Mar09 nail

NEW RELEASES MARCH 2009 STREET DATES 3-10-09 & 3-24-09 A DIVISION OF ALLEGRO MEDIA GROUP

PRONTO FEATURING MIKAEL JORGENSEN OF WILCO

INSIDE Balmorhea • Merrell Fankhauser • Vietnam Veterans • Madeline Willie Heath Neal • e.s.t. • Noël Akchoté • Alan Licht • Merzbow • Sons of Otis

PRONTO

ALL IS GOLDEN Selling Points • Solo project of Wilco keyboardist Mikael Jorgensen.

• Includes members of Iron & Wine, Cat Power, Antibalas, and Califone.

• On tour throughout 2009. Record will be available at all Wilco shows.

• National campaign via Skyscraper Media to 150+ press outlets and 400+ digital media outlets.

• Contraphonic digital press campaign to additional 500 press outlets, bloggers, and more, including extensive tour press.

• Digital promotion through IODA Promonet Pro. • Full-scale national radio campaign by AAM. • Ads with Big Takeover, The Wire, Signal To Noise, and Pop Culture Press.

Overview When not playing in his full-time gig with Wilco, New Jersey-via-Chicagovia-Brooklyn’s Mikael Jorgensen crafts pitch-perfect pop songs under the moniker Pronto. On All Is Golden, the group’s Contraphonic debut, Pronto unleashes a ’70s-inspired tome that serves as a record of action.

It is the sound of waking up and moving on, of cross-country trips to California, of black days and blue nights giving way to better times and warmer promises. It’s AM-radio songsmith filtered through the speakers of a modern-day prism, with contributions from members of Iron & Wine, Antibalas, and Califone.

Pronto All Is Golden Genre: Rock Label: Contraphonic CD: CTP 76 Price Code: O (SRP $13.99) Jewel Case; Box Lot 30 5% PREORDER DISCOUNT

Pronto now consists of Mikael Jorgensen, Greg O’Keeffe, Erik Paparazzi (Cat Power), and Tunde Oyewole (Childballads). When their respective musical duties don’t take them elsewhere, Pronto plans to play in support of All Is Golden throughout 2009.

NOT AVAILABLE IN CANADA

Featured Artists Mikael Jorgensen: piano, keys, guitar, vocals Greg O’Keeffe: drums, percussion, horns Matt Lux: bass Jim Becker: bass, guitar Cross-file Stuart Bogie: tenor saxophone Craig Montoro: trumpet Stephen Moses: trombone

under

WILCO

Track Listing • Listen Lover • All Is Golden • Good Friends Have Gone • When I’m On The Rocks • Precious Like A Sneer • Monster • What Do You Know About You? • Big Sleeved Man • Unexpected Vex • Say It All Night • Mrs. Bruford • Had and Have • I Think So

Key Markets Hometown: Brooklyn & Chicago Also: New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Austin, Pittsburgh, Boston, Detroit, Cleveland, Toronto

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STREET DATE MARCH 10, 2009

“Much as Wilco did in its preJorgensen incarnation—think AM— Pronto takes some of the best 1970s rock influences—a bit of Steely Dan, some of the whimsical keyboard of Stevie Wonder, some horns from the Rolling Stones, and the bittersweet songwriting of Randy Newman—and combines it with a decidedly 21st century cynicism.”

— The Brooklyn Paper

BALMORHEA

Press Quotes

ALL IS WILD, ALL IS SILENT

“Balmorhea, an acoustic quartet from Austin, plays tender, bucolic instrumentals that waft and linger like the remnants of a summer afternoon.”

— Time Out New York “Minimalist, cinematic music that combines modern, experimental acoustic sounds with classical qualities.” — Second Stage, NPR

Selling Points • Toured the US twice in 2008, including shows with Fleet Foxes, Stars of the Lid, and many more.

• First two albums received strong press coverage from Pitchfork, Time Out New York, NPR, and more.

• Features Sub Pop recording artist Jesy Fortino of Tiny Vipers on two tracks.

• Remix in the works, featuring Eluvium, Xela, Helios, Bexar Bexar, Tiny Vipers, Library Tapes, and more.

• Ads with Pitchfork, Insound, The Wire, Signal To Noise, Stereogum, Pop Matters, and more.

Overview Austin’s Balmorhea has always made beautiful music, but that pulchritude has often belied the underlying sensuality that makes their music so inviting.

The band takes a giant leap forward, embracing that sensuality, on their bold and variegated new album. Now a six-piece with drums and upright bass, the band known for understated simplicity and restraint has produced a album that is joyous, haunting, and even a little sexy.

Throughout the album you can almost hear hearts pounding in the sun as the music swells and aches. Some of the most surprising moments manage to be both subdued and antagonistic, acting as a balm for the frazzled soul and as an impetus for revisiting (and reevaluating) some of the most magical and painful times of the past.

Part of the band’s metamorphosis was inevitable, with the addition of drums, upright bass, and the frequent use of wordless vocals provided by both band members and special guest Jesy Fortino of Tiny Vipers (Sub Pop). The way they incorporate these new elements is remarkable, but even more impressive is the growth and maturity of their songwriting skills.

“Balmorhea flashes brilliance only to highlight a slow-burning constancy that’s at the core of one of the year’s early slow wonders.” — Pitchfork ALSO AVAILABLE

Balmorhea All Is Wild, All Is Silent Genre: Alt Rock/Avant Classical Label: Western Vinyl CD: WVR 59 Price Code: M (SRP $14.99) Cardboard Wallet; Box Lot 40 5% PREORDER DISCOUNT NOT AVAILABLE IN CANADA

LP: WVR 59 Price Code: M (SRP $14.99) Gatefold Jacket; Box Lot 40 5% PREORDER DISCOUNT NOT AVAILABLE IN CANADA

Featured Artists Michael Muller: guitar, vocals, piano Rob Lowe: piano, guitar, vocals, melodica, banjo Aisha Burns: violin Nicole Kern: cello Taylor Tehan: drums Travis Chapman: upright bass

Track Listing • Settler • March 4, 1831 • Harm & Boon • Elegy • Remembrance • Coahuila • Night in the Draw • Truth • November 1, 1832

Balmorhea

Key Markets

CD: WVR 51 Price Code: M

Hometown: Austin Also: New York, Seattle, Chicago, Baltimore, Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Portland, Dallas, Houston, St. Louis, Chapel Hill, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Madison, Minneapolis, Atlanta

Rivers Arm

NOT AVAILABLE IN CANADA

STREET DATE MARCH 10, 2009

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MERRELL FANKHAUSER MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND Selling Points • Ex-member of The Impacts, The Revels, Merrell & The Exiles, Merrell Fankhauser & The HMS Bounty, Fapardokly, and MU. • Original Fapardokly and HMS Bounty LPs are some of the most sought-after recordings from the 1960s.

• In 1994, with the release of the film Pulp Fiction, instrumental surf music came back in a big way. Del Fi Records re-issued all of The Impacts material on CD at that time.

• Previously released LPs and CDs on United Artists, UNI, Sundazed, and several German and Italian labels.

• Fankhauser runs his own TV and radio show in California, and will promote this album heavily.

• Extended promotion to radio stations and press outlets.

Merrell Fankhauser Move To Higher Ground Genre: Rock/Country Label: Music Maniac Records CD: MMN 76 Price Code: Q (SRP $15.99) Digipak; Box Lot 30 NOT AVAILABLE IN CANADA

Featured Artists Merrell Fankhauser: vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards Bill Dodd: vocals, guitar Dick Lee: drums Jerry Sagouspe: drums Art Dougall: drums Julie Beaver: violin Ray Wells: harmonica Bob Osbourne: saxophone Jim Enos: piano

Track Listing • Move To Higher Ground • Ballad Of Fapardokly • Maui Wowie • Angels Wings And Fairy Tales • Feelin OK • Somewhere In My Heart • Time To Move Around • Bounty’s Booty • Love Sick • A Secret • I Landed On The Mainland • Rock And Roll Fever

Overview Merrell Fankhauser, one of the innovators of surf music and psychedelic folk rock, has led one of the most diverse and interesting careers in music.

Now, after 40 years, he has reconnected with Fapardokly drummer Dick Lee and guitarist Bill Dodd to bring that great ’60s sound back to life— and to capture it on this disc! Fankhauser’s travels have been documented in numerous music books and magazines in the US and Europe. He has gained legendary international status throughout the field of rock music, and his credits include over 250 published and released songs. He is a multi-talented singer/songwriter and a unique guitar player whose sound has delighted listeners for over 35 years.

In the early ’60s, Merrell Fankhauser led the instrumental surf group The Impacts, who had a hit with their album Wipe Out. He then moved to the high desert of California to form Merrell & The Exiles, whose album Fapardokly is one of the most sought-after ’60s psychedelic recordings.

