I'm glad you asked. Some treats in on all formats:

Celer - Dwell in Possibility (vinyl, ltd to 420 copies; "Over a relatively short period of time, Celer's catalogue has amounted to a major presence in the field of ambient music, and this fine limited edition LP will only add to the duo's prestige within the genre." - Boomkat)
Z'EV - As / If / When (vinyl)
Max Richter - 24 Postcards (vinyl)
V/A - Ecstatic Music of the Jemaa El Fna (vinyl, Sublime Frequencies)
For centuries, the Jemaa El Fna (Rendezvous of the Dead) has remained the stage for one of the most spectacular social forums on the planet. By day, this central square in the city of Marrakesh, one of Morocco's great imperial cities, fosters a kaleidoscope of entertainment for its local inhabitants; storytellers, acrobats, magicians and snake charmers all create intriguing displays of bewitching spectacle. As the sun sets, the evening grows frantic with the pulse of the crowd; it is then that the night musicians set up. Free from the restrictions and expectations of light entertainment for a tourist crowd, these musicians manifest ecstatic performances that animate the audience and players alike. The groups represented on this album; Troupe Majidi, Amal Saha, and Mustapha Mahjoub, are working and carrying the torch of their musical heroes nightly in the square. These songs come from the repertoire of Morocco's greatest musical exports: Nass El Ghiwane, Lemchaheb, Jil Jilala, Larssad, and many others from the Chaabi (Moroccan popular music) canon and are given a raw, emotional and fiery interpretation. Instruments are powered by car batteries and blown out through megaphone speakers. These recordings represent a rare opportunity to hear this music at such close proximity taking in all the power and passion of the performances. The raw fidelity captures an unflinching immersion of what is simply some of the greatest street music on earth.

On CD we've got the latest releases from:

Broken Social Scene
Band of Horses
Court Yard Hounds
Keith Jarret / Charlie Haden
Hold Steady
Japandroids
Rolling Stones
KD Lang
The National
Jack Johnson


&

Jasper TX - Black Sheep
Grouper - Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill

&

Two nice Mosaic Box Sets, both ltd to 5000 each:

Curtis Amy
McCoy Tyner

The latest from Hollywood is also in on DVD and Blu-Ray: Alice In Wonderland and Avatar.

I've been threatening for a while to bring in a bunch of new ambient / drone / experimental / folk. Many of you have tried to stop me. Anyone visiting the store from here on out will be a testament to your failure.

As I've done in the past when bringing a new batch from a new supplier, I've put them at quote unquote introductory prices, so gobble them up. I've seen one or two of the titles at other shops but no one stocks this many and we've got them at absolutely the cheapest price I've seen them for anywhere in town. These are almost all limited edition CDs. Available today:

Valerio Cosi - Heavy Electronic Pacific Rock
"What Valerio Cosi coaxes from his saxophone on Heavy Electronic Pacific Rock is unparalleled. ... Cosi's captivating sonics sit alongside the greats of experimental music … it's so fresh that calling it ‘free’ limits its potential and blemishes the sound … genres bend to the will of Cosi and his feverish imagination" - Tiny Mix Tapes

Black to Comm - Charlemagne & Pippin
“Starting with a microcosm of a drone, the piece largely develops itself as an extended crescendo, continuously moving steadily forward into ever deeper waters … an intoxicating and immersive experience akin to the very MC5 song it is named after. Not in sound perhaps, but certainly in attitude and scope.” - Brainwashed

Barn Owl - From Our Mouths A Perpetual Light
"Some might label this as garden variety stoner rock, but it transcends those genre misgivings. Barn Owl's ultimate value lies within the subtlety of their approach, reminiscent almost of Indian classical music." - Cokemachineglow
"It's as though the first layer of American settlers has been reactivated through the music and Barn Owl are transmitters." - Julian Cope

Ilyas Ahmed - The Vertigo of Dawn
“Heavy, jamming, acoustic guitar licks, eastern grooving hand percussions, stoned backwards or fuzzed-out electric guitar splatters, and subtle creaky drones. The vocals are nearly unintelligible but swirl beautifully through the songs like floating, smoky ripples. Woozy, head-bobbing, and completely there.” – Brad Rose (Digitalis)

