Other Music New Release Update
October 23, 2002

In This Week's Update:

Pavement (Slanted and Enchanted reissue & DVD)
Metro Area
Aluminum Group
Freddy Fresh (Various Artists)
Thomas Fehlmann
Studio One Scorcher
Robert Hood
Spectrum (Psychedelic Brazilian reissue from 1971)
Saint Etienne
Rocket From The Crypt
Lemon Jelly
Keith Fullerton Whitman
Osunlade (Mix CD)


Restocks:

Streets (Domestic)
Noonday Underground
Smokey and Miho
Polyphonic Spree
Computer Soup/Jan Jelinek
Rapture


Just In:

Tracy and the Plastics



FEATURED NEW RELEASES:


PAVEMENT "Slanted and Enchanted/Luxe and Reduxe" (Matador) CD $17.99
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It's been more than 10 years since Matador Records dropped
Pavement's full-length debut on the post-post-punk landscape, and
simultaneously launched the already rumbling careers of one of the
more influential bands and important labels of the '90s American rock
scene. Musical masterpieces and cultural watershed alike rarely drop
out of the clear blue sky. Pavement's sound was nothing new per se;
they loved pop, noise, synchronized sing-alongs and shambling chaos,
and paid loving tribute to many obscure and essential groups of the
previous 15 years. But they were bold innovators nonetheless, and
although the floor is open to discussion, I would vote for "Slanted and
Enchanted" as their finest album. "Listening to Slanted now... brings
back memories of a band who were innocent, fun and cocky," says
Spiral Stairs in the extensive booklet accompanying this double CD
(which also includes words from Stephen Malkmus, Gerard Cosloy,
Chris Lombardi, Dan Koretzky, and Boche Billions, plus lots of photos,
etc.). I think Spiral hits it dead-on. Their patented slacker white-boy
weariness is evident, but there is energy and attitude crackling here that
speaks of a band that knew it was calling the shots now, and palpable
anticipation of things to come. The original album has been remastered
here, and it sounds as fresh as ever. Disc one also has out-takes from
the "Slanted" sessions (including related singles), plus their first Peel
Session from '92. Disc two includes the Watery, Domestic EP, Watery
sessions, their second Peel Session (also from '92), and a wonderful 13
song live show in London from late-'92. Twenty-three unreleased tracks in
all -- many are brilliant, a few were edited out for a reason, but add one
classic album and many out-of-print singles gems, and this is definitely
the record that delivers the '90s nostalgia, and it's well worth the price of
re-admission. [JM]
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PAVEMENT "Slow Century" (Matador) DVD $23.99
Celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the release of "Slanted and
Enchanted," Matador Records has done us all a service by issuing
a DVD retrospective on Pavement, titled "Slow Century." Included in
this two-disc set is a 60-minute documentary on the band, each of
Pavement's 13 music videos (including band/director commentary),
three alternate-version videos, and two live concerts from 1999 (with
two camera angles shot for each). The live footage is just plain
stellar, capturing Pavement's spirited, shambling and totally inspired
performances. Especially exciting are the early clips, featuring the
antics of the band's original madman drummer, Gary Young; he is
caught doing his infamous headstands while the rest of the band
drunkenly plows through the set. Also included in the documentary
are a few downright hilarious moments, notably the mud slinging
episode at Lollapollooza. Unfortunately, the documentary itself does
not really offer any new insights into the band -- aside from some
commentary courtesy of Thurston Moore, it lacks in-depth interviews
with anyone outside the group. (We can assume that this will be
saved for an impending Behind the Music episode.) Pavement's music
videos, this package's other offering besides the documentary and
priceless live footage, were a strange beast in their own right. The
band always had a knack for the absurd, and if you haven't seen the
puzzling video for "Gold Soundz," then you've missed scratching your
head over one thing that made MTV palatable almost a decade ago --
it's essential viewing for anyone who ranks Pavement among their
favorites. Words can't do this compendium justice, largely because
Pavement was one of the greatest bands ever. "Slow Century" proves
one thing: This is the perfect sound forever. [PW]
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METRO AREA "Metro Area" (Environ) CD/LP $16.99/$13.99
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New York City's very own Metro Area finally drop their debut album
and it is truly amazing! The duo of Morgan Geist and Darshan Desrani
come up with tracks that are both rooted in the past while still
maintaining a stronghold on the future. Think of the best elements of
dance music from the late-70's through the late-'80s, and I will bet you
it's in there. Influences like New Order, Arthur Baker, Peter Brown's
P&P records, ESG, Herbie Hancock, and many more are all present in
these 11-tracks (eight on the vinyl). Metro Area create songs that
sound like that lost gem from decades ago, filled with funky bass,
bangin' drums, synthetic strings, handclaps, jazzy piano riffs and just
the right amount of futuristic electronics to keep up with any dance
artist today. Besides having a residency at New York's hippest lounge
APT, and Morgan Geist being recruited to remix the first DFA 12" (you
know, that song by the Rapture called "House of Jealous Lovers") the
hype was large on this one, but Metro Area have lived up to it and more!
Essential. [JS]
CD //perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=82378011112&refer_url=email
LP //perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=82378011111&refer_url=email

