Monday 30 July 2007

LAURA VEIRS

Wow. Me and my wife (Sylvia - hi!) and our good friends Paul and Mand (hi!) went to see Laura Veirs at the Sage Gateshead (UK) yesterday. She's only playing 3 solo UK dates apparently and we were fortunate enough to catch her. That's the set-list above (which she kindly signed for me). Laura was amazing, spellbinding. Most tracks she played straight up acoustic, but a couple (Pink Light and (?)Firesnakes) she used a little 'loop unit' to flesh out the sound - it sounded fantastic. Anyway, if none of you have heard Ms. Veirs, here's a link to her lastest album 'Saltbreakers'.


OKKERVIL RIVER 'THE STAGE NAMES'

Our Life is Not a Movie or Maybe
Unless It's Kicks
A Hand to Take Hold of the Scene
Savannah Smiles
Plus Ones
A Girl in Port
You Can't Hold the Hand of a Rock and Roll Man
Title Track
John Allyn Smith Sails

"With their newest release, The Stage Names, Okkervil River dynamite the walls of Black Sheep Boy's gothic, moss-walled castle from the inside to let in the glaring sun. Where Black Sheep Boy presented a fairytale of dark babbling streams and high distant towers, The Stage Names ¨takes place in an unmistakably modern world, where snowy televisions blast into cheap hotels the spectral images of soap stars endlessly betraying each other, where losers in late-night bars languish to the beat of their favorite songs, where broken-down actresses place their final cell calls from lonely mansions high in the hills. Riddled with characters real and fake, with true-life biography and brazenly fabricated autobiography, with the relics of high culture and the crumpled-up trash of low culture, The Stage Names is a cinemascopic take on the meaning of entertainment."

"Their fourth full-length may also be Okkervil River's most conceptually gnarled work to date, as frontman Will Sheff's intricately detailed lyrics leap from the ornate to the blunt, encompass philosophical inquiries and goofily playful riffing, invite the listener into confidence only to con them. With a voice both poetic and toughly slangy, these songs are equal parts high-concept filigree and low, street-level kicks; they're both artistically ambitious and refreshingly unpretentious."

Release by Jagjaguwar

Sunday 29 July 2007

VHS OR BETA 'BRING ON THE COMETS'



Euglama
Love In My Pocket
She Says
Can't Believe A Single Word
Burn It All Down
Take It Or Leave It
Alpha Theta
Bring On The Comets
Fall Down Lightly
We Could Be One
Time Stands Still
The Stars Where We Came From


Download

Saturday 28 July 2007

MARITIME 'HERESY AND THE HOTEL CHOIR'


Maritime is set to release their new album, HERESY AND THE HOTEL CHOIR. The follow-up to 2006’s WE, THE VEHICLES, which Pitchfork called “direly infectious…pitch-perfect” will be released on Flameshovel Records October 16.

HERESY AND THE HOTEL CHOIR is the first true collaboration for the band, comprised of singer/guitarist Davey von Bohlen and drummer Dan Didier, both formerly of The Promise Ring, bassist Justin Klug (formerly of Decibully) and guitarist Dan Hinz. They wrote the entire album together before enlisting producer Stuart Sikes (The White Stripes, Modest Mouse, Cat Power) to help mold the final product. “I feel like this is the first Maritime record “ says Didier, “meaning it’s the first time it actually feels like we are a band.” He continues, “ Before, members came and went and it never seemed to be a cohesive unit, but, for this record the four of us all started at square one together so the songs reflect all four of us.”


Download


WHITEY 'GREAT SHAKES'

1. Intro
2. Rats
3. Wrap It Up
4. I Made Myself Invisible
5. Sweet Words For The Sour
6. One By One
7. Cigarette
8. Never Enough
9. G.I.R.L.
10. Head In The Corner
11. Don't Forget Yourself
12. Don't Blame This All On Me

SHEARWATER 'PALO SANTO (EXPANDED EDITION)'

Disc 1
  1. La Dame Et La Licorne
  2. Red Sea, Black Sea
  3. White Waves
  4. Palo Santo
  5. Seventy-Four, Seventy-Five
  6. Nobody
  7. Sing, Little Birdie
  8. Johnny Viola
  9. Failed Queen
  10. Hail, Mary
  11. Going is Song
Disc 2
  1. My Only Boy
  2. Every Hook, Every Eye
  3. Special Rider Blues (Skip James)
  4. Sing, Little Birdie
  5. Palo Santo
  6. Discontinuities
  7. Sing, Little Birdie
  8. Red Sea, Black Sea
  9. Failed Queen
Read review at Pitchforkmedia.

