sound sculptures and of minimal wave/prog canvases. Frequently sounding a bit like they are lurking in the rafters, I wish they'd come down and help paint my awful bathroom. The real beauty of VTB is their ability to be completely subtle and spacious and yet to also rock, after a fashion. No mere outtakes, this record is cogent and surprising and to be huffed as often as possible, except when operating heavy machinery." Very limited edition with the bonus 7".
6/3/2009	Volcano The Bear	Birth of Streissand	7"	$7.99	No-Fi Records	"First non-archive release for NO-FI. VTB at their most abstract. Released November 2006."
9/30/2005	Volcano the Bear	Catonapotato	CD	$12.99	Digitalis	"All in all, it's just a brilliant sonic excursion down a musical path very few are brave enough to follow these days, and along the way the band manages to explain exactly why the true environment for Volcano the Bear is the live setting. If you never have come across this band before I honestly believe that you never have heard anything quite like it. This is meditation music for the drone/noise generation."
3/11/2004	Volcano the Bear	The Idea of Wood	CD	$16.99	Textile	"Is it rock? Is it folk? Is it sane??? Textile records is proud to release the new challenging musical adventures from the British improvisational quartet Volcano The Bear. Formed with the constant idea of being a group with uncompromising and boundless ideas, the quartet (Laurence Coleman, Nick Mott, Aaron Moore and Daniel Padden) is utterly beyond classification. This radical and unique music brought VTB to the attention of the more discerning. (Steven Stapleton asked the band to join the United Dairies family.) Drawing on the work of Robert Wyatt, Faust or This Heat, the music of Volcano The Bear is the perfect combination of music and non music, melodies and free expression. The band creates a musical environment crossing composition with improvisation. Filled with crackling electronics, rumbling percussion, unconventionally played guitars, manipulated vocal noises, distorted piano 'The Idea of Wood' is an ideal mix of primitive folk, art rock and filmic sound sculpting. Eccentric, hypnotic, mystic, but most of all truly incredible."
4/10/2009	Vollmar	EP Compilation	12"	$10.99	Third Uncle	"This vinyl record compiles three low-key, handmade releases by Bloomington-based recording artist Vollmar. Each was originally disseminated in a very basic form: a miniature CDR with a handwritten insert and a two-tone black and white cover image. Vollmar launched these short-length do-it-yourself releases as a way to explore musical ideas with somewhat more immediacy than was possible in the context of a proper "album" project. The simplicity of the process allowed for material to be recorded and released in one fell swoop, with a minimum of slaving over mixing boards or waiting on record labels and pressing plants. This record's contents, then, were shaped by a very particular strategy-i.e. conceived of as three discrete, internally cohesive installments in a series meant to be as direct as possible, both in terms of musical creativity and physical delivery. Even several years after the fact, the musical results retain their sense of urgency. Vollmar is audibly liberated by this more intuitive platform, roving at length into sonic territory that had only been hinted at on previous full-length albums. "Monsters / Avery" and "When Love Love Love" feature some of Vollmar's best rock songs, and most inventive arrangements. By the time "The Shower" lets loose its free-noise downpour, we have a sense of just how panoramic Vollmar's vision is becoming.Even though markedly homemade, Vollmar never intended the mini CDR series as a limited edition or collector's item. It's fitting, then, that this music should finally receive wider release as a reissue collection. Please enjoy, and spread the word."
8/30/2009	Voltigeurs	Voltigeurs	CD	$11.99	Turgid Animal	"Brand new project from Matthew Bower of Skullflower and Samantha Davis' of GYR/Harm. This album definitely demostrates the direction in which Mr. Bower has been taking with his other projects as of late and could easily be described as Black Metal in it's purest form but this is no Skullflower rip off. Samantha's Davis' input has certainly altered Mattthew's musical vision and it is easy to hear the sound of a true collaboration at work. Six long tracks of heavy music running in at a total of nearly 65 minutes."