ALUMINUM GROUP "Happyness" (Wishing Tree) CD/LP $13.99/$9.99
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Combining the droll sensibilities and cosmopolitan lyricism of the
Magnetic Fields with the intricate and ingenious musicianship of
Tortoise/Sea and Cake, et al, Chicago's gay brother pop-duo
extraordinaire return with their fifth full length, "Happyness."
Powerfully conjuring easy listening jams that once wafted out of
ceiling-mounted speakers in doctors office waiting rooms, or car
pool radios from my youth, "Happyness" combines the overripe
with the coy and delivers another chapter in the group's
unmistakable brand of sophisticated bubble gum. Suave, pop
saturated percussive electronics bolster emotive synths, jazzy
horns and croony lyrics reminiscent at times of anything from Tom
Jones to Heaven17, (and certainly Burt Bacharach). Nonetheless,
Aluminum Group manage to sidestep the schmaltz with their
earnest romanticism and endearing combination of emotional new
wave melodies and tight sonic structures (thanks in part to the
signature production muscle of Tortoise's John McEntire.) The
colloquial poetics of the lyrics makes a perfect tonic for the high
artifice of the layered pop, and the resulting songs please on musical
and intellectual levels equally. [MC]
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FREDDY FRESH "Presents B Boy Stance" (Strut) CD $16.99
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Hands down, Strut is one of the best reissue labels around, right up
their with the amazing Soul Jazz and BBE. (You are probably
already familiar with the Strut label through the incredible post-punk
series "Disco Not Disco," plus their "Nigeria 70" three-disc
compilation, definitely the best Afro Rock collection around that is
not a Fela greatest hits.) Strut have now turned to old skool hip hop
head Freddy Fresh to compile a mix of extremely rare hip hop and
electro jams that have never been released on CD and let me tell you,
he does not disappoint. From the opener of Marley Marl with "Marley
Marl Scratch" blended into Kev E Kev's "Listen to the Man" cut-up by
Freddy himself, and then into Lil' Jazzy Jay and Cool Supreme's
classic "B Boy Style," this mix does not let up! It is a barrage of some
of the best old skool jams you've never heard and features sought after
tracks like JVC Force's "Strong Island," Jazzy Jay's "Def Jam", Cool C's
"Juice Crew DJs," and about 20 more other ultra-rare party rockers.
"Freddy Fresh presents B Boy Stance" is definitely the best hip hop mix this year.
Strut, you have done it again! [JS]
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THOMAS FEHLMANN "Visions of Blah" (Kompakt) CD/LP $15.99/$12.99
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Ever since M.Mayer released the "Immer" mix CD, everyone's been
craving more uber-modern, swing-beat techno. "Visions of Blah" is
full of swing-beat, off-kilter scorchers, and then some. I guess I
should mention that Fehlman is a founding father of this whole
German post-techno scene, and it shows in his impeccable
arrangements. He proves himself a true artist by making an endless
variety of tracks using a masterfully chosen minimal sound palette.
The general feel is ultra-fresh, warm digital house with aspects of dub,
and melodies that glisten and percolate off of one another like droplets
at the base of a tropical waterfall (complete with stream). More modern
than the Modernist, no offense. The elements of these tracks are so
well placed, and arranged... you have to hear it to believe it. And then,
after you're confident of Fehlman's dance jam mastery he softly lands
you in a light blue cloud from track 9 through 11, with melodic clouds
that make the hair on the back of your neck stand straight up. Beautiful
album. One of the strongest of the year. [SM]
CD //perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=71875260372&refer_url=email
LP //perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=09999186151&refer_url=email