Visit Shearwater.

Download Disc 1

Download Disc2

THE ROYAL ARMY RECORDING CO. 'MARY, YOUR GHOST IS SHOWING'

1. Mary Jane
2. Little Sister
3. Empty Screen
4. Roulette
5. White Knuckled Grip

Described as a "collective," The Royal Army Recording Co. sounds like their members include the Beach Boys, Pedro the Lion, Grant Lee Phillips, and John Vanderslice. The lovely acoustic folk-alt-country-pop sound belies the darkness of the lyrics; it seems almost like a concept album, what with all the waiting and dying and cemeteries. My favorite line: "You were once a projector / now you're just an empty screen I see."

Visit

Download

WinRAR APPLICATION

Thought some of you might find this handy:

WinRAR Corporate 3.70

Download

Friday 27 July 2007

KAISER CARTEL 'LIVE FROM BREAKTHRU RADIO EP'

Hand Silkscreened Edition of 300 copies

Kaiser Cartel is a two-piece band out of Brooklyn, New York. Smart Boy-Girl lyrics, brilliant harmonies with catchy choruses and great hooks. This EP was recorded live at Blue Ribbon Sound on May 22, 2007. Peter, Paul & Mary minus Peter plus The Breeders.

Visit 75orless Records

Download

THE GO! TEAM 'PROOF OF YOUTH'


  1. Grip Like a Vice
  2. Doing it Right
  3. My World
  4. Titanic Vandalism
  5. Fake ID
  6. Universal Speech
  7. Keys to the City
  8. The Wrath of Marcie
  9. I Never Needed it Now So Much
  10. Flashlight Fight
  11. Patricia's Moving Picture

SUNSET RUBDOWN 'RANDOM SPIRIT LOVER'

1. "The Mending of the Gown"
2. "Magic vs. Midas"
3. "Up on Your Leopard, Upon the End of Your Feral Days"
4. "The Courtesan Has Sung"
5. "Winged/Wicked Things"
6. "Colt Stands Up, Grows Horns"
7. "Stallion"
8. "For the Pier (and Dead Shimmering)"
9. "The Taming of the Hands That Came Back to Life"
10. "Setting vs. Rising"
11. "Trumpet, Trumpet, Toot! Toot!"
12. "Child-Heart Losers"

"In Sunset Rubdown's most recent outing, one can imagine Wolf Parade's Spencer Krug grabbing a lyre and leading a fanciful, um, parade of children down to the waterside to drink fairy dust and liquid gumdrops. Even more fleshed out and fully-realized than the stellar sophomore album Shut Up I Am Dreaming, the four-piece has hit their stride with this almost hour-long collection of otherworldly, spirited tales." Filter Magazine

Read what Jagjaguwar have to say about it.

Thursday 26 July 2007

VAMPIRE WEEKEND 'BLUE CD-R (DEMOS)'

1. mansard roof
2. oxford comma
3. a-punk
4. cape cod kwassa kwassa
5. boston
6. campus
7. one
8. bryn
9. walcott
10. the kids don't stand a chance

"The demo's sound quality matches the title's DIY promise, but these are indie-pop gems of a different cut, pulling on the world music bend of Paul Simon's Graceland and late Talking Heads, wrapped in literary barbs and ample alliteration ("all your diction dripping with disdain," for one)." Stereogum

"To a grump like me, these guys sure had a lot of strikes against them. But damned if they didn't hook me. And I've tried to put my finger on exactly why, and I can only come to one conclusion: it's because they really are good. Really." Catbirdseat

Find out for yourselves: Download

THE ACORN 'BLANKETS! E.P.'


