A.R. and Machines-IV(1973)

A psychedelic symphony of sorts, Achim Reichel and Machines’ 1973 release, IV, is one of the most impressive psychedelic records to have ever been released in Germany. Achim Reichel indulges his self-described “echo guitar” style wherein he composes music by overlaying repetitive and reverberated melodies. The entire record is essentially one entire track that is partitioned into four parts, or movements, that could unashamedly be described as a Baroque Suite on LSD. The music here accumulates as more and more instruments-among them recorder and a sports whistle-are incorporated, yet it never becomes convoluted-the record is only mellifluous and smooth, discretely transitioning into new melodies as it carries on. Tempo changes drastically and you never even notice-AR IV incorporates the listener into this narrative that the sound that it has devised. A.R. and Machines is another one of those outfits that could be considered to Krautrock what Krautrock was to German “Schlager”(an embarrassing rip-off of American acts such as Elvis Presley that existed in part due to Germany’s loss of cultural identity after WWII). You could consider this a revolution of the revolution. Even Achim Reichel’s lyrics are fantastic: “Wayyyyyy down yonder, in the vaginaaaaa of Earth!”

Track Listing:
Vita A: Cave Explorers + Birdmen (Höhlenforscher + Vogelmenschen)
Vita B: The Man In Kidleather (Der Mann In Nappa)
Vita C: Thin Is The Skin Of Ecstasy (Dünn Ist Die Haut Der Ekstase)
Aqua: Every Raindrop Longs For The Sea (Jeder Tropfen Träumt Vom Meer) H₂O

Personnel:
Achim Reichel- Composer, Mixer, Guitar [Echo]
Hans Hartmann - Double Bass
Hans Boche-Drums
Claus-Robert Kruse- Electric Piano
Helmuth Franke-Guitar
Matti Klatt -Percussion (tracks: A1a to A1c)
Olaf Casalich -Percussion tracks: A1a to A1c)
Frank Wulf -Recorder, Recorder [Bass], Sitar -(tracks: A1a to A1c)
Jochen Petersen -Saxophone [Soprano], Flute

Link: http://rapidshare.com/#!download|582l32|379920031|Achim_Reichel__-_A.R._IV_1973.rar|99620

Suicide-Suicide(1977)

Suicide is where No Wave began. The electronic proto-punk duo was founded in 1971 in New York-it’s parents, vocalist Alan Vega, who Lydia Lunch quite accurately describes as “a perverted Puerto Rican, Elvis Presley-damaged, psychotic acid casualty”, and synthesizer and drum-machiner Martin Rev soon became known as the dark godfathers of No Wave. Suicide’s name was taken from the title of one of Vega’s favorite Ghost Rider comic books-Satan Suicide, and their first two, self-titled releases, in 1977 and 1980 were released on New York’s ZE Records-a label that found itself infatuated with what became known as the No Wave scene and the East Village post-punk rockers. Yes, Suicide is where it all began, having influenced the birth of bands such as MARS(originally named China) and Arto Lindsay’s DNA and other musicians that would attend Suicide’s confrontational shows at the then underground music purgatory, CBGB, in Manhattan. CBGB, along with the later Mudd Club were pivotal in the development of No Wave music and the community that spawned it.


Suicide’s first record, the aforementioned 1977 release, is not what you would expect from a release associated so heavily with No Wave-it is, simply stated, pretty. Suicide 1977 is actually quite reminiscent of Lou Reed’s beautiful, deconstructed-blues rhythms and chant-like, romantic melodies, but with a staunch yet unobtrusive electronic overtone that culminate to make you wonder if the then teenage Shoegazers had it ruminating on their record players. “Cheree” is based on a simple progression completely analogous to Richard Berry’s “Louie Louie”, and the little synthesized bells remind the listener of Velvet Underground’s “Sunday Morning”. Vega’s vocals are almost desperate, as though plagued by some unrequited love, and yet he sings so confidently and makes subtlety in the voice a very powerful, expressive machine. It’s interesting to hear Rev’s drum machine pound out sequences that one might suspect were responsible for the sound that DNA’s Ikue Mori and Tuxedomoon had(particularly the track “Desire”). It’s clear that Suicide was an indispensable part of the development of post-punk music in New York, and thus it should be an indispensable part of any collection.

