November 12, 2002
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Caroliner
LP / Banknotes, Dreams and Signatures
Caroliner gets its name from a 19th century folk tale of Caroliner the Singing Bull, a bull that, like a parrot, could sing songs played for it. When its owner had to kill it for food, the bull's inedible parts, wrapped in its own skin, continued to sing.
[read more] ---Andrew Culler -
Felix Da Housecat
CD / Metropolis Present Day? Thee Album! / PIAS
'Metropolis Present Day? 'Thee Album' is from 1995, about the same time as 'Rocketmann,' but it has a fuller and more sophisticated sound in comparison to Felix's 'sci-fi soundtrack' creation.
[read more] ---John Hutchinson -
La Peste
CDR / Volume 2
Volume 2 in the set starts with nine songs from the Chauncy Street demos, followed by a series of live cuts. Blood and Wine is a special treat to me, as it is a great studio version of a little known La Peste song.. You can hear the band at their very best in the live version of Kill Me Now. Thanks to these discs, La Peste will be heard - as they should be.
[read more] ---Carl -
Northwest Battle of the Bands! Volume Three
CD / various / Big Beat
Northwest Battle of the Bands, Vol. 3 is not just a simple document of some pedestrian garage rock - this is yet another instance of digging into the vaults (in this case that of Jerden Records and its subsidiaries) and pulling out some mighty fine slabs of the devil's music.
[read more] ---Patrick Rands -
Stereolab
2xCD / ABC Music - Radio 1 Sessions / Strange Fruit
This is a comprehensive chronological 2 disc set of BBC Radio sessions spanning from 1991 - 2001. The sound is just as full as their albums, but a little more spontaneous, which adds to the appeal of this release.
[read more] ---Tina Glyptis