Other Music New Release Update
October 16, 2002


In This Week's Update :


Stereolab (BBC Radio One Compilation)
Fennesz
Badd Inc.
Amon Tobin
Dischord Box Set
Gemeinsam 2002 (BPitch Records Compilation)
El-P
Turbo Records Compilation
Arkestra One
Susumu Yokota
Theoretical Girls
New Order (Back to Mine)
Star Switch On (Touch Records Compilation)
Jeff Buckley/Gary Lucas
Kim Hiorthoy
Klangmaschine
Wackies


Just In:

Jets to Brazil


Arriving Later This Week:

Aluminum Group "Happyness"
Tracy & the Plastics (CD EP)



FEATURED NEW RELEASES:


STEREOLAB "ABC Music" (Strange Fruit) CD $21.99
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/johncage.rm
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/metronom.rm
Strange Fruit has just released a massive collection of Stereolab
performances on BBC's Radio One spanning their decade long career
(1991 to 2001), and the 32 tracks on this double CD are an exciting
and exhaustive glimpse at the "groop's" evolution. Included are four
songs originally released on the now out-of-print "Too Pure: The Peel
Sessions" and live cuts. With the exception of seven tracks from a
John Peel session intentionally left off (manager Martin Pike explained
that there just wasn't enough room), this is a complete compilation of
their BBC recordings. Import Only -- Highly Recommended! [GH]
//perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=60556361112&refer_url=email

FENNESZ "Field Recordings" (Touch) CD $13.99
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/goodman.rm
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/betrieb.rm
While so many indie bands have been toiling endlessly to follow up
My Bloody Valentine's "Loveless" LP and fail, Fennesz manages to
do it seemingly by accident. Unlike other Fennesz releases, "Field
Recordings" has a grittiness that allows us to actually seem to hear
the hand stroke upon the guitar strings, but still ends up being totally
inhuman. Wave upon wave build, break down and surge beyond
expectation repeatedly. A one man Glenn Branca orchestra (see
track three: "Instrument 3"). Chords and notes fall through the cloud
wall in unnatural yet beautiful patterns. Remember at the end of
MBV's set when Kevin Shields planted his guitar upright in the middle
of the stage while it fed back an unbelievable, countless amount of
hypnotic sound waves through the audience? This album is full of
moments like that except it's way more sculpted. "Guitar bands"
take heed -- better than Van Halen. Necessary music. [SM]
("Field Recordings" collects material created between 1995 and
2002 for compilations, soundtracks and special projects. Included
is "Instrument," Fennesz's first 12" for Mego, plus a brand new track.)
//perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=502780390162&refer_url=email

BADD INC. "Luxury Excess Extravagance" (Mogul Electro) CD $ 12.99
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/doilookl.rm
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/whitecot.rm
Electroclash is everywhere. Just today I was perusing through our
magazine rack and I found at least 15(!) articles and a cover story
that profiled this NYC scene and their bands -- all of this with only
one record that chronicled this supposedly burgeoning scene
bubbling underground in New York. What's even more remarkable
was that this "scene" didn't really exist before the record... Aww
hell, enough with the playa-hatin' already. This is the new
Electroclash compilation that was released in conjunction with the
2nd annual festival of the same name. Is it worth buying you ask?
Well, sure. This collection has leaner, meaner grooves than the
first and it has a more cohesive sound. If you had heard the first
compilation and had trouble figuring out what the "Electroclash"
sound and aesthetic was, that will not be a problem this time
around. It's tongue-n-cheek nasty (think Peaches), with electro type
syncopation mixed with industrial sized distortion (think Adult or
Felix da Housecat) but with an ironic, intellectual obsession with all
things culturally pop (think Chicks on Speed). What NYC
Electroclash has that their other counterparts don't is the wicked
sense of humor that pervades throughout. The bedroom booty bass
of Avenue D's "Do I look like a Slut" successfully embraces and
parodies the nasty stripper, ghetto fabulous imagery of mainstream
hip hop. There are also tracks by the darlings of Electroclash: W.I.T.,
Hungry Wives, and Larry Tee who produced most of the tracks on
the collection. More Sly Stone (everybody is a Star), than Andy
Warhol (15 minutes of fame, blah, blah) in philosophy, this CD is a
successful document of a scene that will probably be around longer
than most nay-sayers think, and it seems like they are having the
times of their lives. [DH]
//perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=72410191112&refer_url=email

