I think I might start posting the stock lists over here on the blog rather than having a separate page for them. This way if there’s anyone that subscribes to the blog, they’ll get first look at the lists. If that’s the kind of stuff that you’re into. This is a quick update on today’s restock. Not really any new releases of huge note – it’ll be a pretty mellow schedule for new releases until the school year creeps back around. Although, the new Nurses* (new group, not the old post punk group) album is hitting next week! Been listening to that thing nonstop!! I’ll follow this update with one or two from last week….

CDs:

A-Frames – Black Forest (sub pop)
Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion (domino)
Band of Skulls – Baby Darling Doll Face Honey (shangri-la)
Bill Callahan – Sometimes I Wish I Were an Eagle (drag city)
Dead Weather – Horehound (warner bros)
Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca (domino)
Dirty Projectors – Glad Fact (western vinyl)
Future of the Left – Travels with Myself… (4ad)
Intelligence – Deuteronomy (in the red)
Lights – Rites (drag city)
My Bloody Valentine – Loveless (sire)
Neutral Milk Hotel – In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (merge)
No Age – Nouns (sub pop)
Conor Oberst & the Mystic Valley Band – Outer South (merge)
Octopus Project – Golden Beds EP (peek-a-boo)
Thee Oh Sees – Help (in the red)
Pere Ubu – Modern Dance (cooking vinyl)
Son Volt – American Central Dust (rounder)
Vaselines – Enter the Vaselines (sub pop)
Wilco – Wilco (nonesuch)

LPs:

Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion (domino)
Bonnie Prince Billy – Beware (drag city)
Bill Callahan – Sometimes I Wish I Were an Eagle (drag city)
Decemberists – Hazards of Love (capitol)
Future of the Left – Travels with Myself… (4ad)
Thee Oh Sees – Help (in the red)
Pains of Being Pure at Heart – s/t (slumberland)
St. Vincent – Actor (4ad)

*Just went to the Nurses’ myspace so I could link it up top and I noticed that they’re playing Duke Coffeehouse on September 5th! Should be a good one!

If you’re a fan of Oneida, this is certainly your week. Their latest opus, Rated O (Jagjaguwar ‘09), was just laid out on the counter. Unassuming. Unapologetic. This particular album is not for those of us with menacingly short attention spans (or those of us that just can’t quite quit the song shuffle habit), just those of us drooling and itching for new material by this New York kraut/psych/noise/dub/postrock powerhouse. I was going to write about how it’s not for the curious as it’s a massive release – but I kind of decided to retract that statement – it truly is a beast in many different ways and is as good a place to start as any.

It stands as a giant among Tuesday’s other releases as a daunting 3CD or 3LP package. That’s what you get to choose from. But wait, before you get discouraged, the triple CD is priced as a single disc at 14.98, while the triple LP is priced closer to a double at 21.98. Thank you Jagjaguwar/Oneida for understanding your clientele and keeping your records affordable and easier to access. This is what will keep you around for many years to come. We know that you could easily charge more for these, but the fans appreciate and will always respond well to the obvious appreciation they feel from something as simple as this. Honestly though, what fan of Oneida would rather have an enormous mp3 folder of the new album, than an easily fileable, slim 3CD or 3LP verison??

The album starts out in heavy electronic percussion on the first disc. It moves through a mechanical krautrock-like repetition in something of an electro-dub rhythm. Chants drift in and out for a few seconds in a, ummm…dancehall type fashion. I don’t actually know how accurately that describes the uber-delayed vocals, but that should get us pretty close. As this 1st chapter moves on, synthetic noises build and break, crashing and swirling over each other under a heavy, cold pulse.