9/24/2009	Von Bingen	Von Bingen	LP	$16.99	Amen Absen	"Von Bingen began life when husband and wife duo Jenni Pace and Daniel Presnell (Astral Blessing) temporarily suspended Hildegard (their east coast group of clangorous misfits), and relocated to Vancouver, BC where they soon met Josh Stevenson (aka Magneticring, and one-time JOMF member), and Richard Smith. Influenced by histories of conceptual art practices and electronic and outsider music native to the west coast, Von Bingen's sound is at once reminiscent of distant sonics, such as those found in the labs of 60's SF pioneers, or overheard in Berlin's Zodiac Club in the early 70's, while also anticipating the drone of future decades. Folk forms gleefully mutate, reborn as new hybrids, dignified by analog modular and semi-modular synthesizer systems from Serge, Buchla, and EMS. Instruments such as the flute, clarinet, guitar, and the drum are defamiliarized through quixotic treatments, originating from experimentations in the band's studio. By rescuing tones, processes and technology from dusty desuetude, Von Bingen happens upon a unique retrofit for advanced audiences that is sure to confound, if not altogether please. Within the grooves of this lp, you will not find full-fledged allegiance to current fashions, nor will you find some light loop of cheap sensations, hollow-core historical reenactments, or facsimile sentiments. In fact, we are not sure what you will find at all, and that is the beauty of nature, a potentially infinite system of chances, where the opportunity to un-learn is as important as the opportunity to learn; where memories possess the power to eclipse experience; where all history becomes synesthesia. Join Von Bingen in this new Eden, and by all means, have an apple." - F.O.L. Ministries, 2009. Recommended!
3/26/2006	Von Harmonson, Noel	Born on the 4th of July	CD	$10.99	Resipiscent	"Bringing horror home to roost, NVH jellies your knees with this stripped down, no-place-to-hide assault. Masterful improvisations and the unadorned appeal of shredding sound viscera, fear will find your heart for you. If ever you've wanted to see the rest of Comets on Fire lying quietly dead in a pile while NVH goes completely off, now's your chance."
8/7/2002	Voodoo Mechanics	Chaotika	CD	$9.99	Mandragora Records	"Can Mandragora Records do no wrong? This is the fifth release of their's that I have reviewed, and I have not been let down once as of yet. Voodoo Mechanics is the label owner's solo sampler project, circa 1998-1999. Although some parts can be somewhat abrasive, most of the album is less harsh, favouring a calm, even ambient, sound. I suppose this point can be argued, but I think it is a general concensus that even Voodoo Mechanics at his harshest comes nowhere near the likes of Merzbow and Prurient. This psychedelic ambience, however, is a nice break from the cacophony, and it definitely provides a nice soundtrack for a mind-trip, if that's what you're looking for. In order to help explain how this album fits together, I like to call Voodoo Mechanics the Godspeed You Black Emperor! of noise music. The album fluctuates between so many styles and emotions throughout its entirety that, by the end, you almost feel weary. And that's what noise music is all about. If you're a noise fan, and you're looking for some diversity in your musical diet, you may want to consider getting this album. And while it's by no means another 'Rainbow Electronics', it's an enjoyable noise album anyway." - Matt Shimmer, indieville.com "Constructed entirely from samples and found sound, Chaotika is an intense meditation on the mysteries of drone and loop. Astral brutality as crippled beats juggle icy strings, alien orchestras wage battle, and freaks come alive. Pagan muzak meets lounge terror in a sonic Rorschach Test."
9/30/2008	Vorg Vessel	The Queen of Fish Mountain / Illuminated by Stripes	CDR + 3" CDR	$14.99	Cut Hands	"Another stunning project courtesy of psychfiend Adam Kriney (La Otracina, Dragonfrynd). This man does not sleep, nor shouldn't he. Just like on the Dragonfrynd album there's no drums on this double album. No guitars either this time. Just miles and miles of tripped out organ jams. Straight lines get transformed into a sprawling, blurry ocean of dubby overtones. Space age slowjams..this must be what shroomheads in love dance to. Sweet. 50 copies in slimline dvd cases with six page booklet and art by Peter Friel."
	Vorontsova, Julia	Julia	CDR	$6.99	Abaton Book Company	"This young voice from St.Petersburg immediately brought me in mind one of my favourite voices, Ewa Demarczyck from Poland (from which I highly appreciate her "live" album from 1979). I'm one of those people who like a lot deeply melancholic songs, sung with deep feelings and with a poetic approach. Inspired by earlier Russian bards, Julia writes beautiful love & friendship-songs simply accompanied by acoustic guitar, but with a beauty it becomes a must for acid/wyrd folk lovers. Highly recommended !
