John Tejada - Fabric 44

Fabric 44 is a heavily edited mix from Tejada, who is renowned for his studio prowess. Says the DJ, "I did edit the tracks quite a bit…to take it one step above of what you might hear when a DJ plays out. I wanted the whole track selection to turn into one piece of music:  a techno-classical piece that has movements and moods from start to finish, similar to a conductor with a classical piece of music." The symphony will contain a host of tunes from Tejada's own Palette label, as well as two tunes from Hardwax in and among the rest. By the track number 15 he brings the mix to its major shift:  the tracks get more stripped down and classic-sounding, right in line with the Orbital pick:  M-Core's "Be Gene," Spooky's "Candy," and at the end, "Huba (Plaid's 15 Years Lost Remix)" by LJ Kruzer. This last one is a revealing choice:  it has the four-four stomp you expect, but instead of sprinting to the finish line, it instead gives the mix's ending a meandering flavor - it drifts to an end rather than cruising. Sometimes you want to finish dancing by walking in the sun.

PRO-TEZ V/A - Sputnik 1

First CD compilation from Russian/American label Pro-Tez. Deep and Stunning! Very Limited Edition! Hurry up and get your hands on this audio rarity. Most highly recommended!! Classy, deep and trendsetting CD!! Must have !!

Carl Craig & Moritz Von Oswald - Recompossed

Craig and von Oswald's recomposing Maurice Ravel and Modest Mussorgsky and is simply mesmerising. The texture and flow throughout is a highlight that more than makes up for the poor start even though the 40 odd minutes that follow the wasteful "Boléro" prologue are rarely dance floor material, as many might be hungry for. But the album does have passages that range from dubby electro to sweeping ambient and even a short run of brash minimal disco at the three quarter mark. While not likely to be as enduring or impactful as the originals, Craig and von Oswald's Recomposition is still a fascinating and satisfying listen. Awesome!!

Efdemin - Carry On, Pretend We're Not In The Room

This is an astounding mix from Efdemin, particularly in such a tough medium, and his wide-ranging taste is unleashed expertly over 70 minutes. Carry On is educating, entertaining and essential. TIP!!

Swayzak - Snowboarding in Argentina

Re-edited, re-mastered and re-released over ten years on from its first foray into retail outlets, Swayzak's Snowboarding In Argentina album makes a welcome return. Legend has it that the production duo set about making the record so as to fund their dream holiday on the Argentinean slopes. What they came up with remains a hugely impressive clicks+cuts-inspired take on microhouse, pre-dating the similarly deep, dub-infused minimalism of Luomo. Originally this album arrived in two different versions, one for the UK and one for the US, so there's never really been anything that might have been described as a definitive edition. MUST HAVE !!

Eqd - Eqd#2

The first 12" from the mysterious Equalised crew outta Berlin caused much speculation as to the identity of the unnamed producer of such a killer 12". Dub chords stretching out into the distance and a deadly DJ Sneak-cum-Maurizio skank and skip pattern that you'll have a problem sitting still to. Second release is an utterly badass and massively recommended dance starter. TIP!

Stalker

Everyone needs to see this!! It will blow your mind!!

Russian Ark

One shot no edits! Masterpiece about Russian art and history and relations with Europe! Unbelievable. The one and only disciple of Andrei Tarkovsky.

Come and See

A boy is unwillingly thrust into the atrocities of war in WWII Byelorussia, fighting for a hopelessly unequipped resistance movement against the ruthless German forces. Witnessing scenes of abject terror and accidentally surviving horrifying situations he loses his innocence and then his mind. Simply the best War movie of ALL TIMES period!! Watch it and you will agree with me!!

The 400 Blows

AMAZING!! CLASSIC!! MUST SEE FILM!!

tip: Quadrant Nights in LA of Deep Dub Techno. Hosted by Ed Vertov  +John Tejada !!
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Half Japanese - Sing No Evil

I don't believe we carry this new but we get it in used enough to put in here. Now when it comes to movies/music I'm the king of hyperbole (seriously, Larry King has got nothin' on me) but when I say Half Japanese is the greatest band of all time and this is the greatest album ever I'm not really exaggerating. It's almost indisputable fact.

