Other Music New Release Update
March 28, 2001


In This Week's Update:

Magic Carpathians
Toby Dammit 10"
Avalanches
Shuggie Otis reissue
Electronicagainsbourg - Serge Gainsbourg remixed
Gorillaz (Deltron 3030 plus Damon Albarn)
Big Youth box
Divine Comedy
Patty Waters reissue
Minders
Current 93
Nurse With Wound
Harald 'Sack' Ziegler & E*Rock 3"
Bruce Haack's 'Electric Lucifer 2'
Blue Aeroplanes' very early material
Fantastic Something
Extreme Music from Women comp.
Charles Tyler
Snow Robots comps. (2)
"Col. Jeffrey Pumpernickel" comp.
Restocks:
Liliput/Kleenex
Young Marble Giants
Just In: Talvin Singh's new album "Ha"


Featured New Releases:

MAGIC CARPATHIANS PROJECT "Ethnocore 2: Nytu" (Drunken Fish) CD  $13.99
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/Ethno21.rm
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/Ethno22.rm
Help! Magic Carpathians are coming to play in-store here at Other
Music, NYC tomorrow (8:00 PM), and I'm running out of superlatives
to describe their indescribably fantastic music! "Ethnocore 2" is
their fifth release in only 18 months and continues to mine
unplumbed depths of their indescribable hybrid of magical
ethnic music, fantastic free improvisation and super
psychedelia. "The new album showcases the impact India and Nepal
made on Marek Styczynski and Anna Nacher during their recent
travels, most notably through the use of private tapes made of an
Indian wedding, chanting Buddhist nuns, and wagon caravans through
the Himalayas taped by the two themselves. Over the course of the
CD's eleven tracks Anna's devotional wail-like vocals soar over
delicate eastern rhythms and miniature modern ragas, some charged
with western technology in the form of electronic squeals; others
wholly acoustic with exotic woodwinds and jew's harp, all firmly
coated in a thick green forest mist."--Darren Drunkenfish. Special
guest appearances by Wadada and Marek from Suns Of Arqa. My
favorite record this year, surprise, surprise, for what it's
worth. [JG]
//perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=06026796482&refer_url=email

TOBY DAMMIT "Gopher Edits EP" (Tricatel, France) 10-inch  $7.99
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/Damm1.rm
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/Damm2.rm
Dammit's music lands somewhere between a Thai percussion
orchestra, a '60s giallo movie soundtrack, Arthur Lyman and, well,
Alex Gopher, who remixes these tracks from the upcoming full-
length record. As upbeat and kicking as someone like Tipsy or
maybe even Jazzanova, only the heavy, heavy psych version. Dammit,
an American, took his name from a Fellini short, and combines live
drumming and drum machines very well in a thick, thick mix. All
percussion (save a few samples and Bertrand Burgalat's
contribution on harpsichord), it works great on its own, yet would
make a killer bed to mix with, too. Dammit has basically made
_the_ modern percussion record. From Tricatel's very limited-
edition 10-inch series. [RE]
//perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=370007763506&refer_url=email

AVALANCHES "Since I Left You" (Modular, Australia) CD $22.99
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/avalanc1.rm
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/avalanc2.rm
I'm starting to get really spoiled by records like the new Daft
Punk and this one from Australian group the Avalanches. I want
more music that is playful, that refers to music of the past but
works it into something really modern, music that makes your
apartment a discotheque the instant you put it on. Avalanches are
six musicians -- including two turntablists, one of whom is Dexter
Fabay (DJ Dexter who took second place at last years DMC world
competition). "Since I Left You" has the heavy, powerful atmosphere
of some of the best hip-hop producers (like Outkast, Timbaland),
lifted by a creative use of samples and pop rivaling Cornelius and
Fantastic Plastic Machine. They are a cut-and-paste group
(interesting fact: this is the first record that was able to sample
Madonna legally -- she liked 'em enough), but not a seam is
showing, and loops are varied enough so you don't really hear
them as that simple construction in the context of the music. Plus
all kinds of early '70s soul and pop samples (they even hit the
Osmonds and Barry Manilow), stripped of cheese. Their CD is a
continuous mix (also tracked as songs), meticulously assembled--
one long horsey ride. Their star is definitely rising -- they opened
for the tours of Jon Spencer and the Beasties in Australia, and I
heard that this record is already #1 in Sweden! [RE]
//perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=72435283332&refer_url=email