Track 5, the last track, on disc 1 begins in subtle static. Almost a deconstruction, or even destruction, of all computer glitches and noises. As the hum twists a bit, a minimal, human drumbeat grows out of the ashes left behind. Almost like a birth after the mechanical world that was previously driving the record falls apart. The rhythm is playful and unsure of itself it seems, even a little awkward – like it’s growing, learning, becoming confident. Guitar feedback starts to twist and squeal, breaking into the forefront for the first time. Inaudible, anguished and distorted vocals start to chime in. Again, playing up the idea that something is growing out of the destruction that was just left behind. (While going back over this, I honestly can’t break my mind away from the video image of the Simpsons’ 30-second evolution of mankind that they used for one of their intros. Really, it ends up being the 30-second crash-course in the evolution of Homer himself.) Fittingly, this track is titled “The Human Factor” and from here the stage is set. Wasn’t it the bible that said – “In the beginning there was only cold, cold, mechanical noise”?

The second disc explodes and establishes itself as the guitar leg of the record right through the gates. Feedback laced psych guitar propels the disc as live drums keep the music gravitated and on track. This is not really a lasting function though. At times the music flies off the deep end far into wonderful, scary, undiscovered space. Jagged galaxies, manic moods, controlled chaos – everything involved in life and outside of it. From here on out, we have one of the best sonic psychedelic freakout records of the year. It’s almost as if Oneida is explaining to us some form of evolution. Of theirs? Of music? Of the world itself?

From the coldness and repetitive nature of computers and synthetics, something without life, they build, evolve and adapt into a menacing, cosmic, living, breathing beast. We’re led through a series of sonic freakouts, twists, emotions tugging us along on an eerie, eye-opening journey.

Then again, maybe I’m just over-analyzing. I’m just going to leave the rest for your own dissection, there’s a whole 3rd disc left for your own discovery….

Oneida – I Will Haunt You.

You will be pleased.

My buddy that runs Speakertree Records in Lynchburg, VA just posted a blog on the brand new Bowerbirds’ LP. Gave it a 4 out of 5!

Read it here if you’re curious!

He pretty much covers it all right there. It’s a great record!

Toro Y Moi signs to Carpark! This news is already a couple days old I think, but it’s pretty damn exciting. The dripping, psychedelic pop brains behind TYM is none other than Chaz Bundick from Columbia, South Carolina band The Heist & The Accomplice. If you’re familiar with them, which you probably are if you’ve gone to a handful of local shows in the last few years, you know how much someone like him deserves it. They tour nonstop with smiles always glued to their faces no matter what kind of crowd faces them.

The Heist is hyper energetic, well crafted indie rock with melodic hooks breaking each song at its seams. Schooner took them under their wings years ago (when they were all still in high school) and dropped them into the local Triangle show circuit. They built up a great following locally and if you’ve yet to see them, do it.

Toro Y Moi is Chaz B.’s solo outlet. What he does in his spare time when he can’t sleep or shake the hooks out of his head. Judging from the amount of CDrs he’s dropped into the shop, hooks clutter his head like cobwebs clutter the rest of ours. It’s slightly dreamy, upbeat, psychedelic sound-collage indie pop. It’s got a definite Panda Bear bend to it with more distinct beats.

Carpark Records is the label that has brought us Beach House, Dan Deacon, Ear Pwr, Greg Davis, Wzt Hearts, etc.

Just wanted to put that up real quick and say congratulations!
Toro Y Moi Blog.
Pitchfork Forkcast (w/ mp3).

This is the working cover for the upcoming Whatever Brains 7″ – Saddle Up. The pink was an accidental tint added from Rich’s phone for some reason, so don’t get too excited over that just yet. I kind of like it though. It should show as a black and white image printed on white card stock. We’ll see how it turns out in the end.

That being said, the 7″ is at the plant getting pressed up as we speak. I should hopefully see the test presses soon and as soon as those show up, it means just a couple weeks until the finished product is in our hands. Get ready! This 7″ surprisingly makes the last one seem kind of thin and slow at times, yikes! I didn’t even think that was possible! Really happy with the way this one turned out and hopefully you guys will dig it too!

We’re pressing 500 again. 100 will be on white vinyl for pre-orders.
I’ll start the pre-orders as soon as I know when I’ll be receiving the finished product.

Less than 100 of the debut 7″ (Mt. Whatever) left! Not planning on repressing those any time soon, so get them while they’re around to be got!

New track “What Happened to All the Destructionaires” added to myspace.