Roy Harper - Stormcock

This album has finally been reissued and it couldn't have come at a better time. You see, when I was a Zeppelin-obsessed 7th grader listening to "Hats Off to (Roy) Harper" over and over, I wanted to hear this album so bad. But if I had heard it back then, I think the music would have blown my tiny little mind so much that I would have spit it out. So it must be the gods looking over me that it's now being re-released when I would be able to fully appreciate it.

The Found Footage Festival Vol. 1-3

I tend to find real life much funnier than the movies which could mean bad news for me someday when I laugh at someone who could beat me up... which is everybody really. So it pleases me that these DVDs exist so I can laugh at people from the comfort (and safety) of my own home! The Found Footage Festival is a live show that showcases the best in public access, training videos, or even home videos found at thrift stores, garage sales, and the like. It's hysterical, absurd, and downright surreal. And where else will you find Orco from He-Man telling children with divorced parents, "There's nothing you can do to bring your parents back together."

The Wire Complete Series

I wish I was smart enough to talk about how good The Wire is. But, uh, I'm not. This show is so good that whenever I try to vocalize how much I love it, the only thing that comes out of my mouth is either, "Awesome!" or some sort of excitable gibberish. But luckily for us, the people who made The Wire are much smarter than me and have crafted quite possibly the greatest show ever. So great in fact that you've probably already seen it.

Encounters At The End Of The World

Encounters At The End Of The World is a fascinating documentary by legendary German filmmaker Werner Herzog. In the documentary Herzog travels to Antarctica to film a small population of scientists and eccentrics that live there, and to explore the surrounding frozen wilderness. Herzog is not your conventional documentary filmmaker; he often incorporates many different filmmaking styles into his work and this film is equal parts nature documentary, comedy, tragedy, philosophical essay, and science-fiction film. Herzog has an uncanny talent for capturing images that appear to be bizarre, hilarious, and foreign to the viewer, while at the same time seeming somehow familiar, honest and beautiful. It's like cinematic poetry. This is beautifully captured in the film when the trainees are walking blind through the snow with buckets on their heads, or when the tiny organisms float by in the underwater ice cathedrals. My favorite sequence is one with an insane penguin, Herzog's quintessential mad hero of rebellion who breaks away from the pack and travels into the unknown, an impossible journey that will certainly take his life. It's somehow hilarious, heartbreaking, and profoundly mystifying:  pure Herzog. Encounters At The End Of The World is one of Herzog's grandest statements, and the most entertaining thing about the film is how he makes that statement. Watch this film and then go watch all of Herzog's other films; they just might send you on a mad journey of your own.

Mister Lonely

"I don't know if you know what it is like to want to be someone else? To not want to look like you look, to go completely unnoticed. I have always wanted to be someone else..." Mister Lonely is a film about wanting to become the person you secretly want to be, the person you see in other people and want to be like, your fantasy you. The lead character in Mister Lonely is a Michael Jackson impersonator. At the beginning of the film he is living in Paris and performing on the streets and in nursing homes for the elderly. He feels utterly lost and alone in his life until a chance encounter with a Marilyn Monroe impersonator sends him on a journey to a commune for celebrity impersonators located in the Scottish Highlands. The rest of the plot is ineffably strange and beautiful. What I loved about this film was that its characters are so innocently naive and hopeful. They are misfits that have been relegated to the fringe of society. But through faith and perseverance they have bonded together to create a loving surrogate family where everyone is accepted for who they are. It's incredibly touching the way the filmmaker reveals in his characters the longing that we all feel inside ourselves to become someone else, the person we really are inside, and to be fully accepted for whomever that might be. It takes incredible faith to believe that such things are possible, but as Werner Herzog's character in the film says, "a little faith can take us a long way," and this film is overflowing with it.