Eventually, he joined forces with Jeff Cotton from Captain Beefheart’s band to form the group MU. In 1971 their first album was released in the US on Era/RTV Records and became a FM radio hit. It was later released on United Artists Records in 1974. After MU disbanded, Fankhauser recorded with Gary Malabar, the drummer from Steve Miller’s band; studio guitarists Ben Benay and Art Munson; and bassist Colin Cameron. In 1990, he began hosting a national television show, California Music, which was shown nationally via satellite on over 100 stations. The show incorporated interviews, performances, and videos featuring many stars popular from the ’60s to the ’90s, and ran for three years.

In 1994, with the release of the film Pulp Fiction, instrumental surf music came back in a big way. Del Fi Records re-issued all of The Impacts’ material on CD. During the same period of time, Fankhauser started a weekly radio show called Surf Beat at a small FM radio station in Grover Beach, CA. This led to regular shows on larger stations in San Luis Obispo County, which evolved into Surf Music News radio segments. These segments can currently be heard on select stations nationally.

Key Markets Hometown: Arroyo Grande, CA. Also: Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, Portland, Chapel Hill, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Atlanta

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STREET DATE MARCH 10, 2009

“One of the most interesting cult figures in rock history.”

— All Music Guide

VIETNAM VETERANS STRANGE GIRL

Selling Points • Seventh album from the legendary French psychedelic band.

• Cult albums In Ancient Times and Catfish Eyes and Tales will be released on CD soon.

Overview Even now, in the year 2009, most psychedelic acidheads still remember the legendary cult band The Vietnam Veterans and their stunning, hypnotizing music. Their last album was released in 1987 and now, 21 years later, they return with a mesmerizing new masterpiece!

Nobody, least of all the band members, expected this to happen. Mark Enbatta and Lucas Trouble remained close friends through the years, with Trouble busy recording wild music in his now-legendary Kaiser Studios.

They hooked up with James Kiput and Eric Lenoir, and the karma was back! The four lunatics went into the studio, and this is the result—72 minutes of hypnotic psychedelic music. In the coming months, Music Maniac will also re-release on CD the Veterans’ cult albums In Ancient Times and Catfish Eyes and Tales.

The Vietnam Veterans is a French band that first started playing in 1982.

The original lineup consisted of Mark Enbatta, Lucas Trouble, Greg Jones, Angelo Jupp, Steve Palermo, and D.D. Richardson. Over the years and through remarkably few personnel changes, the band produced several cult LPs including On The Right Track Now (1983), Crawfish for the Notary (1984), Green Peas (1985), In Ancient Times (1986), Catfish Eyes and Tales (1987), and Days of Pearly Spencer (1988).

Vietnam Veterans Strange Girl [as The Gitanes] Genre: Rock/Psychedelia Label: Music Maniac Records CD: MMN 75 Price Code: Q (SRP $15.99) Jewel Case; Box Lot 25 NOT AVAILABLE IN CANADA

Featured Artists Mark Enbatta: vocals, guitars Lucas Trouble: bass, keyboards, vocals James Kibut: guitars Eric Lenoir: drums

Track Listing

“Souls must have been sold for a performance like this.”

— Bucketful of Brains

• Fishing Song • Girl With The Hairy Legs • Till You Fall • Fall In Love Again • Female Vampire’s Fuzzy Beaver • Malakas Yeah Yeah • Burn In Hell • Mercy • I Don’t Deserve You • No Way Back • Another Life • Danger • Breams Of Today • I Remember The Time • Tartan Miniskirt • Thirteen/When I Was Young

ALSO AVAILABLE

Key Markets

Vietnam Veterans

New York, Seattle, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Portland, Chapel Hill, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Atlanta

On The Right Track/Crawfish For The Notary CD: MMN 660045 Price Code: Q

NOT AVAILABLE IN CANADA

STREET DATE MARCH 10, 2009

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MADELINE WHITE FLAG

Press Quotes “A collection of gentle acoustic songs in the spirit of ’60s and ’70s British folk.” — NPR “A cross between The Softies, Kimya Dawson, and the Carter Family.” — Razorcake

Selling Points

Madeline White Flag Genre: Alt Rock/Folk Label: Orange Twin Records CD: OTW 34 Price Code: M (SRP $14.99) Digipak; Box Lot 30 NOT AVAILABLE IN CANADA

Featured Artists Madeline Adams: vocals, guitar Caleb: bass, banjo Jim Wilson: drums Theodore Hilton: keys, hand percussion Laura Carter: trumpet Robbie Cucchiaro: euphonium Jason Trahan: guitar Claire Campbell, Page Campbell: vocals John Fernandes, Jacob Morris: strings Matt Stoesell: pedal steel Beverly Smith: guitar Julien Derocher: banjo Jason Robira: piano

Track Listing • Sorry • Telephone Daydream • Lit Elephants • This Train • Shotgun Wedding • Jive Talking • White Flag • Rain Fire and Brimstone • Belly of the Beast • Dirty South (Tie One On) • Mountain Heart • Blackout

Key Markets Hometown: Athens Also: Brooklyn, Omaha, Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Bloomington, Portland (ME), Gainesville, Columbus 6

STREET DATE MARCH 10, 2009

• Second release on Orange Twin includes contributions from Laura Carter (Elf Power), Robbie Cucchiaro (The Music Tapes), John Fernandes (Olivia Tremor Control), and Claire & Page Campbell (Hope for Agoldensummer, Dark Meat).

• Confirmed upcoming coverage in national publications (Paste, Lucky), with more pending.

• Extensive US and European tours planned for spring and summer.

• Publicity by Liz Lawson (Deus Ex Machina).

• Radio by Orange Twin Records.

Overview On her third full-length album, Madeline Adams securely sets herself apart from her peers with intelligent, emotional lyrics; a clear, haunting voice; and unique songwriting. White Flag features a full band of musicians presenting a lush, full sound evocative of Joni Mitchell and Shuggie Otis.

In 2000, Madeline began performing her songs in Athens, GA at the age of 15. Over the next couple of years, she worked on a full-length album and fronted the locally successful psychedelic pop band The Sugar Shakers. In 2002, she self-released the album Kissing & Dancing, and in 2003 the record was re-released by Plan-It-X Records. Madeline went on her first big tour, accompanied by Zumm Zumm, and released a split EP with The Dead Bird and a 7” single on Hillbilly Stew Records. Most recently, she recorded a full-length album with Matthew Houck (Phosphorescent), which was released on Orange Twin Records in January 2007.

“It’s impossible not to hear Atlantaborn Chan Marshall or Rome’s Liz Durrett … roots-rock, gospel-derived chorus that wouldn’t be out of place on a Mary Chapin Carpenter song.”

— Pitchfork ALSO AVAILABLE

Madeline

The Slow Bang CD: OTW 26 Price Code: M

NOT AVAILABLE IN CANADA

WILLIE HEATH NEAL OUT OF HIGHWAY

Selling Points • Produced by Mark Robertson of Th’ Legendary Shack Shakers.

• Guests include J.D. Wilkes of Th’ Legendary Shack Shakers.

• Features killer covers of “Attitude” by the Misfits and “She’s a Heartbreaker” by ZZ Top. • Neal has built a rabid fan base, and this album will attract punk, rockabilly, and country fans across the board.

• Press and new media campaign to be conducted by Pirate Media.

• Dates and showcase planned for SXSW 2009.

• Extensive touring in major markets during 2009.

• Promoted to select alt-country and AAA stations.

• Ads with regional weeklies.

Overview In the era when “outlaws” like Willie Nelson, Billy Joe Shaver, and Waylon Jennings ruled the radio, another little outlaw was born in the back of a cop car somewhere in Gwinnett County Georgia. It took him many years and many roads (including stays in foster homes, a stint in the Navy, and a run with a punk band) but eventually Willie Heath Neal returned to his roots and began bashing out the kind of outlaw country that used to be so famous but now is in short supply.

Back then “outlaw” was more than a marketing ploy—it was a way of life, with an authenticity that couldn’t be bought by a washed-up rocker trying on a pair of borrowed boots for one last grasp at fame or a suburban songsmith desperately hoping that he could make his songs more “Americana.” Neal remembers that time, and delivers his trashed-up take on honky tonk with that same sense of honesty on his latest Chicken Ranch release Out of Highway.

Just take the lyrics to the lonesome road dirge of the title track: “I’m a little bit older now, a little rundown/Lord, I’m livin’ for the people waitn’ for me in the next town.” Neal’s not imagining life on the road, he’s living it, haulin’ his songs up and down the Redneck Riviera and wherever else there’s a stage, a mic, and a bar tab. With the help of producer and Legendary Shack Shaker bassist Mark Robertson, Neal has cranked out an album that delivers everything from hard luck ballads and honky tonk hell-raisers to clever covers (who else cuts tunes by both the Misfits and Convoy author C. W. McCall?) and pointed critiques of the current climate in country music (check out the jabs at the Nashville sausage mill on “Something’s Wrong with the Radio”).