SHUGGIE OTIS "Inspiration Information" (Luaka Bop) CD $15.99
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/shuggie1.rm
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/shuggie2.rm
In the endless search for soulful, spirited funk, one invariably
happens upon the name Shuggie Otis. Otis, son of Johnny Otis and
a guitar prodigy, made one of music's most magical meditations
in "Inspiration Information," which is now fortuitously available
26 years later, on CD. Although Otis was a masterful arranger and
meticulous producer, "Inspiration" sounds as if it flowed
effortlessly from his mind, retaining the zest and kinetic
efficacy of thought. One example is 'Aht Uh Mi Hed,' a lyrical
study of memory and intimacy that subtly soars on orchestral
wings, incorporating harps, triangles, seagulls and, most
wonderfully, Shuggie's spur-of-the-moment shushes and whistles.
The instrumental tracks, almost half the record, bloom from his
imagination just as sprightly. 'XL-30' sounds like a dream DJ
Premiere once had, strutting from Otis' "Uncle Funk" drum machine,
met with fanciful whorls of Wurlitzer. The final track, 'Freedom
Flight,' is a 12-minute jam so crystalline that Alice Coltrane
would weep. Luaka Bop did the smart thing in including 'Strawberry
Letter 23' here, in my opinion one of the best songs ever put on
paper (from Otis' "Freedom Flight" three years earlier--and worth
the price of the CD for this track alone). It is a conceptual,
oddly-structured masterpiece of psychedelia, complete with
kaleidoscopic lyrics, chiming xylophones, sleigh bells and a
spiraling, vivacious coda. Its opening chimes always make me
smile. "Inspiration Information" is a collection worth all the
praise it has received and undoubtedly will receive once again. It
is a powerful, untouchable compendium; a technicolor blast of
California soul. [DD]
//perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=72438504732&refer_url=email

[V/A] "Electronicagainsbourg" (Mercury, France) CD $21.99
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/eleGain1.rm
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/eleGain2.rm
This lovingly assembled project features notable mixologists
tackling Serge Gainsbourg's hot/cool melodies and ineffably slinky
style in ways which make every track sound like it'd go down real
well with the tanned set down at the 18th St. Lounge. Roll call:
The Orb, Howie B., Bob Sinclar, Snooze, Readymade, Faze Action,
Herbert, OGM, Stratus, Chateau Flight, Dax Riders, Dzihan &
Kamien, Demon Ritchie, and Krikor & W.A.R.R.I.O. This byproduct of
Mercury's massive Gainsbourg reissue, remaster, and reclamation
project finds the label granting the artists intimate access to
Serge's precious masters for recontextualization in the 21st
Century. Thankfully everyone here succeeds in enhancing our
relationship to the originals, while retaining the verve and
elegance of his vision. Gainsbourg's laconic vocals allow for
optimal breathing room for sonic innovation and are perfectly
suited to the de/re-constructions this stellar roster churns out.
Serge would have said 'oui' to this, he'd see it as just another
transformation, no? [JG/RE]
//perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=73145485522&refer_url=email

GORILLAZ "s/t" (Parlophone, UK) CD $24.99
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/gorilaz1.rm
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/gorilaz2.rm
Gorillaz, an imaginary (okay, animated) quartet of characters are
in fact is the front for the real-world humans of Dan the
Automator and Del tha Funkee Homosapien (also collectively Deltron
3030) collaborating with Damon Albarn (Blur), with guestwork from
Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz (Tom Tom Club), Miho Hatori (Cibo
Matto), and even Ibrahim Ferrer (Buena Vista Social Club). Typical
upbeat Britpop backed with some odder beats and moments, samples
of all sorts (squiggles of radio transmission, coughing, etc)
twisted into a rock/hip-hop hybrid (with more rock than sample
school). It's unusual, but it also seems so market-calculated that
it makes me very cynical about its artistic success, even if a lot
of the sounds are placed in an interesting way (then again, it
would sound crazy great heard on WKTU or Hot 97!). It really hits
stride halfway in, where the beats start to shudder a little more
and Albarn has stopped doing his over-the-top big yearning urgent
crooning in favor of dribbles of vocal lines as an equal member
rather than the dominant contributor. Del only MCs on a few
tracks, and these are lighthearted, old-skool. The last song is a
jam that figuratively trashes the place and sounds like the Monks
chewing crunchy a bowl full of Oasis and the Fall, china and all.
There's a hidden track that is fun, speedy toasted-dub version of
the 'Clint Eastwood' single. CD has videos 'n' stuff, and this is the
ltd. ed. digipak version. [RE]
//perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=72435320930&refer_url=email