Daniel Johnston - 1990

Hermann Hesse prefaced his novel Steppenwolf with the declaration "For Madmen Only," and Daniel Johnston's recently re-released album 1990 should come with the same warning. There's really nothing else like this in Daniel Johnston's catalog and it makes me wonder what brought this on and where did this record come from? How could a man who was known for writing playful, naive love songs produce such a broken and desperate statement? To get an idea of how this album came about, it is necessary to know a little bit about Johnston's life at the time this album was made. In the mid 1980's, Johnston had a mental breakdown and was committed to a mental hospital in his home state of West Virginia. After getting some much-needed help and the right dose of psychiatric medication, he was invited to New York City to make an album with indie music producer Kramer. With hopes of becoming as big as the Beatles, Johnston headed to NYC to record a new album of songs. But during the recording of the album Johnston started to unravel emotionally. It didn't help that he stopped taking his meds, which led to him fleeing the concerned members of Sonic Youth, taking up residence in a homeless shelter, and threatening those who suggested calling his parents. But over the course of his short time in NYC, Johnston probably produced the most beautifully moving songs and performances of his career. 1990 comes off like a dark night of the soul. In this album Johnston is dealing with some extremely heavy issues.

The album can be seen as a kind of journey. In it Johnston tells us of his ambition to become a famous musician and how this hunger for fame lead him off the path of God and down the path of the Devil. As each song unfolds it's as though Johnston is traveling further and further into Hell. At the start of the album he is reflecting on his life as he slowly descends into the underworld. The first song is "Devil's Town." In it Johnston seems to be haunted by memories of how he unknowingly entered into the Devil's realm, befriended the vampires that lived there, and soon became a vampire himself. The next song, "Spirit World Rising," with its pulsating droning drums and guitar, feels like a descent into a deep dark cavern. By the third song, he's reflecting on his past actions, and in one of the saddest, most heartbreaking moments on the album Johnston calls out to his lost one true love, Laura, and confesses that he has "held the hand of the Devil." In almost every song feelings of guilt, temptation, and betrayal appear to be torturing Johnston almost to the point of hopelessness. Throughout the album Johnston describes a world where devils torment him, memories haunt him, and darkness surrounds him. But he also manages to send out prayers into the darkness, asking for strength, guidance, and redemption. In the hymnal "Lord Give Me Hope," Johnston sings "Lord, hear my prayer/for I've fallen by the way/I know that I was wrong/and I'm scared." In "Something's Last A Long Time" Johnston is haunted by insane memory. In one of his most beautiful piano melodies, Johnston sings to the picture of a lost love about how time comes and goes and yet she remains in his mind. This is a song about how memories linger and how we cling to these memories, as devastating as they can be. After explaining that "it's funny, but it's true/and it's true, but it's not funny," Johnston concludes that some things unfortunately "last a lifetime." In "Don't Play Cards With Satan" Johnston confronts Satan himself. In a stark and chilling live performance Johnston sings of being lured into the woods to play a forsaken game of cards with Satan. This is truly the scariest moment on the album as Johnston seems possessed in his performance, screaming "SATAN" at the top of his lungs over and over again at the song's unraveling end. But from the darkness comes the dawn and Johnston's dark night of the soul is brightened by the weary hopefulness of "True Love Will Find You In The End." The beautiful yet delicate melody supports a simple poetic lyric, giving the song an almost hymn-like quality. This is a true song about love and faith, and Johnston sings it with a soothing optimism. A spirited cover of the Beatles "Got To Get You Into My Life" continues "True Love's" optimism with some added determination, but the final three songs of the album return to Johnston's bleak state of mind. They are the final act and can be seen as a summation of his spiritual outlook on his life. In "Careless Soul," Johnston sings of death and how careless souls should "heed the warning" for they could be called by God at any moment. Halfway through the song he breaks down crying, meditating on how sad it is to face the judgment of God. Johnston ends his journey in the "Funeral Home." He's descended into Hell, confronted the Devil, overcome him, and made it out alive. But he hasn't made it all the way back to the land of the living. Johnston is stranded at the funeral home, a purgatory-like location where he exuberantly sings about how he's "got a coffin shiny and black/I'm going to the funeral and I'm never coming back." The last song on the album plays as a coda, the Christian hymn "Softly and Tenderly." Sung by Johnston's local church parish the recording has an impromptu lo-fi quality that gives the song a distant and dreamlike quality. The voices are coming from some celestial perch, delicately comforting and calling the weary sinners home; "softly and tenderly Jesus is calling, calling for you and for me, softly and tenderly Jesus is calling, calling oh sinner come home, you who are weary come home."

