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The Mountain Goats - First two cassettes

Taboo VI: The Homecoming

The Mountain Goats' first cassette. It's not exactly the highest quality recordings, even by the lo-fi standards of early Mountain Goats, but you take what you can get with stuff like this. It's good. Especially the "This Magic Moment" cover, "Going To Alaska," and "Ice Cream, Cobra Man." But none of it sounds too much like the rest of Darnielle's recordings. Download.

The Hound Chronicles

The Mountain Goats' second cassette. (I think.) Higher quality recordings than the tape above, better songs, and almost double the length. It feels like it was the first real Mountain Goats album, and Darnielle has even said that he never meant "Taboo VI" to be heard by anyone other than some friends and family...so there you have it. Download.

Mayhem - Deathcrush

Norwegian black metal band essential in the "second wave." Mayhem's first release. Euronymus (later to be stabbed to death by one man band Burzum) on guitar, Necrobutcher on bass, Maniac on vocals, and Manheim on drums. This was pretty much the first black metal album I heard, and it peaked my interest in the band and the somewhat shrouded deaths of its members -- Mayhem's next vocalist, Dead, was "found" by Euronymus haven taken a shotgun to his head. Euronymus claims to have taken pieces of Death's skull and made necklaces of them, but who knows. Anyway, good album.
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Spirit They're Gone, Spirit They've Vanished - Animal Collective

Spirit They're Gone, Spirit They've Vanished (2000)

Animal Collective's first release, on then "Animal Records", now known as Paw Tracks. Very few copies were originally pressed, but it was re-released with Danse Manatee as a double album in 2003 on FatCat Records. All songs were written by Avey Tare, while Panda Bear contributed the percussion; the original was released as not Animal Collective, but "Avey Tare and Panda Bear." The re-release was labelled an Animal Collective album.


The first release of Spirit contained this message on the insert:

"Not long ago a young boy named Avey and his friend Panda Bear roamed the patch work which covers the land (some call it forest). They were looked upon by Pan and raised by fairies and the Angels of light who play deep within the Wood. 'Let's make the music of childhood,' Avey shouted one day as the two played. Panda thought this idea was a good one. 'I can use my magical Rhythm sticks and you can play your Sun harp,' he said. So the two began to create melodies and Panda brought rhythms from every direction while Avey sang. All of the songs were about wooden toys and invisible friends and filled with the light of the forest. This is the first group of songs they played."

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Satanstompingcaterpillars - Flower Slides

Black Moth Super Rainbow's pre-BMSR group. Good stuff. Pretty similar, but more laid bare.

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Of Montreal - Cherry Peel/The Bird Who Continues To Eat The Rabbit's Flower/The Early Four Track Recordings

Cherry Peel (1997)


Of Montreal's first album; Bar/None Records.

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The Bird Who Continues To Eat The Rabbit's Flower (1998)

A re-release of Of Montreal's first EP; Kindercore Records. Contains two bonus tracks not included on the original. Includes covers of Pete Townsend's "Disguises" and Yoko Ono's "I Felt Like Smashing My Head Through a Clear Glass Window."

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The Early Four Track Recordings (2001)


Pre-Cherry Peel recordings, released as a compilation in 2001. Kindercore Records.

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Captain #1-The Humble / Captain#1/Enoch-Color What You Want

Captain#1-The Humble (2007)


Athens-based Captain #1's sound is the product of Tim Denson, formerly of Starlite Motel. The Humble's tracks sparkle with not only twinkling acoustic guitars in open tunings, but glockenspiels, tambourines, maracas, and sometimes what sounds like a well-handled kazoo. Perfect low-key, mellow, indie pop.

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Captain #1/Enoch-Color What You Want (2005)

2006's Color What You Want is a split-EP from Captain #1 and Fort Myers, Florida's Enoch Bledsoe. Enoch's sound is very folky and sometimes aggressive, providing an interesting contrast but a beautiful accompaniment to Captain #1.
Tracks #1-5 belong to Tim Denson and Captain #1; tracks #7-11 are Enoch Bledsoe's. Track #6 is an instrumental featuring a harmonica, performed by both artists.

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The Locust - EP

The Locust (1997)
The Locust's third release, on 7" in 1997, later re-released in 2004 on 3" CD with two extra tracks. Early Locust means 30 second songs and less synth.

7:26

Evan Miller - Three Spells for Six String Guitar

Three Spells for Six String Guitar (2007)


Evan Miller of Racoo-oo-oon. Instrumental Fahey-esque folk guitar, sounds nothing like Racoo-oo-oon.

22:55

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti-Scared Famous

Psychedelic lo-fi at it's best.

Scared Famous manages to cram a mish-mash of '60's psychedelic, '70's disco beats, and an unrelenting pop hook. Originially released in 2002 as a double-album, Scared Famous/FF, it contained 19 songs, but was paired down to 17 (and with a re-arranged track order, strangely) with the re-release as a single album.

Ariel Pink was signed to Animal Collective's Paw Tracks label in 2003, after passing on a CD-R of his music to them at a show, becoming the first artist signed to their label.

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