Ilyas Ahmed - Between Two Skies / Towards The Night
"These primitive recordings house some remarkably beautiful sounds, largely focussed on Ahmed's solo guitar playing and mournfully howling voice." - Boomkat
"Call it abandon, a facility for letting go, for moving on; either way Ahmed's music is gone. And all we have are the recordings, scattered notes to prove that he once existed and felt it all as deeply and miraculously as any of us. And right now, from where I'm calling from, I wouldn't ask for anything more." - David Keenan, from the liner notes

Evan Caminiti - Psychic Mud Shrine (Caminiti is one half of Avant Metal band Barn Owl)
“Four towering guitar pieces that move beyond the pursuit of drone and sludge and take on a more slippery, mystical quality.” - Boomkat

Elm - Nemcatacoa - (Jon Porras (Elm) is one half of Barn Owl)
“Achingly beautiful album fusing elements of everything from Earth to Windy & Carl, Stephen O'Malley, My Bloody Valentine, Fennesz, Keith Fullerton Whitman and Emeralds. … Incredible.” – Boomkat

Turner Cody - Buds of May (Turner is the bassist for Herman Dune.)
“I think he's a really gifted songwriter. Whatever it is, I think he has it … If you can track down his Buds of May, that's where it's at!” – Wooden Wand “Cody is pre-war, Old Testament & A Confederate General from Big Sur.” - Glenn Donaldson (Jewelled Antler / Skygreen Leopards)

Concern – Truth & Distance
“Despite the heavily processed sound of this material, the three long tracks here were constructed almost entirely out of acoustic instrumentation … almost unspeakably beautiful.” - Boomkat

Scott Tuma – Not For Nobody (Scott is Ex-Boxhead Ensemble & a member of Zelienople)
“This album is too good to be true. It captures some of the finest elements of music and places these notes and passages in contexts that are at once instantly familiar and yet new. A truly unique work.” – Boomkat

Taiga Remains – Wax Canopy
“Neither sedate enough to fall into the ambient category nor ferocious enough to sit alongside Yellow Swans and the like, Wax Canopy resides somewhere in the blurry betweenness, at times bringing to mind Lichens, Birdshow and perhaps even the rainforest collages of Francisco Lopez.” – Boomkat

Cursillistas – Wasp Stings the Last Bitter Flavor
“…sounds like an intimate secret whispered in the listener's ear.” – Brad Rose (Digitalis)
“…sweet, abstract narratives in a lowest-ever-fi setting… otherworldly folk and esoteric song warping, with one foot in the outsider undergrowth and the other firmly rooted in more traditional soils.” - Boomkat

Chriss Sutherland – Me in a Field (Chriss is a founding member of Cerberus Shoal)
“Fans of Sufjan Stevens, Akron/Family or just good 'ole fashioned American Primitive folk music would do well to check this without any further ado - I'm off to grab a bottle of moonshine, last week's Sunday paper and a rockin' chair.” – Boomkat

Ensemble Economique – At the Foot of Nameless Roads (Brian Pyle (ee) is in Starving Weirdos and RV Paintings)
“This is vivid, haunting music that leaves a trail of gold in its wake. – Brad Rose (Digitalis)

Rutger Zuydervelt (Machinefabriek) / Mariska Baars (soccer Committee) / Wouter Van Veldhoven – Zeeg
“A glorious forty-minute epic of a track … melts into gut-churning bass drones and a dense brick-wall of hissing, reverberating sound. All this is slowly piped through the tape machine again and again before the calmer elements start to wade through the fog and calm is restored. Highly Recommended.” – Boomkat

The Green Blossoms - Whiskey Leaves
“Aiko Koga’s voice is the real focal point of the album. Soft and restrained, even when you can't understand her words (some of the lyrics are in Japanese), you are hooked from the get-go. Hours later, you find yourself humming her melodies while her ghostly incantations are stuck in the back of your mind. … Beautiful.” – Brad Rose (Digitalis)

Theo Angell & the Tabernacle Hillside Singers - Auraplinth (Theo Angell has worked with Hall of Fame & Jackie-O Motherfucker.)
“There's a feel to this album perhaps best described as Manson-esque.” – Boomkat

