Superior Viaduct US レコード& CD

Review: cLOUDDEAD's debut album, a compilation of six 10" EPs released between 2000 and 2001, remains a quintessential example of abstract hip-hop. This expansive 3xLP, characterised by its dense, enigmatic soundscapes and avant-garde lyrics, has profoundly influenced a range of sub-genres such as cloud rap, hauntology, and lo-fi hip-hop. The trioiWhy?, Doseone, and Odd Nosdamiemerged from Cincinnati's vibrant underground scene, marked by events like Scribble Jam, and later moved to the Bay Area, where they helped establish the Anticon collective. Despite their shift to the West Coast, their Midwestern origins continued to shape their sound, rooted in the eclectic and experimental spirit of their early days. As noted in Chris Martin's liner notes, cLOUDDEAD's music was a unique blend of idiosyncratic vision and audacious experimentation. Each EP in this collection offers a distinct auditory experience. Tracks like 'Apt. A' and 'And All You Can Do Is Laugh' are emblematic of their surreal style, combining nonsensical lyrics and unconventional production. Nosdam's production seamlessly transitions from ambient textures reminiscent of Flying Saucer Attack to gritty drum breaks and esoteric samples. Restored by Nosdam and accompanied by a poster, this edition of cLOUDDEAD's pioneering sound, is the ideal version to get.

Review: The seminal Austin Texas punk band Dicks' Kill From The Heart album gets a full and proper reissue. Formed in 1980, Dicks original lineup included Gary Floyd (vocals), Glen Taylor (guitar), Buxf Parrot (bass), and Pat Deason (drums). The influence of this album spread far across other key bands after Dicks breakup in 1986. Mudhoney, Butthole Surfers and The Jesus Lizard all regularly played covers of Dicks' songs. The band reunited a handful of years ago to wide spread appeal. San Francisco's Superior Viaduct records should be applauded for putting out this genuine slice of life.

Review: We're pretty sure our catalogue is full of albums by The Fall which we describe in gushing terms. More fool us for using all the words before this re-issue of the band's seminal live record arrived, because it really is that good. Laid down at shows in Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Houston, and Memphis, to put things in no uncertain terms it bangs in the best possible way, offering the kind of unashamed gutter punk we find ourselves sorely lacking in most rock 'n' roll today.

Of course, back in 1982, when this first landed, critics were torn as to whether they wanted to demand more from Mark E. Smith, et al. And back then perhaps that was a valid point. Speaking in today's terms, though, A Part of America Therein 1981 represents a moment in time when authenticity was far more commonplace, and the impact of hearing that is nothing short of profound.

Review: Originally released in 1985 on cassette, this sel- titled record from Flaming Tunes was their only one. It's a cult home recording that came after collaborative time spent together by childhood friends Gareth Williams and Mary Currie and is influenced by Williams's time spent travelling India and studying classical Kathakali dance. The music was recorded in a house in South London and makes use of piano, bells, clarinets and percussive sounds that are layered up into simple arrangements. The lo-fi melodies, oblique rhythms and hypnotic qualities of it make it a gold standard for anyone who prides themselves on unearthing the more outlier albums out there.

Review: As part of a large retrospective of jazz drummer Milford Graves' best works comes this new edition of one of his most coveted works, Babi. By the early 70s, Graves had more or less stopped gigging; knowing that the level of energy that he put out during most performances would be difficult to sustain over the long haul. Even so, in March 1976, Verna Gillis invited Graves to perform on WBAI's Free Music Store radio show. For the date, he chose to present a trio lineup which he had been occasionally playing - featuring two saxophonists who were dedicated to the drummer's vision: Hugh Glover and Arthur Doyle. Originally released in 1977, Babi remains one of Graves' most seminal recordings. The music played by the trio was ecstatic; this is extreme energy music, buoyant and joyful. It relied on Graves' new way of approaching the drum kit, in which he had opened up the bottoms of his skin-slackened toms and eliminated the snare. Graves' art was always unblemished by commercial interests, and this album is its finest mission statement.

Review: Hardcore record collectors love a leftfield talent or outthere artistic character, and the late percussionist Milford Graves certainly fits that biting. He was one of the most unique artists of his time and grew from the states of his native New York to be known around the world for his work in the New York Art Quartet and collaborations with Albert Ayler, Sonny Sharrock and contributions to the NYC loft era free jazz scene. He linked up with pianist Don Pullen in April 1966 for a show at Yale University that marked a real turning point in that it saw him take more creative control having mostly collaborated up until then. Strap in and listen to what he had to say for himself on this fine reissue of recordings from that night.

