Chunk (Tape)
Very rare 1989 7-song demo tape of Samm Bennett’s percussion song project with Tim Spelios and David Simons. With insert.
The Big Gundown (John Zorn Plays the Music of Ennio Morricone) (LP)
Original German edition with gatefold sleeve of the 1986 hommage to the wonderful music of Ennio Morricone from the NY sax player and composer, surrounded by Arto Lindsay, Bill Frisell, Fred Frith, Jody Harris, Christian Marclay, Anton Fier and many others.
The Field Recordings
1998 release. Pluto is the sporadically-recording Berkeley-based improv outfit, here featuring MX-80's Bruce Anderson (guitar) and Marc Weinstein (drums), plus Ken Kearney (bass) and Russ Schoenwetter (drums, voice). These 1996 recordings act as a follow-up to their debut CD on Rastascan, Shoe Horse Emerging. The LP is housed in an elaborate full-color gatefold sleeve designed in the style of the old French ethnic music label Ocora.
Social Gathering
Mentioned on Julian Cope's essential guide Jap Rock Sampler, Food Brain released their debut album in 1970, gathering influences from prog, proto-hard and psychedelic music. By far a supergroup consisting of Shinki Chen (Speed, Glue and Shinki), Hiro Yanagida (Milk Time) and Hiro Tsunoda (Flied Egg), the band showed an incredible interplay on their nine instrumental pieces, generating a cult following aboard.
Space Hymns
A generous and off-the-track psych-rock experiment, Space Hymns originally saw the light in 1971 on influential UK company Vertigo, home of the most forward-thinking prog bands of the time. Enlisting the pure genius of the future 10 CC Kevin Godley (drums, flute) and Lol Creme (lead guitar, synth), the band was led by esoteric frontman Ramases (aka Kimberly Barrington Frost). The vocalist had a vision in the mind to late sixties where the Egyptian Pharaoh informed him he was his new incarnation.…
Definition
Definition was the only album by the American psych folk band Chrysalis, released in 1968 on MGM Records. Together with their Velvet Underground label mates, Chrysalis, were considered pioneers of the art rock movement, thanks to their sublime vocal melodies and baroque arrangements -- ageless psych acid folk gems!
The Smell Remains The Same (LP)
Second pressing on black vinyl of the 2007 compilation released in a limited edition of 500 copies by Anarchymoon Recordings collecting tracks by the wacky LAFMS-related collective released on 7"s between 1990 and 1995.
Nod
First Nod release from 1992, now on vinyl for the first time. Originally self-released as a CD, a subset of the recordings were perfectly re-mastered by James Plotkin for this slab of black vinyl. During the "year punk broke," this trio (and sometimes four-piece) were holed up in a Western NY enclave, perfecting their craft of imperfections. A combination of studio and home recordings, this self-titled gem perfectly introduces you to the charming shambly rock which Nod has been creating for the …
Curtis Godino's Alien Nation
"We were introduced to the work of Brooklyn polymath Curtis Godino by Gary Panter. We asked Gary to recommend someone with light show expertise, and he said Curtis was the guy. That was true. We also learned that Curtis was an ace musician, which has resulted in two prior FTR releases. The first was The Cave LP (FTR 417LP, 2019) by Worthless. The second was the Corners and Their Places cassette by Nothing To Semble. Both of these releases were form-busting masterworks of outsider/prog crossover …
Guitar Army Of One
Remastered reissue of the second brilliant Willie Lane LP released by Cord-Art, originally available (for a few moments, anyway) in 2012. Guitar Army of One is a bit less folk oriented than its predecessor, Known Quantity (FTR 413LP), in as much as there's more electricity and pedals being employed. But Willie's playing at this time was such a weird hybrid -- from quiet country blues passages to blown psychedelic bong-wash in the blink of an eye -- that no technique or approach was ruled out. Ev…
Love Ya Love Ya
Frank Hurricane's been chugging along at his own personal pace for a good while now, and the further he rambles, the further we roam with him. Here he's joined by Jake Merrick on bass, vocals, and keys and John Spiegel on drums and percussion. And it feels good. The group exquisitely compliments Frank's tales of travel and serenity and the embrace of uncertainty. There's a languid hallucinatory Meat Puppets vibe to 'Creekside Cooler,' 'Spivey,' and 'Wildorado,' a song with a killer Taco Bell sho…
Sempronia
