the brainwashed brain
a weekly digest from the staff and contributors of brainwashed
V06I27 - 07132003
Click here for other issues
SITE

the wish list
It's no secret that Brainwashed's staff and contributors are made up of sick, demanding, selfish music fans. Just when you think The Brain couldn't get any longer, we've come up with a new weekly feature, The Wish List. Each week, somebody describes a few releases that they strongly feel should be back in print and available to the world, most often with an honorable reissue and remaster job. With any luck, labels, artists (or crafty bootleggers) will actually read our diatribes and make better efforts in making our deepest wishes come true. It is open to the floor and we welcome others' input.

THE EYE


double feature: dirty three & mark gardener

31 Minutes, Quicktime Streaming Video Warren Ellis, Mick Turner, and Jim White's names shouldn't be unfamiliar. They have been members of the Bad Seeds, backed up Cat Power, Will Oldham, and a number of others. As Dirty Three, the trio have spent 11 years together. Jon Whitney caught an intimate interview with Warren Ellis on the latest Dirty Three tour which featured Zak Sally of Low on bass guitar.

15 Minutes, Quicktime Streaming Video Mark Gardener was the lead singer in the seminal Creation band Ride. This interview was conducted by Petrina at WZBC in Boston and it includes two in-studio performances as well as footage from that night's concert.


Both shows took place in April of this year.

Dirty Three
31 Minutes, Quicktime Streaming Video

Mark Gardener
15 Minutes, Quicktime Streaming Video

TECH SPECS
Necessary:

  • A current web browser
  • A modern computer
  • The latest quicktime plugin for streaming media

Recommended:

  • A fast connection
  • A willingness to learn

Unnecessary:

  • 'tude

If you see a blank window without anything streaming, don't complain to us. You don't have the latest version of Quicktime for streaming media. Go download it. It's free.

MUSIC IN REVIEW


2CD's & MP3's
Mute
Easily one of my favorite labels, Novamute serves as the dance-oriented wing of the ever-enduring Mute Records machine. More than a fair deal of its materials comes out exclusively on vinyl, leaving the wider consumer market unexposed to some of the best electronic music around. An effort to both rectify this and to tap into the growing market of CD and "digital" DJs, 2CDs and MP3s offers 16 audio tracks and 28 somewhat overlapping MP3 files. Considering the strength of the Novamute roster (as well as that of the extended Mute family), the selections range from techno floorfillers and electro booty grooves to chin-scratching warm-ups and industrial/EBM reworks. Though there are many enjoyable dancefloor-friendly cuts, the first noteworthy track comes from S.I. Futures. The FX mix of "Eurostar" takes the melodic vocoding of the electro original and injects a rejuvenating funky vibe. Speedy J's unedited cut of "Krekc," the lead single from his recent Loudboxer album, blisters the eardrums with seriously banging techno meant for warehouses. EBM fanatics will either be disturbed or delighted to hear Thomas P. Heckmann's update of the Nitzer Ebb anthem "Join In The Chant." Though the distinctive bassline remains admirably true to the original, Douglas McCarthy's completely vocoded vocals seem almost blasphemous. As an industrial club DJ, I have tested the dancefloor several times with this, and while it does not go over as well as the original, it still gets a great crowd response. Continuing the industrial updates, Akufen's quirky remix of Cabaret Voltaire's "Nag Nag Nag" mangles the original beyond recognition yet manages to salvage the wreck by throwing in a gritty 4/4 beat at about the halfway point. The laugh factor behind Debasser's "Fat Girls" thankfully does not take away from its appeal as a bass heavy booty mover, and sounds far better than most of the socalled "ghetto-tech" coming out today. Hans Weekhout's "Rhythm Is On A Mission" treads a murky territory between techno and progressive house, with echoing synth stabs and tribal machine beats. The MP3 content gives plenty of B-sides including further goodies from the artists mentioned above as well as Tim Wright, Umek, Steve Stoll, and Luke Slater. All in all, this is not merely a great compilation, but rather a pioneering release that will hopefully begin a trend. - Gary Suarez

samples:


Cabaret Voltaire, "Yashar remixes"
NovaMute
In 1982, the original version of "Yashar" ushered in a new phase of Cabaret Voltaire. While the group had been working for years with drum machines, they were only up until then teasing the ideas of dance music. Originally on the 2x45 release and later remixed for 12" by John Robie, this was undeniably the beginning of what soon became their dancefloor-friendly big funk phase. Once the classic opening voice-only sample sounds, "there's 70 billion people in there / where're they hiding," everybody knows the familiar pumping beats and evil synth melody that is about to follow. While remixing songs that weren't exactly discotheque smashes has become commonplay, there's a lot at stake when considering remixing something that has become somewhat of a sacred underground dancefloor legend. The results are very nice indeed. This three-track 12" only release is covered on side one by a vicious, nearly ten minute thunderous mayhem by Alter Ego which I have had to force myself from not repeating endlessly. While only the underlying synth stem remains, the power and energy from the original is exponentially magnified. Ten minutes can be a long time but with this, it seems like it could honestly go on forever. Side two features the proverbial rework by Richard H. Kirk: "The Man from Basra" remix honorably matches the energy set forth by the A side. Kirk imports the familiar vocal samples from the original and continues on in a hypnotic five minute synth soup of constructive 808, 909, and African-imitative sounds. Rounding out the second side is The All Seeing I remix, which most closely resembles the original remix done by John Robie with the singing girls and higher pitched synth melody. This version also pays tribute to the popular sounds of the 1990s Cabaret Voltaire with its downtempo beats, heavily relied upon by primitive analogue drum machine sounds. The only beef I have with the single is its $9 import 12" price that I had to fork over, making me recommend NovaMute to do another goddamned CD compilation like the one aforementioned this week. Die hard non-UK fans who miss out on this risk their chances of this not making the next compilation (or no next compilation at all). With any luck, Mute will wise up and give a break for their export single prices. - Jon Whitney

samples:


TV On the Radio, "Young Liars"
Touch and Go
Recorded in a bedroom by three New York artist/musicians, "Young Liars" is the first release from TV On The Radio, and introduces them as a fascinating experiment, with a sound that's original and memorable. The music groans and creaks beneath the vocals, churning almost, replete with droning guitars and thudding drums. The percussion is at times provided by live drums, or accented with programmed beats, and allegedly sheets of tin. Collages of sampled loops materialize momentarily and then drift away. The most intriguing aspect of "Young Liars" has to be the vocals, full bodied and soulful, they wouldn't sound out of place being backed by a funky bass line and horn section, or at the head of some gospel choir like in their acapella rendering of the Pixies' "Mr. Grieves." On that hidden track, they sound like a wayward choir group, giving the song a great workout that swings as if it were instead an attack on "Take the A Train." "Satellite" kicks off the EP with the introduction of this sound, a fuzzy thudding of static washed drums and bass with an incessant riff. Then the vocals kick in and it's so unlike the expected, "Now I'm waiting for a signal or a sound, where can you be found now? Where can you be, waiting for a signal or a sound?" The song lopes along at a speedy pace, and the lyrics dribble over the beats along with it. "Staring at the Sun" is an abstract love song, a collection of images or glances from up close. "Blind" is a slow, creeping track that pulses along as errant noises appear just above it. The group has a knack for memorable lines that connect through their lyrical collections like "My love is a sucker bet." It's a departure from the speed of the first tracks, showing that they're capable of producing more methodical atmospheres, and again showcasing those vocals as they play around in the space left by the instrumentation. "Young Liars" is an excellent first taste that leaves us to anticipate the upcoming full length. - Michael Patrick Brady

samples:


Coloma, "Finery"
Ware
A taste for histrionics may be necessary when listening to the newest music from Alex Paulick and Rob Taylor. Every second of sound is rendered full of nuance and silky ease by way of gentle percussion, wavering melodies, and a deep bass resonance. On top of that is Taylor's voice. It is a voice that immediately reminds of me of lounge act vocalists and jazz crooners howling beneath a deep dark sky lit only by a cloud-veiled moon. "The Second Closer Still" begins with a beeping rhythm and Taylor singing in a flat-toned voice marked by an incessant and urgent movement. Slowly, other elements are added and by the end violins are momentarily added to achieve a dramatic angle that is only increased by the closing vocals: "They say the first blade shaves you close/The second closer still." It's a promising start and indeed much of the instrumentation on Finery is full and gorgeous but also just a little melodramatic. "You Are Here" and "Summer Clothes" both have just enough cheese in them to make me feel a bit uncomfortable and squeamish. The music would stand well enough on its own. However, Taylor's voice is at the front and center of every song and it sounds just a bit alien in certain places. It's a minor nuisance, but one that builds over time. "The Tailor" and "Green Eyes of the Yellow God" are, on the other hand, brilliantly executed and the vocals (still as dramatic as ever) fit more agreeably with Paulick's arrangements. The former is a violin-led piece drowned in a bit of mystery and a rather sophisticated ether. The latter features a vibraphone and static drum part that skip and hover ambivalently around a keyboard and vocal-centered melody. Much of the second half of Finery sounds better than the first due in part to a more successful blend of the vocals with the instruments. The last few songs are also a bit longer and so everything has more time to develop and play itself out. Coloma's writing is warm and welcoming. Overall they have put together a good collection of dreamy music. Perhaps an instrumental version of the album is in order; the absence of a singer or perhaps a de-empahsizing of the vocals on several of these tracks would have made Finery excellent. - Lucas Schleicher

samples:


The Lucksmiths, "Naturaliste"
Drive-In
I have sometimes heard The Lucksmiths accused of being too saccharine and while the saccharine charge of the indictment might be indefensible, I would almost certainly take issue with the "too." I would argue that pop such as this would demand a little sweetness, and I submit that The Lucksmiths have found seemingly the perfect amount for their latest album. The band is from Australia and they exhibit that pleasant pop sensibility shared among other Aussie/New Zealand bands: The Go-Betweens, The Clean, The Bats, and The Chills are some that come to mind, though The Lucksmiths sounds has historically been more spare, with a core of lightly beaten drums, a jangly guitar, and a bass as thick as Koala bear is cute. The first song, "Camera-Shy," is a playful romp through old polaroids and photos which is foremost remarkable for its lyrical wit and literacy, something which can be said of the majority of their songs (it would appear the band actually takes care when constructing lyrics). The guitar line jabs at you like a little cousin begging you to play Chutes and Ladders while the bass dips and swoons almost uncontrollably. Also, I don't think I can name another song which would have the very laudable audacity to use the word "heliolithic." A slower number called "The Sandringham Line" follows. A thumping bass line patiently plods along and the song maintains a constancy until some pleasant female guest vocals take the song by surprise. These first two songs show the archetype of any given Lucksmiths album: you have your fast, upbeat numbers along with your slower, more sombers numbers. By my count, 'Naturaliste' has five upbeat songs and five morose dirges, a nice even split. "But there are eleven songs!" you might exclaim. Well, I will address my arithmetic in a moment. In the meantime, I want you to know that I tend to find the faster songs more compelling as they are more, well, "poppy," for lack of better term (though the last song "Shipwrecked Coast" is truly a gem). Among the notable faster songs, the melody in "Take This Lying Down" is undeniably infectious, while "Midweek Midmorning" has this amazing anthemic horn crescendo at the end which you have to hear to understand. Returning to the matter of the unclassified eleventh song, it falls neatly in the middle of the album as the sixth song called "What You'll Miss" and it is unclassified as either a slow song or a fast song because really it is both. Now I have all types of wild theories and suppositions about the ordering and composition of this album and why "What You'll Miss" falls at the exact midpoint, but I will leave it all aside to tell you how chillingly lovely this fast/slow hybrid song is. Without even trying, it manages to bundle up everything ineffably special about autumn, winter, spring, and summer into one compact pop song, though admittedly the song is solely about winter. I am likely reading far too much into this (again, I might object to the word "too"), but the phenomenon is similar to The Luscksmiths's economy with lyrics: they say a lot with very little. - Joshua David Mann

samples:


DENZEL + HUHN, "TIME IS A GOOD THING"
City Centre Offices
Released back in October 2002, this second release on the City Centre Offices label for the Berlin electronic duo of Bertram Denzel and Erik Huhn layers samples of acoustic instruments with electronic elements of synth patches, drum modules and other ambient sounds. The bulk of Time Is A Good Thing's near sixty minutes are comprised of rhythmic compositional collages that convey a relaxed atmosphere without a lot of chord progressions going on to crowd the space being created. The warm, lilting guitar motifs on "Chicago" are subtly accented with keyboard and anchored by minimal bass to gradually draw in distant drones for a very inviting opening track. "Kinogat" inches along to rhythmic, sampled low-end static pops and a single note backbeat while rich synthesizer chords wash over to produce a somewhat melancholic track with an implied sectional form. The distraction created by the out of place and drawn out "Shaffel" sounds in part to be a mismatch of glitchy rhythmic samples that continue without any chance of resolving themselves while low end rumbles pop up like unwelcomed speed bumps. The tracks beyond this melee more than make up for it. The whisper of rhythm nailed down by a steady kick drum on "Faller" is played off by sampled, heavy-handed acoustic guitar motifs that through repetition appear to become fuller and more intense. On first listen, it may appear that Denzel + Huhn have grouped together a lot of nice choices for sounds and rhythms to compensate for a lacking sense of traditional composition. However, it does become apparent in the given setting that the mixing of the sounds used and the sense of time and placement of them are more integral than a lot of melodies and chord progressions. - Gord Fynes

samples:


Carl Stone, "Nak Won"
Sonore
The three songs that compose this full-length present three distinct experiences: the chaos of the electric world, the sublime glow of the heavenly spheres, and the mayhem of an ever-increasing global consciousness. It all begins with sine waves bolting through the atmosphere like a futuristic weapon bent on destroying the moon. Slowly the tones begin to skip and play musical chairs changing both their tones and their placement inside my brain. Once inside they wreak havoc and expand the auditory receptors in preperation for the fuzzy haze that nearly rises to the surface. The rhythmic tones bounce manically and are somewhat subdued by the calm underneath but eventually every sound returns to its origin and the sound of buzzing electricity is the only thing left. "Kreutz" permeates every reigion of space with a series of rolling melodic tones. Closing my eyes I can imagine the firey birth of a solar system unfolding before my eyes as the various elements cool and new-born planets revolve peacefully about the sun. This stands in stark contrast to both "Nak Won" and the closing "Darul Kabap." Various ethnic instruments open this nearly half-hour long piece and unfold into a flower of technological and ancestral influence alike. Everything begins gently and slowly with each sound having its own room to breathe but then a populace of sounds begins to create a crowd and the original instruments become suffocated. Voices replace the instruments but are struck down by manipulating their tone and length. The "primitive" and "advanced" meet somewhere in the middle and then a rhythm is created out of cutting back and forth between the two in a schizophrenic fury and by introducing some percussive instruments into the mix. Confusion, anxiety, and relief all exist within the piece and when it's all over I am stunned by the beauty that is found in this fusion of vocal, acoustic, and electronic influences. Nak Won is an example of the original and unique things that can still be done within the realm of electronic composition and noise. Are the purveyors of all things glitch out there paying any attention? - Lucas Schleicher

samples:


µ-ziq, "bilious paths"
Planet Mu
After several years of collaborative and one-off solo projects, Mike Paradinas finally returns to the moniker that he is most recognized for. Threatened to be his final µ-ziq album, Bilious Paths offers 53 thrilling minutes of eclectic electronics, including bits of hardcore, funk, hip-hop, 2-step, rave and, of course, drill n bass. Apparently the other artists on his Planet Mu roster have been influential to Paradinas, embedding their essence in this project with highly enjoyable results. The single-worthy "Johnny Mastricht" opens the album with an explosive garage blast that compels the human body to writhe and shake uncontrollably. (That means DANCE.) This is the new "My Red Hot Car," with warped distant voices carrying a sparse melody over the thick bassy mix. "On/Off" combines Prince funk with David Bowie swagger to create the next makeout track for geeks in love. Taking cues from the mash-up and hardcore sampling trends, Paradinas delivers a hip hop gem in "Silk Ties". Here, a sampled MC's old school rhyming plays over a smorgasborg of rhythms, from trippy urban grooves to delerious gabber and breakcore. Like with most eclectic releases, there is always the occasional dud. "Fall Of Antioch," a sleepy but grim interlude, reminds far too much of the orchestral style prevalent on that mixed bag Royal Astronomy. Despite this misstep, the rest of the disc is golden, and surpasses the current output from his contemporaries like Aphex Twin and Autechre considerably. Once again, µ-ziq proves himself as a force to be reckoned with in the IDM scene, and all these pimple-faced bedroom producers should grab this album for a goddamn education. - Gary Suarez

