AHE-12 WOODSY PRIDE - Self-Titled 12” EP - $12
Woodsy Pride is one of those bands that speak telepathically, every turn and phrase is dictated by live feel. Steeped in the Southern Gothic tradition, the trio of Uriah Theriault, Bill Augustus and John Studer compose songs that are cut from the same cloth as western archetypes such as Neil Young, John Fogerty and Will Oldham; songwriters who are known for testing the boundaries of traditional song forms in order to reveal hymns of their own design. Their self-titled EP displays an angular autumnal sound that weaves intricate tales of love and woe over elegantly composed guitar phrases. It's a beautifully arranged record full of earthen tones and dark hues that reflect the long shadows cast on American music. READ MORE>>
AHE-11 PLATES OF CAKE - Self-Titled LP - $13
With an emphasis on lyrical structure and clever melodies, Plates of Cake play a kind of surrealistic pop music favored by luminaries such as The Kinks and Guided By Voices. The songs that make up their self-titled LP run the gamut from hook-laden rockers to cool country charmers, all delivered like a band that's been playing together for years. It's a thrilling ride full of peaks and valleys, elegant wordplay, reverb drenched guitars, and snappy rhythms. Imagine if Skip Spence was the only songwriter/vocalist in Moby Grape and you get a little closer to what Plates of Cake are all about. They strike a balance between the tight and the bent, playing their songs casually and confidently. READ MORE>>
AHE-10 MAN BENU - The Kindling 12” LP - $13
Man Benu is a three-piece band based out of Brooklyn and the greater New York area. Led by the guitar wizardry and songwriting talent of Bentley Anderson, Man Benu is an evolving sound of harmony and dissonance centered interwoven guitar lines, lyrical song structures, and drone heavy tonality. Backed by drummer Taylor Davis and guitarist/lap steel player Brady Sansone, Man Benu began writing and performing their sprawling pastoral rock songs in late 2008. Referencing the epic sweep of guitar bands such as Come and Sonic Youth, and the archaic folk arrangements of Fairport Convention, Man Benu’s debut album “The Kindling” opens as a grand vista of sound. READ MORE >>
AHE-09 PETER'S HOUSE MUSIC - Jump 12” EP - $12
Running at 45 rpm in a silk screened die cut jacket the debut EP titled “Jump” contains 7 transportive tracks of trance inducing wonder. Equally inspired by early electronic music pioneers of the German variety such as Cluster’s Roedelius, as well as the after hours DJ culture presently alive in NYC, Schuette constructs sculptures of sound for loud speakers. Produced at home, with beats laid down and instruments applied in an impressionistic style Peter manages to reference the disparate music of 80’s synth bands, minimalist composers, elevator music, the commercial schmaltz of late period Herbie Hancock and like the project name suggests House Music of all stripes and colors. READ MORE >>
AHE-08 ZACHARY CALE - Come Quietly b/w The Wedding Party 7” - $5
Culled from the archive of unreleased songs by Zachary Cale comes two unearthed gems, available for the first time through All Hands Electric. Recorded during the interim of his second LP "Walking Papers" and his band Illuminations' "See-Saw" LP, these two songs were originally cut as demos. "Come Quietly" is a field recording from the modern age, complete with chirping birds and the groan of passing cars. "The Wedding Party" is a stream of consciousness ode to love with lyrical images floating by like faces in train windows. The rush of images and the giddy, pulse-like rhythm makes "The Wedding Party" another classic in Zachary Cale's growing canon of songs. READ MORE >>
AHE-07 PSYCHOBUILDINGS - Birds of Prey b/w Paradise 7” - $5
“Birds of Prey” is the debut offering from Brooklyn’s Psychobuildings, a group that started as a solo recording project by Peter LaBier and has since expanded to include Peter Schuette on synths and producer Juan Pieczanski. Blending jam-based punk aesthetics with a laser focus on beat and melody, Psychobuildings recalls an era of music when pop, rock, and disco began fusing together to stir up new club sensations. These touchstones have provided LaBier with a foundation for his own unique pop sensibilities. With this double "A side" single Psychobuildings has succeeded in creating a new hybrid, one that brings artfully crafted beats and hooks back to the dance floor. READ MORE >>
AHE-06 ROPE - Montagne b/w I Can’t Pretend to Understand 7” - $5
“Montagne” is the recording debut of the Brooklyn band Rope. It began as a one man band studio project by Josh Clark, but has recently turned into a fully operational machine. Playing no-holds-barred rock, somewhere between the slow-burn chug of Crazy Horse and the power pop metal of Thin Lizzy. Rope favors all things guitar. With guitarists John Stendrini (Federale) and Zach Cale (Illuminations) flanking Josh, a natural chorus effect materializes between the guitars supplying the band with a sonic palette for constructing mammoth sounding riffs. Featuring the full speed ahead rocker "Montagne" on the A side and a four chord barn-stormer on the flip. This is the first in a series of 7" singles. READ MORE >>