BIG YOUTH "Natty Universal Dread, 1973-1979" (Blood and Fire, UK) 3xCD $24.99
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/bigyouth.rm
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/bigyout2.rm
Perhaps the exemplary Blood & Fire label's most ambitious project
to date, this leviathan contains dozens of roots tracks, culled
from obscure 45s that are even impossible to locate in Kingston.
From the early '70s onwards, Big Youth continued the trend of
DJing while toasters (or MCs) spoke rapidly over instrumentals and
dubs of well known dancehall favorites, a tradition that goes back
to rocksteady. The recorded documentation of the reggae DJ (as
opposed to producer) has definitely been lacking. With this
collection from Big Youth, the DJ who coined the term "natty
dread," the record is set straight. Playing to packed dancehalls
in Jamaica for six years as reggae trends came and went, Big Youth
followed in the tradition of rocksteady and ska DJs such as U-Roy
(though the he was not as pro-black and pro-Rastafarian as BY).
Such was Big Youth's immense popularity in the mid-'70s that he
eclipsed even Bob Marley's following for a time! The first disc of
the three contains residual rocksteady rhythms, particularly
on 'Is Dread In A Babylon' and 'River Jordan,' which both rely on
the Judeo-Christian narratives of redemption that laid the
foundation for even more directly political roots music later in
the '70s. If you buy every Blood & Fire release, you'll already
have this (it was released a few months ago with a bad packaging
design, now corrected). If not, this 52-track collection will take
you into the still beating heart of roots reggae -- and there will
be no turning back. [TH]
//perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=78356400342&refer_url=email

DIVINE COMEDY "Regeneration" (Parlophone, UK) CD $24.99
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/PerfectL.rm
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/BadAmbas.rm
"Regeneration" is (by my count) Divine Comedy's sixth proper LP
but the first for a major-label. The big-budget advance that
Parlophone no doubt provided has been put to good use -- Hannon
appears to have finally assembled a proper band for this one, and
the production is absolutely exquisite. Musically, it's by far
DC's most ambitious album to date, employing a plethora of rich
textures and diverse song structures, while evoking the spirit of
Neil Diamond as much as Scott Walker. Lyrically, Hannon has toned
down the cheekiness and bombast of earlier albums like "Casanova,"
but it hasn't disappeared completely, his acerbic wit still very
much intact. But what makes "Regeneration" such a superior record
is, of course, the songs. Hannon is an expert pop songsmith,
seemingly incapable of making a crap record. His 'Perfect
Lovesong' is very nearly that. While it boasts of a "divine
Beatles bass-line" and a "big old Beach Boys sound", it comes off
more like the perfect-pop of a Monkees classic penned by the
aforementioned Diamond. And Hannon's vocals soar above the baroque
chamber-pop of 'Love What You Do' while snaking around the melody
of Beatles-tinged 'Bad Ambassador', each song flowing perfectly
into the next. This may be the breakthrough record Hannon has been
hoping for, but not at all a sellout. Overall quite remarkable and
beautiful. [TC]
//perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=72435317612&refer_url=email