samples:


Fern Knight, "Seven Years of Severed Limbs"
Normal
Lullabies and fairy tales can possess certain qualities that belie their gentle names, and might well inspire sleepless nights as opposed to sweet dreams. The former speak of helpless, cradle-bound babies falling to their certain doom, and anyone who has glanced through the original stories of the brothers Grimm knows that their name was a rather apt description of their stories' conclusions. It's amazing how a soothing voice or an impeccable melody can assuage the rather irksome feel of the gothic subject matter. On 'Seven Years of Seven Limbs,' Fern Knight (comprised of ex-Difference Engine members Margie Wienk and Mike Corcoran) has given us a collection of their own folktales that play with darker shades of storytelling imbued with a fairy tale like sense of wonder. From the outset of "She Who Was So Precious to You," we find a sparse arrangement of acoustic guitar and strings that are lit up by Wienk's gorgeous vocals, like a shaft of sunlight peeking through a dark thicket of dead trees. The lyrics are foreboding and presents us with the first of many moments of grotesque beauty, "If the full moon won't illuminate us / if the wine glass won't even stay full / if the wolf won't eliminate you / then I will." It is a series of images so vibrant, so enticingly conveyed that you're pulled in; and yet they are also full of malice. This malevolence is undercut somewhat by a desolate feeling, as in "Chelyabinsk," which gives off a sense of great distance and overwhelming loss that has settled into fear and regret. In "Boxing Day", Wienk dons a red riding hood, declaring "I don't think it's okay to be going downhill with you" to whoever or whatever serves as the big bad wolf in her emotional dark forest. The song begins with the twang of a slide guitar, however over the course of its seven minutes, it loses the plot and begins to drift off of its structure finally dissolving into a wispy collection of church bells, alarm calls, and telephone ringers before segueing into the rain and street noise intro of "Mover Ghost." In the waning minutes of the disc, the metaphor and imagery of the wolves, the dark forests and watchful moons begins to fade away in favor of more literal expressions of the conflicts they embodied. "Make your record of it / You're such an easy target / mark those days off on your wall." The distance is now measured in time, not symbolized by some far off Russian outpost. 'Seven Years of Severed Limbs' closes with the stunningly beautiful "Dog Named Summer," loaded full with an impeccable melody and more soaring vocals that shape the scene of that golden yellow summer sun dipping below the rooftops, the heaviness of the heat and the method of your movements. Fern Knight draws a slow story, one that makes for an excellent tale that explores those winding forest paths and the things that lie hidden between the lines. - Michael Patrick Brady

samples:


"Ministry of Shit: The 2003 Anus"