1990 is available again on CD and has recently been remastered with new liner notes from the producer Kramer, along with five additional bonus demo tracks. The remastering sounds great and the liner notes and bonus tracks give an added insight into the making of the album. It's currently available now at Amoeba Music...For Madmen Only.

Patti Smith and Kevin Shields - The Coral Sea

The Coral Sea is a poem Smith wrote for a close friend that passed away. She performs it live here with Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine. Playing an assortment of instruments, Shields creates a dense dream-scape for Smith's hallucinatory, moving verse. It really is mesmerizing, especially the final track "Litany." Check it out.

Paranoid Park

I really loved this Gus Van Sant film. It's about a young teen who wants to hangout at the local skate park, but in doing so he experiences a life changing accident. This is another one of Van Sant's dreamy, meditative character studies, like his previous films Last Days and Elephant. In this film he captures that middle school state of mind like no other director has. Watch this movie and let it cast its spell on you.

Bee Gees - Odessa [Deluxe Edition]

The Bee Gees' music from the 1960's is amazing and this is by far their best album from that period. I'd say this album's their "Mt. Everest," it's epic, sweeping, gorgeous, and it has recently been re-mastered and re-released in a 3 disc set. Forget what you know of the Bee Gees of the disco 70's, and have your mind blown by this psychedelic, symphonic masterpiece.

The New World - The Extended Cut

The extended cut of Terrence Malick's 2005 film has an extra 30 minutes of footage that only adds to the films depth and beauty. No one makes films the way Terrence Malick does. Buy this film and let yourself get lost in his world.

Bronx River Parkway - San Sebastian 152

New York and Puerto Rican heads come together to make one of the toughest Salsa & Soul albums since the days that Raphael Cortijo and Ismael Riviera ruled the earth. It's Salsa with attitude, Boogaloo with brilliance and soul con sabor. A must for fans of funk as well as Fania era Salsa, Descarga and Boogaloo.

MAG All Stars - The Best Peruvian Orchestras Of The '50s & '60s

This is a compilation of artists from the MAG label from Peru in the '50s and '60s. The artists tried to emulate the Cuban artists that were popular at the time (Sonora Mantancera, Perez Prado and Tito Puente) but it came out raw and a little out. This is one of the reasons I like this comp so much. Twenty of the illest Mambos, Descargas, Cha Cha Cha's and Boogaloos you have ever heard. All the tracks have deep soul. Even though you might have heard the songs that they covered a million times, The MAG artist brings something new to each song. The artists of the MAG roster (Lucho Macedo, Coco Lagos, The Swing Maker Band and Melcochita y su Karamanduca) aren't household names outside of Peru, but they should be.

Monte Carlo 76 - Marisela

Monte Carlo 76's second release, Marisela, merges the sweet sounds of West Coast soul with the vivid stories of barrio life. From love to gentrification, the album weaves together the harsh and beautiful tales that form the experience of living in the barrio. Marisela's songs are so intimate, you will feel like you are riding shotgun with the band through the streets of East L.A. Don't sleep on this one!

Chancha Via Circuito - Rodante

Chancha Via Circuito is the epitome of the Digital Cumbia sound. They take from both Techno and Cumbia Villera, Argentina's barrio style of Cumbia, and lead it to where it's never been before. It's where Kraftwerk meets Andres Landero, Damas Gratis meets Dub and it's where street Cumbia goes into outer space. A must for fans of the ZZK Cumbia Digital Vol. 1 compilation.