AMON TOBIN "Out from Out Where" (Ninja Tune) CD/LP $15.99/$15.99
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/verbalfe.rm
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/cosmoret.rm
This man can do no wrong. With every release, Amon Tobin ups the
ante redefining his fusion of drum 'n' bass, swing, jazz, and
breakbeats; his fourth album is no exception. "Out from Out Where"
is unmistakably Tobin, with dark cinematic soundscapes and swells
rolling over a destructive bass and killer breaks, but it's also his most
intense outing to date. The first single, "Verbal," features vocalist MC
Decimal R. cut up and processed (Prefuse 73-style) around filtered
guitar strums and herky-jerky starts and stops -- it's scary and playful
all at once. Throughout the album, most jazz textures are buried and
his focus seems to have turned towards expanding his source material
with more appearances of guitar, voices and percussion samples. The
exotic Middle Eastern melody and a repetitious rhythm in "Searchers"
are the only things anchoring the otherworldly orchestra swells that
could have easily been lifted from the soundtrack to Disney's classic
"The Black Hole." Tobin continues to plow through a gamut of sounds
and styles, from downtempo to hyper-kinetic but it's during "Triple
Science" where his trigger-finger spasms on the mouse's click
button  -- a cut-and-paste barrage has never been more frantic. And
though "Out from Out Where" is a dark and dramatic step in Tobin's
evolution, his drum-heavy propulsion and percussive textures are
still a prevalent factor in this equation. As always it is his
manipulation and the precise layering of complex rhythms and
sounds that proves Amon Tobin to be as much of an innovator in
today's electronic music as ever. [GH]
CD //perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=62597810702&refer_url=email
LP //perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=62597810701&refer_url=email

[V.A.] "20 Years of Dischord" (Dischord) CD Boxset $24.99
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/theword.rm
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/nicfit.rm
More than just a stroll down memory lane, "20 years of Dischord"
is a loud declaration that the D.C. (American?) hardcore scene is
just as vital today as it was twenty years ago. The highly anticipated
box set from one of the greatest and most respected punk/hardcore
labels ever, Dischord finally delivers the goods that they've been
promising for two years. Comprised of three CD's, discs one and two
feature a song from each band that Dischord has released, the third
with unreleased songs and video clips of the Teen Idles, Untouchables,
Faith, Void, SOA, and Deadline, and a 134 page booklet. The booklet
alone is quite a document, with photos and histories of the label and
every band to have a Dischord release, a complete discography with
cover pics, and personal photos. Everything is arranged chronologically,
showing the evolution of the music on the label. My personal favorites
include songs by Minor Threat, the Untouchables, Void, Skewbald,
Gray Matter, Rites of Spring, Dag Nasty, Soulside, Lungfish, Nation of
Ulysses, Circus Lupus, Hoover, and Q and Not U. [RS]
//perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=71875196252&refer_url=email

[V.A] "Gemeinsam 2002/BPitch Compilation" (BPitch) CD $15.99
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/nobodyba.rm
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/futureco.rm
Ellen Allien's BPitch Control label never disappoints, and this new
compilation of the current roster is no exception. BPitch manges to
maintain quality while switching genres with each release. The tracks
on the this compilation run from the dark electro of Tim Tim, Kiki,
Eedio, Kero, and Ellen Allien to the IDM influenced tracks of Apparat
and Modeselektor, then onto the tech house flavors of Sascha Funke,
Paul Kalkbrenner, and Trike. Fourteen tracks in all and not a dud in
the bunch. BPitch Control is poised to take over the world and with a
compilation like this it should be quite easy. Highly Recommended.
[JS]
//perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=66195666552&refer_url=email