	Vortex Naviagtion Company	Things Make Patterns as They Fall	CD	$14.99	Camera Obscura	"This is Salamander singer-guitarist Sean Connaughty's other band, in conjunction with guitarist Wes Morden and a rotating group of instrumentalists on percussion, bass and keyboards. Expansive improvisations and dark folk, not a million miles away from Salamander, but pushing further into the swirling cloud formations of sky-trance improvised drone rock on one axis, and deeper into dark backwoods folk on the other." Recommended.
12/30/2002	Vote Robot	Five Score Six Bicycle	LP	$17.99	Catsup Plate	"The third proper album from our favorite antiquated electronics experimentalists. Continues in their particular vein of warm and hazy homemade electronic sounds. Melodies bubble up through the murk and recede, bits of static crackle and flare, and warm tones ooze out through the speakers, enveloping the listener's ears. The music is abstract, but almost melancholic, like the gears of an old rusted-out clock tower slowly decaying or a broken wind-up toy that's been set in motion one last time. There's definitely air of familiarity here, too: these sounds and melodies seem to have existed at some point in the past, now long-buried in the clutter of the subconscious. Edition of 300 copies in 4-color silkscreened jackets."
4/7/2008	VxPxC	Dead Right There	cassette	$5.99	Ski-Fi	"90 minute document of two live events culled from the vaults of the early years of VxPxC. From delicate sprawling drone to outright tonal murkitude, this is guaranteed to melt ur brainstem. A lullaby for a nuclear winter. limited to 60 copies."
7/14/2007	VxPxC	Porchmass	CD	$12.99	Digitalis	"In the past two years, (VxPxC) has grown from a Golden State oddity to a Los Angeles institution. The trio of Grant Capes, Tim Goodwillie, and Justin McInteer have churned out an entire catalog of blissed-out improvisations that range from the organic and melodic to overblown chaos. There's never a dirth of new ideas flowing out of their collective minds, and on "Porchmass," their first proper CD release after a slew of CDRs and cassettes, they push the envelope into a whole new realm. Recorded entirely on Goodwillie's porch in City Terrace, in East LA, "Porchmass" is a ramshackle choir singing in effigy to the orange polluted sunsets of Southern California. (VxPxC) only use a small arsenal of acoustic and battery-powered instruments, singing bowls, and pots & pans as makeshift-percussion, but it is magic junkyard orchestra. This is also the first appearance of the now-trademark accordian that graces recent (VxPxC) sessions. By using this array, the group traverses new territory somewhere near the islands of Jewelled Antler or The Vanishing Voice. Despite the minimal setup, the songs on "Porchmass" are incredibly rich and diverse. Between the solemn notes of the accordian, washes of droning keyboards, and turbulent acoustic guitars rises a heartbroken voice that acts as a torch. The wordless vocals flicker like volcanic ash falling from a sunkissed sky. There's so many things at odds with each other throughout these pieces that the resulting dichotomies and trichotomies create an entirely new sound. (VxPxC) is Los Angeles through-and-through. But this is not your grandfather's LA of Hollywood glam and cocaine binge weekends. Capes, Goodwillie, and McInteer are blessed by the sun and palm trees, but when you dig deeper you find the warm, inviting underbelly that keeps such an enormous city afloat. "Porchmass" is a quiet hymn for the populations that the outside world has forgotten."
1/24/2009	VxPxC	Second Street Tunnel	CDR	$7.99	House of Alchemy	"We basically started -house of alchemy- to be in the (VxPxC) business. And what a business it is. We are proud that our second release with them is Second Street Tunnel. It is every bit the blissed-out, burnt-down, pick-pocketed brain-jewelry you would expect from them. We couldn't be happier. Cd-r edition of 123 housed in hand-made cloth envelopes."
6/19/2007	VxPxC	Stoned To Death	CDR	$11.99	Leaf Trail	"(VxPxC) are an LA trio that skillfully and seamlessly blend multiple styles from psych, drone, pop, shoegaze, dislocated rock and the undescribable to create an evolved entity, a beautiful "otherworldly being" presented in the form of a hand crafted cd. They create music projected straight from the heart with the purest of intentions and the simple joy of playing and releasing music they are passionate about. "Stoned To Death" is a new life (in all regards) among the forest of cassettes, CD-rs and countless future LPs and CDs to be released by this trio. Here they are creating worlds within worlds within worlds within worlds......The sounds are from a distant universe, never our own. They are neither reality nor dream but of some deeper primitive expression that flows from the core of your spirit and rattles it about with pinches of hope, melancholy and out of body explorations."