La Excelencia - Mi Tumbao Social

Ever heard the expression, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it?" Somewhere during the eighties, Salsa took a turn for the worst. Salsa Romantica became the favorite of sappy Salsa fans and Merengue, Bachata and Reggaeton became more popular than Salsa. Many of the old timers died, retired or got stuck in the Latin Jazz scene. La Excelenia lives by that expression. They smash their way though the complacent sounds of the genre. This is no "Baja Fresh" fare, this is Hard Salsa at its finest, done with an almost punk attitude that guys like Willie Colon, Hector Lavoe and Ruben Blades once had. There are no Reggaeton remixes, ballads or guest vocal spots to bog this release down. It's all sweat and balls that will leave even the most experienced dancers out of breathe.

tip: Fav Clubs:  Sonido @ The Little Temple, Mas Exitos @ The Verdugo, Soul In The Park @ Footsie's, Anda! @ Mal's Bar with deejays Ray Ricky Rivera, Gazoo, Mando Fever & yours truly!

Fav Indie L.A bands:  Very Be Careful, Buyepongo, Los Poets Del Norte, Olmeca, Geronimo, In Lak Kch, Quetzal, Las Ramonas, Ray Ricky Rivera, Chicano Batman, Quinto Sol, Quincy McCrary, ZocaloZue, Pachamama Este L.A., Ollin

Fav L.A. artists:  Victor Gastelum, Vincent Valdez, Rage-One

Fav Shops:  Teocintli, One Stop Culture and Imix Books

Fav Radio:  Travel Tips For Aztlan 90.7 KPFK Saturday 10pm -12 am. & Anthony Valadez 89.9 KCRW Sunday Morning 3 a.m-6 a.m.

Let The Right One In

This was easily one of my favorite films of last year. This Swedish vampire flick is a coming of age tale that has its gory moments, but is undeniably charming. A lonely, persecuted pre-teen befriends his new neighbor, an unusual girl who just happens to be a vampire. The two provide each other with the companionship both are so obviously lacking and this results in the two coming to each other's defense in rather unique ways (the swimming pool scene is AMAZING). Blood, body parts, housecat attacks all intertwined in a love story - good stuff indeed.

It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia Season 3

Best show on television - period. We talk about this show A LOT at Amoeba. We are also quite fond of Artemis. Highlights of Season 3 DVD:  Electric Dream Machine performing "Dayman" - perhaps the best song ever written? "Dumpster Baby." "The Gang Dances Their Ass Off." "The Gang Gets Invincible."

Summer Heights High

This mockumentary series about life at an Australian high school stars comedian, Chris Lilley. Chris portrays three different characters - Ja'mie King, a privileged private school transfer student; Jonah, a troubled and disobedient teen; and Mr. G, the Drama teacher. Lilley is so adept and hilarious at his portrayal of these characters, you forget it's him. Warning: This series will have you singing "she's a naughty girl with a bad habit, bad habit for drugs" and tagging "dicktation."

Dan Auerbach - Keep It Hid

A soulful, more subdued effort from the singer/guitar player of The Black Keys. Does not disappoint!

Endless Boogie - Focus Level

Take a bunch of Rolling Stones, mix it with some Led Zeppelin and some Pink Floyd, then throw in some heavy psych and some Spacemen 3 and even a dash of ZZ Top and you get Endless Boogie. No 3 minute radio songs here, just a great album to listen to and really dig your teeth into.

Bison B.C. - Quiet Earth

Wow, hard and heavy just like I like it. Great playing, not your typical Sabbathy type songs that you would expect from the name. Lots of change ups within the songs and it harkens back to some good old thrash metal mixed with a good amount of doom and gloom. This will raise your jaded eyebrows.

Lucifer's Friend - Lucifer's Friend

A reissue you just need to own if you are a fan of Deep Purple, Uriah Heep, and heavy metal in general. This is a classic album, a forerunner of what would turn into early heavy metal. Released in 1973, this German band featured a British singer, John Lawton, who does some amazing wailing vocals on this. Heavy organ drives this masterpiece. Krautrock at its best.

Zero Boys - Vicious Circle

Reissue of a truly great American punk album, long out of print. This whole album is classic punk mixed with hardcore. Though Indianapolis may not be remembered for much when it comes to music, it produced the Zero Boys. Recorded in just 2 days and released in 1982 originally this album just smokes. A requirement for any punk rock collection, one of the best Midwest punk releases ever.

