Aural Fixations

SIGH
Imaginary Sonicscape
(Century Media)
Japanese trio Sigh started out in the late 80s as a black metal band, a corpsepaint-wearing, death-worshipping crew of ne'er-do-wells. They attracted the attention of Norway-based scene leader Euronymous, soon-to-be-late of figurehead band Mayhem. Recognizing talent when he saw it, Euronymous tried to sign the band to his Deathlike Silence label, despite racist objections within the scene to Sigh's Asian origins. Unfortunately, Euronymous was stabbed to death by a bandmate before the ink was dry on the contract, leaving Sigh in the lurch. But the ambitious group persevered, releasing four albums and a slew of seven-inch singles and compilation tracks on various labels over the past decade. They also quickly evolved beyond the cartoon nihilism and limited musical palette of black metal. The combo augments its death worship and metal crunch with Japanese occult mythology and outside influences like classical music, progressive rock, psychedelics and Frank Zappa. Led by multi-instrumental visionary Mirai, Sigh has grown into an unusually distinct beast that lays waste to cities in a far different manner than its peers in the Nordic countries. (more)

Refreshed

RADIO BIRDMAN
The Essential Radio Birdman (1974-1978)
(Sub Pop)
Australian legend Radio Birdman occupies a curious place in rock history. Less anarchic than the Stooges and the MC5 (primary inspirations to bandleader Deniz Tek, who's originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan), more intense than the arena rock bands popular in the mid-70s, and more sophisticated than the punk bands that sprang up around it, the Sydney sextet never gained a sizable audience, either at home or abroad. They negotiated the choppy waters running between the classic rock and punk continents. (more)