Review: After beginning his career in the early 60s as a part of New York's vibrant Latin jazz scene, Milford Graves' focus quickly turned inward, shifting towards a practice that explored the very nature of self. From his work in the New York Art Quartet and collaborations with Albert Ayler, Sonny Sharrock and more to his important contributions during NYC's loft era - he is, simply put, free jazz royalty. In April 1966, Graves and pianist Don Pullen played at Yale University. As John Corbett writes in the liner notes, "This performance was something of a turning point for Graves. Until then he had been working in other people's bands or collective ensembles. He was phenomenally busy. In 1965 alone, he recorded with NYAQ (two LPs), Giuseppi Logan Quartet, Paul Bley Quintet and Lowell Davidson Trio, and he made his first recording released under his own name, Percussion Ensemble. Every one of these is important in its own way, but none of them quite anticipate how radical was the music that he and Pullen would unleash that evening in New Haven." Originally released on the artists' own Self-Reliance Program label, this legendary one-night performance would be split into two volumes: In Concert At Yale University and Nommo. While rooted in African rhythms, Graves' music has its own sense of time. As the drummer stated in a 1966 DownBeat interview, "Time was always there, and the time I see is not the same as what man says time is. It works by impulsion."

Review: Raul Lovisoni and Francesco Messina's seminal LP from 1979 Prati Bagnati Del Monte Analogo not only introduced the world to the work of two gifted composers, but is also notable for being produced by electronic pioneer Franco Battiato. Both central figures within the Italian avant-garde, they were part of a generation of artists who contributed to a radical rethinking of musical practices and composition. They reveal Minimalism as it's rarely known: with delicate melodies, subtle harmonic interplay and incorporating diverse creative traditions - slowly giving way to an ever-expanding open space. Skirting the outer edges of ambient, new age and experimental music, the LP has a transformative beauty unlike anything else.

Review: Everyone's got Goo, Daydream Nation and Washing Machine, it's time to branch out a bit with this Sonic Youth album. This is a mind-blowing live album recorded at the Cabaret Metro in Chicago on October 14, 1987 - four months after the release of the New York band's critically acclaimed Sister LP. This features an intro by the late, great record producer and champion of artistic freedom Steve Albini and the subsequent setlist is a snapshot of a band on the verge of their imperial phase, finding leaner songs after developing a reputation as rock n' roll disrupters. The album was first rolled out as a semi-bootleg on the Geffen-baiting label Goofin' and now the Superior Viaduct label is making it more widely available. It's long overdue and a vital part of the Sonic Youth puzzle.

Review: "No one is more surprised to be here than me!" mutters Steve Albini as he sets himself to introduce to the stage the mighty Sonic Youth. In October 1987, when this show was happening, Albini was banned from the Cabaret Metro venue in Chicago where it was being held, but Sonic Youth demanded his banishment be overturned. It sets the triumphant mood as a frenzy ensues. Guitars churn like chainsaws on Evol album cut 'Tom Violence'; 'White Kross' is prime Lee Ranaldo with tremolo picking of the highest order and 'Stereo Sanctity' is all about Thurston Moore. Riding the wave of momentum that their album Sister had imparted on the punk scene, this is Sonic Youth in their prime and up there with the greatest live rock albums of all time.

Review: Fluxus drone pioneers La Monte Young and Marian Zazeela present the latest reissue of 31 VII 69 10:26-10:49 PM/23 VIII 64 2:50:45-3:11 AM The Volga Delta, a historic and mesmerizing soundworld which captures the '60s pioneers' twin paths through the worlds of performance art, sculpture-based acousmatic music, and an overall real alternative beatnik lifestyle . Made between 1964 and 1969, the album has gone down in history as a captivating fusion of dreamy electronic sounds and Eastern-influenced vocalization, with techniques such as microtonal tuning and extended repetition laying its experimental groundwork.

Review: American minimalism pioneers La Monte Young and Marian Zeeler released their second album in 1974, when they were already well-established in the US avant-garde. This serves as a document of their work and ideas at the time, with two very different sides on offer. The first side was recorded at a private concert, in which Young and Zeeler's voices interact with sustained drones and some occasional trumpet from Jon Hassell and trombone from Garrett List. The second side focuses on a bowed gong study, ruminating on the particulars of frequency and harmonics and their potential effects on the listener and the space in which they're heard.

Review: La Monte Young is one of the most important figures in the development of American minimal composition and performance, having explored the science of sound at an atomic level through his use of just intonation and rational number-based tuning systems. His wife Marian Zeeler was also one of his closest collaborators, and in 1974 they released their second album Dream House 78'17" as a demonstration of the ideas they had been proposing in their work. Side A was recorded at a private concert which also features Jon Hassell and Garrett List, while Side B is an extended tonal study via a bowed gong, which was monitored precisely through oscilloscopes for an exacting immersion in harmonic interplay and its physical and psychoacoustic properties.