nine

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Archie Bronson Outfit - Fur (Domino) 2005

Part of the scrappy dappy doo phalanx of Domino UK's roster. A trio of cranky British men who you could slide into the post-2000 re-discovery and re-orientation of blues music that White Stripes are obviously figureheads for. And like the White Stripes I always enjoy the rush of listening to them... but don't often listen to them. For whatever reason.
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Arcwelder - Xerxes (Touch and Go) 1994

Another entry into the 90s post-hardcore music trope that liked to engage a bass groove, or some weird method of funkishness without ever being truly funky. Helmet were the kings of the minimal jazz-trained riff avalanche, and Arcwelder were perhaps minor Dukes in some peripheral hamlet. Still, for $3.00 at the CD/BD castoff bin on Sainte Catherine St. in Montreal... well worth it.
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Arizona Amp and Alternator - S/T (Thrill Jockey) 2005

Welcome to Howe Gelb of the Arizona Gelbs. Most folks would probably consider Giant Sand to be his main gig... given that it has the oldest roots, starting in mid-to-late 70s... but he has recorded as/with Friends of Dean Martinez, OP8, Howe and the above alias. As AAAA he gets a little help in the shop from Grandaddy's Jason Lytle, M. Ward, Scout Niblett. Here at his loosest and dustiest, one can imagine Howe in greasy overalls w/ nametag taking a break to try out a new version of the band name title track; there are four different takes to choose from. It's an exceedingly easy-going affair and if you don't mind a little meandering from time to time then it'll get a smile out of you.


Arnold - Hillside (Creation/Columbia) 1998

Another since-closed spot in Fredericton for used CD shopping was The Magic Forest on Queen St. It was primarily a stereo store but stocked music as a sideline... and a few of their customers were radio or newspaper reviewers who had boxes and boxes of freebie discs to pawn for credit against gear. Arnold were a British three piece from the late-90s whose Canadian label seemed to have sent out so many playcopies so as to make buying it new unnecessary. Curious. Therefore at $1.99 you could enjoy the dreamy/folkiness of the album and background the creepy vocal similarities to David Gilmour.
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Joseph Arthur - Come to Where I’m From (Real World) 2000

Another Magic Forest purchase. A Middle-American singer/songwriter with a strange tinge of Australia... to my ears. "Discovered" by Peter Gabriel and signed to the Real World label... occasional over-production taints what is otherwise strong acoustic guitar observations that pendulum between personal and bigger picture explorations. Depending on your tolerance for earnestness, this could work for you.
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Ash - 1977 (Different) 1996


Ash - Free All Angels (Kinetic) 2001

Whaddaya know... another eBay buy (1977) and Magic Forest find (Free All Angels). An Irish trio that added a female British second guitarist... Ash stepped out of the shadow cast by tepid and string-filled Brit-pop and re-ignited the thrashy American pop/garage flame left guttering by early Lemonheads, Hüsker Dü, and that crew. It was the kind of stuff that Halifax bands like Sloan and Superfriendz were really good at... just fizzy and jumpy with hooks aplenty.
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Atari Teenage Riot - Burn, Berlin Burn (Grand Royal) 1996

I had a brief love affair with extreme electronic music in the mid-80s via groups like Skinny Puppy and Ministry and the run-off from many other synth bands gone feral. As that scene played itself out there seemed to be a slow liquifying and blending of harder edged Industrial and bland House music... yielding a toothlessly aggressive dance hybrid. ATR was a German group that remembered you had to break shit in order to get your point across. They took the ever-speeding breaks of Drum n Bass and added rust-caked guitar riffs and guy/girl shouted sloganeering to the mix. In the end they sometimes came across as the most pissed off cartoon characters you'd ever meet... but with a swath of great songs in the wake.