Fake Sound Routine Compilation 2xCassette

Out on I Just Live Here Records. 

A techno compilation featuring Night Burger, Container, Dog synth, Lazer Poodle, Leslie Keffer And Scott Martin, Ketchup Packet, Outmode, Psychio Franklin, G Blaise, The Party System, Manganese Nodules, Work/Death, Unicorn Hard-On, Dave Smolen, Super giant Slolum, Bee Mask And DMT Stallyne, Lazy Magnet.

In that order. 

$$14

The Tobacconists 7"

The music of Scott Foust and Frans De Waard, out on Scott’s Swill Radio label.

I’m totally charmed.  In the ships basement, slow lurch, there’s something happening in the laboratory. Experiment with scarfs at certain angles on beautiful mannequins, the scientists are in casual wear……………. They break to kneel and hymn, under the feeling they got from the ritual of their game. This is such a fuckin great sound, what more to say? $$13

Orca Team "Orca Team EP" Cassette

Soulful Pop music. Great rhythms. Drums, bass, guitar, and male sung vocals. Space in the songs, especially in the guitar playing. Nicely recorded too. Kinda makes me think a Phil Spector band but modern, and a bit quieter. Eggy number 13. $$6

Ryan Garbes 7" and new things

This is really nice. Relaxing sounds that are doing me good right now. drums and keyboard wander along the street eyeing all the adornments of the day. the vocals roll down the slippery slope at Wet n Wild back when i was a kid. After a few listens i can feel this record starting to crawl over me slowly like im asleep on the creaky couch and someones pulling the blanket over me, tucking me in. A meditation record, yeah! $$10

Other new things are the Kommissar Hjuler Und Frau/Idm thfftable split tape which i've listened to once and is crazy, + new goaty and eggy batches

albertsbasement@gmail.com to ask or order 

The C&B "1991 pre Shadow Ring recordings" 7inch

Its all too perfect, big thanks to silt breeze for sending us these. 4 songs recorded by Darren Harris and Graham Lambkin in Cheriton, Kent in 1991. $$12

Taco Leg 'Freemasons Hall' 7inch

Here we go, Australia has some great punk experiment energy. They wouldn’t admit it but this band is arty. Andrew sits into his vocal pitch and drills his lyrics in and it effects like nothing before, especially with the extremely repeated yet carefully varied guitar and drum constructions, it comes together at the taco leg. Architecture meets jam energy… Seeing the songs live on their recent visit to Melbourne ruled so hard. Ten times better than the recordings and this is one of my favourite records. There’s an urgency yet complacency in this band which caused the energy that led to me anticipating the record and tour so much that when I did see them play it was a huge buzz. Can’t wait to see where taco leg or any of their perth mates go soon. Sunbathing in Squalor closes the record in style. This 7” is a beautiful, charming listen. $$10

Tyvek 'Mary Ellen Claims' 7inch

Tyvek are a nice punk band. They seem to know how to throw a party for everyone. They like to jam and make an energy. The way the singer sings is really nice too, writes great lyrics and draws nice things on the cover of the record. Mary Ellen Claims is quite restrained, one of the most charming Tyvek songs I’ve heard. B side is a car ride down through lilydale, a simple song that explains a lot. $$10

Them Themselves Or They 'Ribbons And Bows Angel Dust And Magick Wands' 7inch

Opens with Sunshine. The drums are some of the best ive ever heard. Recorded inside a box…………. I think this song is written by Sally Strobelight, and it is an ode to something that turns her on. I might be wrong. The song is very beautiful. Bass grooves along the whole time, a melted hug. The b-side is the upper……………………….. $$8

Knit Seperates 'Maybe In Time I Could Change' 7inch

These songs are real personal and beautiful listening. The first half of this 7" is perfect. Guitar and vocal for the most part, a real warm thuddy drum beat kicks in at the end of opener echoing out before brief "Little Spike" washes up against our ankles on the dark beach before the night is whisked off from the mind into obscurity. The guitar playing is really good. It all has a knack for being somewhat unpredictable and fragile, maybe even Jandek comes to mind. Jason Honea singing sounds deranged and angelic at the same time, its not particularly easy listening but these songs are fantastic. I'm into your spirit man! $$8