EL-P "Fandam Plus/Instrumentals Remixes" (Def Jux) CD/LP $11.99/$13.99
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/truancy.rm
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/squeegee.rm
By now if you don't know the name El-P, you don't know independent
hip-hop. Since creating, then destroying the super-group Company
Flow, he's been ripping the underground to shreds with his venom
tongue and rumbling productions. With "Fandam Plus," we get a
glimpse of what makes the man, the myth, tick. Following his series
of instrumental releases for Can Ox and Co-flow, and his own epic
solo album, this release shows El-P at his instrumental best. Deep
and crunchy snares, garbage can tumbling bass, dirty moogs,
swirling pianos, pounding cymbals, crunchy guitars, and the odd and
obscure sample, peppers his rhythms. He doesn't merely make
straight tracks for MC's to run with, he creates futuristic worlds to
get lost in, break to, or take shelter from. His work is often compared
to Blade Runner, I feel more like I'm listening to the lost score of
"Apocalypse Now," waiting for the next bomb to ignite, watching the
fall-out collect on the ground, lost in a minefield of sound and texture.
The "Plus" refers to the inclusion of re-mixes from RJD2 and El-P,
lyrics, live footage and the excellent video for "Deep Space 9mm."
Definitely recommended! [DG]
CD //perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=60030888612&refer_url=email
LP //perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=60030888561&refer_url=email

[V.A] "Turbo Studio Sessions 3" (Turbo) CD $15.99
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/noresist.rm
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/meandmad.rm
From the label that first introduced the world to electro wunderkid Tiga,
Turbo records release the third in their "Studio Sessions" compilations.
This time out they pressed a double-CD, each of which focuses on
their two new imprints, Faberge and White Leather. The former
concentrates on more dance-oriented electro while the latter focuses
on electro's pop side. Within these two discs we get an amazing array
of hits from the current electro crop like LCD Soundsystem, Martini
Bros., Scissor Sisters, and Mt. Sims as well as classic artists such as
DMX Krew and D'arcangelo. Turbo also graces us with some amazing
tracks from the genre's future stars such as the dark pop of Sunday
Brunch's "No Resistance" and the current dancefloor fave by Black
Strobe and his "Me and Madonna" track. This is an essential
compilation for electro fans and one that will keep you ahead of the
pack (at least for this week) of this burgeoning scene. [JS]
//perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=67166500222&refer_url=email

ARKESTRA ONE "Arkestra One" (ESL) CD $14.99
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/ireallyw.rm
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/shine.rm
Matthew Timoney's self-titled debut on ESL as "Arkestra One" is
one of the year's most pleasant surprises. Sultry and smooth from
begin to fin, Timoney creates a beautiful mixture of ambient jazz
and Latin soul, enlisting the help of "Smoke City's" Nina Miranda,
who's soft laid-back vocals add a serene mysticism. There isn't a
bad track on this album. Timoney manages to refrain from creating
long drawn out pieces, instead engaging your thoughts, leaving you
wanting more out of this 40 minute album, so get that repeat button
ready. Light those candles, uncork that bottle of Pinot Grigio and
enjoy those bitter fall nights, with "Arkestra One" you can't lose.
[JD]
//perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=79510300582&refer_url=email

SUSUMU YOKOTA "Boy and the Tree" (Leaf) CD/LP $12.99/$13.99
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/liveecho.rm
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/grasstre.rm
On "Boy and the Tree," Susumu Yokota broadens the
cinemacoustic sounds of his excellent early work collection "Image
83-98." Track two, "Live Echo" offers very minimal
Koyannisquatsi-style / P. Glass chimes accenting dubby field
recorded Indian percussion amidst vocal chorus waves. Track four,
"Grass,Tree and Snow" slowly develops into vaguely "Asian
Underground" territory, but instead of falling into chillout cliche, it
becomes a mesmerizing surge of digital, and visual acoustic sounds.
This album is a fine example of mood music done right. Contemplative,
moving and beautiful, and with an edge. Not dinner music, more like a
makeout album in the fine tradition of prime 4AD label material.
Recommended. [SM]
CD //perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=66601703812&refer_url=email
LP //perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=66601703811&refer_url=email

