good style shop blog

SPRING NITE SALE 2012

2012-02-28T14:34:00.001-08:00

This is going to be a mixtape trade, too. 

I will dub about 10 copies of a Good Style Shop Spring Breeze Out mix for the first 10 people through the door.

Lowlight Situations - "Office Romance" CS

2012-02-18T13:51:00.000-08:00

This NNF release might be a little underappreciated. I like jazz when it's very syrupy.

This full length is 1/100.

From Decrepit Tapes' blog:

"Misery may love company but the reverse is true as well. And few 
improv-y crews are as adept at coaxing delicious smoky noir heartbreak 
as City Terrace quartet Low Light Situations. It only takes a couple 
turtlenecks, two beards, three folding chairs, one clarinet, and a 
single sizzle-chain for these itinerant east LA session players to 
slow-roast a set’s worth of mesmerizing instrumental reverb chamber 
mystery-jazz. Whispery percussion, piano bar bass noodles, echo-twang 
guitar spiderwebs, and twilit ivory tickling slow-dance and romance in a
 tall-ceilinged hall of mirrors, occasionally spilling over into 
passages of dissonant drama or hushed emptiness. A great sustained mood 
melodrama parsed into six subtle micro-movements."

$6 + shipping 

Alex Body - "Little Hazey" CS

2012-02-18T13:09:00.000-08:00

The now-defunct Iowa tape label, Moist Tapes, put out Alex Body's most tropical release C20 cassette release "Little Hazey" in a short run in 2010. Simply known as BODY these days, you might recognize him from a few early Night People releases. Joe Heuermann, the one of Iowa noise's elusive kingpins, ran Moist Tapes prior to going industrial as  J. Pavilion and starting up All Hell Recordings in Iowa City.

This weird relic has it all: bright organ tangents, dub elements, blown-out kiddy vocals, peach-Os.

Side A: "naked we came"

Side B: "staring at a decent person", "little hazey", "michael jackson"

$4 + shipping

Breathing Flowers - "Magical Order of the Seven Sacred Planets" CS

2012-02-18T12:27:00.000-08:00

From label Sonic Meditation's prolific electronic psych roster.

Breathing
 Flowers is a Kansas City native McKinley Jones. He has contributed to a
 number of Expo '70 albums including the recent "Corridors to Infinity" 
album. Sonic Meditations released 100 of "Magical Order of the Seven Sacred Planets" and the shop wound up with a good handful, but there remains just one copy left.

"Magical Order" is an out-of-body lazy river through seven bodies of the known universe.

Recommended to those who dig on Expo '70, Umberto, new mystic stuff, or have read 'Utopia' by Thomas More.

       

"Breathing
 Flowers leads us away from the clichés of the sweaty indie-folk mass 
through green fields, winding mountain paths and thick forests to a 
leafy and secluded grove where child-nymphs and faun frolic in the 
speckled sunlight by the lake, a pasty-faced magician casts runes under a
 white oak..." 8/10/08 -- Matthew O'Shannessy - Foxy Digitalis 

$7 + shipping

Beru - "Daughter Of Eve" CS

2012-02-12T17:00:00.000-08:00

 Beru, known also as Jessica Collin, leads a listener through a morose drifts in "Daughter of Eve". The full length cassette leads with a delicate request to follow her past a gated curtain of windchimes and through a forestal path of listless laments. Later, Beru sings a short yarn about a futile quest for love that leads her through Jerusalem and ends with an unobserved death. Austere stuff.

NPR's All Music Considered blog listed Beru - "Daughter of Eve" as one of the Best Cassettes of 2010.

From digitalisindustries.com

"... After dozens of listens 
to Beru's "Daughter Of Eve" I can say for certain: I know ghosts. Jessica Collin has crafted one of the most heartbreaking pieces of 
music I've heard in ages. "Daughter Of Eve" is a dark journey through a 
harrowing year. Think too much wine mixed with Bergman and you're 
getting close...
      
      

      Calleiro's voice is the star. hovering over fractured acoustic 
guitar melodies, sounding as if though it'll crack and break into tiny 
pieces at any moment, you can't help but be seduced. noise swashes, 
chiming percussion and various other parlor tricks create the perfect 
momentary distractions... Created as two 25 minute sides, "Daughter Of Eve" is expertly 
assembled..." 1 of 75.

Beru "Daughter of Eve" promo video #1 from Digitalis Industries 

Beru "Daughter of Eve" Promo video #2 from Digitalis Industries

sold

Troy Schaffer - "Anubis Come In" CS

2012-02-12T14:00:00.000-08:00

It's a good thing the shop has at least one of the 99 of copies of "Anubis Come In" made by local friend & notable violinist / demonologist Troy Schaffer. It's a thoughtful spread of loop collages, Blair Witch realness, string abuse and rain sounds.