Rank Xerox 7inch on Mongo Bongo records

A good solid 7" from Rank/Xerox. From San Fran but one member from Perth, and gosh, also plays in Frank & the Can I Speaklies. Pretty straight ahead songs for guitar bass drums and singing, but something pricks the ears. The slightly off chord changes, something in the vocals. The trebly guitar melody on track 2 is nice and the slight push around of the vocals from spoken to singing. Yeah this is straight ahead but only slightly stirs around and that slightness is whats intriguing listening to this. Organ pumps on track 3 almost like Chrome Dome, thunder ticking inside the head halfway through the song, nice one. $$10

Pheromoans 'Revamper' 7inch

Bit poppier than open for business. All the band members are actually making something happen. They’re an energies band, positive negative and inbetween. Interested in the basics of language “you’re son has come, revamper..”, little stories of people fictional or real? In jobs or having penis envy… Melbourne swaggerers into Twerps’ ‘Dance Alone’ need ‘Penis Envy 96’ to accompany it. Love this band. Street can casio key board duet pep up Russell through spoken word “the man who wolf wistled” on the b side, perhaps where Pheromoans most obviously meets side project Teleporters? I wouldn’t have a clue!! $$10

The Paul Kidney Experience 'Flower Punk' Cdr

Recently changed my mind on a Saturday evening and went to see Paul Kidney at Pony, couldn’t have made a better decision. Paul Kidney is attractive and drags an energy towards him from his 6 piece band. The feeling was electric and exciting. He sounds like animals razzing and mating and being righteous. A psychedelic jam band well worth seeing. This cdr is their debut and marks the first release of Sunshine And Grease records, operated out of my favourite record store in Melbourne. There’s a story behind this release, buy it to find out. Highly Recommended. $$11

Milk Teddy 'Going to Sri Lanka' 7inch

Recently saw this band play at Yah Yahs and the songs had never sounded so good. They were breathing. It was an ecstatic gig, that got me psyched. Pretty straight laced mellow guitar pop these guys are I guess, kinda vibes like the Chills but they just chug along lazily in their own style. Thomas’ voice is stunning and versatile. Really optimistic about the lp milk teddy is recording. Shimmering. High five. Get demented and listen to the A side at 33rpm. $$8

Woollen Kits 'Teenage Love' 7inch

Woollen Kits spearhead the blossoming Periodic records family, and here they are on their debut 7” playing fantastic Rock N Roll recorded in their bathroom onto 4 track. Tom H has played around solo for a couple of years releasing 2 gorgeously packaged cdrs of interestingly recorded pop and pranks. Woollen Kits has quite recently grown into a band and has just gotten better and better. Tom Ridgewell is such a great sturdy drummer I love. Tom H sings about his girlfriend basically, in a deep voice which verges on sounding mutant when he is in full swing, channeling his heart through violent refractions. The unhinged guitar that closes this record is perfect. Teenage love! $$8

Banana Head 'In The Tubs' cassette

I’ve probably listened to this tape 5 or 6 times, it accompanied me on a ferry over to Philip island and I listened to it on the porch in the evening breeze looking at the bushes swaying and stretch of water in the distance. From the movies of Pen-ek/Wong Kar Wei, colourful textures wash at the shore romantic in a distant community. This tape is a series of simple ballads, lulling, the rhythms repeated an almost throb, guitar chords spread out. The songs are perfectly constructed and the hooks are so effective, the vocals are comforting in their distance but so perfectly calculated and handing down the story surely. But so mournful. Everything on the tape is so consistent but the tricks in the song writers trick bag surprise strangely, the way he sings on “You’re Mine” almost honky tonk along like a trombone. Welcome to the world of Banana Head, the world of a childrens toy that tells the kid stories of his experiences secretly. My favourite pop tape. $$9

Russian Tsarlag 'unleash the chain' cassette

This band makes beautiful weird punk music. It is slow and the vocals are near spoken but holding a captivating hook in the singing. A lull in the music through out the whole song. Wonderfully recorded, bright bass and sparse drum machine chug underneath the words of mystery singer and guitar riff floats in, its all very dreamy and surreal, menacing vibe but so lovely to listen to, when he sings “we’re walking in the graveyard” on the opener. Section 25 meets The Shadow Ring? Fuckin inspiring songs in a world of their own. $$9