PATTY WATERS "Sings" (ESP/Calibre, Netherlands) CD $14.99
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/Sings1.rm
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/Sings2.rm
Her staggering 1965 debut (recorded by ESP on the recommendation
of Albert Ayler) is a deliciously schizophrenic affair. Side 1
features Waters' dusky alto on seven original torch songs,
accompanying herself on piano. Rather quirky, yet decidedly Billie
Holiday-esque, these would have become standards in an alternate
universe. Teenage Fanclub would agree with me, having covered the
album's opener 'Moon, Don't Come Up Tonight' for a B-side and I'd
also like to imagine that Nick Drake had "Sings" in his collection
at one time or another. But nothing could possibly prepare us for
Side 2 where Waters is joined by the Burton Greene Trio for one
gloriously lengthy improvisation based on the traditional
ballad 'Black Is The Color Of My True Love's Hair'. Patty might as
well just start calling herself Tania; something has seriously
snapped and the 14 minutes that follow were essentially
unprecedented. Waters starts in a smoldering duet with Greene's
dissonant piano harp figures, then builds gradually?at six minutes
all hell breaks loose and Waters starts to shriek and holler with
considerable range and technical precision, slashing against the
free-jazz eruption from the trio behind her for a further eight
minutes of orgiastic bliss. Yoko Ono and Linda Sharrock would soon
follow suit, but nobody's ever gone further OUT! [JG]
//perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=502136401025&refer_url=email

MINDERS "Golden Street" (SpinArt) CD $14.99
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/minders1.rm
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/minders2.rm
It's funny how all these Elephant 6 bands (and their offshoots
like the Minders) a few years ago were working on a not-strict but
still heavily influenced reproduction of the 1967 pop sound from
the Beach Boys et al. And as a few years go by, so does the time-
period from which these groups are drawing inspiration!?the
Minders are up to 1973 or so, now. "Golden Street" is really
nice '70s pop-rock with organ, and shreds of psychedelia remain,
but now the orchestral pop is stripped down to a small ensemble
(acoustic guitar, piano, and harpsichord is as baroque as it gets,
or a little horns added to the guitar). You can hear the influence
of Eno's poppiest songs, a cleaned-up "Exile on Main Street"
(okay, 1972), Cat Stevens (especially in the keyboard sound), even
a little Pink Floyd. (Modern comparisons--Guided by Voices,
Unrest.) Their second proper full-length album, and in my opinion
it's their best -- I think every song here is good, and this even
gives my beloved Neutral Milk Hotel some serious competition. [RE]
//perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=75007800892&refer_url=email

CURRENT 93 "The Great In The Small" (Durtro, UK) CD/LP  $12.99/$18.99
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/Great1.rm
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/Great2.rm
Imagine that the final section of The Beatles' 'A Day In The Life'
morphed into 'Revolution No. 9' and lasted for over an hour. This
incredible sixty-minute collage was constructed by David Tibet and
Steven Stapleton incorporating each and every track recorded by
Current 93 or Tibet solo since 1983. Last year, David Tibet was felled
by appendicitis. "During my illness I had a dream where I was told
that I must put together all my recordings onto one album. Then I
was shown in my dream to my ears all the recordings I had made as
Current 93 and with Steven Stapleton running together together,
piling on top on top. I was told that I must summarize my life as
in what I had done before I died dead. And this is what I heard:
so the Great was in the Small: 'The Great In The Small'. And I
could as in my dream I was told hear everything all I had done at
once and saw myself drowning and heard my life flash in front of
me. Everything!" --David Tibet. LP is limited, on translucent
orange vinyl. Once again, Tibet's clarity of vision and
Stapleton's constructive wizardry have transformed potential
artistic self-indulgence into pure Dada satisfaction. Why not see
if you can pick out your all your C93 favorites? [JG]
CD //perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=502195855302&refer_url=email
LP //perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=502195855301&refer_url=email

NURSE WITH WOUND "Automating Volume 1" (United Dairies, UK) CD/LP  $18.99/$18.99
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/Atoma1.rm
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/Atoma2.rm
Long-awaited reissue of Steven Stapleton's 1986 compendium of
exclusive NWW tracks that originally appeared on legendary out-of-
print compilations like "Hoisting The Black Flag" & "An Afflicted
Man's Musica Box" (United Dairies), "Masse Mensch" (Selektion),
"Fur Ilse Koch" (Come Organisation), "The Elephant Table Album"
(Extract), and "The Fight Is On" (L.A.Y.L.A.H.). To sweeten the deal,
Stapleton has added an 11-minute track from the impossibly rare
"Born Out Of Dreams" compilation on Fluxus Records. LP is limited,
on translucent clear vinyl. [JG]
CD //perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=502195862302&refer_url=email
LP //perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=502195862301&refer_url=email