1. Plates & Saucers
2. Sent (Awake The Kracken)
3. Blankets
4. Books

"The follow-up to the critically heralded full-length "The Pink Ghosts". Intricate acoustic arrangements and euphoric melodies document the Acorn's transformation from one-person bedroom IDM to full-band concern. A post card for lost souls in lost cities." Kelp Records

"Blankets! may only be four songs, but there's easily enough music here for an album's worth of ideas and, fundamentally, each song is pop gold. Whether viewed as a stop-gap or a first step, this EP may help to explain why The Acorn is gradually being recognized as Ottawa's leading musical export (sorry, Furnaceface) and are regularly featured and reviewed in Canada's nationwide Exclaim! magazine. Unlike the Midwestern singer who heads for New York with guitar slung over shoulder (or whatever), so long as The Acorn keep hating them suburbs and backhandedly congratulating their fans for showing up to their shows on a Wednesday night, it seems that there will be a large and growing number of people - especially in Ottawa - who will continue to buy into the idea that there's always something bigger, and keep listening. "

(from Cokemachineglow review)


LONEY, DEAR 'WHITE SESSION (FRENCH RADIO SHOW)'

01. Carrying a stone
02. Take it back
03. Under a silent sea
04. Saturday waits
05. And I won't cause anything at all
06. Sinister in a state of hope
07. The battle of Trinidad and Tobago
08. I am John
09. In with the arms
10. Won't you do ?
11. The city, the airport

Recorded at Studio 105, Maison de Radio France, Paris.

Recording : 05-14-2007
Broadcast : 05-21-2007


Wednesday 25 July 2007

EMILY HAINES & THE SOFT SKELETON - 'WHAT IS FREE TO A GOOD HOME?'

1. Rowboat
2. The Bank
3. Telethon
4. Bottom Of The world
5. Sprig
6. Mostly Waving (Todor K Remix)


Download

JOSH ROUSE AND PAZ SUAY 'SHE'S SPANISH, I'M AMERICAN'

How does he do it? Always infectious, always groovy, and now he's got a partner like the irresistible Paz Suay.

Daniel Tashian, everybody's favorite secret weapon, inevitably shines where he shows up, here on keyboards, drums, and guitar on three cuts. He also sings like a bird, but here those talents are not, perhaps, required, since it's the hip and romantic blend of Josh and Paz that is the essence, and it's so good.

Half of it is GarageBand loops and bedroom vocals, mixed impeccably by Jason Lehning and embellished by DT, for Josh's imprint Bedroom Classics.

Download

MONOMEN L.P.


Time to brush up on your Norwegian new-wave/post-punk.

Download

Visit

Monday 23 July 2007

SPOON 'GET NICE E.P.'

1. I Got Mine (2:34)
2. Be Still My Servant (1:25)
3. Leave Your Effects Where They’re Easily Seen (0:57)
4. I Summon You (Cool) (1:29)
5. Mean Mad Margaret (1:38)
6. Love Makes You Feel (2:38)
7. You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb (3:14)
8. Tasty Fish (1:19)
9. Dracula’s Cigarette (1:24)
10. 1975 (1:40)
11. I Can Feel It Fade Like An AM Single (3:12)
12. Curfew Tolls (1:34)

The songs are short, noisy, weird, and each track leads into the next one. It's very cool. Included are a different version of "I Summon You" and from the new album, a stripped down version of "You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb." "Love Makes You Feel" and "Curfew Tolls" both sound like a Dark Side era Pink Floyd messing around with the electronics, and "1975" is a lo-fi rocker that sounds like it has been sitting on their shelf for a while. Single tracks really don't do it justice, you've got to hear this thing in its entirety.

The new Spoon album Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga., came bundled with the Get Nice! EP.

PINBACK 'AUTUMN OF THE SERAPHS'


  1. From Nothing To Nowhere
  2. Barnes
  3. Good To Sea
  4. How We Breathe
  5. Walters
  6. Subbing for Eden
  7. Devil You Know
  8. Blue Harvest
  9. Torch
  10. Bouquet
  11. Off By 50
(Slated for release on September 11)


Download

Sunday 22 July 2007

THE ACORN 'TIN FIST E.P.'

1. Heirlooms
2. Dents
3. Brokered Heart
4. Feral Chile
5. Spring Thaw
6. Maplebees

This mini-album is a journey; alebit a short one (which really is a shame). It starts off hauntingly with Heirlooms, a song that I promise you, will make your skin crawl if you listen to it somewhere alone with all the lights out. Hauntingly beautiful would be a good way to describe it.