AHE-05 PRUDENCE TEACUP - Where All The Little Songs Go When They Die / 12" LP - $15 / CDR - $7
The debut album by Prudence Teacup is a song cycle rather than a traditional album. With over 18 songs on the album the music moves as one piece. It's a scrapbook of song poems, field recordings, lullabies, and bedroom anthems all lovingly recorded and produced by Alfra Martini. Somewhere between the primitive explorations of Ariel Pink and the dreamy cabaret music of Julee Cruz, Prudence Teacup is a startling original voice who walks a tight rope between vintage song stylings and modern sound collage. This limited edition LP comes with an illustrated lyric book created by Alfra Martini and Zachary Cale. READ MORE >>
AHE-04 PJ GLAUBERZON - Cubicle Puppets CD-R - $6
Phil Glauberzon steps out from behind the piano of the band Illuminations, to present an album of kaleidoscopic proportions. PJ's debut is a homegrown batch of songs that could be thought of as a concept album. The songs unfold like miniature movies with scenes and characters that move between dream and reality. Similar in feeling to the mellow pop of Paul McCartney's "Ram" and the comical wit of Warren Zevon's "Excitable Boy", "Cubicle Puppets" is musically diverse and fluid in execution, shifting from dreamy pop to wistful balladry. READ MORE >>
AHE-03 ZACHARY CALE - Walking Papers / LP - $14 / CDR - $6
"Walking Papers", the sophomore album by Zachary Cale, marks the artist’s leap from a four-track-bedroom-folkie to a songwriter of visionary scope. Recorded by Kevin Mcmahon in the legendary Bearsville Sound Studios in 2005 "Walking Papers" moves away from the lo-fi intimacy of Cale's first album with bigger production values and accompaniment by an array of musicians. Evoking the austere finger-style guitar work of John Fahey and the poetic couplets of Townes Van Zandt the album exhibits a genuine craft of American tradition; the songs are bona fide gems with every note and lyrical phrase informed by a quiet beauty, both familiar and timeless. READ MORE >>
AHE-02 PRECINCT - Stranger CD - $10
Precinct’s "Stranger" is a patchwork of sound that deconstructs the rock archetype with a music that could only be described as “avant garage”. It's an art-damaged record that blends noise, pop, punk and dance music with thrilling results. Somewhere between the hard funk of A Certain Ratio and the aural experiments of Swell Maps Precinct is an adventurous band that executes a number of styles in an expressionist manner. Recorded by the primary duo of Aleister Kicker and Hugh Swift in their rehearsal space "Stranger" possesses a lively atmosphere full of basement jams, punk anthems, noise themes and killer singles. READ MORE>>
AHE-01 ILLUMINATIONS - See-Saw / LP - $14 / CDR - $6
The debut album by Illuminations is the inaugural offering from All Hands Electric. Featuring the vocals and guitar of Zachary Cale and backed by long time friends Kris Benedict, Ryan Johnson and Phil Glauberzon "See-Saw" falls into what Gram Parsons called “cosmic American music”. Accordingly, it lies somewhere between the country-soul of Big Star and the punk spirit of The Wipers. It was recorded and produced by the band in their basement on an 8 track reel-to-reel machine. The end result is an enigmatic album that is both familiar and foreign; one that wears the suit of American rock & roll, but broadcasts anthems from another universe. READ MORE>>
DISTRO:
NWOS-28 (NEW WORLD OF SOUND) ZACHARY CALE - Outlander Sessions LP - $14 / CD - $10
“Outlander Sessions is a personal statement about distance, isolation and alienation brought on by love, and the transition from rock guitarist to solo acoustic performer. Zachary Cale was previously a member of several short lived Olympia college bands inspired by Dead Moon, Unwound and Pere Ubu. Upon his arrival to Harlem NYC in 2002 and affected by the tune-smithery of Peter Laughner, Tim Hardin and Townes Van Zandt, recorded this LP of ballads, Highway 61 rockers, and finger-picked instrumentals.” -New World of Sound READ MORE >>
AHE-13 ZACHARY CALE - Noise of Welcome / LP - $14 / CD - $10
"Noise of Welcome" is a collection of songs that is distinctly modern in tone and substance. Moving from acoustic ballads and oddly tuned instrumentals, to electrified country and Kinksian pop, the album projects a kind of psych/folk/rock hybrid, recalling the genre shifts of Fleetwood Mac's "Tusk" or Big Star's "Sisters Lovers". Featuring performances by members of Cale's former ensemble, Illuminations, and guest spots by Chris Brokaw, D. Charles Speer, Anni Rossi, and others, Cale's signature finger-picking technique is reinforced with grander orchestral movements and a full backing band which helps to illuminate the brilliance of his craft. READ MORE>>