This solo release by founding member of Kinit Her and the highly productive free-folk ensemble Second Family Band (releases also on Earjerk)was recorded in 2010 here in Madison, Wisconsin.

Side A: Anubis Come In / Blessing Song. An intense passage through unintelligible mud missives, banchee wind whippers, gongs and earth curses.
Side B: Death Spirit of the All. As if a lone orphan on a swing set remade the first bars of Tears for Fears "Head Over Heels" with tinny stringed balalaika, then immediately burst into a beam of light; chilling as fuck.

$6 + shipping

GSS Holiday Gift Guide

2011-12-22T14:07:00.000-08:00

Vintage Knits

Tooled Leather Vintage Bags

Mens vintage shoes and boots

Womens vintage shoes and boots

OAK vintage sunnies & shades

Softspoken handmade hats and mitts

Iron Sea handmade tees and totes

Project Salvage handmade jewelry

Last minute gift ideas for those of us who wait until the last possible second!

Various Artists - Confluence Park

2011-12-10T16:12:00.001-08:00

Various Artists - Confluence Park (late 2000s Columbus, OH sampler)

"The Ohio Cassette series comes to an end with this six way split. Four solo visionaries and two free jam super groups take you on a brownish-green journey through the wilderness of the mind." 100 produced. Teen Action Records

Featured:
Lambsbread
Adam Smith
Out There Dudes
Ginger Fetus
Demonologists
Envenomist

http://www.teenactionrecords.com/

$5 + shipping

Pink Priest - "Gulls Diving Into the Ocean"

2011-12-10T15:47:00.001-08:00

Pink Priest - Gulls Diving Into the Ocean

"Pink Priest is Arkansas resident William Cody Watson, who also spends time co-running the Bathetic Label, and playing with Wild Safari. Real deep loner zone feelings on this cassette. Low rumbling synth and electronics blowing over a windswept landscape by the sea. Isolating, atmospheric and gloomy but with subtle touches of light almost airy tones floating in and out to create a deeper more dynamic composition." Night People (095)

$6 + shipping

Dylan Ettinger - "Bread of the Dead"

2011-12-10T15:36:00.001-08:00

"Released on Ettinger’s own El Tule label, this release showcases six tracks that trek the boundaries between pop, drone, and overt experimentalism in much the same manner as contemporaries such as Ducktails, albeit with a unique sound all his own.

Ettinger’s sound, consistently manifested through a whimsical and ultra lo-fi production value, is thick and full however, making for a very strange pop sensibility that manages to nestle itself in the noggin as it performs its rituals. The loping organ line of the opening “Pan de Muertro” has an almost R. Crumb “keep on truckin” sensibility to it that is accompanied by muddied vocals and kazoo for a strange tropical beer-on-the-beach party vibe—Corona only, please. The following “Rosa Parks” slips into less shallow waters in a stark drone piece whose crude sound leaves everything shimmering wonderfully. In fact, the rest of the first side is drenched in a reverb wash that leaves it crystallized straight through “Cross My Eyes.”

The second side’s “Fat Babies” presents yet another take on Ettinger’s sound, this time focusing on guitar trawl lines and moody, almost Rambutan-style drift. Moaning vocals keep the whole at a steady simmer that continues the heavily baked feel of the tape. Same goes for “Pushin’,” whose gamelan, Skaters-style animal calls and finger piano clatter point one giant finger further down the road to oblivion. The closing “Rainfall” is cloudy enough for its bass-heavy beat to take on a jungle feel that seems to be the trademark here. A really nice one for fans of that special breed of gone, dubbed to doob murk." - foxydigitalis.com C-60

SOLD

Vestigial Limb "Now, Voyager"

2011-12-10T14:49:00.001-08:00

"For the past few years, Ray Shinn has slowly been developing and refining his approach to dynamic, old-school 90's style noise blast over several consistent tape releases. This is the next step, progressing from his 'katyn spring' masterpiece -- a 30 minute collage work incorporating layers of psychedelic electronics, junk-noise clatter, tape and lp manipulations, and an ever-present bass guitar undertone. A unique statement for the era." monorailtrespassing.com C-30 125 copies, 1/10

$6 + shipping

gothic imaging center: industrialism

2011-10-15T13:52:00.000-07:00

You have a dark, cold heart shackled within a moribund, gaunt corperal vessel.
And you have nothing to wear!
Decide what shade of colorless you are and we'll talk. Or enjoy the silence.

