Other Music New Release Update
April 3, 2002

In This Week's Update:

Antipop Consortium
The Walkmen
Michael Mayer
"Futurism" compilation
Dominique A
"Rough Trade Shops: Electronic 01" compilation
"Documenta" compilation
Henry Flynt
Mice Parade
"Electro Commando Vol. 1: Welcome to PSI City" compilation
Mokira
Fairport Convention
Radio 4
Richard Youngs
"Crooked: The Movie/The Soundtrack"
Califone
Superchunk


Featured New Releases:

ANTIPOP CONSORTIUM "Arrhythmia" (Warp) CD/LP $14.99/$15.99
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On Antipop Consortium's new full-length "Arrhythmia", they have
transcended the tongue-twisting, mind-expanding vocals that have
always set them apart. They have gone beyond the spare, melodic
production of past. Antipop has become that rare thing in the hip-
hop world: a band. From the dark electro grooves that fill this
album, through old-school beats, off-kilter electronica and
beyond, you can hear the group in their studio laying down
grooves, layering vintage synths on backwards beats, and having
fun with their instruments. The production is live and direct
with keyboards, congas and strings battling samplers for control.
The vocals are far from forgotten here but this is a group who
works as much on their sounds as their flow. You know at one
listen that all the players are deeply involved in the studio.
Drawing on influences as diverse as ESG, the Human League, P.E.,
Les Rhythm Digitales, Outkast, Add N To X, Broadcast, and so many
more, the group has created a record firmly rooted in hip-hop that
is not confined by it. The vocals, effortlessly traded around by
Priest, Beans and M. Sayyid, alternate between tension and
playfulness with a lyrical intelligence, poeticism, and downright
weirdness that is rarely matched. A great, original album. Don't
miss them as they tour the world throughout the year. This
band can take it to the stage. [JM]
CD //perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=80106100942&refer_url=email
LP //perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=80106100941&refer_url=email