AHE-14 PSYCHOBUILDINGS - Self-titled EP / 12”EP - $12 / CD - $8
After releasing two singles last year NYC's Psychobuildings unveil their first 12" record in EP format. Just shy of 20 minutes the EP showcases the band's already unbeatable dance numbers as well as some finely constructed psychedelic trance inducers heard previously only in their much buzzed about live set. Balancing New Romantic synth explorations with the beat boxing lyricism of Old School Hip-Hop Psychobuildings have come up sounding fresh in delivery and style. Front man Peter LaBier brings the guts back into pop with a feel for groove and and an ear for hooks. Produced by Peter Wade and fleshed out by the synths of Peter Schuette and multi-instrumentalist Juan Pieczanski, the self-titled EP fires on all cylinders from start to finish. READ MORE>>
AVAILABLE RELEASES:
AHE-15 PLATES OF CAKE - As If the Choice Were Mine b/w Transit Trials 7” - $5
Plates of Cake aren't ones to rest on their laurels. Since the release of their debut album last year they've crafted a number of new songs that they've swiftly introduced into their live set. With this 7" single they tighten their sound with two smashing tracks. The A side, "As if the Choice were Mine", mixes the three part harmony jangle of The Byrds with a Feelies like angularity. The song is irresistibly melodic with the voices of Jonathan Byerley, Josh Carrafa, and new bassist, Michael Flis, singing in unison on each verse. On the flip is the clever and cool "Transit Trials", a steady rockin' number that expands on the "Kinksian" sound of their debut LP while hinting at new directions both rhythmically and sonically. READ MORE>>
AHE-16 THE GANG VIOLETS - Black Clouds b/w A Touch From The Wild Child 7” - $5
Traveling band, The Gang Violets, play eclectic music as they gypsy their way between Long Beach, CA and Brooklyn, NY. Their blend of psychedelic americana effortlessly shifts from sunshine-pop to space-rock, while making more than a few country, folk, and blues detours along the way. Side A kicks off with "Black Clouds", a tune that rises up like a campfire despite moody lyrics, and is impossible to forget with its hook laden cadences, elated group vocals, whispery calls, gospel swagger, and swooning closure. Favoring an eclectic pop aesthetic that recalls early Beck as well as the highs from The Brian Jonestown Massacre, these tunes are are just mere hint as to what this band is capable of! READ MORE>>
AHE-17 VIRGINIA PLAIN - Electric Eyes b/w Swamp Thing 7”
The Electric Eyes single is the debut recording from the tech-noir group, Virginia Plain, fronted by Alfra Martini with support from Justin Miller and Christian Reinhardsen of Fono Luxe. The A side, 'Electric Eyes', is a classic song sharing musical ties with synth pop pioneers OMD and the '50's crooner vocal stylings of Bryan Ferry. The song kicks off with Martini's voice gliding over bumping synth bass and 808 drum claps bringing to mind the melancholic pop sound of classic '80's hits like Q Lazzurus' "Goodbye Horses". Side B’s "Swamp Thing" is the shadowy twin to the bright faced "Electric Eyes". With it's relentless "Doktor Avalanche" style beat and minor key synth lines the atmosphere turns from dreamy to sinister. READ MORE>>
COMING SOON:
AHE-18 TEST HOUSE - Bitemarks 12” EP (RELEASE DATE: April 24, 2012)
Test House is the New York City-based duo of Peter Schuette (ex-Silk Flowers, ex-Psychobuildings) and James Elliott (ex-Bear In Heaven, ex-School of Seven Bells). The group blends elements of '80s electro, German cosmic music, classic House, dub, deep R&B, the film scores of Goblin and John Carpenter, Detroit Techno, and various strains of modern dance music for a unique take on synthetic pop... Though the EP is largely instrumental, Peter Schuette's smooth vocals lead the way through three of the six tracks. The songs "Love Is Not Enough" and "My Ocean" merge the work of the 80’s “new-romantic” bands like the Pet Shop Boys and Depeche Mode, with the modern electro-pop smarts of bands like the Junior Boys. READ MORE>>
AHE-19 WOODSY PRIDE - Live at the All Hands House LP (RELEASE DATE: June 5, 2012)
Woodsy Pride's "Live at the All Hands House" is the first in a series of limited edition LP's recorded in front of a live audience at our headquarters in Brooklyn, New York. Woodsy Pride continue to uphold a minimalist yet unique approach to song-craft. A trio of magnitude, Uriah Theriault weaves open-tuned guitar passages with John Studer's circular and feather light drum style, while in the center stands Bill Augustus like a master of a ceremony who leads the band with his elegant phrasing and rich vibrato through poetic songs of hope and hardship. From the opening lines of the world weary "All for My Love", to the closing hymn "Mother of God" Woodsy Pride delivers an accomplished set, narrating stories of their own time.