As featured on NPR, Australian Luke Collision, a.k.a. Dsico is coming forth as being one of the stars of the mash-up. His label, Spasticated has issued this: a parody wrapped in irony and threatened by a lawsuit. Released in a limited quantity of 500, all the contributors to Ministry of Shit are probably well aware that mash-ups are becoming a trendy thing to do, however, cleverly masked as a dreadful Ministry of Sound compilation, it's easy to forgive them for making a mockery of a larger, even more obnoxious trend. For those fans of The Best Bootlegs in The World, this is a brand new compilation to go on the shelf. Contained herein are plenty of all-new illegal remixes of Eminem, Madonna, Justin Timberlake and other pop icons. Some are clever and frightening mutations (yes, it's possible to make Avril Lavigne's voice even worse!) while many others like Dsico's "I R*cked Britney," are modern remixes. (I wish I knew where Toecutter's "Shit on Me" actually came from - it's got far more sex than the entire Nymphomatriarch release and if it weren't for the FCC, I'd be playing this song on my radio show all the time.) AC/3P's "Oi," on the other hand is just a downright gratuitous, revolting cover with unbearable vocals. Luckily there's plenty of variety on the compilation to not make this sound like the same track over and over again. The disc closes much like a pull-my-finger fart joke that actually is funny every time (I keep thinking of a South Park episode from this year), and with the piggy reference, "Ice Ice Bacon" can only be Stockport's finest V/Vm crew (come on, the artist name is Trotters). My hope is that this comp actually finds its way into peoples hands by grotesque mistake (so record store clerks, look for it and strategically shove it in the wrong place). With any luck, something like this can potentially open the eyes of consumers looking to get a moronic dance fix; find something this amusing, stupid, and clever; and leave the regular shit behind. As a bonus, a crafty remixed video of Dsico's "I R*cked Britney (Moonwalk Style)" (combining the white guy who thinks he's black with the black guy who thinks he's white) is included in the data portion of the CD. - Jon Whitney

samples:


Anthony Pateras & Robin Fox, "Coagulate"
Synaesthesia
There is a long dark and wet tunnel ahead of me and at its end is a partially opened door with a faint blue glow pulsing from within: something horrible is happening inside and it scares me. I walk forward cautiously and peer inside and then each of my senses is assaulted to the point of death. I am left with only my hearing and tactile senses to manouevre a large and very dangerous habitat. The dry wheezes of broken machinery, the incoherent babble of hyper morons, and the sound of a thousand tiny legs echo and rebound all about me. Distant moans dart down long corridors and bring messages of pain and incoming misanthropy. There is some shelter, some spaces to breathe in without fear of being heard by whatever it is that's out there. Pacifying bells flow somewhere in the distance and the gentle hum of computers becomes a lullaby for my weary head. Hell is still out there somewhere, though. Before long screams demolish the walls and send chills down my spine. No matter where I run these sounds follow me. My hands press against the cold and metallic walls hoping to find some familiar nook or some semblance of home. There's nothing here that I recognize. This is an utterly alien world. Eventually I fall asleep and those same sounds haunt my dreams only they are perverted. Everything has slowed down with only momentary stabs of pain. The sound of water dripping to the floor wakes me and I bathe in it happily: here finally is some relief. I lay back and drift in the clear blue water staring at the sun and wonder to myself: did I ever wake up from that dream? Was I ever even awake at all? - Lucas Schleicher

samples:


THE CINEMATIC ORCHESTRA, "MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA"
Ninja tune
The main focus of this DVD is to showcase Dziga Vertov's 1929 classic silent movie Man With a Movie Camera accompanied by the well-suited, modern soundtrack provided by Jason Swinscoe and the Cinematic Orchestra. Originally described as "an experiment in cinematic communication of real events," the storyless film gives an insight into city life in Russian during the late 1920's, showing everyday scenes such as the birth of a child, various modes of transportation in action, factory work, sporting events and the usual hustle and bustle of downtown life. From the first ten minutes of the film, it's very apparent that the Cinematics have taken great care in reworking previous tunes of theirs and adding some newer material to turn the methodical tasks shown on the screen into living art set to music. There are some very strong moments when the soundtrack acts as the musical translation of what's happening on the screen. The token DVD extras include a mini-documentary/interview with Swinscoe describing how soundtracking the film came about, interspersed with live performance clips of the band, a photo gallery from the recording session and various related links. Other bonuses include the group in fine form performing "Man With The Movie Camera" and the Art Ensemble of Chicago's "Theme de Yoyo" to a packed club audience. The video for "All That You Give" featuring Fontella Bass is also included for good measure. Although it had been available on the song's CD single as a Quicktime movie, watching it on a television makes it all the better. I had been expecting the DVD to include the much talked about performance of the group providing the live soundtrack. From the couch, seeing the actual film set to a great soundtrack rather than watching it as a backdrop during a concert film was definitely the way to go. - Gord Fynes


We know that our music picks may be somewhat challenging to find, which is why we have a community section which can be used to obtain nearly everything available on this site.