(VxPxC) - Porchmass
“These guys are a three-man scene, and a joy to follow.” – Dusted Magazine
“The wordless vocals flicker like volcanic ash falling from a sunkissed sky. There's so many things at odds with each other throughout these pieces that the resulting dichotomies and trichotomies create an entirely new sound.” - Brad Rose (Digitalis)

Milton Cross - Light in the West (Cross is in Tarentel, Dial Square, & Party of Doom)
“Cross does his best work when he's playing his violin or harmonium. He's classically trained and his skill is immediately apparent. Both instruments permeate the album, adding a thick layer of glowing warmth to the songs which they haunt.” – Brad Rose (Digitalis)

Jeremy Kelly - s/t
“A hypnotic Middle-Eastern jam that feels baked in the scorching desert sand. Add in some blues-infused acoustic ragas that throw a nod to Ben Chasny's Six Organs of Admittance and glazed walls of analog noise, and you're somewhere in the ballpark of this album.” – Brad Rose (Digitalis)

Fabio Orsi & Gianluca Becuzzi - The Stones Know Everything
“Crafting something this immense puts these two musicians into the realm of Stars of the Lid, Birchville Cat Motel and Growing, creating several intense worlds of ambient splendor, juxtaposing the sounds of everyday life with jetstreams of microtones and pulses of audible light.” – Brad Rose (Digitalis)

So, we got our first batch of new (as in sealed) CDs in today, as well as a small batch of interesting vinyl. Most of the CDs we only brought one copy in, so we've opened them and stuck a NEW sticker on them and put the cases out and kept the discs behind the counter, same way we always do. Items we received more than one of have sealed counterparts behind the counter and the opened case on the floor.

I've made a section on the wall above the new arrivals (as in used) bin. Here's a breakdown of what's there right now, as well as the new records we received. More should be in by week's end.

Compact Disc:

- Kevin Drumm - Imperial Distortion (2CD; Hospital Productions)
- Hildur Gudnadottir - Without Sinking (Touch; UK Import) - "... a captivating, often unsettled release..." (Allmusic)
- Ilyas Ahmed - The Vertigo of Dawn (Time Lag)
- Grouper / Inca Ore - Split (Acuarela; Spanish Import) - "These two artists complement each other brilliantly ... Highly Recommended." (Boomkat)
- Spoon - Transference (Merge) - "... smarts, wit, hooks ..." (Allmusic)
- Leyland Kirby - Sadly, The Future Is No Longer What It Was (3CD, HAFTW) "Truly life affirming sounds, and without doubt one of the most important, substantial releases of the year." (Boomkat) - This release also made many year end top 10 lists; we sold out instantly on vinyl (6LP).
- My Morning Jacket - At Dawn, original pressing (2CD; Darla; Limited to 2000 copies in 2001; Out of print)
- Jasper TX - Singing Stones (Fang Bomb; Swedish Import) "Singing Stones is an exceptional album, artfully constructed and sequenced in a way that preserves its enigmatic feel, continually shifting between coy tunefulness and glorious abstraction. Superb." (Boomkat)
- Julie Doiron / Okkervil River - Split (Acuarela; Spanish Import) "[Doiron's] five songs are short, spare, heart-wrenching, and bedroom recorded." (Allmusic)
- His Name Is Alive - Firefly Dragonfly (Acuarela; Spanish Import)
- Lou Barlow - Mirror the Eye (Acuarela; Spanish Import)
- Damien Jurado - Holding His Breath (Acuarela; Spanish Import) "... a tense twenty minutes inside Jurado's world." (Allmusic)

Vinyl:

- Richard Skelton - Landings (2LP+CD) "Richard Skelton proves himself to be more than just a modern-classical outsider and consolidates his status as an auteur with a singular vision... Amazing Music." (Boomkat)
- Spoon - Transference (Merge) 7.8 outta 10 (Pitchfork)
- Coil / The New Blockaders / Vortex Campaign - The Melancholy Mad Tennant (Important; Ltd to 500 copies; 180g)
- Black to Comm - Rückwärts Backwards (Dekorder; Ltd. to 222 Copies; Out of print) - "... recalling Fennesz or Tim Hecker's crumbly, floury vapournoise ... the lines between organic and digital are invisible..." (The Wire)
- Black to Comm - Fractal Hair Geometry (Dekorder; Ltd. to 500 Copies) - "With a sound built on Krautrock-style keyboard oscillations, fluttering electronics and processed vocal moans, his songs play out as textural pieces with a closed-in, near claustrophobic feel." (The Wire)
- Animal Hospital - Memory (2LP; Barge; Ltd to 350 Hand-Numbered copies; white vinyl) - "Memory is a record that engages with familiar techniques and proceeds to completely fuck with the programme.... Just awesome." (Boomkat)
- Charley Patton - You're Gonna Need Somebody When You Die: The Recorded Works (4LP; Monk Records; Ltd. to 275 Copies; 4 different colored vinyls)
- Reverend Johnny L. "Hurricane" Jones - Jesus Christ From A To Z (Parlotone; Ltd Edition; Culled from recordings Johnny made for his own private use -- over 1,000 tapes going back to 1957 -- assembled for the very first time.)
- Faust - IV (Virgin; UK Import; Exact replica, officially reissued by EMI. 180 gram audiophile pressing with printed inner sleeve.)

And restocks of these Mississippi Records titles:

- Reverend Louis Overstreet
- Fight On, Your Time Ain't Long
- Mortika
- Mississippi Fred McDowell
- Clara Rockmore

I'm too tired to organize my thoughts this morning (very busy yesterday) so here's how it's pouring out of my head:

1. As mentioned previously, we will be starting to bring in a small qty of new CDs (as in sealed). As I did with the new vinyl when we started that seven months ago, I'll be concentrating for the most part on smaller labels and lesser-known artists. We'll also stock the latest releases from the hip bands that the kids are listening to these days.

For instance, in the next few days, weeks, we expect the latest releases on both vinyl and CD by Spoon, Vampire Weekend, Ben Frost, Tindersticks, Leyland Kirby, Them Crooked Vultures, Grouper, Black to Comm, and a few others. As the weeks and months pass I'll try to stay on top of these titles so we have them on their first day of release.

In addition, we'll be stocking some older titles that are out of print or harder to find in Toronto. One such title will be My Morning Jacket's second, and, in my opinion, best album: At Dawn. I've managed to get my hands on just 8 copies of this title in its original edition, which was as a double and limited to a pressing of just 2000. The regular CD is nice enough on its own but the bonus disc of demos is also a delight. I'm pretty comfortable saying it's unlikely anyone else in the city or country will have these as they've been out of print for close to a decade. To my recollection, we've never even had a used copy come into the store in the years I've been there. I've spoken directly with the label and they've assured me it's not going to be repressed.

We will be pricing these titles as reasonably as possible and should be competitive with the downtown shops. For instance, the new Spoon will be $14.99 on CD and $19.99 on vinyl. I don't know what the other indie shops will be pricing it at yet as it doesn't come out until next Tuesday, but Amazon and HMV are at least a buck or two higher than that.

Now, because of the set up of our store and the lack of a security buzzer at the door, I obviously don't want to put sealed product on the floor. As a result, we will open one copy of each title for display purposes and keep sealed copies behind the counter. When we're down to our last copy of a title or when the title doesn't warrant me stocking more than one, the CD will be open, but it will still be new and unplayed. Such is the nature of the beast.

I will appropriate a section of the wall directly above the New Arrivals, between Compilations and Folk, and place this new product there. New vinyl will go in the new arrivals where it always is.

If there are titles in particular you'd like to see, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) and I'll see what I can do.

2. I've been catching hell from a number of customers because I've been playing the excellent second release from Budos Band without having any on hand to sell. I finally found a source for their stuff, but on vinyl only. I placed an order yesterday so we should have them in a week or so. I'll be bringing in all their titles as well as other artists on Daptone Records: Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, Daktaris, Antibalas, and Sugarman 3 (with Lou Donaldson). We also have access to their 45s, but I'll only be bringing those in on a special order basis.

3. A heap of ambient/drone/modern classical is on its way. Most of it is very small run stuff, limited to 300 or so copies each, all on CD. Artists will include Richard Skelton, Concern, Scott Tuma, Evan Caminiti, Elm, and many others. These aren't well known artists but they're turning out quality stuff. Click the links to read Boomkat reviews. As you'll see, they don't even have stock on most of them anymore. Again, not sure who else in the city carries this stuff.