From there, Tin Fist EP continues to grow, twisting and turning, giving and taking. Dents takes us on a softer ride, but the intensity returns in Spring Thaw.

Download

Saturday 21 July 2007

CAPTAIN BEEFHEART 'GROW FINS:RARITIES, 5 CD BOX'

Out-takes, demos, radio spots, and live performances.
(enhanced CD features not included, audio only)
Heard in part or examined in whole, Grow Fins is a breath-taking document. Even though he has been retired from music for over two decades, despite the fact that various former associates have accused him of power trips most foul, Captain Beefheart’s music remains its own cutting edge. Beefheart and the Magic Band, together, created a music so powerful and unique that it has expanded subterranean horizons in ways that we haven’t yet discovered.

Visit The Captain Beefheart Radar Station

CAPTAIN BEEFHEART 'LIVE AT MY FATHER'S PLACE'

1 - TROPICAL HOT DOG NIGHT
2 - NOWADAYS A WOMAN'S GOTTA HIT A MAN
3 - OWED T' ALEX
4 - DROPOUT BOOGIE
5 - HARRY IRENE
6 - ABBA ZABA
7 - HER EYES ARE A BLUE MILLION MILES
8 - OLD FART AT PLAY
9 - WELL
10 - ICE ROSE
11 - MOONLIGHT ON VERMONT
12 - THE FLOPPY BOOT STOMP
13 - YOU KNOW YOU'RE A MAN
14 - BAT CHAIN PULLER
15 - APES-MA
16 - WHEN I SEE MOMMY I FEEL LIKE A MUMMY
17 - VETERAN'S DAY POPPY
18 - SAFE AS MILK
19 - SUCTION PRINTS



On Saturday 18 November 1978 Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band performed at My Father's Place in Roslyn, Long Island, New York City. My Father's Place was located under a motorway bridge, held about 200 people and the patrons sat at long tables and could dine whilst listening if they wished. This astounding show was recorded and mixed directly to two-track tape.

Part 1

Part 2

Thursday 19 July 2007

'THE HISTORICAL CONQUESTS OF JOSH RITTER'

01 To the Dogs or Whoever
02 Mind's Eye
03 Right Moves
04 The Temptation of Adam
05 Open Doors
06 Rumors
07 Edge of the World
08 Wait for Love
09 Real Long Distance
10 Next to the Last Romantic
11 Moons
12 Still Beating
13 Empty Heats
14 Wait for Love (You Know You Will)


The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter, the 14-track follow up to Ritter's 2006 album The Animal Years, will burn and pillage August 21 courtesy of Sony BMG/Victor.


SEBADOH 'THE FREED MAN - EXPANDED REISSUE'

Have had this for a while but reading the review today at Pitchforkmedia spurred me on to upload it for you.

I've always loved Sebadoh, from buying 'Gimme Indie Rock' on clear vinyl 7" thro' the Gaffney years and beyond.

Enjoy.

Part1 Part2

BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE PRESENTS: 'KEVIN DREW......SPIRIT IF'

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Wednesday 18 July 2007

FELT 'BUBBLEGUM PERFUME'

01. I Will Die With My Head in Flames
02. Stained-glass Windows in the Sky
03. I Didn't Mean to Hurt You
04. Space Blues
05. Autumn
06. Be Still
07. There's No Such Thing as Victory
08. Magellan
09. The Final Resting of the Ark
10. Sandman's on the Rise Again
11. Don't Die on My Doorstep
12. A Wave Crashed on Rocks
13. Book of Swords
14. Declaration
15. Gather Up Your Wings and Fly
16. The Darkest Ending
17. Bitter End
18. Rain of Crystal Spires
19. Voyage to Illumination
20. Ballad of the Band

This posthumous compilation was released by Creation Records in 1990 and is now out of print.
Felt are often cited as a major influence by Belle & Sebastian's Stuart Murdoch - if that's not a good pointer I don't know what is. The band released ten albums and ten singles in ten years and then disbanded - such perfect symmetry.