NEW RELEASES


WEEK OF JULY 14 - JULY 20
* 9 Lazy 9 - Sweet Jones CD/2xLP (Ninja Tune, Canada/US)
Si Begg - Director's Cut CD/2xLP (Novamute, UK/US)
Chris Bowden - Crockers & Killers 12" (Ninja Tune, UK)
Cindytalk - Transgender Warrior 7" (Klanggalerie, Austria)
Crescent - By The Roads And The Fields CD/LP (Fat Cat, UK)
Danger Mouse & Jemini - Ghetto Pop Life CD/LP (Lex/Warp, UK)
Mick Harvey - Australian Rules soundtrack CD (Mute, UK)
Haujobb - Vertical Theory CD (Out Of Line, Germany)
* Infesticons vs. Majesticons - Beauty vs. Ugly 2xLP (Big Dada/Ninja Tune, Canada/US)
Kill Memory Crash ­ When the Blood Turns Black CD (Ghostly International, US)
Killing Joke - Loose Cannon 12"/CDEP/DVD (Zuma, UK)
Lusine ­ Push 12" (Ghostly International, US)
* Medicine - Mechanical Forces of Love CD (Astralwerks, US)
Midwest Product ­ t.b.a. CD (Ghostly International, US)
Nectarine No. 9 - Society Is A Carnivorous Flower CD (Beggars Banquet, Canada)
Osborne - Daylight 12" (Spectral Sound, US)
Pole - Pole CD/LP (Mute, US)
Schwump - Thank You Planet Earth 7" (Klanggalerie, Austria)
Slipstream - Transcendental 2xCD [second CD features remixes by Yellow6] (Enraptured, UK)
Tinkertoy - Transatlantic Love Machine CD (Noise Factory, Canada)
* Amon Tobin - Collaborations 12" [with Kid Koala, Steinski, Bonobo, P Love, Double Click] (Ninja Tune, Canada/US)
* Amon Tobin - Collaborations & Verbal Remixes CDEP (Ninja Tune, Canada/US)

This is simply this week's highlights from the NEW RELEASES provided by Greg and Feedback Monitor.
For a more detailed schedule stretching into the future, please check out the page,
since release dates can and will often change.
POLL

Results from last poll:

LINKS OF THE WEEK

god hates us
Why else would he send this image through the heavens into our telescopes?

sajjad ali
Some say Pakistan's most popular singer is a freak, some say he's a genius, you decide with his song. Listen closely as it is considered to be a ripoff of a popular hit from the 1990s.
http://people.freenet.de/freeek/SajjadAli.swf
(Note: the sound may be a little crappy so you might want to turn the speakers up.)

WISH LIST

Jonathan Dean's Wish List
"The Dream World of Dion MacGregor"
This 1957 LP on Decca often fetches prices as high as $500 at online auctions. The record comprises a series of "dream monologues" - recordings of a New York man talking aloud in his sleep, telling bizarre, disjointed and disturbing stories. John Zorn's Tzadik label recently released some additional dream material too obscene to be included on the first LP, but the original has still not seen the light of day.

23 Skidoo, "The Culling is Coming"
Recently, 23 Skidoo's Ronin Records re-issued all of the rare full-length albums and compilations by 23 Skidoo in great, digitally remastered CDs. All except one, the uniquely experimental, improvised The Culling is Coming. This LP was David Tibet of Current 93's only appearance as part of the 23 Skidoo ensemble.

"No New York"
Four songs each by James Chance and the Contortions, DNA, Mars and Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, all produced by Brain Eno. This was the compilation that defined the New York "No Wave" scene and unbelievably, this is unavailable other than an expensive Japanese import with crappy sound.

Spalax label
France's Spalax label has single-handedly re-released hundreds of the prime, rare LPs of the 60's and 70's golden age of Krautrock, art rock and psychedelia on CD. The problem? They are expensive imports, they have not been digitally remastered so they suffer from poor sound quality, and they do not contain any supplemental material.