HARALD 'SACK' ZIEGLER & E*ROCK "Mind as Master" (Audiodregs) 3" CD  $9.99
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/sackrock.rm
Nice, simple collaboration that takes the form of an upbeat,
twittery and abstract Kung-Fu lesson. No, really! With similar
aesthetics to Ziegler's Sack & Blumm project (only not so
serious), or the E*Vax record (E*Vax is E*Rock's brother--and vice
versa). Electronic keyboards and tweaked Kung-Fu movie samples
('hi-yas' and cartoonish arm and leg movement sounds, rather than
dialogue) makes it sound like, to me, some of the first Stock
Hausen and Walkman records, only, frankly, better and less
chaotic. Comes packaged in tiny, very low-tech comic. 15 minutes
and five tracks. Frolicsome and cute. [RE]
//perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=09999152412&refer_url=email

BRUCE HAACK "The Electric Lucifer Book 2" (QDK, Germany) CD/LP  $14.99/$15.99
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/HaackEL1.rm
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/HaackEL2.rm
Bruce Haack's Volume Two of "Electric Lucifer" followed Volume One
by 10 years--and the gap between 1969 and 1979 has never seemed
wider. Instead of odd psychedelia, Haack reaches, albeit
tenuously, the computer age. "Book 2" is all Haack, but the vocals
are done entirely with vocoder! A few numbers edge in the funk,
there are synth preset sounds all over the place (and drum machine
riffs). Some of these have a twinge of the windswept distance of
Steve Miller's 'Fly Like an Eagle', too. This is my favorite Haack
record yet, maybe because he's removed his humanity a notch with
the vocal filter--the viscerality that sometimes made is music a
little cringeworthy is gone. For some reason these opaque morality
tales are all the sweeter as sung by a somewhat unintelligible
robot?maybe it's the sense of personal struggle eliminated? Any
condescension or preachiness erased? In any case I think the
distance is a bona-fide asset. [RE]
CD //perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=401176095082&refer_url=email
LP //perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=401176095081&refer_url=email

BLUE AEROPLANES "Weird Shit" (Swarf Finger, UK) CD $16.99
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/blaerWS1.rm
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/blaerWS2.rm
I put this on last week and couldn't believe my ears. When did
Blue Aeroplanes, a 80s/90s British band that no one really cares
about any more, have an _edge_? By the time I got to them, in the
early '90s, they had already become what turned them off to most
people--music inflated by attention (though a few of their earlier
records showcased an artiness without putting it under
glass). "Weird Shit" shows that their music started out simple,
lyrics convoluted and clever, edges refined by thought but not too
refined. I also had no idea that they had been (or even were
capable) of the roughness captured here on this collection of
excellent demos. Here are the ideas in their first-laid-out or
vibrantly live form, shreds of punk and free jazz intact, Gerard
Langley's spoken/sung vocal poems sometimes spit and croaked
out rather than his later arch, casual affect. This material was
recorded mostly pre-'90, going back as far as 1979, and there are
a few later demos here too. It's a side to Blue Aeroplanes I
didn't realize was there, one that puts them closer to the Mekons
in sound (and range, too). A great, early DIY art-punk side to a
now almost-entirely ignored group that have persevered over time.
[RE]
//perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=502454513922&refer_url=email

FANTASTIC SOMETHING "Songs in a Small Room" (Siesta, Spain) CD EP  $12.99
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/fantsome.rm
Lovely, delicate, and warm, these five songs are the only ones
remaining from a full album session from a number of years ago--
most of which was, very sadly, lost. Fantastic Something are Greek
brothers Alex and Constantin Veis, and their records, most of
which were recorded in the mid-'80s, represent, in the best
possible way, the sophisticated side of twee. They're sort of a
corollary to contemporaries Prefab Sprout, with clean guitars and
sparkling production, sweet singing that separates into harmony
sparsely (nearly one word at a time at the end of a phrase, or
just one line in a song). Imagine if the Free Design were only
boys singing in heavily-accented English. This group were so much
bigger in Japan than anywhere else, and a lot of their records
only came out there. Maybe someone will decide to make their music
more available -- one can only hope. So sweet but not diabetically
so. [RE]
//perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=843021701089&refer_url=email