Track Listing:
"Ghost Rider" – 2:33
"Rocket U.S.A." – 4:17
"Cheree" – 3:41
"Johnny" – 2:10
"Girl" – 4:06
"Frankie Teardrop" – 10:25
"Che" – 4:51

Personnel:
Alan Vega-vocals
Martin Rev-synthesizers/percussion

Link: http://www.gazup.com/TkPhi-20090315.rar-download-mirrors

Splendora-In The Grass(1995)

New York's Splendora understand a very important artistic element: economy. Nothing on In The Grass is superfluous or unnecessary-the band is one of the few from the nineties that incorporated a cello and a violin into their ensemble and did so indispensably, exemplifying the post-grunge carriage that is this 1995 release. In The Grass is an essential as it almost transcends genre and only refers to the structure of the nineties, yet gives the listener this otherwise unattainable nostalgia that could only exist for the said decade. Janet Wygal is like a Kathleen Hannah who isn't on her period, and shows us that the female voice can sound angry-moreover, emotive-without screaming "Suck my left one!"(that's not to say Bikini Kill isn't great). In fact, Wygal's nonchalant, yet deliberate vocals accentuate the overall emphasis on craftsmanship that this album is epitomal of; there exists this controlled sound throughout the record that manages to retain some sense of organic texture. Splendora provides odd little subtleties(relative to the genre, or lack thereof) such as exhibiting their penchant for putting major chords everywhere you think you're going to hear a minor chord and sampling here and there. Consequently, there isn't a single track on this entire record that isn't worth reiterating to yourself over and over again, which brings me to the peculiarity of this album-it's a record which informs grunge but doesn't get redundant. At all. Simply stated, every song on this thing is absolutely beautiful and interesting. You cannot get what Splendora gives you from another record, ergo that is why you must get their only release, In The Grass here:

http://www.mediafire.com/?milzjtz3zyj

Oh, and they made the theme song for Daria.

Track Listing:
1. Bee Stung Lips
2. Rat Fink
3. Breeze
4. Rocker
5. Beautiful
6. Pollyanna
7. Reanimator
8. Shirt On
9. Sever
10. Rattle
11. Cover The River
12. No Place
13. It's Great
14. Busted


Personnel:
Janet Wygal-guitar/vocals
Tricia Wygal-bass/vocals
Delissa Santos-percussion
Cindy Brolsma-cello
Jennifer Richardson-violin

Paternoster-s/t(1972)

Paternoster’s self-titled October 1972 release is undoubtedly the darkest record of the European psychedelic Renaissance. This organ-clad masterpiece accentuates the darker side of the psychedelic sound, rendering a somber, melancholic, departure from reality that encapsulates the listener until the grand finale that is the mocking, freakish last 25 seconds of the record. Franz Wippel’s haunting moan squeezes out words of suicide, existential despair and the album’s apparent theme-an insatiable frustration with organized religion. Wisser’s percussion informs the looser, drum-meanderings inherent in Krautrock(though Paternoster is by no means a Krautrock record), almost asserting some oblong precursor to hip-hop and culminating with the contrasting melancholy of the other instruments, which makes this record sound like a twisted musical Necronomicon.

Track Listing:
1. Paternoster (3:56)
2. Realization (3:34)
3. Stop These Lines (6:57)
4. Blind Children (6:16)
5. Old Danube (4:16)
6. The Pope Is Wrong (6:02)
7. Mammoth Opus O (8:55)

Personnel:
Franz Wippel-organ/vocals
Gerhard Waller-guitar/vocals
Gerhart Walenta-bass
Heimo Wisser-percussion

Link: http://www.mediafire.com/?2m4dtyyrgmd