Download Bubblegum Perfume

As a little bonus, I have also uploaded a four-track radio session they recorded for Andy Kershaw (UK BBC Radio 1) in 1986:

1. When The Dawn Starts Creeping In
2. Sapphire Mansions
3. Rain Of Crystal Spires
4. All The People I Like Are Those That Are Dead

Download Radio Session

WHITE CIRCLE CRIME CLUB 'A PRESENT PERFECT'

I saw these guys from Antwerp, Belgium support Blood Brothers in Newcastle (UK) earlier this month - both bands were fantastic: loud and intense!

Hope you enjoy this, their latest album.

Their label, Conspiracy Records says:

"A Present Perfect, the band's second full-length, marks a major shift for White Circle Crime Club. Even more so than on previous recordings, this album is probably as focused as the band could possibly be. Focused on sound, but most definitely also with a new sense of melody and great songs. Not only does White Circle Crime Club surprise with an album that is significantly more soulful than previous efforts, they've also kept their refreshingly diverse view on music. There's distance travelled here, with a lyrical love for all things twisted by time and a musical freedom rare for bands with a background in fast punk music."

Download

Visit

Monday 16 July 2007

STEVEN JESSE BERNSTEIN 'PRISON'

You have GOT to hear this!

Sub Pop released Prison in February of 1992, and only one track, "No No Man (Part One)," was completed before Bernstein took his life. Bernstein's readings were recorded from 1990-1991, and three of these poems were recorded in his home studio. The readings were set to "soundscapes" made by producer/composer/musician Steve Fisk. The backing tracks often sounds like bad metal or cheesy synth-jazz, but somehow this music compliments Bernstein's sardonic poetry perfectly. On tracks like the brutal "Face," there is a touch of ambient noise gurgling at just the right parts in the background. Prison is a challenging tour de force.

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THE STAGGERING STATISTICS 'PIXELATED ONES & ZEROES'

This fantastic 6-track EP was the first release on 75orless Records.

It came in a limited edition of 750 hand-assembled, hand-numbered CD's in matchbook style jacket in raised pressed sleeve. (It is fabulous!)

Frontman and guitarist Austin Brown is easy to credit as lyricist and vocalist. His voice is unique, with the ability to switch from the sing-along pop chorus ("Wet Book of Matches") to melancholy syncopated verses ("Disastrous Leanings"). Drummer Joe Klug is steady, providing mostly spare accompaniment with a tasteful flash here and there. Klug is confident enough to know when to settle back into the mix and when to push and create tension and pulse. His partnership and ability to mesh with bassist Curley is integral to the band's success. Curley's playing on Pixelated Ones and Zeros is in an entirely different style and presentation than his work with the Afghan Whigs. The ascending runs in "Lookout Cartographer Autobiographer" create a counter-melody that propels and perfectly complicates the song. Throughout, Curley's interplay with Klug creates a special dynamic that accentuates the abilities of all three players.

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GRAVENHURST 'THE WESTERN LANDS'

01 Saints
02 She Dances
03 Hollow Man
04 Song Among The Pine
05 Trust
06 The Western Lands
07 Farewell, Farewell
08 Hourglass
09 Grand Union Canal
10 The Collector

This is the new album form Gravenhurst, due out via Warp records September 19, 2007.

Their last album, 'Fires In Distant Buildings' remains a big favourite of mine - so this new one has a lot to live up to. It's less immediate I would say - have only listened a couple of times but it is definitely growing on me. Gravenhurst demand attention - let's give it to them.

Download

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PROTON PROTON EPs




Proton Proton are definitely dancey, but they're more punk rock than anything. They name-check Shellac, MC5, Deerhoof and XTC and while you can hear the influences, you won't be rolling your eyes, because Proton Proton refuse to be obvious.

These two excellent self-released EPs are now sold-out, so I don't feel bad about publishing the links and spreading the word about this amazing band.

75orless says about EP #2:

"The 'gass' drives the rhythm, a homemade instrument that combines the sounds of a guitar and a bass, in this case resulting in the throbbing bass lines and guitar licks of the Jesus Lizard into one driving rhythm source. This Brooklyn-based trio also tosses in some Mission of Burma-like arpeggio guitar tones to mix up the heaviness and the quirkiness of more recent bands such as Bloc Party over pounding stop and go, more loud than fast drums, slight hand claps, with vocals reminiscent of John Lydon."