WALKMEN "Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me Is Gone" (Startime) CD $15.99
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It's been a long time coming, this full-length from (in my
opinion) one of the better bands playing here in NYC. In fact,
their lyrical disdain for the current image-strewn musical
landscape in this city is both a refreshing and earnest plea for a
return to honest rock. Perhaps that is the reason for the many
comparisons to seminal artists like U2 or the Pixies -- they evoke
a time when a girl could have a favorite band with actual musical
integrity. Hamilton Leithauser, a snarling and sincere heartthrob
of a frontman, belts out casually mundane observations on life yet
each word becomes an emotional declaration once he's uttered it.
Inescapable melodies are born from heartbreakingly delicate piano
intros then dissipate into a moody meeting of background vocals
and warm organ. Remember guitars? Remember dense textured
songwriting that was creative and catchy? The Walkmen remind me
that I do like modern rock, that it actually exists, and it can be
really great. I love this record. [NL]
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MICHAEL MAYER "Immer" (Kompakt) CD $15.99
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DUDE, just look at the track listing and you'll know that this mix
is going to be great! Auch's 'Farben remix' -- brilliant! Carsten
Jost's 'Superpitcher remix' -- brilliant! Phantom/Ghost's Tobias
Thomas remix -- beautiful! (There's more.) Then the realization
sets in... it's ON Cologne's Kompakt label AND mixed by Michael
Mayer -- be still my heart! And truth be known, this mix
comes through with such flying colors. It starts off in a dreamy
cloud of beautifully melodic German house and then by track six, a
smooth transition into "neo-M:I:5" (Mike Ink), robo-metronomic,
minimal funk. Then it breaks back down into heavenly beauty again.
The mix and track selection is flawless -- each track presented in a
way that highlights the track's musical qualities, not just its
dance-ability. You'll listen to this mix over and over. "Immer" is
essential to all fans of the label and recommended to anyone
interested in new and fresh electronic music. If the "Hamburgeins"
(Dial) compilation moved you, this will SLAY YA! [SM]
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V.A. "Futurism" (City Rockers) CD $17.99
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From the label that first introduced the world to Felix Da
Housecat's collaborations with Miss Kittin, here is their double
CD comp entitled "Futurism". The fine folks at City Rockers have
collected an amazing selection of tracks from a who's-who of
modern electro: from Tiga & Zyntherius's soon to be
legendary 'Sunglasses at Night' remake, to Green Velvet's 'La La
Land,' to Golden Boy and Miss Kittin's 'Rippin Kittin.' "Futurism"
also features rarities such as Royksopp's remix of Felix Da
Housecat's 'What Does It Feel Like' and the super rare Miss Kittin
and Hacker remix of Zombie Nation's top-40 smash 'Kernkraft 400.'
Other artists include Peaches, Adult, Fischerspooner, Dexter, Tok
Tok, Ladytron and a whole lot more! Twenty-five tracks seamlessly
mixed in a pink double-CD pack with a silk-screened slipcase --
what more can you ask for? Move over "Electroclash"
because "Futurism" is now the king of electro compilations. This
is the only one you need. [JS]
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DOMINIQUE A "Auguri" (Virgin France) CD $18.99
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French troubadour Dominique A returns from a two-and-a-half year
hiatus with "Auguri," a 14-song compendium of emotionally wrought
love songs and sweeping ballads. Though not nearly as bleak as
1999's "Remue", "Auguri" is just as moving. Like his predecessor
Jacques Brel, Dominique has a fondness for big, bold songs
fraught with emotion. And like Brel, he has a tendency to wear
his heart on his sleeve -- though he's much more likely to also
hang his head in despair. "Auguri" begins with the highly-strung
"Antonia", an unsettling song that echoes with a vaguely Spanish
guitar influence. Thankfully, Dominique ratchets the tension down
a bit as the album progress resulting in the almost cheery
(by A's standards) "Les Chanteurs Sont Mes Amis". The album
is noteworthy also for the inclusion of "Le Commerce de L'eau",
one of most aching and emotional songs of Dominique A's
remarkable career. In short, this is yet another strong effort
from one of music's most beautiful losers. [TC]
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V.A. "Rough Trade Shops: Electronic 01" (Mute UK) CD $19.99
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As the name implies, this new two-CD compilation in a series
being curated by the excellent British retailer, is an
introduction to the last 30 or so years of electronica: a sort-of
primer for the neophyte or springtime mix-tape for the obsessed.
The styles within range wildly, from modern classical (Pierre
Henry, John Cage, Barbara Morgenstern), to psychedelia (Faust,
Bruce Haack, Can), to pop (New Order, Human League, Depeche Mode,
Stereolab), and include many sides of the new electronic movement
(Aphex Twin, Thomas Brinkmann, Fennesz, I-F). But the mood flows
seamlessly, and the selections highlight the otherworldly
dreaminess and cool remove of electronic music created by living
beings. Classics of many eras are included like the Normals 'Warm
Leatherette' and Autechres 'Basscadet' as well as lesser-known
gems. The carefully sequenced discs move effortlessly between eras
and styles, gleefully confusing those with rigid definitions for
their music. [JM]
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V.A. "Documenta" (Agenda) CD $16.99
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"Documenta" is the first in a series of compilations on the new
Agenda record label out of England. For a first release they have
enlisted many heavy hitters in the world of electronica -- from
the opening distorted dub of Farben, to the blissed out vocal
infused IDM of Funkstorung, to the child-like nursery rhyme beats
of Arovane. Add to the roster Marumari, Isan, EU and Phoenecia,
While, MUM, To Rococo Rot, and Phonem, it really doesn't get much
better than this. Eleven artists, eleven exclusive tracks, what
more can I say than "I can't wait to see what they do for release
number two!" [JS]
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HENRY FLYNT "C Tune" (Locust Music) CD $14.99
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The music of Henry Flynt should be mentioned in the same breath as
kindred spirits Tony Conrad, LaMonte Young or John Cale, but
Flynt's importance often has been overlooked. That is, until
recently. "C tune," the third recent Flynt archival recording, is
a welcome addition to Flynt's recorded output, featuring the
electric violinist joined by C.C. Hennix on Pandit Pran Nath
tambura. The ferocious psychedelic ring of this 1980 recording is
Flynt at his most aggressive; the electric violin shrieks and
scrapes on top of the hypnotic hum of Hennix's tambura. "C Tune"
is another vital document of Flynt's under-appreciated music. [PW]
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MICE PARADE "All Roads Lead To Salzburg" (Bubble Core) CD  $12.99
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Over the past few years, Adam Pierce, aka Mice Parade, has rapidly
evolved his one-man studio project from his initial foray of post-
rock and electronic genre-crossing into something quiet majestic.
Initially without the support of a backing band, Pierce's
recordings sounded surprisingly organic and almost improvisational
in spite of the necessary reliance on studio overdubs. Since then,
Mice Parade releases have included a who's-who of collaborators
and an ever-expanding palate of musical instruments with Pierce
finally assembling a live ensemble for a 2001 world tour.
Utilizing six musicians including notables like Doug Scharin,
Dylan Cristy and Marc Wolf, many songs were reworked into an even
more exotic blend of styles and sounds. "All Roads Lead To
Salzburg" documents this all-star lineup with updated and extended
versions of 'Open Air Dance' and 'Circle 1' which were recorded
from BBC broadcasts as well as live recordings and a new studio
recording. This resulting collection of music captures Mice Parade
fully realized, floating free into an otherworldly dimension of
spacial guitars and Eastern undertones wrapped around layers of
rhythmic repetition and freeform sensibility. [GH]
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V.A. "Electro Commando Vol. 1: Welcome to PSI City" (PSI49NET) CD/LP $18.99/$19.99
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Anthony Rother is a man of many guises releasing tracks under the
names of Little Computer People, NetzwerK Florida (or Frankfurt),
Psylocity and even his own name just to list a few. He has dabbled
in almost every genre of electronic music and come out on top with
each release. Here, Rother collects some of his favorite electro
tracks released on his PSI49NET label (most of them done by
himself) and has compiled them on two fabulous CDs. If dirty,
distorted electro is what you like, then this is for you. There
are 25 dancefloor monsters with each track better than the last.
Less pop than your International DJ Gigolo artist but just as
essential. [JS]
CD //perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=71875274672&refer_url=email
LP //perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=71875274671&refer_url=email