These are bygone eras. They are ashes rightly heaped into the collective urn of youth pop history.
That said, no one likes to be a spitting image of the past unless your aim is to jump into the costume vortex of unchanging fashion. This is so important to remember especially while drawing inspiration from the recent past. These styles are now released out of the vault and into vintage boutiques because of the golden 20-year-cycle. If you're old enough to have lived through the moment, don't overdo it!

Here's the beginning on a four part study on dark fashion moments and their new relevance.

Part One: Industrial / Rivet

most identifiable moment: rivethead and cyberpunk subcultures of 1990s: cultural hybridization spurred from crude information technology, originated in late '70s warehouse clubs.

Hackers, 1995

main articles: metal hardware, BDSM & general fetishism, BDU-style belts, steel toe boots, industrial-grade repurposed materials.
chronological definitive musical icons: early Throbbing Gristle, Caberet Voltaire, Chemlab

Chemlab - Filament, 1990

Cosey Fanni Tutti of Throbbing Gristle. ca. 1981

why to work it in: as a nod to when the Net wasn't a marketing target machine that you willingly live in, but a way to bring down financial institutions and spur a hack war. Oh wait!
how to work it in: non typical leather accessories for women: black leather backpacks, leather cuffs. Doc Martin's, nuts and bolts as fasteners, rivets, heavy canvas, re-constructed plastic and poly materials, metallics, circular frames.

I'm not that big of a fan of this aesthetic in its original context. My purpose here is to explore industrialism's resurgence and interpretation in today's zeitgeist. Send your hate mail to goodstyleshop@gmail.com!

Next Week: New Romanticism / Blitz Kid

model behavior

2011-09-09T10:25:00.000-07:00

We couldn't have had a better time at this years VM Fall Fashion Show, our models Sophia and Bianca here look like goddesses do they not? More on this years fashion show coming up soon...

shop update: college dropout sale next week

2011-08-27T15:37:00.000-07:00

You may have seen these plastered all over campus hell and the downtown area by now.
Good Style Shop is having a grand bitch of a sale for all the college and university newcomers here in Madison.

We're going to be unleashing a bunch of new autumnal vintage clothing, shoes & accessories for everyone! If you have a student ID handy, we'll take off 10% off your whole shootin' match Saturday, September 3 and the following Saturday, September 10.

Drop out of the doldrums of campus and into the cliffs of townie paradise: 402 East Washington!

That's not Jane Birkin, either. It's our high priestess Sophia. Send your fan mail to our regular address.

BIG DEAL: This Wednesday at High Noon Saloon, come to Vintage Madison's 2nd Annual Fall Fashion event. We're bringing party boys, clean stacks of vinyl pop, and printed realness. If I lost you, good, Claire's next post will get you on this tip.

accessory weapons

2011-08-27T15:11:00.000-07:00

Maybe norms and fashion scouts are getting back on the glamour crust punk train.
Maybe people want to prepare themselves for the upcoming class war.
Or just people are goading me and my "no firearms" policy here at the shop.

I've been getting a lot of requests for Doc Martins, bullet belts, military regalia and other "accessory weapons" lately. Is there a Renaissance Faire in Madison under my radar? (I was once turned away from one of those events as a kid because a halfling said I was too ugly to get in. Close call!) My dad is slowly purging his basement of his Civil War reenacting artifacts... has that sparked a demand? I thought this steampunk shit was dead and gone!

As an overgrown teenager and incorrigible asshole, if I wear or have worn it, it's generally acceptable. I have worn a few weapons for flip and fight reasons. Here's 4 foggy notions on what this phrase means:

1.) Vile necklace with anthrax. Get one. (Anthrax sold separately). I love these sorts of things. I think there's a twee little jellyfish in this one.

2.) I was once kicked out of the freshmen dorms for having a bong, a bullet belt, a few butterfly knives and stacks of Easyrider magazines with googly eyes glued on tits. But I think my chrome bullets is what did me in.

3.) Noose braids a la April Fool's Day. This b-loved movie is not only uncomprehensibly stupid, but filled with all sorts of blood party scenes. However, the noose braid only appears on the VHS sleeve.

4.) Apache knuckle dusters.
These are sickest pieces ever. The gun operates on the principle of a pepperbox revolver and incorporates a fold-over knuckle duster forming the grip and also a foldout knife blade. This handheld Frenchy will add a certain je nai sais quoi to any street fight.