[V.A.] "Studio One Scorcher" (Soul Jazz) CD $15.99
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This is the one that I've been waiting for! Soul Jazz gives up the goods
with "Studio One Scorcher," a collection of instrumentals produced by
"Sir Coxsone." Bringing attention to great playing of the jazz musicians
that crafted the sound of Jamaica, creating the music they wanted to
make since recorded Jamaican music hadn't existed before. Featuring
sweet playing from now legendary but then unknowns like Jackie Mitto,
Ernest Ranglin, Cedric "IM" Brooks, Vic Gordon and Don Drummond.
More tracks unearthed from the vaults, excellent songs that were never
intended to go outside of the Sound System yards. This one is special,
much like the Ethiopiques series, this is a glimpse into how foreign
musicians heard and interpreted American jazz and soul, combing it with
their own taste and equipment. Twisting, warping, shimmering melodies,
odd chord progressions, inspired soloing, along with the steady drum and
bass, having a lo-fi/home recording quality (even re-mastered) that brings
you into the sweating walled studios of the isle. Of all the series this one
lets the music take precedence. Highly Recommended! [DG]
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ROBERT HOOD "Point Blank" (Peacefrog) CD $16.99
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I don't know that I was entirely comfortable aligning myself with the
term "techno" (a reluctance based partly on what my friend refers to
as its "total disregard" for the "sit-down listening experience") until I
heard Mr. Hood's "Protein Valve" 12" a number of years ago. In the
inner-cut of one of the sides I found a definite touchstone, a signal
moment of clarity as regards the enormous capabilities on offer to
any adequate P.A. (heard it in a club)... fucking totally evil ferocity in
other words. True life sorcery that was anything but all for naught. I
later learned Hood was one of the chief sorcerers of the genre,
alongside Jeff Mills (more of a Wizard) and the Underground
Resistance camp, led by one 'Mad' Mike Banks. On the part of these
characters there is a converse tendency to resolve ferocity with
almost gentle and restrained tracks, those which can evoke the sci-fi
romance aspect of essentially what is the story of "techno.' This new
release on Peacefrog embodies both sides of the coin and reflects
the "story" quite well. [DHo]
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SPECTRUM "Geracao Bendita" (Shadoks) CD $14.99
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Don't let the cover dissuade you from buying this great Brazilian
mellow psych record. Spawned from influences of the '60s hippie
explosion on Rio de Janeiro, Spectrum fuse pop harmonies with
fuzzed guitar and a tried-and-true repertoire of late-'60s rock
arrangements. The result is an album worthy of a spot in any
enthusiast's collection. Not too far out (we're not talking Aguarturbia
or anything), just a happy half-hour buzz. Try it, you'll like it. [NL]
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ST. ETIENNE "Finisterre" (Mantra) CD/LP $15.99/$22.99
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Those who have been lamenting St. Etienne's abandonment of
shimmery dance pop beats on their last two albums will be relieved
to hear this one. The beats are back folks! Just listening to the opening
song on this LP, "Action" is a remarkable return to form. Acoustic
guitars, Sarah Cracknells' cooly-detached vocals, shimmery keyboards
that builds and swells -- aaaah yes, it's all here. This could very well be
my single of the year. The rest of the record is fine too, despite a
questionable decision to let people rap on a track (Should British people
be allowed to emcee? Discuss and get back to me.), this is a pretty
strong release, and should gain back any fan that was disappointed with
the last two records. [DH]
CD //perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=60900810332&refer_url=email
LP //perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=60900810331&refer_url=email