MOKIRA "Plee" (Mille Plateaux) CD $15.99
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Andreas Tilliander coined the term "clip-hop" for his debut Mokira
release and it definitely suits his style. Coming from the "clicks
and cuts" school of electronics, he has released two previous full-
lengths, one for the Raster Noton label and the other for Mille
Plateaux. On his third full-length, Tilliander refines his skills
by taking his minimal distorted click-electronics and puts them
over the beat and time of a hip-hop track (and I mean "hip-hop" in
the most abstract sense of the word), deep distorted bass, random
electronic chirps, floating synths, and a pulsing, almost head-
nodding beat. Like his previous work, Andreas has created an
amazing but subtle album that deserves many repeated listens and
must be played LOUD for full effect! Once again, a must have for
any minimal electronic fan. [JS]
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FAIRPORT CONVENTION "Heyday" (Island) $15.99
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Back in print in a beautifully remastered edition with eight (!)
bonus tracks is Fairport Convention's "Heyday". The only reason I
can think of why this album of BBC sessions isn't (almost) as
highly regarded as their three classic albums is that it was
originally released in 1987.  For fans of "What We Did On Our
Holidays", "Unhalfbricking," and "Liege And Lief", this CD is
absolutely essential. The 12 tracks on the original release were
originally recorded in 1968 and 1969 by the "What We Did On Our
Holidays"-era band. The incomparable vocals of Sandy Denny and Ian
Matthews combined with the phenomenal guitar playing of Richard
Thompson made for the best of all the British folk rock sounds.
When Sandy Denny joined Fairport Convention after their 1968 self-
titled debut, they were mastering a uniquely British version of
the folk rock that the Byrds and the Mamas and the Papas were
making on the West Coast of the U.S.A. In a sense "Heyday" is a
tribute to those roots. Ten of the twelve songs are covers of
American country and folk classics (OK, technically Joni Mitchell
is Canadian); only one, Bob Dylans 'Percys Song,' a different
version of which appeared on "Unhalfbricking", ever appeared on
Fairport's studio albums of that era. All the songs are gems.
Some highlights: Denny's powerful take on Joni Mitchell's 'I Dont
Know Where I Stand,' a stunning version of Leonard
Cohen's 'Suzanne' that puts hundreds of crappy covers of that song
to shame, Johnny Cash's classic 'I Still Miss Someone,' and a
brilliant reading of one of original Byrd Gene Clark's finest
songs, 'Tried So Hard.' The originals are entirely amazing,
especially the Simon Nicol-penned 'Shattering Live Experience'
which is one of my favorite songs, period. Somebody please tell
me why 'Shattering Live Experience' didnt make it onto any of
Fairport Conventions studio albums! One of the bonus tracks is a
cover of OM favorite Jackson C. Franks 'You Never Wanted Me.'
Sandy Denny was Frank's boyfriend for a while, and her soaring
vocals help make Fairport's version utterly transcend the
original. Most of the rest of the bonus tracks are alternate
versions of songs from "Unhalfbricking" and "Liege and Lief"
recorded in 1969, including killer versions of 'Fotheringay,'
'Reynardine,' and 'Tam Lin.' The CD booklet includes great
photos, new liner notes by original bassist Ashley Hutching's,
and Joe Boyd's original liner notes. The definitive version of
a monster album of British folk rock. [CO]
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RADIO 4 "Gotham" (Gern Blandsten) CD $12.99
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Brooklyn's Radio 4 live up to their explosive live shows with
their sophomore full-length. Filled with catchy 80's inspired
melodies, angular guitars, random electronics and keyboards,
extremely danceable and funky percussion, and amazing songwriting,
this would make the likes of Elvis Costello and Joe Jackson
blush. "Gotham" propels Radio 4 to the head of the post-punk
revivalist pack (The Rapture, !!!, Erase Errata -- the list is
endless). Produced by the DFA crew (the top producers in NY at the
moment), James Murphy and Tim Goldsworthy seem to help bring out
the best in the band, placing the rhythms and vocals to the front
while also not sparing any of their jagged guitar stabs. If you
are curious what Gang of Four's "Entertainment" would sound like
in the year 2002, then pick this up. Essential, and catchy as
hell! [JS]
//perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=60006400612&refer_url=email