Neal has long been popular with his peers, such as likeminded touring partners from the past à la Wayne Hancock, the Rev. Horton Heat, and J.D. Wilkes of Th’ Legendary Shack Shakers (who makes an appearance on the record). Hank Williams III even cut (but has not yet released) one of Neal’s tunes. Now it’s time for fans to take note: with Out of Highway Neal has made the album of his life, and one that should make the original “outlaws” proud to call him one of their own.

Willie Heath Neal Out of Highway Genre: Alt Country Label: Chicken Ranch Records CD: CHX 1027 Price Code: O (SRP $13.99) Digipak; Box Lot 30 5% PREORDER DISCOUNT NOT AVAILABLE IN CANADA

Featured Artists Willie Heath Neal: vocals, guitar Clay Broome: guitar Chad Valencourt: bass Brian Giblet: drums T-Bone: drums Porter McLister: guitar J.D. Wilkes: harmonica

Track Listing • Cryin’ All The Time • Even Alive • Off My Mind • Porters Blues • Something’s Wrong With The Radio • One More Day • Outlaw Song • She’s A Heartbreaker • Alabama Highway • The Classifieds • Attitude • Out Of Highway

ALSO AVAILABLE

Key Markets

Willie Heath Neal

Hometown: Atlanta Also: Austin, Nashville, Little Rock, Dallas, Houston, Pensacola, Birmingham, New York, San Diego, Chicago

Lonesome

CD: CHX 1012 Price Code: O NOT AVAILABLE IN CANADA

STREET DATE MARCH 10, 2009

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press Quotes “Many of the songs are long sonic journeys, taking in elements of Electric Prunes, Mike Oldfield, and especially Ummagumma-era Pink Floyd.” — SoundsXP.com

Selling Points • Julie’s Haircut is one of the most important and influential bands of the Italian indie scene.

• Have shared stages with Damo Suzuki, Pete Kember (Sonic Boom), and more.

• Ads with Galactic Zoo, Dream, and The Wire.

• Radio service by A Silent Place.

Overview

Julie’s Haircut Our Secret Ceremony Genre: Rock/Psychedelia Label: A Silent Place 2XCD: SPL 38 Price Code: 2G (SRP $17.99) Double Slimline; Box Lot 25 5% PREORDER DISCOUNT NOT AVAILABLE IN CANADA

2XLP: SPL 38 Price Code: 2N (SRP $25.99) Gatefold Jacket; Box Lot 40 5% PREORDER DISCOUNT

Our Secret Ceremony, the fifth album by Julie’s Haircut, features 15 tracks and 90 minutes worth of music. Available as a double CD set and a limited edition double LP, the new record is a further step in the evolution of the band’s sound, which has become more open to the “collective” dimension given the number of musicians that took part in the sessions and the everchanging lineup of players. Musically, the record lives on the osmosis of different styles and approaches, from pop and electronica to psychedelia and experimentation—but never lacks coherence or unity.

The first disc has a more classically orientated song structure, while the second part has a looser feel. Even those tracks with more conventional structures suggest immersions in the deepness of sound, and the long instrumental fugues always remain anchored to a solid harmonic and rhythmic structure. In a way, it’s as if there are two basic aspects of the creative process living side by side: light and shadow, consciousness and unconsciousness, reality and dream.

NOT AVAILABLE IN CANADA

Featured Artists Nicola Caleffi: guitars, bass, synths, vocals Luca Giovanardi: guitars, bass, synths, more Roberto Morselli: drums, percussion Andrea Rovacchi: synths, organ, piano, percussion Andrea Scarfone: bass, guitars Laura Storchi: bass, synths, vocals Rev. Fabio Vecchi: piano, organ, synths, more

Track Listing DISC ONE: SERMONS • Sleepwalker • The Shadow, Our Home • The Stain • The Devil In Kate Moss • The Dead Will Walk The Earth • Origins • Mean Affair • Mountain Tea Traders • Let The Oracle Speak DISC TWO: LITURGY • La Macchina Universale • The Devil In Kate Moss Part II: Exorcism • Hidden Channels Of The Mind • Breakfast With The Lobster • Ceremony • They Came To Me

ALSO AVAILABLE

Julie’s Haircut N-Waves/U-Waves CD: SPL 19 Price Code: Q

NOT AVAILABLE IN CANADA

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STREET DATE MARCH 10, 2009

Press Quotes “An epic, mostly instrumental electro-rock sound.” — KEXP “Sleepy Eyes of Death achieve a perfect level of volume extremes on their debut album, the textured Street Lights for a Ribcage, which sparkles with a wondrous array of keyboards, thumping drums, and enough atmospheric hum to channel Kevin Shields’ most creative moments and M83’s early shoegaze haunt. All that is missing here is drugs and earplugs, both highly recommended.” — Portland Mercury “Sleepy Eyes of Death employs an arsenal of antique machines and only the occasional acoustic instrument or human voice to achieve grand, cinematic results. A terrific debut score.” — The Stranger “[Sleepy Eyes of Death’s] celestial, intricately mapped approach to instrumental rock hits shoegazer sweet spots effortlessly, but with enough rustic, analog flashes to keep it human.” — Seattle Weekly

Selling Points • Hailed as one the city’s most promising upcoming acts by The Stranger and Seattle Weekly.

• Recorded with producer Matt Bayles (Minus the Bear, Mastodon).

• Prior release garnered heavy rotation on the country’s biggest independent radio station, KEXP. • RIYL: M83, Holy Fuck, Trans Am, Mogwai, Explosions in the Sky. • Press campaign to print & web outlets.

• Radio campaign to college stations, with added focus on genre shows.

Sleepy Eyes of Death Dark Signals Genre: Rock/Electronica Label: Mass Mvmnt CD: MVM 18 Price Code: E (SRP $7.99) Jewel Case; Box Lot 30 5% PREORDER DISCOUNT NOT AVAILABLE IN CANADA

Overview Seattle’s Sleepy Eyes of Death bridge the gap between ambient shoegaze and instrumental electronic epics. Their new release, Dark Signals, captures the wall-of-sound ferocity and Giallo-blessed synths of their live shows. The band augmented its affinity for ’80s sci-fi soundtracks and Italian horror scores by utilizing a similar arsenal of gears and tones—free ear plugs, smoke machines, industrial strobes, and racks of vintage synths have made each live appearance an event. While the arena-grade strobe lights are absent here, the density of Dark Signals remains overwhelming.

With the help of engineer Matt Bayles (Minus the Bear, Mastodon, ISIS), Dark Signals unveils the heaviness and intensity of the band’s live sets along with their obsession with creating dense, analog-backed epics. The album is anchored with sequenced atmospheric arcs, vocoded vocals, layers of vintage keyboards, drum machines, and the chaotic squall of guitar noise.

Sleepy Eyes of Death’s progression into frenetic yet focused robotic-live drums also adds a new component to the already complex soundscapes.

Featured Artists Keith Negley: keyboards, drums, programming Joel Harmon: keyboards, vocoder, drums Andrew Toms: keyboards, guitar, sampler, vocoder Cassidy Gonzales: guitar

Track Listing • Shattered Limbs • Final Heart Beats Black • Pierce the Air • Metastatic • Pulse from Breath • Crushed by Stars

Key Markets Hometown: Seattle Also: Los Angeles, New York, Portland, Chicago, Milwaukee

Appealing to fans of dramatic post-rock instrumentals and computerdamaged electronic music, Dark Signals’ dystopian synths will burn their way into the minds of all listeners.

STREET DATE MARCH 10, 2009

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Press Quotes “Somewhere between the naked beauty of Low and the gut-wrenching intensity of Swans.”

— Dallas Observer

Selling Points

Shiny Around the Edges Holy Roller Genre: Alt Rock Label: Sounds Are Active CD: SAC 1149 Price Code: I (SRP $10.99) Jewel Case; Box Lot 30 5% PREORDER DISCOUNT NOT AVAILABLE IN CANADA

• Produced by Grammy Award winner Mathew J. Barnhart (Shearwater, The New Year, Brave Combo).

• Features members of Castanets’ live show.

• Previous releases have featured members of Baptist Generals (Sub Pop), Castanets (Asthmatic Kitty), The Paper Chase (Kill Rock Stars), and If Thousands (Chairkickers).

• Performances at SXSW 2009 will coincide with album release.

• Press and college radio servicing by Sleepless PR. • Ads with Arthur, Tiny Mix Tapes, and Signal To Noise.