Human League
Recently, Human League's early LPs were reissued in great CD editions with great bonus tracks. However, we still anxiously await releases of their rarest releases, such as the Fascination EP, The Lebanon EP and many 12" dance singles containing vital B-sides and dance mixes. - Jonathan Dean, Orlando, FL, USA

FEEDBACK

we are all wieners

Subject: brainwashed

The content on brainwashed is great. But why is the brainwashed "logo" an oscar meyer hot dog typeface? Also, what's the deal with the electric chair photo on the main page. I think it's time to update the look and feel of the site. Most web designers would agree.

Don't be snotty

The thing is, we've tried other things with test groups and designers and, well, it always came back to "what's wrong with what we've got?" and the answer to that is, well, nothing. It's got its recognizable look and feel and font. Furthermore, you probably even agree that it's the content that is the most important, and the gateway is clean and direct.

Most real designers (like professional graphic designers) would agrue that having a recognizable trademark or symbol is more important than changing things.

Lastly, if you don't want a snotty response, don't ask a snotty question.

Subject: nymphomatriarch

thanks for the review of nymphomatriach! it's incredibly nice to read a review of these overhyped artists(especially v. snares) that i can actually agree with. after listening to this album around four times i can safely say every track on that cd is incredibly dull, i knew the exact direction the music was going to take after the first ten seconds or so of each track. essentially all of the musical themes on this disc have been heard before on other artists cds from years back, and they werent any more interesting back then(imo!).

overall nothing special, in fact its kind of embarassing! never frightened me, or made me feel like i was somewhere else, or feel anything indescribable, just a sense of waiting for something to happen... but i tried again and again to enjoy it or find something great in it, sense a lot of people seem to think it's actually good stuff (unless they're just part of the hype...) although towards the end of "hymen tramp choir", around 11:30 to the end, there are some good sounds, and then the first 2 & 1/2 mintutes of the next track, "pervs" are pretty good, before the track becomes absolutely dull, mainly repeating itself over and over. however, only four minutes of interesting stuff?!!

sheesh!

thanks again for your refreshing review, and for such a great weekly zine year after year. ciao!

It's just opinion. It's probably why we who write this read this and we wouldn't agree with a review written in People or Time or Rolling Stone.

Subject: nymphomatriarch

Interesting to finally read what it's like (and hear, in a moment) but pedantry forces me to point out that he has released (at least) 3, rather than 2, EPs on Hymen before: "Doll Doll Doll", the little box thing, and then "Find Candace". Or do you simply mean "the previous two" chronologically, i.e. FC and the box? I just thought this was unclear, particularly since "Doll Doll Doll" is probably the best of them all.

The little box thing (Giant Alien Force,...) is a single track while the others might be more appropriately considered Extended Play (EP) singles. Once again, just opinion of the writer.

Subject: brainwashed sausage fest

How come there aren't any female writers?

Haven't we answered this before???
There is an occasional female writer but unfortunately none have been enthusiastic about being a regular. Our doors are open. They're also open to anybody who wants to write about hip hop, improv, noise, and other under-represented sub-genres.
But you have to write in order to be a writer.

Subject: About the latest poll re: metal movies...

Dude, where's "Rock & Rule"?

The MPAB (Motion Picture Association of Braintwits) vetoed it.

Subject: John Murphy

After seeing 28 Days Later, my buddy saw that John Murphy did the music, he said that John Murphy was in the early Current 93 albums, i looked his other film scores up and he did a bunch of films starting in the early 90's. Is this the same John Murphy?

A reader writes in: If you go over to the Compulsion website and check out the Murphy interview there he mentions his doppleganger there.
In an unrelated story, did you know Mrs. John Murphy was the bassist for Pixies' first album?

HELP OUT THE BRAIN

sponsor, donate, or buy from brainwashed
Click here to find out how you can help keep The Brain going. Every penny helps.

WHAT'S IN YOUR PLAYER?

Riviera dreamin'
Various, "Collette No. 5"
The Clientele, "The Violet Hour"
Various, "Allo France"
Marmoset, "Mishikawa"




Jeanne Po, Boston.

feedback and submissions:
Brainwashed Time Travelers
P.O. Box 7 / Arlington MA 02476 / USA
electronic mail



Click here for other issues