The Knife - Gender Bender [10"]

This GENDER BENDER 10" EP by THE KNIFE is nowadays a pretty rare item, and it goes for steep prices on sites like Discogs and eBay. I bumped into it at the Utrecht record fair a few weeks ago for a very reasonable price however, so it was hard to leave it standing in the crate. The only song that i didn't have yet was Manhood; the others are from the Deep Cuts album. It's a limited numbered release. I couldn't find anywhere online how many copies were made, but my copy is # 0986, so at least 1000 i assume.

Label: Rabid Records
Cat.nr.: RABID022
Year of release: 2004

SIDE A:
01. Handy-Man
02. Manhood

SIDE B:
01. You Make Me Like Charity
02. Hangin' Out

Death In Vegas - Satan's Circus [12", 3LP]

SATAN'S CIRCUS by DEATH IN VEGAS is pretty different from the other Death In Vegas albums, in that it is completely instrumental. Also musically it's not as diverse as the other albums: it's pure krautrock and not much anything else. Which is, when done properly like it's done here, not at all a bad thing of course. Perhaps a little cheesy for a krautrock album, but a lot of song titles are related to Germany: Ein Für Die Damen, Kontroll, Sons Of Rother (must be referring to Neu's Michael Rother), Reigen (a controversial play by Arthur Schnitzler) and Anita Berber (a bisexual drug-addicted and alcoholic actress/nightclub dancer from Berlin, during the Weimar period). I found this 3LP for a really good price at the record fair in Utrecht, a few weeks ago. It's been on my wishlist for quite some time so i'm glad i finally have it now.

Label: Drone
Cat.nr.: DRONELPONE
Year of release: 2004

SIDE A:
01. Ein Für Die Damen

SIDE B:
01. Zugaga
02. Heil Xanax

SIDE C:
01. Black Lead
02. Sons Of Rother

SIDE D:
01. Candy McKenzie
02. Reigen

SIDE E:
01. Kontroll
02. Anita Berber

SIDE F:
01. Head

Fantômas‎ – Delìrium Còrdia [12", 2LP, Picture Disc]

A pretty freaky and spooky release, this DELÌRIUM CÒRDIA by FANTÔMAS (the side-project of Faith No More's Mike Patton, Slayer's Dave Lombardo, Melvins' Buzz Osborne and Mr. Bungle/Tomahawk's Trevor Dunn). It consists of one long track of nearly 75 minutes. The album is like a horror movie soundtrack, with soundscapes, ambient, drone, metal and eerie noise outbursts. The central theme is "surgery without anesthesia" apparently; hence the bloody artwork (consisting of real surgery pictures). Both the music and the artwork are not really for the faint-hearted.

Label: Ipecac
Cat.nr.: IPC45
Year of release: 2004


SIDE A:
01. Untitled

SIDE B:
01. Untiled

SIDE C:
01. Untitled

SIDE D:
-

M83 - Before The Dawn Heals Us [12", 2LP]

M83 has released 5 albums by now (or 6 if you count Digital Shades Vol.1), but i still like BEFORE THE DAWN HEALS US the best. Not only does it contain the awesome singles Teenage Angst and Don't Save Us From The Flames, but tracks like Moon Child and Lower Your Eyelids To Die With The Sun still give me goosebumps whenever i play them. In a postive way, of course ;)
All in all, this album is the reason why some people label this electronic band as shoegaze. Listen to it and you'll know why.

Label: Mute
Cat.nr.: 9281-2
Year of release: 2004

SIDE A:
01. Moon Child
02. Don't Save Us From The Flames
03. In The Cold I'm Standing
04. Farewell/Goodbye

SIDE B:
01. Fields, Shorelines And Hunters
02. *
03. I Guess I'm Floating
04. Teen Angst
05. Can't Stop

SIDE C:
01. Safe
02. Let Men Burn Stars
03. Car Chase Terror
04. Slight Night Shiver

SIDE D:
01. A Guitar And A Heart
02. Lower Your Eyelids To Die With The Sun

Mastodon - Leviathan [12", LP, Picture Disc]

Although being not a great fan of picture discs in general, MASTODON's LEVIATHAN (a beast of an album, regardless) has such great artwork that it's a pleasure to only look at this album.
Here are separate pics of the front and the back:




There were only 500 made of the picture disc version. It comes in a pvc sleeve with a fold-out poster:




Label: Relapse Records
Cat.nr.: RR6692
Year of release: 2004

SIDE A:
01. Blood & Thunder
02. Seabeast
03. Iron Tusk
04. Megalodon
05. Naked Burn
06. Aqua Dementia

SIDE B:
01. I Am Ahab
02. Island
03. Hearts Alive
04. Joseph Merrick

Callisto - Jemina / Klimenko [12"]

CALLISTO is a band from Turku, Finland, and this was their first ever release on vinyl. Only 300 copies were made of this single-sided 12". I like this band a lot; not just the music they make but also the people themselves are a great bunch of guys.

Label: Kireru Records
Cat.nr.: Kirec01
Year of release: 2004

SIDE A:
01. Jemina
02. Klimenko
03. Dawning End (Are2 Mix)

SIDE B:
-