One of the choicest finds in this haul will be the last copies I could find of Black to Comm's first release, Ruckwarts Backwards on vinyl. Limited to just 222 copies. BtC's Fractal Hair Geometry is also on its way on vinyl. Limited to 500 copies. Given the high praise the artist's received for his latest release, Alphabet 1968, which made a number of year end top 10 lists, and which we sold out of promptly (it is limited to 500), these should be nice treats for those who dig Richter's particular take on electronic.

4. I've got another copy of Charley Patton's 4LP set coming in next week. We sold out once already and this will probably be my last order of it as it's limited to 275 copies world-wide. $125. That's $25 cheaper than the competition sells it for downtown.

5. Another heap of Numero Group titles will probably be in in about 2 weeks. For the first time, we'll also be bringing some of their titles on CD. Should happen around first week in February.

6. Restock of some Mississippi Records titles are on the way: Clara Rockmore and Reverend Overstreet in particular.

7. I added the ability to sample some audio to the site. This entry features a track from the above mentioned My Morning Jacket release. You should see the option in the left hand column under Listen To. If you experience problems with the audio player, please .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

That's all I got at the moment. Back to bed with me.

Titles we've had before and titles we haven't:

- Restock on the Numero Group titles, including the Twinight and Light: On the South Side box sets
- Various Artists - African Scream Contest (2LP)
- Various Artists - Legends of Benin (2LP)
- Bo Diddley's Have Guitar Will Travel and Bo Diddley is a Gunslinger
- Charles Mingus - At Antibes (2LP)*
- Anduin - Abandoned in Sleep (cd and LP)*
- W.S. Burroughs - Break Through In Grey Room (limited to 800 copies)*
- Freakwater - Dancing Under Water*
- Black to Comm - Alphabet 1968
- Anarchist Republic Of Bzzz - s/t (Marc Ribot, Arto Lindsay)*
- Various Artists - An Anthology Of Noise & Electronic Music Volume 1 (3LP)*
- Various Artists - Oh, Run Into Me But Don't Hurt Me - Female Blues Singers - Rarities 1923-1930*
- Various Artists - Dr. Boogie Presents Rarities from the Bob Hite Vaults*
- Various Artists - Dr. Boogie's Shim Sham Shimmy*
- Various Artists - Dr. Boogie Presents 20 Deranged And Smokin' Cool Cats*
- Various Artists - Dr. Boogie Presents Heavy Jelly: Essential Instrumentals*
- Brethren of the Free Spirit - The Wolf Shall Also Dwell With the Lamb* (features James Blackshaw; ltd to 500 copies)
- Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words - Lost in Reflections*
- Ocean's Pantheon of the Lesser* and Here Where Nothing Grows* (both 2LP 200g, limited to 500, w/ letterpressed covers; I'm betting we've got the best price in the country on the latter title).
- Yndi Halda - Enjoy Eternal Bliss*
- AC / DC - Back in Black
- Beach Boys - Pet Sounds (180g), Summer Days (And Summer Nights) (180g, ltd), Today! (180g, ltd)
- Beatles - Abbey Road
- Captain Beefheart - Mirror Man and Safe as Milk (both 180g)
- John Coltrane - A Love Supreme
- Dead Kennedys - Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables and Plastic Surgery Disaster
- DJ Shadow - Endtroducing
- Jimi Hendrix - Are You Experienced (2LP)
- Husker Du - Land Speed Record, New Day Rising, Zen Arcade
- Jay-Z - Black Album
- MF Doom - Mm...Food
- MF Doom and Madlib - Madvillain
- My Bloody Valentine - Isn't Anything and Loveless
- Nirvana - In Utero, MTV Unplugged, Nevermind
- Gram Parsons - GP and Grievous Angel
- Sonny Rollins - Saxophone Colossus, Way Out West and The Bridge
- Soundgarden - Badmotorfinger, Flower, and Ultramega OK
- Soundtrack to Friday Night Lights (music by Explosions in the Sky)
- Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones
- Susumu Yokota - Grinning Cat

These are coming in from 4 different locations (in three countries) so will arrive at different times over the next week or two.

* First time we've had stock on these titles