Dust - Hard Attack

American prog psych proto metal. This was the second and final album from Dust; they would later merge with another band on their same label to form Stories. Another forerunner of heavy metal this album was originally released in 1972. Features Frazetta artwork. Dust was made up of Marc Bell (who would go on to Richard Hell and the Voidoids and then the Ramones), Richie Wise, and Kenny Aaronson (who would later go on to HSAS and Stories as well as playing with Rick Derringer, Foghat, and many others). This is classic American hard psych, for fans of Mountain, Deep Purple, and Cream.

Tallest Man On Earth - Shallow Grave

Kristian Matsson is a Swede obviously obsessed with Dylan and Pete Seeger and their ilk, but from beginning to end of this album he kills it! A compelling Dylan-esque whine, touches of atmosphere here and there, songwriting that echoes Bon Iver and Jenny Lewis. Banjo fans, get on board!

Grace Jones - Hurricane

It's been almost 30 years since Grace Jones unleashed the groove masterpiece Warm Leatherette onto the world, though there is little sense of that time gap listening to Hurricane. Effortless groove still bubbles under her easy, soothing murmur on "Well Well Well," and "William's Blood" drives along with the same passion as her classic "Hunter Gets Captured By The Game." Awesome.

James Yorkston - When The Haar Rolls In

James Yorkston is a wordy Scot. There are lots and lots of things being said on his latest album, most of them about love and loneliness, but if they are going to be carried along by a lazy river as beautiful as the music here offers, I say, "just keep talking." This album is also offered in a 10" box that includes a triple 10", double CD and tote bag. The extras include an album of various musical fans covering his songs and another disc of electronic remixes that work surprisingly well.

Mount Eerie w/Julie Doiron & Fred Squire - Lost Wisdom

This music is so tentative it sometimes comes to a near standstill. Not too far afield from the work Bonnie "Prince" Billy and Dawn McCarthy did on The Letting Go and Wai Notes, Lost Wisdom weaves vulnerable folky melodies through spare guitar, vibes, shuffling sounds and the rattle of drumsticks. With 10 songs making up a mere 24 minutes, it's short and it's gorgeous.

Helena Espvall & Masaki Batoh - Helena Espvall & Masaki Batoh

Helena Espvall was born in Sweden, but is best known stateside from her work with Massachusetts' neo-folkies, Espers. Masaki Batoh is from the legendary Japanese psychedelic freak-folk group Ghost. Together, they have made a string-heavy and haunting collection of melodic meditations: Swedish & medieval traditionals, an American blues and an original or two.

tip: Go see shows at the Steve Allen Theater! (www.steveallentheater.com)
They will blow your mind!

Janelle Monae - Metropolis: The Chase Suite (Special Edition)

Whoa, where even to begin with this one! O.K., I haven't been this excited by a new artist in probably 4 years! The Chase Suite has a theatrical feel to it, with choral, string, and horn arrangements that sometimes do make the songs sound as if they are from a musical. And songs are based on the story of Cindi Mayweather, an android who has fallen in love with a human and is now being hunted down by others in her society who feel she must be disassembled for this malfunction. And though robot characters have been used so often before to show how society can be cold and dehumanizing, (according to Allmusic, the album's title is a reference to the 1920s Fritz Lang film) Ms. Monae uses the robot/alien metaphor to great effect to address the many levels of inequality and cold heartedness that one can find in the world. AND with her cleverness, strong positive personality, and songbird's voice that is a delight to listen to, she makes thinking FUN, even about uncomfortable topics. She's been compared to Andre 3000 (Big Boi of OutKast was an early fan of hers when she was performing in Atlanta), and you can hear why on the album's first 2 songs. They have a simple "Hey Ya" rock beat, some Farfisa organ adding a 1960s/1980s sound, and the giddy feel of a hit top-forty song that can't be stopped cause it's so catchy. The next full song uses a stripped down arrangement of only Shirley Bassey "Goldfinger" style dramatic horn riff, some resolved, strong Odetta-ish "Lord have mercys," plus a jazzy bass line as the song's anchor, asking "are we really living or just walking dead?" when people turn to drug abuse and material possessions for their source of happiness. Then the song "Mr. President" begins with a smooth '70s soul sound, simple horns and warm bright guitar. This song reminds me a bit of Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes' "Wake Up Everybody." (Whoa, in the previous song, she even says, "Daydreamers, wake up.") Ms. Monae very respectfully asks the president to please remember the problems we are facing:  war & the lack of funding for education, the A.I.D.S. pandemic, and a failing economy, and to lead the U.S. "with your heart & not your pride." Remember, this song was written addressing ex-President Bush, so the lack of frustration and anger from Ms. Monae shows an inspiring optimism. I'd say the over-riding message of this CD is a reminder for us:  "Be courageous -- love no matter what."