Truth Syrum 'Why we look at our neighbours' cassette

TS is one of my favourite artists, discovered listening to the night people tape in a car driving out to lilydale hills. I know very little about it but it's a solo dude. Opens with a weird piece "cancer for the children cancer for the kids" he repeats to himself incessantly over a nice rhythmic loop. This fades into a psych guitar jam, its as though we come in late to the jam but it itself only lasts a minute. He gets fantastic harsh sounds out of his guitar, the mellow sounding Maple Fugue is warm and fuzzy and it starts to feel intimate. The mysterious player is dissecting his ideas and music in a intriguing way, twisted its all desperately real. Singing turns Maple Fugue into a lullably before the guitar breaks up and the singing becomes some kind of trumpet, the main motif is then slightly altered and repeated, one of the tricks of Truth Syrum. A lot of what he does too is real catchy. Manages to be playful and serious at the same time, such a beautiful tape i hope there is another chapter. $$9

Rosemary Krust 'Bernt Anker' 7inch

Their second 7” is released on the intriguing Dull Knife records. More of the same really, the guitar seems heavier, cacophonous, definitely more prominent and the bass has drifted off into the distance. Cicada Killer feels like a poetry reading from a david lynch film. Some of the best songs being made today. Trying to tell a story in the middle a storm, but still just huddling up and feeling the energy. The singing on the last song is so good and its own self full of strength. Ophelia is present on the record... another stunning document from RK. $$6

Rosemary Krust 'Rosemary Krust' 7inch

One of my favourite new bands along with the Pheromoans. From Baltimore Maryland in USA. Rosemary Krust linger between hazy pop songs and noise pieces with a intimate narration feel and sensibility like Australias Garbage & the Flowers. Seriously beautiful. These guys seem to be unforced, playing live rarely, growing naturally, recording quietly and releasing slowly and calmly. Is this correct? Recorded so well, the way the bass guitar sounds makes me melt. The folk ditty that closes the 7” practically rolls out the door and waves. On Spleencoffin records. $$6

Teleporters 'Corsica Nightflight' Cassette

From somewhere in the UK is a band called the Pheromoans, this is an offshoot of singer Russell and Instrumentalist The Octogram called Teleporters. It seems we’re in the twilight zone, Rod Serling introduces the band “Okay Teleporters ladies and gentleman.” Russell and Octogram perform spoken word duets being Voice and drum or Voice and Accordian etc.. presented as a collage of performances across the tape. Mysterious and entertaining lyrics prick the ears. Cluttersome and poignant. My favourite tape of late, now sold out from the band. For fans of the shadow ring or the british accent. Sparkle red cover. $$8

The polyps "Fennels Daughter" 7inch

Fans of Syd Barrett and Francis Plagne should have a look here. Beautiful handmade artwork, makes you understand a little bit more about the Polyps already. "Knock on the other door" Raf sings at the start of the song, already you're in the broken pond of this record. Drums are recorded so nicely and everything is warm. Not so out of line even with the local indie pop scene a la chapter music etc, but the way the instruments are played just connects with me, it's a sweet sensibility. B side....slows down. The clouds are moving slowly. On Eggy records. $$5

Pheromoans 'Open For Business' 7inch

Open for business, damn right. Not afraid to be poppy or to jam on into a stupor. These guys jam and it feels wonderful. Rolling cascades of guitar, up drums, plud bass and a husky wail vocal that doesn't necessarily go with the flow. A fun punk rock band that talk about whatevers on their minds. right? One of my favourite new bands. Obvious reference is the Fall but no copying here. RADICAL COURRIER singer Russell yells. Demented punk rock played on late night radio.. charming song titles like "big letting chief agent". HIGHLY recommended!! $$10

Lamps 'Niels Bohr was an excellent ping pong player' 7inch

Single out on Texas label Dull Knife who brought us the new Rosemary Krust 7" and some other real nice stuff i've heard by The Wiggins, Richard Youngs, Circuit Des Yeux etc. Dull Knife is a mysterious character itself, and here we are with KNIFE016. Lamps is a fantastic band name I like it a lot. This is my first taste of them but I know they’ve done a lot of stuff that people dig. I only found them out recently and due to the name was instantly curious. Here they present ‘Niels Bohr was an excellent ping pong player’ and ‘I’ve been on a lot of camels’. They play sturdy throbbing rock for guitar bass drums, vocals are grunted, but it all has such a nice touch, subtle and perfectly crafted for such a raucous energy. Bass and drums basically pound, the guitar too until it unhinges but never to a point of lost control until the outro that is. There’s a lot of vary here but its all subtle, yet this is a rock monster, relentless, purpose, while boozing and loping in the couch. Barking from the stool at the library circle, everything you thought and felt in a moving piece of literature. I’ve only heard a few songs and something keeps drawing me back in. Addictive! $$9