[V/A] "Extreme Music from Women" (Susan Lawly, UK) CD $15.99
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/CandiNo.rm
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/KarenTho.rm
The Susan Lawly label in Edinburgh is best known for having
released the entire Whitehouse catalogue, the work of William
Bennett, whose Sade-ian, Bataille-an music can be seen as either
taking bondage beyond human extremes, as frighteningly
misogynistic, or both. Among the label's other releases is this
compelling collection of music made by women from the U.S., New
Zealand, Australia, the U.K., and beyond. One could say that a
compilation such as this is patronizing and essentialist at this
point in history, insofar as it isolates 'music by women' as if it
were something new. On the other hand, it's a myth that harsh,
dissonant, aggressive music is made only by men. That absurd
notion is put to rest the moment one hears Lisa & Naomi
Tocatly's 'Stiletto Nights'. These sisters are better known as the
Menstruation Sisters and this is one minute, nine seconds of brain-
damaging electronics. Even Mira Calix of Warp fame appears here,
displaying her more experimental leanings on the disturbing 'Too
Slim for Suicide'. 'Dislocated' by Debra Petrovitch combines
recollections of Grunewald's painting "The Crucifixion from Wound
to Wound" with a Balinese self-stabbing ritual. Maria Moran,
better known as Zipperspy, contributes the brilliant, serrated,
ugly 'Tattoo' which could fit into any electronic hardcore DJ set.
A mandatory collection, just back in print -- worth mentioning
again. [TH]
//perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=09999124622&refer_url=email

CHARLES TYLER "Live In Europe" (Bleu Regard, France) CD $14.99
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/Umea1.rm
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/Umea2.rm
Scorching live set from ESP-legend Tyler captured at the Umea Jazz
Festival, Sweden, 1975. With ample support from Sun Ra bassist
Ronnie Boykins and drummer extraordinaire Steve Reid, Tyler blows
alto & baritone here at the top of his game, featuring material
from his brilliant "Voyage From Jericho" sessions. But what
really sets this one apart is the addition of guitarist Melvin
Smith and his interplay with the other three; fluid chords
anchoring their free flights prior to taking off in the rarefied
tradition of Sonny Sharrock! [JG]
//perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=78649745892&refer_url=email

[V/A] "Snow Robots 1" (Suction, Canada) CD $13.99
[V/A] "Snow Robots 2" (Suction, Canada) CD $13.99

RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/SnoRob1.rm
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/SnoRob2.rm
Cleaned-up, pretty techno with beats that smash even as the
keyboards gleam. Suction's '80s technopop meets '90s techno sound
riding in the slipstream of Warp Records, with multiple tracks
from Lowfish, Solvent, David Kristian, Lali Puna, more. Tracks
mixed with a fluidity, even as they skitter and slide brittle,
stones thrown across an ice rink. The Suction label's aesthetic is
tightening up, losing some of the randomness they've scattered
about. scattered tracks are tightening up into a mechanical
rigidity -- you could even pop and lock to some of these. While
the first volume is solidly Suction stable, volume 2 has trax from
G.D.Luxxe, Pluxus, Tinfoil Teakettle, D'Arcangelo, more. [RE]
Snow Robots 1
//perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=77502016212&refer_url=email
Snow Robots 2
//perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=77502016222&refer_url=email

[V/A] "Colonel Jeffrey Pumpernickel" (Off) CD $12.99
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/sentrido.rm
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/ColGBV.rm
How many rock operas are there? Not that many, but still many
librettists and musicians get together with a musical as the goal--
more often or not they fall flat, with few exceptions like "Hedwig
and the Angry Inch" or even "Punk Side Story". While this one
doesn't really hold together as a unified work, there are still
some real gems (that make this worth it) that different groups
wrote for to tell the Colonel's life story. All songs exclusive to
this release. Includes the return of Sentridoh (yay!), along with
Weird War (Make-Up side project), Black Heart Procession, S.
Malkmus, Quasi, Mary Timony, Macha, Grandaddy, and even more BIG
NAMES. Illustrations from regulars in the house of Fantagraphics--
Kim Deitch, Jim Woodring, etc.--Richard Meltzer limped through the
liner notes--I would have preferred reading a story about the
title character. [RE]
//perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=75193716162&refer_url=email