P.S. Be sure to look up her video to "Many Moons" on YouTube. Again, it will remind you of the "Hey Ya" video. Ms. Monae plays many characters in the video, all the same "9000" model of android, she has a great sharp/quirky sense of style (cute saddle oxfords!) and there's those English horseback riding/jockey inspired costumes. Oh, also, if you buy the vinyl, it's red and you get 1 extra track, a different mix of "Violet Stars Happy Hunting!!!" + a CD copy.

Eagle Nebula - Cosmic Headphones

"Some call it strange, some call it spiritual," Georgia Ann Muldrow raps on her new album, Cosmic Headphones. Well, yes, but what's strange is that this is a Hip-Hop recording brimming with good vibes and even better intentions. For too long, I'm afraid, Hip-Hop has been used to carry the message, "I'm making bank, so f- y'all!" Ms. Muldrow's album is the antidote to all that foolishness. She leads by example, explaining how she sees each day as a fresh start on the song "Daily Debut." In her easygoing realm of Hip-Hop, the accomplishments she boasts and fantasizes about are putting a stop to war by making soldiers hug one another and finding a cure for A.I.D.S. And the music is FUNKY with buzzy programmed basslines, handclaps, and sunny, bell or organ-like keyboard sounds. Her music is laid back, a slow and swaying groove that always reminds me of Funkadelic. She also pays tribute to the genre of Hip-Hop by writing a song about how important the music form is to her and how it will always be around. Her lyrics are SO positive and uplifting that they caused my rather sour roommate to open my door last night and complain, "What are you DOING listening to socially conscious Hip-Hop at 2:00 in the morning?" Well, I say, any help I can get to be a lighthearted yet compassionate person I will gladly listen to! And she does open the album with the down to earth aknowledgement "Do you sometimes find life hard and unbearable?" Her lyrics aren't escapist or preachy, just some solid advice and reminders on how to keep going. She uses a great sense of humor and creative (and polite) choice of words to keep her outlook determinedly lighthearted. There are a couple of songs about more trivial current trends too, like "Celebrity Stylist" and "Ether Cash," about starting an eBay store. She and band co-member, the fabulous Dudley Perkins, have the most natural way of transcribing the thoughts in their minds into uncensored communication with the rest of us, very free and honest, we know their fears, pains, joys, and silliness. After listening to their records you really feel like you have made a new friend. Thanks, Eagle Nebula, for being so playful and profound.

Galt MacDermot/Gerome Ragni/James Rado - Hair [O.C.R. Broadway Deluxe Collector's Edition]