Overview Recorded with Matthew J. Barnhart (Shearwater, The New Year) at The Echo Lab in North Texas, Holy Roller serves as a reflection of the band’s wide-ranging musical influences.

Taking cues from the ambient noise, jazz, metal, folk, and country records they listen to while living in the fertile music scene of Denton, Texas, Shiny Around the Edges delivers an album boiling with schizophrenic guitar work, pummeling rhythms, and vocals both impassioned and soothing.

Track Listing Every Hunter Needs a Kill • Crosses • Come Closer • Devil’s River • Avoidance Theory • This Apocalypse • Glory Glory • I Hover Above You • Elizabeth Ascending • Utah!

Key Markets Hometown: Denton. Also: Austin, Dallas, Omaha, Chicago, St. Louis

Press Quotes “Powered by pulsating layered vocals, penetrating guitar riffs, and a throbbing electro-fuzz, Black Cock generates a piercing ruckus that takes turns to soothe and exhilarate.”

— Austinist

Selling Points • Highly anticipated debut recorded on 2” tape and mastered at Chicago Mastering Company by Jason Ward.

• RIYL: Mr. Bungle, Braniac, Lick Lick, Devo, Portishead, Stereolab.

• College radio promo through Apples and Cats Media, serving top 250 CMJ stations.

• Regular label ads in Razorcake, Pop Culture Press, and Wonkavision.

Overview Black Cock came together one summer at Ohm Recording Facility in Austin, when drummer Benjamin Kent and instrumentalist/vocalist Chico Jones decided to depart from traditional forms and create a sound based on their juvenile intuitions. The new sound would be about energy, regardless of the band members’ progish origins. It was important to Kent and Jones to fill out the arrangements with both classic and experimental sounds topped with catchy vocal parts: squeaky but hooky, chanty but unorthodox.

Track Listing Beats • Crickets • Cheating • Harvey’s Machine • Starfleet Destroyer • Skullcop • A Fast One • Flatline • The Octagon • Nerve • 45

Key Markets Hometown: Austin. Also: Chicago, Houston, Dallas, New York, Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, Providence, Baltimore

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STREET DATE MARCH 10, 2009

Black Cock Robot Child with a God Complex Genre: Rock Label: Australian Cattle God CD: ACG 23 Price Code: O (SRP $13.99) Jewel Case; Box Lot 30 5% PREORDER DISCOUNT NOT AVAILABLE IN CANADA

Press Quotes “This Austin, TX electronic group comes off like a more beat oriented and cinematic Deerhoof.” — Party Ends

Selling Points • Has played with Lymbyc Systym, Eliot Lipp, El Olio Wolof, and Cex. • East Coast tour scheduled for Spring 2009.

• Press and radio service by Thirty Ghosts.

Overview Many Birthdays started as a home recording project. It went from Austin, Texas to Osaka, Japan in 2003–04, then came back to Austin and began transforming into a live show. The band’s self-released, limited edition Days of Beat/Days of Hollow EP sold out within a year, and their most recent EP, Emptiness Is Forever, will be released in March 2009. The music mixes noise, beats, melodies, colors, and textures into a swirling and somewhat unpredictable sound pool. The lyrics are a combination of English and Japanese, either sung in beautiful rhymes, chanted, or shouted in chaotic rhythms. The live performances are like a spectacle, a subtlety, and an art project all rolled into one. Imagine a black cat that drinks gin, dances, and loves literature, and you have Many Birthdays.

Many Birthdays Emptiness Is Forever EP Genre: Alt Rock Label: Thirty Ghosts Records CD: THG 8 Price Code: H (SRP $8.99) Cardboard Wallet; Box Lot 30 NOT AVAILABLE IN CANADA

Track Listing Kiki the Destroyer • Minnawa • Electro Fantastic • Good Luck • Tsugi ni Kuru Koto • Rock It

Key Markets Hometown: Austin. Also: Houston, Dallas, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland, Oklahoma City, New Orleans, Charlotte, Boston, Philadelphia

Selling Points • Highly anticipated fourth album includes remixes by Yendri, Cygnosic, and Echorausch.

• Entry in the German Alternative Charts.

• Promo copies will be sent to DJs, radio stations, and print media outlets.

• Digital promotion by COP International.

• MySpace campaign with 100,000 contacts.

• Ads with Vampire Freaks.

Overview

Wynardtage The Grey Line Genre: Industrial Label: COP International CD: COP 120 Price Code: M (SRP $14.99) Jewel Case; Box Lot 25 5% PREORDER DISCOUNT NOT AVAILABLE IN CANADA

Wynardtage’s The Grey Line is a brilliant terrortech/horror-flick inspired album. Brooding and heavy at times, in-your-face and aggressive as hell at others, it includes powerful club stompers as well as sounds and bleeps that have been assembled with an incredible attention to detail. Needless to say, you will enjoy every minute of it!

Track Listing Mask • Tragic Hero • The Frozen Point • Leaving • Cutting Down • The Grey Line • In Death A Tale • If There Is No Tomorrow • My Life • Crash Of A Star • Now We Are Alive • The Grey Line (Remixed By Yendri) • If There Is No Tomorrow (Remixed By Cygnosic) • The Frozen Point (Remixed By Echorausch)

Key Markets Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, Baltimore

STREET DATE MARCH 10, 2009

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CLASSIC RECORDINGS FROM THE LATE

ESBJÖRN SVENSSON & HIS TRIO MANY AVAILABLE IN THE U.S. FOR THE FIRST TIME “A genre-defying Swedish jazz pianist and composer.” — The Guardian “Not what jazz was, but a vision of what it can be.” — New York Times “Pianist and composer Esbjörn Svensson looms among the most influential and innovative figures in contemporary jazz, drawing on inspirations spanning from Baroque to techno to create a body of work that earned both commercial and critical approval.” — All Music Guide “This Scandinavian group adheres to the form just enough to be considered a jazz trio, but between original compositions and sound enhancements that can fool you into believing that more than three musicians are playing, e.s.t. is anything but boring.”

— All About Jazz

e.s.t From Gagarin’s Point of View

e.s.t Viaticum

Genre: Jazz Label: ACT Music + Vision CD: AMV 9005 Price Code: Q (SRP $15.99) AN ALLEGRO-DISTRIBUTED TITLE

Genre: Jazz Label: ACT Music + Vision CD: AMV 9015 Price Code: Q (SRP $15.99) AN ALLEGRO-DISTRIBUTED TITLE

NOT AVAILABLE IN CANADA

The first e.s.t. album to be released outside of Scandinavia, this disc marked the beginning of the trio’s international breakthrough!

Dating • Picnic • The Chapel • Dodge The Dodo • From Gagarin’s Point Of View • The Return Of Mohammed • Cornette • In The Face Of Day • Subway • Definition of a Dog • Southwest Loner

12

STREET DATE MARCH 10, 2009

NOT AVAILABLE IN CANADA

Swedish Grammy winner. “A journey of the imagination to quietly change your life.” — Mojo Tide Of Trepidation • Eighty-Eight Days In My Veins • The Well-Wisher • The Unstable Table & The Infamous Fable • Viaticum • In The Tail Of Her Eye • Letter From The Leviathan • A Picture Of Doris Travelling With Boris • What Though The Way May Be Long

e.s.t Seven Days of Falling Genre: Jazz Label: ACT Music + Vision CD: AMV 9012 Price Code: Q (SRP $15.99) AN ALLEGRO-DISTRIBUTED TITLE NOT AVAILABLE IN CANADA

e.s.t Good Morning Susie Soho Genre: Jazz Label: ACT Music + Vision CD: AMV 9009 Price Code: Q (SRP $15.99) AN ALLEGRO-DISTRIBUTED TITLE NOT AVAILABLE IN CANADA

This Swedish Grammy winner immediately rose in the pop charts of Germany, France, and Sweden.

Earned the trio the title “Trio of the Year” by Jazzwise, which called this “an unbelievably essential album.”

Ballad For The Unborn • Seven Days Of Falling • Mingle In The Mincing-Machine • Evening In Atlantis • Did They Ever Tell Cousteau? • Believe, Beleft, Below • Elevation Of Love • In My Garage • Why She Couldn’t Come • O.D.R.I.P

Somewhere Else Before • Do The Jangle • Serenity • The Wraith• Last Letter From Lithuania • Good Morning Susie Soho • Providence • Pavane “Thoughts Of A Septuagenarian” • SpamBoo-Limbo • The Face Of Love • Reminiscence Of A Soul

e.s.t Winter In Venice

e.s.t Strange Place for Snow

Genre: Jazz Label: ACT Music + Vision CD: AMV 9007 Price Code: Q (SRP $15.99) AN ALLEGRO-DISTRIBUTED TITLE NOT AVAILABLE IN CANADA

1998 Swedish Grammy winner for Best Jazz CD. Calling Home • Winter In Venice • At Saturday • Semblance (Part I) • Semblance (Part II) • Semblance (Part III) • Semblance (Part IV) • Don’t Cuddle That Crazy Cat • Damned Black Blues • In The Fall Of Things • As The Crow Flies • The Second Page • Hercules Jonssons Låt

Genre: Jazz Label: ACT Music + Vision CD: AMV 9011 Price Code: Q (SRP $15.99) AN ALLEGRO-DISTRIBUTED TITLE NOT AVAILABLE IN CANADA

Winner of the BBC Jazz Award, Victoire du Jazz, and CHOC of the Year 2002.