Download EP #1

Download EP #2

Visit

SONIC YOUTH LINKS FIXED

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

MUM 'GO GO SMEAR THE POISON IVY'


1. Blessed Brambles
2. A Little Bit Sometimes
3. They Made Frogs Smoke 'Til They Exploded
4. These Eyes Are Berries
5. Moon Pulls
6. Marmalade Fires
7. Rhuubarbidoo
8. Dancing Behind My Eyelids
9. School Song Misfortune
10. I Was Her Horse
11. Guilty Rocks
12. Winter (What We Never Were After All)

Scheduled release date is
Wednesday 19 September 2007.

Download

Visit Mum

Visit FatCat Records

Sunday 15 July 2007

FOREST FIRE 'PSYCHIC LOVE STAR E.P.'

Tracklist:
  1. Bad Time Premonition
  2. Psychic Love Star
  3. Stand
  4. How High
  5. Scorpion
  6. Someone's Anchor
Another great release from Catbird Records.

Mr. Catbirdseat says:

"One day, I randomly downloaded a 5-song bundle, from a band I'd never heard of, from a torrent-trading website. After a few listens, I decided to look the band up, and after a few more listens, I decided to contact the band to see if they'd like to put out a disc for Catbird. The band was Forest Fire, and that 5-song bundle was what eventually became the Psychic Love Star EP."

Download E.P.

Visit Forest Fire

PET POLITICS 'SPRING E.P.'



Pet Politics is a one man band from Gothenburg, Sweden

Bows Plus Arrows says:

"Magnus Larsson's singing voice, honeyed and sweetly accented, sounds close-by, but the music is seemingly from a different time. It's all familiar, the bright instrumentation and the benign melody, which gives it a refreshingly complete feel. "Life Goes On" closes the EP with a slow push, perfect for an afternoon's languor."

Download EP

Visit Catbird Records

Visit Magnus

PETE AND THE PIRATES 'WAIT STOP BEGIN'

I heard about these guys via my constant reading of The Catbirdseat.
He says "There are folk bits, Byrdsy harmony bits, kraut-rock frug-outs, punk blasts of power, and superb pop moments all segued and strewn together carelessly but precisely." And I agree.
(the packaging is gorgeous an anally retentive music geek kinda way).

Download

Visit Pete and his Pirates

Buy more cool CDs from Stolen Recordings

MINUS STORY 'MAKE THE DEAD COME'

This is a limited edition EP that came out earlier this year as a little teaser before the release of 'My Ion Truss'. I bought it straight away - along a with a load o' t-shirts!

Download

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Buy lots of Minus Story CDs!

DIVISION DAY 'BEARTRAP ISLAND'

One of my absolute favourite albums of 2006. It was self-released and is now out of stock. Apparently, it is going to be re-released with new artwork etc. In the meantime, have a listen for yourself.

Download

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Read review at Cokemachineglow

ELEPHANT MICAH 'ALSATIAN SUNLIGHT'

New CDR available by mail order.

1 WAVE TRANSLATION
2 DETAILED CATHEDRAL
3 MORE EXPOSURES
4 STAY LOST

Download

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SONIC YOUTH 'DAYDREAM NATION (DELUXE EDITION)'

As a purely functional entity, Daydream Nation is one of the most consistent records of the '80s underground hey-day -- which is no small feat considering it not only runs through the notorious pitfalls of the double record, but also holds its own with the other heavy hitters from that time, including their own Sister (1987). This is proven by the Deluxe Version's bonus live disc, containing each song (yes, even "Providence," evidently in use as a between-set interlude) from the album, completely out of order.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Read all about it.

FIERY FURNACES 'WIDOW CITY'

Get it while it's hot!

http://rapidshare.com/files/42726551/the_fiery_furnaces_-_widow_city__2007_.rar

THE PROPER FIGURINES LINK!

http://rapidshare.com/files/41628833/figurines_-_when_the_deer_wore_blue__2007_.rar

FIGURINES 'WHEN THE DEER WORE BLUE'

You can stream it, buy it or get it NOW

http://rapidshare.com/files/41628833/figurines_-_when_the_deer_wore_blue__2007_.rar