THEORETICAL GIRLS "Theoretical Girls" (Acute) CD $13.99
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/lovinint.rm
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/contrary.rm
Theoretical Girls has always been a name that is mentioned when
talking about no wave, and yes, Glenn Branca was a member of the
band, but until now there was very little recorded evidence to merit
anything more than a mere footnote. Acute Records, with the help
of T-Girls (primary songwriter and vocalist) Jeffrey Lohn, have
assembled a collection of recordings that could possibly be the
evidence needed to prove that they were the most influential band
of the era. Providing the best possible link between the no wave
movement and what would become the '80s downtown music scene,
it takes only one listen to recognize that Sonic Youth have not
stepped far from what Lohn had already created with the T-Girls.
Like many people my age, those SST recordings by Sonic Youth
were a launching point into a larger world that for me quickly included
Lydia Lunch, DNA, and Mars. This CD just makes it that much
harder to comprehend how Theoretical Girls were not asked to be on
the "No New York" compilation. These songs are every bit as essential
toward understanding what the no wave movement was, and even
though this release only offers the Jeffrey Lohn written material (Glenn
Branca "Songs 77-79" on Atavistic offers 5 Branca penned T-Girls
tracks), it does serve as the most complete and in my opinion, best
collection of their recorded work. [AG]
//perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=67751700192&refer_url=email

[V.A.] "New Order" Back to Mine" (DMC) CD/LP $16.99/$18.99
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/bassline.rm
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/therainv.rm
Assign a group of music veterans like New Order the task of
compiling late night listening tracks for a "Back to Mine" installment,
there's no way of predicting the final track list. This mix series has
always been a great way to dive into the music psyche of your
favorite artist, and diversity is usually the name of the game. Though
New Order's picks are more Anglo-centric than some in the series,
the range of music runs parallel to their twenty-plus year career --
bridging art-rock, punk, electronic music, disco and house -- it is
still one of the most inclusive volumes yet. (The mix from Missy
Elliot's "The Rain" to Velvet Underground's "Venus in Furs" is proof
enough!) The liner notes reveal some interesting insight into the
group's choices giving props where deserved (Giorgio Moroder, Roxy
Music, Captain Beefheart, Groundhogs) and recognizing a more
current crop of talent (Manchester's Doves, Primal Scream.) Of
course, incredible dance tracks like Mantronix's "Bassline,"
Joey Beltram's techno classic "Energy Flash" and the Patrick
Cowley mix of Donna Summer's "I Feel Love" cement New
Order's affection for club culture and the beat. Also included are
Can, Rhythim is Rhythim, Cat Stevens… there are no music
boundaries here! [GH]
CD //perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=502941802311&refer_url=email
LP //perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=68978170111&refer_url=email

[V.A.] "Star Switch On" (Touch) CD $13.99
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/capriole.rm
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/debugged.rm
From what I understand these are the field recordings (from two
previous releases) of former Cabaret Voltaire member Chris Watson,
ground back into aural paste and freshly re-canvassed by the all-star
Team Touch (Biospere, Fennesz, Hazard, et al). One of those
recordings of Watson's, just to apocryphally point out, was of a dead
zebra or some such carrion being feasted upon... recorded from the
inside! The quizzical beauty and banality involved in wild, natural
things going on all the time seems to be a starting point here. Now
on this release we see a combination of random processes both
axiomatic of the Serengeti AND the G4. Alternately wondrous and
sere. [DHo]
//perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=502780390182&refer_url=email

JEFF BUCKLEY/GARY LUCAS "Songs to No One" (Knitting Factory/Evolver)  CD $15.99
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/grace.rm
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/satisfie.rm
An album that would probably never have seen the light of day
had it not been for Jeff Buckley's tragic and untimely passing in
1997, "Songs to No One" documents a vital period of
experimentation and growth for the singer/guitarist. Compiled from
demos recorded between 1991 to 1992 during his short stay in
ex-Captain Beefheart guitarist Gary Lucas' Gods & Monsters
project, these sessions capture an early fire in Buckley's artistic
development and the promise of greater things to come, however
short it would be. The two met at a tribute concert for the young
Buckley's late father at St. Ann's in Brooklyn. At that same show,
Jeff also met his girlfriend, Rebecca Moore, who not only
cemented his move to New York soon after, but also introduced
Buckley to many artists and musicians. The material presented
here is pulled from studio sessions, home recordings and live
performances including never-before-heard originals as well as
early versions of "Mojo Pin" and "Grace," which would reappear
on Buckley's stunning 1994 full-length debut. Though these
recordings were never intended for proper release, "Songs to No
One" is a respectful addition to his catalog with the blessing of
his family and friends. Sadly, it is also posthumous. [GH]
//perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=82327620062&refer_url=email