The Message • Serenade For The Renegade • Strange Place For Snow • Behind The Yashmak • Bound For The Beauty Of The South • Years Of Yearning • When God Created The Coffeebreak • Spunky Sprawl • Carcrash STREET DATE MARCH 10, 2009

13

Press quotes “The versatile French guitarist is as comfortable playing the work of Sidney Bechet or Dizzy Gillespie as he is sculpting feedback and incidental guitar noise … a skilled player and interpreter, one who avoids grand statements and unnecessary flourish.” — Dusted

SELLING POINTS • Features Han Bennink, percussionist for both Marvin Gaye and Jacques Brel.

• Explosive remakes include Marvin Gaye’s “Inner City Blues” and “C’est Extra” by Léo Ferré.

overview

Noël Akchoté Toi-Même Genre: Jazz/Electronica Label: Winter & Winter CD: WTR 146 Price Code: S (SRP $18.99) Smartpak; Box Lot 20 AN ALLEGRO-DISTRIBUTED TITLE NOT AVAILABLE IN CANADA

Set out on a journey of discovery, from John Giorno’s fiery spoken-word eulogy “Thanx 4 Nothing” to intense duos featuring Jean-Louis Costes and Han Bennink (percussionist for both Marvin Gaye and Jacques Brel). Explosive remakes include Marvin Gaye’s “Inner City Blues” and “C’est Extra” by Léo Ferré.

TRACK LISTING Introduction “Chez Fernand” • True Love Will Find You In The End • Please Please Please/ Gravity • Coming From The South • Le Cul Qui Fait Coucou • Cosmos Sonic • Wish I were Small Again • Thanx 4 Nothing • C’est Extra • Papa • Ne Mens Pas • Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler) • Medley From “Recantata” • Das Feuer/Der Fuchs und die Gänse

Key Markets Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, Baltimore

Press Quotes “A young guitarist whose head is pulled equally toward rock classicism (he’s a not-so-secret fan of Fleetwood Mac’s Lindsay Buckingham), ’60s minimalism, and the future of soloimprovisation sound art, Mr. Licht is becoming more and more a man about town.”

— New York Times

Selling Points • Limited one-time pressing of 500 copies.

• Alan Licht is a member of Text of Life (with Sonic Youth’s Lee Ranaldo) and a regular collaborator with Aki Onda, Loren Connors, Carlos Giffoni, and dozens of avant and pop musicians.

• Limited mailing to vinyl fans at magazines and blogs by Family Vineyard.

• Select radio promotion.

Overview Guitarist Alan Licht’s first solo release since 2003’s A New York Minute double CD (XI), and his first solo vinyl outing since 1994’s long out-of-print Sink the Aging Process (Siltbreeze).

Largely recorded at a 2004 concert by Keith Fullerton Whitman, YMCA documents Licht’s solo guitar set of the time. Inspired by Oren Ambarchi and Tetuzi Akiyama’s albums Triste and Don’t Forget To Boogie, Licht proposed YMCA to Idea Records to form a trilogy with those releases. With the label’s subsequent demise, Family Vineyard stepped in to bring this peak performance out as a special limited edition vinyl release, exactly as the artist originally conceived it.

Genre: Avant Rock Label: Family Vineyard LP: FVR 63 Price Code: T (SRP $16.99) LP Jacket; Box Lot 25 5% PREORDER DISCOUNT NOT AVAILABLE IN CANADA

ALSO AVAILABLE

Key Markets

Alan Licht & Aki Onda

Hometown: Brooklyn. Also: New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Providence, Baltimore, Portland, Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Athens

CD: FVR 58 Price Code: O

Track Listing YMCA pt. 1 • YMCA pt. 2 14

Alan Licht YMCA

STREET DATE MARCH 10, 2009

Everydays

NOT AVAILABLE IN CANADA

Press Quotes “Avarus is one of the cornerstone groups of modern Finnish psychedelia, trailblazers for the recombinant aesthetic pioneered by a small gaggle of artists whose self-released, subterranean music is as baffling and crude as it is celebratory and hilarious.” — The Wire

Selling Points • Limited to 150 copies on LP only.

• 160-gram virgin vinyl with full color jackets and labels.

• Colorful psychedelic sleeves by Finnish artists Pauliina Makela and Amanda Vahamaki.

Overview All-new exclusive Avarus! Fourth Secret Eye full-length and tenth release overall from this incredible Finnish band that pretty much defines modern psychedelic kraut improv. Primitive, primal and tribal, desolate and mournful, dreamy and pastoral, motorik and hypnotic. Buzzing, clattery, droning, stumbling Krautrock flecked with shimmering free-noise, avant ambience, delicate folk filigree, and chaotic caveman psychedelic space rock.

Track Listing

Avarus IV Genre: Experimental Label: Secret Eye LP: EYE 42 Price Code:Y (SRP $24.99) LP Jacket; Box Lot 25

Untitled 1 (14:02) • Untitled 2 (14:27) NOT AVAILABLE IN CANADA

Key Markets San Francisco, Portland, Austin, New York, Providence, Boston

ALSO AVAILABLE

Avarus Vesikansi

CD: EYE 25 Price Code: M NOT AVAILABLE IN CANADA

Press Quotes “ Pack of Wolves creates a uniquely demanding and momentous sound that has been characterized as Heartwork-era Carcass taking an epic journey through the deep south.”

— Edge magazine

Selling Points

Pack of Wolves Betrayer Genre: Metal Label: Arclight Records LP: ACL 25 Price Code: P (SRP $15.99) LP Jacket; Box Lot 15 5% PREORDER DISCOUNT NOT AVAILABLE IN CANADA

• LP includes digital download card for full album download, plus extra tracks.

• Features ex-members of At All Cost (Century Media), Games and Theory, and Triumph of Gnomes.

• Will play at SXSW 2009, with an East Coast tour to follow.

• Press by Arclight. Features expected in Decibel, Metal Maniacs, Metal Edge, and Revolver.

• Ads with Metal Edge, Decibel, and other extreme magazines.

Overview Pack of Wolves was forged in Fall 2006 when Trey Ramirez, formerly the brains of metal outfit At All Cost (Century Media), teamed up with Adrian Carillio and Tyson Swindell of Games and Theory. The Wolves’ alliance grew quickly, and in early 2007 they began running with their self-released EP Wall Crusher. Fresh off of the Predatour with hardcore heavyweights Century (Prosthetic) and DC metal outfit Time of Cholera, the band recorded its first full-length album in Fall 2008. This release coincides with the SXSW music festival in Austin, where Pack of Wolves will kick off US dates to support the release.

Track Listing The Here and Now • Betrayer • Wall Crusher • Evaders • The Death of My Old Self • Release Pt. II • Walking Dead • To Claw Out Eyes • Concession

Key Markets Hometown: Austin. Also: San Antonio, Lubbock, Corpus Christi, Amarillo, Odessa, Little Rock, Memphis, Clarksville, Birmingham, Richmond, Washington DC, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Baltimore STREET DATE MARCH 10, 2009

15

NOT FINAL ARTWORK

Press Quotes “There’s no need to argue. Merzbow stands as the most influential figure in noise music.”

— All Music Guide

Selling Points • Third volume of a 13-CD series of limited edition albums from Japan’s Merzbow.

• Deluxe handmade, numbered bamboo box to hold the 13-disc collection is available.

• Merzbow is widely regarded as the king of noise music.

• Ads with The Wire.

Merzbow 13 Japanese Birds Vol. 3 Genre: Experimental Label: Important Records CD: IPT 236 Price Code: P (SRP $15.99) Jewel Case; Box Lot 25 NOT AVAILABLE IN CANADA

Overview Merzbow’s 13 Japanese Birds is a 13-month series of releases inspired by Olivier Messaien’s Catalogue D’Oiseaux. Beginning in January 2009, one volume of 13 Japanese Birds will be released each month. The 13th and final volume will be released in January 2010. Each volume will be a one-time pressing of 1,000 copies, with cover art by Jenny Akita. Author, activist, painter, and sound artist Masami Akita has been at the foreground of experimental music for over 25 years. Inspired by psychedelic rock, free jazz, early electronic composition, and the physical arts—especially Kurt Schwitters’ Merzbau—Masami Akita has created a unique musical language.

