INCHES011: New Wax from Fool's Gold, Now-Again (Rare Psych!), Samiyam, Inca Ore (+ MP3s, chart)

In the unpredictable wake of music's digital rebirth, vinyl has experienced a modest boom in popularity, seen by many (with delicious irony) as a replacement for the awkward middleman that is the compact disc. INCHES seeks not only to review the output of L.A.'s healthy vinyl community (artists and labels, indie or otherwise), but to pay dap to those who continue to tend the flame, believing that good music deserves much more than a handful of ones and zeros.

Last week, we covered new music from Pelican, James Pants, Gold Robot Records and Foot Village with 60 Watt Kid. This week... well, read on. Suggestions? Email us.

Chris Martins

Wow. Now-Again owner (and Stones Throw general manager) Eothen "Egon" Alapatt has outdone himself with this, a pan-global sampling of some of the rarest, most collector-sought psychedelia culled from music's funkiest seven years. Each of the 15 songs spread across these four sides is a bona fide show-stopper, from the wailing gospel soul of Cleveland's Sensational Saints to the graceful psych of South Korea's Shin Jung Hyun And The Men, over to the kaleidoscopic Iranian sounds of Kourosh Yadhmaei and on to the strange Thai pop of T.Zchiew And The Johnny. Egon himself is a dogged vinyl fiend, and with Forge Your Own Chains he does the unthinkable (and yet oh-so appreciated), unlocking these long-crated gems for the rest of us to enjoy. Accompanied by a heartfelt and thoroughly worthwhile set of liner notes, this is an essential purchase, on wax, CD or (gasp) MP3. Full tracklisting, song snippets and more info here.

Damon - "Don't You Feel Me" (MP3)
Guilty Simpson & Oh No - "My Time To Shine" (MP3, from bonus 45)
Purchase now via the Stones Throw web store.

Chris Martins

Again, Not Not Fun might nail it better than we can when it comes to the latest from Inca Ore, a.k.a. Oakland's Eva Saelens, who offers "another psychic harvest unto the world... a new nine-song pipeline ride that floats through a whole new web of voice orbs and tape hiss and keyboard balladry." Truth be told, Silver Sea Surfer School can be a tough listen. Second song "Boogie Wiggles" sounds nothing like its name would imply. In fact, a more apt title might be "Field Recordings From The Last Ghost Left On Earth After The Occasion Of The Rapture." But strange wailing and atmospheric clatter does give way to some rewarding moments, like the intimate Appalachian blues of "Ruff Ridin," or the bingo hall-big lo-fi resonance of Saelens' organ on "Happy Birthday."

Stream "Shine on," "Innocent," and "Fly" from Silver Sea Surfer School (via MySpace)
Purchase now via the Not Not Fun web store.