I'm on a first name basis with this weapon accessory; I call it an Apache.
It just so happens the San Francisco-based powerpop pearls Apache is one of Burger Records' best sellers and total fuckin' dreamboats. Our Phoebe knew Apache's beirdo frontman, Omar, from another vintage shack out by the bay.

Sniff this early eponymous cassette by Apache, if you can get your hooks in it. It's racy, has a touch of early Hanoi Rocks cock-solos, and is a notch higher than Mean Jeans' latest in my freakin' weeken' hype mix. I got mine from LA Record, because their awesome label, Burger Records, sells a lot of stuff fast.

Apache has 2010's full length "Radical Sabbatical" available, too. Oh yeah! Paroose Burger Records' killr inventory of 70s sleazerock reappropriation and good lovin' garage LPs and tapes. I'm very close to getting a bunch of their releases stocked in this store... before their Midwest store opens! More on Apache's 2011 tour.

Okay, later for now!

shop update: shoe in

2011-08-19T12:37:00.000-07:00

We're stocking up on LOADS of shoes for the upcoming season! Lace-up boots, animal print, snakeskin, wood platforms and wedges + + +. Stop in-store to see 'em live in person or shop online!

how to do that

2011-08-14T14:45:00.000-07:00

The Vintage Madison Fall Fashion Show is on the horizon! 

Phoebe here, in the shop today listening to summer jams and sowing seeds for the Good Style fall runway.  You don't want to miss this! 

Save the date:

WEDNESDAY September 7th

at The High Noon Saloon

7

$five bones

hosted by the lovely ladies at Vinage-Madison.com

stranger i come

2011-08-13T17:30:00.000-07:00

This is the inaugural blog post for Good Style.

Good Style is commonly known as "Good Style Shop" to our beloved local cronies, spectators, vintage bloodhounds, queerleaders and touring noise rags. I've made the executive decision to drop the "shop" as we branch out into more than just selling shit you love. In addition to doling out relevant vintage clothes and blasty / grassy expressions to pop in your beater's tape deck, we're spewing out witicisms and snapshots of local people with weird taste on the internet now.

Okay, enough explainations. I'm so hungry, though. Bring me a fritatta or whatever's in your back seat I can eat. Oh good, Jenny's coming.

An Man in a Boutique

Please don't flutter away. I'm perched on this padded stool to help you find the right dress. Really.
As a young buffalo, I am not an archetypal boutique owner. I rage and think in riddles. That's why, with some help from my associates, I bring new ideas to vintage apparel.

Appearances matter, indeed, that's why you're combing over the racks looking for a darted cocktail dress or rifling the shelves looking for size 8 hurache flats. You're a dime-piece. And I'm a dime-piece, too. I'm a chain-smoking, dirty-fingernailed part-time mod/ern glory boy. But this doesn't mean I can't zip you into a 1950s circle dress and offer up a cache of brutal leather jackets and mood jewels to get you out of the stale-ass Betty Draper-zone you thought revival attire once was.

This shop found its early success by offering styled vintage clothing within a curation cave. I'm privileged to keep this flame high since the switch in early 2011. Good Style Shop is located in a prior Gnostic gathering center in an overlooked corner of East Washington and Hancock streets close to the tumultuous capitol of Wisconsin. As the new owner, my modus is to keep new ideas in art, tunes and textile filled to the top with the help of some magnetic personalities with serious fashion gravitas. Claire ran Mamushka Marie, an accute yet flippant diary of a cross-country vintage sourcer. She's the prim cowgirl that will not hesitate to lasso some of my more exuberant ideas and finds. Phoebe, our Sunday fling, has made her tenure as a vintage maven and merchandiser at San Francisco's quite legendary vintage salon La Rosa Vintage.

This Saturday, I've delighted in:
Lantern: Stranger I Come / Stranger I Leave (Night-People, 2011)

Philadelphia's witchiest appitite for 3-chord punk, Lantern, pierces my palpatating heart with Iggy Pop mess, hambone rhythyms and swaths of dark psych. Zachary Fairbrother's voice is pure, tangy snot. This tape is just like an acidic 70s creepnik should be in 2011. It's any wonder why no one's picked up my last copy here at the shop.

If this tape were an outfit, it would be shredded, slightly acidic Guess-era black jeans + a high-cropped, hot-color saturated print made from an altered shift dress. It doesn't have shoes and it wears a rusty locket.

What am I doing tonight:
Legalize It!: Madison's most esteemed waxheads play rare cuts from around the planet, off the grid.
There will be pictures.

I do this on Saturdays, only.

PS:
Carlos is back! Our friend and record buyer is back from an unexpected jump to LA for the past 2 weeks. He brought us back issues of PORK magazine and other earthly delights. Stoked.