Track Listing

ALSO AVAILABLE

13 Japanese Birds Vol.3

Merzbow

Key Markets

13 Japanese Birds Vol.2: Owl CD: IPT 233 Price Code: P

New York, San Francisco, Boston, Detroit, Lowell, Portland, Seattle, Chicago, Austin

NOT AVAILABLE IN CANADA

Press Quotes “Andrea Parkins always gives her bands such a distinctive flavor: she goes right past conventional squeezebox references and treats the thing like a no-input mixing board, generating sine waves, or a live miniature Morton Feldman generator, slowly stacking tones.” — Signal To Noise

Selling Points • Andrea Parkins is a renowned sound artist held in the highest regard.

• Promotional mailing by Important Records • Ads with The Wire.

Overview Faulty (Broken Orbit) re-imagines Faulty (Per-Objective), an hour-long 10-channel site-specific audio work premiered in 2007 at Diapason Gallery For Sound in NYC, with sponsorship from Harvestworks Digital Media Arts Center and the New York Electronic Arts Festival. Faulty (Broken Orbit) is a poetic exploration of mic’ed surfaces and amplified quotidian objects activated into movement, layered against a shifting and slowly settling field of electric accordion-driven feedback and processed instruments. This massive piece sets out to build elaborate systems in the manner of Rube Goldberg’s circuitous contraptions, which Parkins claims as inspiration for both her customized sound processing software and compositional structures, emphasizing idiosyncrasy, tenuous states, and the threat of “things falling apart.”

Track listing I • II • III • IV • V • VI

Key Markets Hometown: New York. Also: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, Portland

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STREET DATE MARCH 24, 2009

Andrea Parkins Faulty (Broken Orbit) Genre: Experimental Label: Important Records CD: IPT 199 Price Code: P (SRP $15.99) Deluxe Gatefold; Box Lot 30 NOT AVAILABLE IN CANADA

Press Quotes “Dutch lutist Jozef van Wissem catches his own reflection in tender, minimalist picking and gold-spray overdubs.” — David Fricke, Senior Editor, Rolling Stone

Selling Points • First full length for Important Records.

• Jozef Van Wissem is half of the duo Brethren of the Free Spirit, with James Blackshaw.

• Promotional mailing by Important Records.

Overview Brand new full-length comprised of six compositions from Jozef Van Wissem, acclaimed lutenist and Brethren of the Free Spirit band mate (with James Blackshaw). It Is All That Is Made consists of six trance-inducing circular pieces composed for 10-course Renaissance lute and 13-course Baroque lute. The title of each piece, and the storyline created within, critically juxtapose the first chapter of Genesis with more contemporary narratives. The pieces are played forward, then backward, creating music that is potentially without beginning or end. The photograph on the front cover was taken during a Portuguese festival last summer, while the artist performed for a large crowd without any amplification or artificial light in true cinematic dogma style.

Jozef Van Wissem It Is All That Is Made Genre: Avant Classical Label: Important Records CD: IPT 232 Price Code: P (SRP $15.99) Digipak; Box Lot 30 NOT AVAILABLE IN CANADA

Track Listing

ALSO AVAILABLE

Darkness Falls Upon The Face Of The Deep And The Spirit Hovers Over The Waters • It Is All That Is Made • The Heart’s Blood Pours Forth Over The Head • How Long Will It Go On After You Have Gone • Sola Fide • In You Dwells The Light Which Never Sets • The Stars Fall From The Sky Like Leaves From A Vine And The Heavens Are Rolled Up Like A Scroll

Brethren of the Free Spirit

Key Markets Hometown: New York. Also: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, Portland

The Wolf Shall Also Dwell with the Lamb CD: IPT 222 Price Code: P

NOT AVAILABLE IN CANADA

SELLING POINTS • Now available on limited edition vinyl.

• Brethren of the Free Spirit is James Blackshaw and Jozef van Wissem.

• Promotional mailing by Important Records.

• Ads with The Wire.

OVERVIEW

Brethren of the Free Spirit The Wolf Shall Also Dwell with the Lamb Genre: Avant Rock/Folk Label: Important Records LP: IPT 222 Price Code: T (SRP $16.99) Gatefold Sleeve; Box Lot 30 NOT AVAILABLE IN CANADA

Brethren of the Free Spirit is guitarist/composer James Blackshaw and lutenist/ composer Jozef van Wissem. Named after a cult of 13th century Northern European religious heretics, the duo plays with an appropriately zealous intensity. Brethren of the Free Spirit debuted in New York, then went on a crusade through the Lowlands, Belgium, Spain, Ireland, and London, even appearing on the Dutch National VPRO TV show Vrije Geluiden. Intricate phrases circle and spiral in on themselves, and in the end it’s the subtle shifts in rhythm and tonal coloration that provide a kind of transcendence in a sea of repetition.

The drawings on the cover, by Belgian brethren Wouter Van Haelemeesch, reference Greek myths as well as medieval alchemical emblems by the likes of Michael Maier.

TRACK LISTING The Sun Tears Itself From The Heavens And Comes Crashing Down Upon The Multitude • The Wolf Also Shall Dwell With The Lamb • Into The Dust Of The Earth • I Am A Flower Of Sharon And A Rose In The Valley

KEY MARKETS Hometown: New York. Also: Boston, San Francisco, Chicago

STREET DATE MARCH 24, 2009

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Press Quotes “A total AQ sonic dream team: heavy and hypnotic, looped and rhythmic, clattery and chaotic.” — Aquarius

Selling Points • Brand new CD full-length from renowned Swedish noise rock outfit.

• Have collaborated and played with CM von Hausswolff, Damo Suzuki, Mika Vainio (Pan Sonic), Lasse Marhaug, Daniel Higgs, and more.

• Promotional mailing by Important Records.

• Ads with The Wire.

The Skull Defekts The Temple Genre: Avant Rock Label: Important Records CD: IPT 235 Price Code: P (SRP $15.99) Deluxe Gatefold; Box Lot 30 NOT AVAILABLE IN CANADA

Overview The Skull Defekts is a band from Sweden. Since early 2005, their intense, monotonous, rhythmic, and sexual rock has been spreading energies of various kinds to welcoming audiences and listeners. The DFX also explore worlds of noise, drone, and psychedelic electronics on releases for Riot Season, iDEAL, Release The Bats, and Conspiracy Records. The Temple is the follow-up to last year’s Blood Spirits & Drums Are Singing, (Conspiracy), but is deeper, harder, more sexual, and more occult.

Track Listing Knives, Birds, Stones & Pyramids • Waving • Six Sixes • Hydrophobic Baptism • Unholy Drums For Psychedelic Africa • Habid • Skull & Tongue • Urban Ritual

Key Markets Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, San Diego, Portland, Seattle, Boston

Selling Points • Beautifully packaged letter-pressed jacket by Reuben Little at 23rd Parallel Press.

• Limited edition of 500.

• Both artists are highly acclaimed. Steven R. Smith is a member of the Jewelled Antler Collective’s Thuja, and has released many solo recordings. Amsterdambased clarinetist Gareth Davis has worked with Jon Balke, Terje Rypdal, Machinefabriek, and Ryan Teague (Type Records).

Overview In May of 2008, Amsterdam-based clarinetist Gareth Davis and American guitarist Steven R. Smith convened at Worstward Studios in Los Angeles to collaborate and create music together, the results of which have been titled Westering. This fruitful collaboration has created the perfect meeting place between Smith’s layers of musical detritus and Davis’ textural, guttural bass clarinet to create a delicate and abstract musical language of shifting moods and textures. Gareth Davis is a dedicated performer of contemporary music who works with improvising musicians such as Jon Balke and Terje Rypdal as well as electronic artists Machinefabriek and Ryan Teague (Type Records). He recently completed the Rabbit at the Airport series of LPs with Martin Stig Andersen and Robin Rimbaud (a.k.a.

Scanner). Steven R. Smith has been releasing a steady stream of solo records over the last decade, and playing in various improvisational groups including Thuja, Hala Strana, and Ulaan Khol.

Track Listing A Relic • Westering • Surmises • Symphony • Source & Thereof • The Pulpit • Contrasted View • Birds As Passing Souls • Surmises II • Epilogue

Key Markets Hometown: San Francisco. Also: Los Angeles, New York, Portland, Boston

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STREET DATE MARCH 24, 2009

Gareth Davis & Steven R. Smith Westering Genre: Avant Rock Label: Important Records LP: IPT 234 Price Code:V (SRP $22.99) Deluxe Jacket; Box Lot 30 NOT AVAILABLE IN CANADA

Selling Points • Packaged in a deluxe thick three-color screen-printed jacket by Monoroid.