Fantastic new LP by this Brooklyn quintet, most of whom are deeply involved in the legendary Sunview Luncheonette scene. The roots of Jantar lie in a nameless experimental duo formed by Chad Laird and Tianna Kennedy in 2005 or so, but this duo has evolved into a working band with two distinct creative strategies. One of their aims in make 'experimental easy listening music,' which involves working angles that are similar to film music, although perhaps with a bit of Stereolab poured on top. Thei…
Library Music
Feeding Tube was chuffed to take Professor Steve Hesske's advice and make way for the fifth vinyl LP by Mordecai. I mean, when the Professor speaks even the cows take notice. And we are all descended from cows, right? So why not? Originally based around Butte Montana, formed by two brothers who claim to have been born (or conceived) (or some damn thing) on crappy Dead tours ('89 and '92, meaning the ones that resulted in 'Without a Net' and 'Althea' from 30 Trips Around the Sun), Mordecai took a…
Exhibit A
Dan Melchior is great randomizer of a musician. Born in the UK, based in the US for the last 20 years, his discography ranges from raw garage rock to avant garde tape collages, visiting a whole lots of other points in between. Exhibit A is his first collaboration with P.G. Six (aka Pat Gubler) the wonderful New England based multi-instrumentalist, who has previously appeared with Wet Tuna (FTR 364LP, 2018), Weeping Bong Band (FTR 313LP, 2018), MV & EE (FTR 167LP, 2015) and Joshua Burkett (FTR 19…
Ohio
What's round on the ends and high in the middle? Why, the new LP by those proud Buckeyes, Sex Tide, of course. Ohio is the first album they've recorded with a full quartet line-up. Bassist Phillip Park and saxophonist Ryan Mcauley join the core duo (drummer/vocalist Aurelie Celine and guitarist Chris Corbin) to create a new fat-ass sound that continually conjures up visions of the 1970 Stooges. As with the previous Sex Tide LPs we've done -- Possession Sessions (FTR 325LP, 2017) and Flash Fuck /…
Early Worm
Having explored a lot of Southern Vermont-based artists over the past decade and a half, it now seems time to cast our gaze northward. From the cold shores of Champlain comes the music of Wren Kitz, a singer and guitarist from Burlington VT. Unlike much of his earlier work, which falls into what might be called a 'progressive/experimental folk bag,' Early Worm documents a harder sound. As Mr. Kitz says, 'It's my rock n roll album.' And he ain't kidding. While some of the tunes were initially dev…
Pastry
2025 stock "Jonny Kosmo, the Los Angeles (via New England) registered therapist and home recordist is a card-carrying expert in the shape of your desire and the horizon of meanings your dreams catalyze. In his briefcase lives his weapons grade kaleidoscope, a 1972 Mayfair recorder, and a neatly folded pair of pants that fits seamlessly to the shape of your longing. His armchair prescriptions for the zeitgeist hover ever present on his most recent LP Pastry which hits you Like 69 cc of heady nost…
Next
LP version. "While they have collaborated a good many times, Next is the first recorded evidence of Danish guitarist (or more properly Bastardist) Jørgen Teller playing with American ex-pat multi-instrumentalist Mark Cunningham. The pair both have long histories on the fringes of known sounds. I first heard Teller as a member of the dizzily freakoid Tzarina Q Cut and Cunningham's decades of musical adventurism with Mars, Don King, Bestia Ferida, Blood Quartet, etc. have been well documented, not…
Low Effort Social Events
2025 stock Creative Healing is a new Massachusetts combo mixing the folks from Hollow Deck (Andy Allen and Mia Friedman) with three old pals who also passed through the Ran Blake Paddle Tunnel at NE Conservatory (Katie McShane, Jesse Heasly and Nick Neuberg). The results are, as the old men say, a real gas. Although it's not a constant, there are moments throughout this album where the swonky collision of sax, guitar and drums puts me in mind of several classic versions of Beefheart's Magic Band…
Mystery Meet
2025 stock Vinylization of an insane and legendary CDR that Nashville's Cherry Blossoms collective issued when they did a 2007 tour of Upper and Lower Rangoon with Josephine Foster as a special guest member. The Cherry Blossoms are a musical entity not easily described, but I feel as though their essential whatsis was grasped by Michael Hurley. We were talking a few weeks ago and when the Blossoms were mentioned, Mike said, 'Oh Yeah. I remember the last time I played a gig with those guys. Their…