Here's my "one from the vaults" recommendation. I never bothered to listen to this album, having decided that I don't care for musicals and that I knew the ubiquitous songs already:  "Aquarius," "Hair," and "Let the Sunshine In." And having decided that once a production makes it to Broadway, there can't be much counter-culture left in it. I can't believe all the good songs I was missing:  "Ain't Got No," "Where Do I Go," the protest songs, "Air" and "Dead End," the truly funny teen rebel song, "Going Down," comparing being expelled from high school to Lucifer's fall from heaven, the stately and beautiful, "Easy to Be Hard," and the hilarious flag-waver parody, "Don't Put It Down." And the wistful "Frank Mills," a song any girl in love and missing her man can relate to. My earlier bias against the play being an outsider's imitation of hippie lifestyle started to fade away, as I found myself connecting strongly to the lyrics. The characters seem so real to me, I started picturing what Claude, Sheila, Berger and the others looked like. I knew what they were going through. Then I read up on the musical, and it turns out that the two creators, Gerome Ragni and James Rado, were in their 20s and were actors in the play themselves; they wanted to make a performance explaining their own East Village hippie youth culture. They envisioned the play as loosely structured, more of a spontaneous "happening" as new songs and scenes were written, and old ones left out. But you can read all about it too, if you get this great deluxe edition 2 disc set, with the essential addition (remember some songs were dropped or added for the Broadway play) of the 1967 off-Broadway production as a whole bonus disc, along with an interview with the inspiring and innovative Canadian composer, Mr. Galt MacDermot. He wanted to make the music sound less like the guitar rock that was on the radio, but still have a youthful, soulful feel that would work with teenagers singing it. He started describing the music as, "no it's not rock'n'roll, it's funk," years before funk became a recognized style. Just last summer, for its 40th anniversary, Hair was revived by the New York Shakespeare Festival, the original producers of the play. It enjoyed a successful and extended run, with the possibility of the production traveling to other cities. The lasting greatness of this play is that it does allow one to travel back and get a feel for the late 1960s, all the innovations and conflicts, and realize we're still dealing with a lot of the same difficult issues addressed in Hair. And its not just a play about hippies, but about anyone becoming an adult in America.

P.S. If you check the vinyl in the Soundtrack section of the store, you may well come across the off-Broadway version of Hair. The cool cover has Mr. Ragni and Mr. Rado posing with 1880's photos of Native Americans, and this record will be priced at $1.00!

Neil Young - Sugar Mountain: Live at Canterbury House 1968

O.K., I am admittedly a huge fan, so I've got to explain how this collection of songs taken from a two night booking at a small club is something special that you NEED to hear. Simply, it's the setting in time and space:  a college town solo acoustic show after the recent dissolution of Mr. Young's success with his rock band Buffalo Springfield. He seems relieved to not have to be a top-forty pop star, but also a bit stunned at not having the success he worked hard for and perks that went along with it, things he thought he always wanted. He has a self-deprecating sense of humor, apologizing for not combing his hair and for not having any lighthearted songs, labelling all of his as "downers." He wants to come across as easygoing, but his between song stories reveal a busy, restless mind, full of bright questions and observations as well as the self-consciousness of a sensitive young man, only 23. He's just too nervous and hardworking to be a starry eyed flower child. Dissatisfied with his selection of songs he declares, "I'm going to go home and just work on new songs for a month!" Although his frankness, nervousness and thick, kinda nerdy Canadian accent add even more to an already endearing demeanor.

So, we find Mr. Young at the crossroads, a place where stories begin. Incredibly, once he starts playing, all sense of self-doubt and awkwardness disappear as he really goes into the song, feeling right at home with the difficult emotions of longing, sadness, and lonliness. He seems able to forget about the audience while he's performing. Never have his remarkable, archetype-invoking lyrics sounded more powerful than on this CD. I'm thinking specifically of the songs, "Old Laughing Lady," "The Loner," "Last Trip to Tulsa," ( a song which in the past I've considered too meander-y), "If I Could Have Her Tonight" and of course "Sugar Mountain." This CD points the way to Mr. Young's oncoming success, an intimate document of a young genius at work and undeniably on his way.

Obsession - Various Artists

This is a psychedelic compilation of music primarily from Brazil, but includes bands from Argentina, Uruguay, and Peru as well as 3 Turkish bands and one from India. Recording dates are from 1967-1973, falling into the range of my personal golden age of music timeline. There are some wild, fuzzed out numbers here, along with sweeter stuff featuring dreamy harmonies. You'll also hear some amazing beats. A majority of the bands are little known today, so this collection of freaked-out, funky gems is itself a treasure. It comes with easy-to-read, informative liner notes featuring the album art or band photo above a song's description. If you like Tropicalia artists, Santana, El Chicano, and/or Middle Eastern Rock, or Madlib, chances are you need this CD. Brought to you by Mike Davis of Academy records and DJ Signify out of NYC.