• Limited edition of 500, with the first 100 on color vinyl.

Overview LLL is an LP-only live album released as a companion to Larsen’s new full length La Fever Lit. LLL features Larsen along with frequent collaborators Johann Johannsson, Baby Dee, and Julia Kent.

Material recorded live in Italy and Austria.

Track Listing

Larsen LLL Genre: Avant Rock Label: Important Records LP: IPT 208 Price Code: X (SRP $31.99) LP Jacket; Box Lot 30

LLL

NOT AVAILABLE IN CANADA

Selling Points • Limited edition of 300 hand-numbered copies packaged in heavy duty screen-printed jackets done by Neil Burke at Monoroid.

Overview

My Cat Is An Alien Opalio Bros. Split Genre: Experimental Label: Important Records 2XLP: IPT 216 Price Code: 2Q (SRP $31.99) Deluxe Jacket; Box Lot 30

Dig in and find your own meaning in the comfortable alien world of the Opalio space brothers. Each side of this very limited LP features a 20-minute solo track from each brotherly half of the acclaimed My Cat Is An Alien. Both brothers were quiet about the inspiration for their tracks.

Track Listing Track One • Track Two

NOT AVAILABLE IN CANADA

Selling Points • Limited edition of 300 hand-numbered copies packaged in heavy duty screen-printed metallic ink jackets done by Neil Burke at Monoroid.

Overview My Cat Is An Alien’s surprising new masterwork is a concept album split with their side project Praxinoscope. As always, in a world full of compromises, MCIAA represent fierce independence and complete freedom. Take Roberto’s own words in the liner notes as the best introduction to this work: “One day we realized it was no more possible to discern archaic art and postmodern art in our palette; it was clear that they were both reflected in the same hall of mirrors. In other words, alien art and archaic art are the same thing. All archaic art deals with death, sex, transcendence, and eternity. We’re all living days suspended in the Void. The difference is in consciousness: this is real artists’ duty. Beyond and other than this, only oblivion.”

Track Listing MCIAA/Praxinoscope

My Cat Is An Alien & Praxinoscope Split LP Genre: Experimental Label: Important Records 2XLP: IPT 217 Price Code: 2U (SRP $39.99) Deluxe Jacket; Box Lot 30 NOT AVAILABLE IN CANADA

STREET DATE DATE MARCH MARCH 24, 24,2009 2009 STREET

19 19

press quotes “Riff after riff of distorted stoner metal like molten rock seeping out of a long-active volcano.” — The Aquarian

Selling Points • Sons of Otis has a very loyal fan base, which has steadily grown since 1992.

• Have shared stages with Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age, Clutch, and Fu Manchu.

• RIYL: Acid King, Electric Wizard, Porn, Kyuss, Fu Manchu.

• Finished copies to press, college radio, and e-media.

• Features expected with Roadburn, Metal Maniacs, and StonerRock.com.

Sons of Otis Exiled Genre: Rock Label: Small Stone Records CD: SSO 88 Price Code: O (SRP $13.99) Jewel Case; Box Lot 30 5% PREORDER DISCOUNT NOT AVAILABLE IN CANADA

ALSO AVAILABLE

Sons of Otis X

CD: SSO 52 Price Code: O NOT AVAILABLE IN CANADA

Overview Stretching out over the frozen great lakes like a cloud of smoke comes the triumphant return of Small Stone’s prodigal sons—Sons of Otis, that is. These hard drinkin’, heavy-hitting, good old Canadian boys have returned from their self-imposed exile with a masterpiece of sonic retribution, aptly titled Exiled. The six glorious tracks stretched out over 60 glorious minutes are reminiscent of the heyday of album-oriented rock, when it didn’t matter how many songs you had as long as you could fill up two sides of shiny black vinyl. Songs tremble along with ferocious might, swinging and swaying wherever they please, arcing up every so often to proclaim the might of Otis. After 15 years of hard work, dedication, and some of the worst luck, Sons of Otis has finally come into its own. The band returns to the road this spring and summer. Catch them now before the exile begins.

Track Listing Haters • Lost Soul • Bad Men • Oxazejam • Tales Of Otis • Iron Horse

Key Markets Hometown: Toronto. Also: Cleveland, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Montreal, Austin, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Minneapolis, Chicago

Selling Points • LP comes with free digital download card. CD version has one bonus track.

• Features Sam Shalabi on guitar.

• Recorded by Jace Lasek of The Besnard Lakes.

• US tour dates in March and Summer 2009.

• Publicity by Blueghost Publicity.

• Full US college radio campaign and tracking by AAM. • Ads with Skyscraper, Signal To Noise, The Big Takeover, and more.

Overview Nutsak played its first show in 1996, and though its members have been extremely active in Montreal’s music scene they have never recorded an album under this name until now.

Founding members Sam Shalabi (The Shalabi Effect, Land Of Kush) and Chris Burns (American Devices, GlassBurns) are certainly not newcomers to the experimental and improv music scenes. Their live and recorded collaborations include performances with Rhys Chatham, Mike Watts, Damo Suzuki, and an appearance in the Bob Dylan biopic I’m Not There with members of Calexico and My Morning Jacket. This album features unique cover versions of “My Favorite Things” and the Willie Dixon tune “Hidden Charms.”

Track Listing Baby Drools Diamonds • Cossack • Hidden Charms • May/September Blur Blues (CD Only) • They Fucked Good Tonight • Balzac • Innuendo Shminnuendo • Filets D’Harengs Fumés • You Are Going To Prison • I Hate Everything • Last Train To Nutsak, NJ • My Favorite Things •

Key Markets New York, Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Portland, Seattle, Austin, Boston

20

STREET DATE MARCH 24, 2009

Nutsak Failed Musician Genre: Punk Label: Signed By Force Records CD: SBF 8102 Price Code: M (SRP $14.99) Jewel Case; Box Lot 25 NOT AVAILABLE IN CANADA

5% PREORDER DISCOUNT LP: SBF 8112 Price Code: Q (SRP $15.99) LP Jacket; Box Lot 25 5% PREORDER DISCOUNT NOT AVAILABLE IN CANADA

Get nailed... on the road Pronto

Pink Martini

The Sleepover Disaster

CD: CTP 76 Price Code: O (SRP $13.99) UPC: 656605958828 * dates for Wilco/Jeff Tweedy 1/30/09 Ann Arbor, MI – Hill Auditorium 1/31/09 Champaign, IL – Foellinger Auditorium 4/25/09 New Orleans, LA – Jazz & Heritage Festival 3/19/09 Boston, MA – Venue TBA 3/20/09 New York, NY – Venue TBA 3/21/09 Philadelphia, PA – Venue TBA 3/22/09 Washington, DC – Venue TBA 3/23/09 Chapel Hill, NC – Venue TBA 3/24/09 Atlanta, GA – Venue TBA 3/26/09 Oxford, MS – Venue TBA 3/27/09 Nashville, TN – Venue TBA 3/28–29/09 Chicago, IL – Venue TBA

CD: HNZ 3 Price Code: S (SRP $18.99) UPC: 723721289454 5/15-16/09 San Antonio, TX – Lila Cockrell Theater 5/21/09 Seattle, WA – Benaroya Hall 5/31-6/1/09 Portland, OR – Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall 6/5/09 Atlanta, GA – Chastain Park Amphitheatre 6/6/09 Raleigh, NC – North Carolina Museum of Art 6/7/09 Knoxville, TN – Tennessee Theatre 6/9/09 Vienna,VA – Wolf Trap 6/12/09 Boston, MA – Boston Opera House 6/15/09 Portland, ME – Merrill Auditorium 6/16/09 Montclair, NJ – Wellmont Theatre 6/18/09 New York, NY – Carnegie Hall 6/23/09 St. Paul, MN – O’Shaughnessy Auditorium 6/25–26/09 San Francisco, CA – Davies Symphony Hall 6/27/09 Spokane, WA – Martin Woldson Theater

CD: DIW 115 Price Code: I (SRP $10.99) UPC: 723721397555 1/28/09 San Francisco, CA ­­–The Knockout 3/15/09 San Francisco, CA – Café du Nord 3/18/09 Austin, TX – SXSW 2009 4/9/09 San Francisco, CA – El Rio

All Is Golden

Pack of Wolves Betrayer

LP: ACL 25 Price Code: P (SRP $15.99) UPC: 723721197711 1/23/09 Dallas, TX – The Lounge on Elm Street 1/24/09 Little Rock, AR – Vinos 1/30/09 Austin, TX – Red Seven 2/20/09 Austin, TX – Room 710

Balmorhea

All Is Wild, All Is Silent

CD: WVR 59 Price Code: M (SRP $14.99) UPC: 656605958620 1/23/09 Austin, TX – Mohawk 1/28/09 Seattle, WA – Nectar 1/29/09 Portland, OR – Reed College 1/31/09 Portland, OR – Alberta Street Pub

C-Rayz Walz & Kosha Dillz Freestyle vs.Written

CD: MMD 41 Price Code: M (SRP $14.99) UPC: 707541037990 * dates for C-Rayz Walz 2/22/09 Indianapolis, IN – The Jazz Kitchen 2/23/09 Indianapolis, IN – Subterra

Hey Eugene!