RICHARD YOUNGS "May" (Jagjaguwar) CD $12.99
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Continuing in the direction of his previous Jagjaguwar releases
("Saphie" and "Making Paper"), Richard Youngs' "May" contains
simple strums and plucks of acoustic guitar and Youngs'
unmistakable vocal croon. "May" finds Richard at his most
conventional, singing surprisingly straightforward folk songs
while still capturing the spiritual and meditative tone of his
prior works. This straight delivery conjures more than just a
mood, making for an album of gorgeous traditional folk sounds.
Bert Jansch, Jackson C. Frank, Nick Drake -- Richard Youngs.
It isn't that much of a stretch. [PW]
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V.A. "Crooked: The Movie/The Soundtrack" (Wordsound) DVD & CD set $19.99
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I'd like to say that we've heard this soundtrack (featuring
unreleased tracks by Sensational, Antipop Consortium, Prince Paul
and Spectre) or seen the two-hour feature film that is
included here as a separate DVD. Duane was supposed to check it
out and had our copy at his place over the weekend when Fab
Five Freddy dropped by (!!!) and asked if he could borrow it for a
few days to check out. I guess I would have said yes too, and I'm
hoping that fact alone will interest a couple of you in this
oddity. But please excuse my "just the facts style here." The
film, directed by Wordsound impresario Skiz Fernando and starring
Sensational, is a semi-biographic tale of a young rapper trying to
make it in a screwed-up industry. They see it as a new twist on
classic favorites like "Space Is The Place", "Wild Style", "Rockers" or
"Ghost Dog" -- a combination of realism and surrealism. Anyone who
knows the twisted Wordsound aesthetic or has heard
Sensational's album knows that whatever this movie is, it is worth
a look. And the soundtrack must me hot. Right Freddy?
Freddy? [JM]
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CALIFONE "Deceleration One" (Perishable) CD $13.99
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Califone's "Deceleration One" features an expanded band
playing live accompaniment to two different films. The first set is
improvised music for film loops by Jeff Economy & Carolyn Faber;
the second set is music for Ladislaw Starewicz' "The Mascot"
(1933), which is apparently about a stuffed dog puppet that comes
to life. I'm not familiar with either of the works that Califone
is playing to, but I don't feel like I'm missing anything by
checking out the audio without the video. The music is, as you
would imagine, more sprawling and, uh, cinematic, than other
Califone releases, but is just as captivating, and perhaps even
more eerily beautiful and psychedelic. The lineup features eight
people (including the filmmaker Jeff Economy on live foley) and
the organic give-and-take necessary when improvising with that
large a group is palpable. The instrumentation is expansive
featuring guitar, electric piano, sheet metal, lap steel, Casio,
bedpan(!), fretless banjo, electronics, reverb tank, fiddle, and
even some spaced-out vocals from Rebecca Gates. This side of
Califone surely reminds me of Sun Ra in its ability to be musical
and experimental simultaneously. It is an absolutely killer
headphone album. The real reason I don't feel like I'm missing the
visuals is that I was seeing my own movies on my eyelids the whole
time! [CO]
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SUPERCHUNK "The Clambakes Series Vol. 1" (Clambakes) CD $14.99
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The first in a limited-edition set of officially sanctioned
bootlegs, "The Clambakes Series Vol. 1" features live recordings
of Superchunk recorded at various acoustic in-store appearances
during their Fall 2001 tour. And while Mac is almost apologetic in
the liner notes for the lo-fidelity recordings and lack of
acoustic expertise, the stripped-down tracks on "Clambake Vol. 1"
can only further cement his band's reputation as supreme pop-
crafters. Take away the Marshall stacks and pogo-inducing tempos,
each song stands on its own, constructed around a strong melodic
sense and thoughtful interplay between lead and rhythm guitars.
Even though a large percentage of songs are taken from the band's
more recent releases, there's a fair amount of early 'chunk
material as well as impromptu dialogue. There are also some
double takes of songs that are, as Mac puts it: "For said fans who
might enjoy hearing how certain songs might have evolved, or
devolved, in the month-and-a-half span between these recordings."
This collection is as close as it gets to Superchunk playing in
your living room! [GH]
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This week's contributors: Tom Capodanno [TC], Gerald Hammill [GH],
Nicole Lang [NL], Josh Madell [JM], Scott Mou [SM], Chris O'Rourke [CO],
Jeremy Sponder [JS], and Phil Waldorf [PW].


The Big Picture:

To see a complete list of Other Music new releases for the
week ending April 2, 2001, use this link as a shortcut:
//02april2002.html

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

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

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