KIM HIORTHOY "Fantasin Finns…" (P Vine) CD $21.99
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/institut.rm
KIM HIORTHOY "Melke" (Smalltown Supersound) CD $12.99
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/doktorwa.rm
I hate IDM. My friends and coworkers know this and now so do you.
Some of my coworkers specifically have been surprised recently at
my enjoyment of the Takagi Masakatsu records, particularly "Eating"
on Karoake Kalk, since it incorporates my least favorite element in
electronic music: the laptop-borne skittish breakbeat-y stuff (his
Carpark releases really don't). However, on that record and now on
these two compendiums of the work of one Kim Hiorthoy, things can
and do get into almost post-rocky timbres, but crucially never too
extremely. And yes, the four-beat template is largely eschewed in
order to explore other rhythmic possibilities, but again never with too
much abandon. I guess I'm speaking of a real nice feel that is the
opposite of juvenile, yet effectively childlike and not exhibited too
often within this 'field' in my opinion. I dig it. I feel like you might
like to check it out for yourself (too). [DHo]
"Fantasin Finns/Varkligheten/Japan Selector"
//perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=499587923281&refer_url=email
"Melke"
//perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=60011683612&refer_url=email

[V.A.] "Klangmaschine Soundmachine" (Ritornell) CD $15.99
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/klangmas.rm
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/liebesma.rm
What is pop? This is the question asked by the duo of Marvin Chlada
and Marcus S. Kleiner in their book entitled "Klangmaschine." I don't
think anybody could really answer this question but the Force
Inc./Mille Plateaux offshoot label Ritornell has decided to try.
Ritornell has assembled some of the roster's biggest names to create
tracks influenced by this publication. Here we get unreleased tracks by
SND, Alva Noto, Twerk, Terre Thaemlitz, Tim Hecker, Cordell Clier,
John Harding, Taylor Deupree, Frank Bretschneider, Bizz Circuits, as
well as a spoken word track (in German) by the authors Chlada and
Kleiner. Here these artists try and answer this question in their own
unique way, and while most of these tracks are not "pop" in the
traditional sense of the word they are beautiful ambient compositions
that flow in a clicks and cuts manner throughout the CD. Lulling and
beautiful. [JS]
//perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=71875148762&refer_url=email

WACKIES "Nature's Dub" (Wackies) CD $13.99
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/naturesd.rm
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/slavedub.rm
The Wackies' Allstars and the New Breed Band serve up another
heavy dub creation, the latest in a fine series of Wackies' re-issues.
This one is a balanced concoction of up-front drums and percussion,
echoed horns, light wisps of guitar, all sent through the Bull
Wackies' science fiction filter system.  But it's the attention to small
detail that makes this dub album standout. There are plenty of effects
and strange off-kilter rhythm stabs to keep you engaged. Most of the
album is made up of up-tempo steppers with a few slower heavy
tracks as well. Recommended! [GA]
//perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=71875566162&refer_url=email



THIS JUST IN:


JETS TO BRAZIL "Perfecting Loneliness" (Jade Tree)
CD/LP $12.99/$12.99
CD //perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=79225810792&refer_url=email
LP //perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=09999185921&refer_url=email



This week's contributors: Geoff Albores [GA], J Dennis [JD],
Andy Giles [AG], Daniel Givens [DG], Gerald Hammill [GH],
Duane Harriott [DH], Dan Hougland [DHo], Scott Mou [SM],
Jeremy Sponder [JS], and Roy Styles [RS].


THE BIG PICTURE:

To see a complete list of Other Music new releases for the
week ending October 15, 2002, use this link as a shortcut:
//releases/20021015.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 Web site 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
sales@othermusic.com