Pillars & Tongues Protection

CD: CTP 74 Price Code: O (SRP $13.99) UPC: 616892976127 * on tour with Bonnie “Prince” Billy 3/21/09 Winnipeg, MB – Pyramid Cabaret 3/22/09 Saskatoon, SK – Broadway Theatre 3/23/09 Edmonton, AB – McDougal United Church 3/24/09 Calgary, AB – McEwan Hall 3/25/09 Vancouver, BC – The Vogue Theatre 3/26/09 Seattle, WA – Moore Theatre 3/27/09 Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom 3/30/09 San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore

Red Light Driver

And Now We Can Be Ourselves

CD: MFT 109 Price Code: N (SRP $12.99) UPC: 859701054450 1/24/09 Covington, KY – The Mad Hatter 2/7/09 Lafayette, IN – The Knickerbocker Saloon

Hover

Whitey Morgan & The 78s Honky Tonks and Cheap Motels

CD: SSO 86 Price Code: O (SRP $13.99) UPC: 709764108624 2/6–7/09 Saginaw, MI – 6 Shooters 2/20/09 Port Huron, MI – Alexander’s 3/13/09 Ferndale, MI – Magic Bag 3/14/09 Saginaw, MI – 6 Shooters 3/19/09 Knuckleheads – Kansas City, MO 3/20/09 Austin, TX – Room 710 3/21/09 Corpus Christi, TX – House of Rock 4/17–18/09 Saginaw, MI – 6 Shooters 5/22/09 Whitmore Lake, MI – Outriggers 6/19–20/09 Midland, MI – Benny’s Bike Rally

Ironweed

Indian Ladder

CD: SSO 85 Price Code: O (SRP $13.99) UPC: 709764108525 1/20/09 Troy, NY – Revolution Hall 2/3/09 Albany, NY – Savannah’s 3/20/09 Austin, TX – Room 710

Vic Chesnutt & Elf Power Dark Developments

CD: OTW 31 Price Code: M (SRP $14.99) UPC: 656605663128 2/1/09 Rock Island, IL – Huckleberry’s Pizza Parlor 2/2/09 Indianapolis, IN – Locals Only 2/3/09 Nashville, TN – Exit/IN 2/4/09 Asheville, NC – Grey Eagle 2/7/09 Athens, GA – 40 Watt 3/11/09 New York, NY – Carnegie Hall (REM Tribute)

TOURDATES

21

NAIL NEW RELEASE ORDER FORM

ARTIST

MARCH 2009>>1

TITLE

FMT

LBL

CAT#

UPC

$$ DISC QTY

Pronto

All Is Golden

CD

CTP

76

656605958828

O

5%

Balmorhea

All Is Wild, All Is Silent

CD

WVR

59

656605958620

M

5%

Balmorhea

All Is Wild, All Is Silent

LP

WVR

59

656605958613

M

5%

Balmorhea

Rivers Arm

CD

WVR

51

656605455129

M

n/a

Fankhauser, Merrell

Move To Higher Ground

CD

MMN

76

4010073007628

Q

n/a

Vietnam Veterans

Strange Girl [as The Gitanes]

CD

MMN

75

4010073007529

Q

n/a

Vietnam Veterans

On The Right Track/Crawfish

CD

MMN

660045

4010073660458

Q

n/a

Madeline

White Flag

CD

OTW

34

656605663425

M

5%

Madeline

Slow Bang, The

CD

OTW

26

656605602622

M

n/a

Neal, Willie Heath

Out of Highway

CD

CHX

1027

880270264124

O

5%

Neal, Willie Heath

Lonesome

CD

CHX

1012

880270076222

O

n/a

Julie’s Haircut

Our Secret Ceremony

CD

SPL

38

8032644745384

2G

5%

Julie’s Haircut

Our Secret Ceremony

LP

SPL

38

8032644744998

2N

5%

Julie’s Haircut

N-Waves/U-Waves

CD

SPL

19

8032644745193

Q

n/a

Sleepy Eyes of Death

Dark Signals

CD

MVM

18

723721404253

E

5%

Shiny Around the Edges

Holy Roller

CD

SAC

1149

804128114928

I

5%

Black Cock

Robot Child with a God Com-

CD

ACG

23

733792847729

O

5%

Many Birthdays

Emptiness Is Forever EP

CD

THG

8

825479092529

H

n/a

Wynardtage

Grey Line, The

CD

COP

120

703513012026

M

5%

E.S.T./Esbjorn Svensson Trio

From Gagarin’s Point Of View

CD

AMV

9005

614427900524

Q

n/a

E.S.T./Esbjorn Svensson Trio

Viaticum

CD

AMV

9015

614427901521

Q

n/a

E.S.T./Esbjorn Svensson Trio

Seven Days Of Falling

CD

AMV

9012

614427901224

Q

n/a

E.S.T./Esbjorn Svensson Trio

Good Morning Susie Soho

CD

AMV

9009

614427900920

Q

n/a

E.S.T./Esbjorn Svensson Trio

Winter In Venice

CD

AMV

9007

614427900722

Q

n/a

E.S.T./Esbjorn Svensson Trio

Strange Place For Snow

CD

AMV

9011

614427901125

Q

n/a

Akchote, Noel

Toi-Meme

CD

WTR

146

025091014620

S

n/a

Licht, Alan

YMCA

LP

FVR

63

656605406312

T

5%

Licht, Alan/Onda, Aki

Everydays

CD

FVR

58

656605405827

O

n/a

Avarus

IV

LP

EYE

42

714903934217

Y

n/a

Avarus

Vesikansi

CD

EYE

25

777215109926

M

n/a

Pack of Wolves

Betrayer

LP

ACL

25

723721197711

P

5%

Merzbow

13 Japanese Birds V.3

CD

IPT

236

793447523620

P

n/a

ORDER DIRECT AND SAVE! ORDERS>> 800–288–2007 FAX>> 503–257–9061

NAIL NEW RELEASE ORDER FORM

ARTIST

TITLE

FMT LBL

CAT#

MARCH 2009>>2

UPC

$$

DISC

Merzbow

13 Japanese Birds V.2: Owl

CD

IPT

233

793447523323

P

n/a

Parkins, Andrea

Faulty (Broken Orbit)

CD

IPT

199

793447519920

P

n/a

Van Wissem, Jozef

It Is All That Is Made

CD

IPT

232

793447523224

P

n/a

Brethren of the Free Spirit

Wolf Shall Also Dwell with the

CD

IPT

222

793447522227

P

n/a

Brethren of the Free Spirit

Wolf Shall Also Dwell with the

LP

IPT

222

793447522210

T

n/a

Skull Defekts, The

Temple, The

CD

IPT

235

793447523521

P

n/a

Smith, Steven R./Davis, Gareth Westering

LP

IPT

234

793447523422

V

n/a

Larsen

LLL

LP

IPT

208

793447520810

X

n/a

My Cat Is An Alien

Roberto Opalio/Maurizio

LP

IPT

216

793447521626

2Q

n/a

My Cat Is An Alien/Praxino-

Split

LP

IPT

217

793447521725

2U

n/a

Sons of Otis

Exiled

CD

SSO

88

709764107887

O

5%

Sons of Otis

X

CD

SSO

52

709764105227

O

n/a

Nutsak

Failed Musician

CD

SBF

8102

068944981021

M

5%

Nutsak

Failed Musician

LP

SBF

8112

068944981120

Q

5%

QTY

JANUARY 2009’s TOP 10 NEW RELEASES 1. J.Tillman Vacilando Territory Blues WVR 56 2. David S. Ware Shakti AUM 52 3. Loren Connors & Jim O’Rourke Two Nice Catholic Boys FVR 59 4. Acid Mothers Temple Glorify Astrological Martyrdom IPT 226 5. Merzbow 13 Japanese Birds Vol. 1 IPT 225 6. Plastic Crimewave Sound Painted Shadows SPL 30 7. Roses Kings Castles Roses Kings Castles SYC 1 8. Dozer Beyond Colossal SSO 87 9. Phil Ranelin Living a New Day WID 288 10. Elder Utah Smith I Got Two Wings [BOOK+CD] CQU 104

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