BEIKOKU ONGAKU "Issue 17: Winter 2001" Mag. w/CD $17.99
The best Japanese indie zine in existence puts forth a new issue.
Feature articles and interviews with Fantastic Plastic Machine,
Bertrand Burgalat, Indian Rope, the "L.A.-Paris Connection" plus
a 20-track ultra-indie CD compilation. Another great issue, but
please note that only portions are translated into English.
//perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=09999152405&refer_url=email

Just In:

TALVIN SINGH "Ha!" (Island, UK) CD/2xLP $23.99/$28.99
The first new Talvin Singh album since 1998's "OK". Review next
week.
CD //perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=73145484972&refer_url=email
LP //perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=73145484961&refer_url=email


Restocks:

LILIPUT (Kleenex) "s/t" (Kill Rock Stars) 2xCD $14.99
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/liliput1.rm
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/liliput2.rm
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/liliput3.rm
In 1978 a quintet of Swiss women (and one man) formed Kleenex.
Kleenex were a punk band in the best sense of punk: before punk
was specifically nihilistic or stylistic, it was simply being
different -- at which Kleenex excelled. Over the next five years,
in different configurations (by '83 Klaudia Schifferle was the
only original member) they held together an aesthetic which had
some parallels in contemporaneous UK and NYC punk and no-wave. Yet
neither the Gang of Four, the Raincoats, the Pop Group nor Teenage
Jesus and the Jerks had the innovative combination of staccato
force, modern primitive rhythms, and clipped, sing-song vocals.
Where other groups were knuckle sandwiches, slaps or blown kisses,
Liliput were, quizzically, arms, knees, and jawbones. Kleenex have
hot heads and unfettered feet; they stomp to whistles, thunking
drums, plucked and damped guitar strings, and a waltz rhythm or
two. Their later work attached scraping violins, ratchet sounds
and no-wave drumming to playground chants in thickly-accented
elemental English. This two-CD set includes all of their
recordings. Might just be my favorite record ever, maybe. [RE]
//perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=75965603732&refer_url=email

YOUNG MARBLE GIANTS "Colossal Youth" (Les Disques Du Crepuscle, Belgium) CD $16.99
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/YMG1.rm
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/YMG2.rm
Young Marble Giants' marriage of post-punk and pop sensibilities
was way ahead of its time. And it still resonates today, 20 years
after it was first recorded in the early '80s. This collection
compiles everything they ever did together--a tender classic that
continues to inspire, a template for gentle, laid-back pop sounds
without any gloss whatsoever. Brothers Stuart and Philip Moxham,
with singer Alison Statton, crank hearts open one tiny notch at a
time. Another sizeable restock for those of you who don't own this
yet. What on earth are you waiting for? [RE]
//perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=541330320984&refer_url=email


This week's newsletter gets to you from the ears of: Tom Capodanno
[TC], David Day [DD], Robin Edgerton [RE], Jeff Gibson [JG], Tim
Haslett [TH].

The Big Picture:

To see the complete list of Other Music new releasesfor the
week ending March 27, 2001, use this link as a shortcut:
//27march2001.html

To see a list of new releases from previous weeks:
//newreleases.html

To see new release updates from previous weeks:
//updates.html

To order any of the items you see on these pages simply click
the links following each review or visit our website at
/

Phone orders are accepted at (212) 477-8150 (ext. #2, mailorder).

For general inquiries or other information, please email
"sales@othermusic.com". Do not reply to this message.

Thanks for reading.
-all of us at Other Music

Other Music NYC
15 E. 4th Street
New York, NY 10003
212.477.8150

Other Music Harvard Square
90 Winthrop Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
617.491.4419
cambridge@othermusic.com