ROCKET FROM THE CRYPT "Live from Camp X-Ray" (Vagrant) CD/LP $14.99/11.99
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Entering their twelfth year of existence, San Diego's hyper-charged
Rocket From The Crypt are one of the most consistent acts out there,
still walloping fans over the head with their tightly wound guitar assault
and crunchy garage-punk-pop ruckus. Their seventh proper full-length,
dubiously titled "Live from Camp X-Ray," is another gritty, high-octane
dose of pogo inducing punk anthems, backed by a powerhouse horn
section. For a few numbers, the added accompaniment of strings slices
through the start-and-stop tension of RFTC's precision power-chord
chugs, but don't think that the group's suddenly showing a soft side. Like
a frat kegger ambushed by a tag-team gang of skate punks and marching
band geeks, the campus police don't dare try to break this party up. [GH]
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LEMON JELLY "Lost Horizons" (XL) CD $15.99
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Following the success of Lemon Jellys' last release "KY," which
collected all of their vinyl-only EPs, this is the first proper full-length
from this British downtempo duo. Okay, before I go on I'd like to put in
a request to officially retire the term "downtempo." I for one feel that
this term is a bit too inclusive. I mean Air, Lemon Jelly and Mellow
really don't sound anything like Kruder and Dorfmeister, Thievery
Corporation and the like anymore. From the way I see it, there are
two separate schools of thought that we are hearing right now. It
seems that bands like this one and Air are more interested in further
exploring the sonic possibilities that Pierre Henry, Morriccone and
Brian Wilson hinted at. True, there are lush string arrangements, and
the tempos are slow, but it's a bit too psychedelic to truly qualify as
"midstroke music". Am I making any sense? Forget it. Back to the
album. Huge Bacharach-like arrangements build and fall amidst
sounds of skipping records, delicate acoustic guitars and angular
shuffling drums. This is very pretty psychedelic music, meticulously
crafted from over 300 samples from what I'm told, and it sounds like
they gathered more inspiration from ELO than Axelrod. If you like any
of the aforementioned artists, or smoking 'cabbage' while listening to
music, you should enjoy this album. By the way, I have no idea what to
label this music besides "downtempo" either. Feel free to E-mail
suggestions and if I like any of them not only will I use the term, but
I'll shout you out personally when I do. [DH]
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KEITH FULLERTON WHITMAN "Playthroughs" (Kranky) CD $13.99
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Shedding the Hrvatski pseudonym along with his love of the
breakbeat, Keith Fullerton Whitman joined the current family of
laptop users and has produced something beautifully tonal and
spacious. Improvisational in nature, source material is derived from
acoustic and electric guitars utilizing ring modulators, granular
re-synthesis algorithms, delays and various effects, and then
processed through his computer. Whitman's manipulations are far
from glitchy as he stretches various tones into long, fluid
crescendos of ambience and deep waves of cyclic pulses --
this nature of repetition owing more to the influence of Terry Riley
than say Christian Fennesz. Guitars are barely recognizable and
audibly resemble the ring of crystal glass, ocean waves and chimes.
Shimmering and beautiful, "Playthroughs" maintains a lucid essence,
dreamy yet very engaging throughout. [GH]
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OSUNLADE "Offering" (R2) CD $16.99
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Looking for your next, or first, late-night house mix CD? Something
a little ethnic with some flavor? Producer, DJ, and Yorba Priest,
Osunlade gives you the cure with "Offering." Beginning with the
sounds of the jungle we move through his selection of Latin percussion,
soulful vocals, shuffling rhythms, Haitian's chants, jazz chords, warm
bass, and tasty drumming. Including his own stand-out productions
along with great tracks by Faze Action, Truby Trio, and Jazzanova with
Vikter Duplaix. Over an hour of in all, recorded live, perfect for keeping
it going, closing it out, or just getting started. [DG]
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RESTOCKS:


STREETS "Original Pirate Material" (Pure Groove/Locked On) CD $13.99
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Twenty-something cockney musical autodidactic Mike Skinner,
calling himself the Streets, broke out of the UK garage scene
earlier last year with his self-produced white label 12", a
swinging two-tone inspired hip hop/dance hall hybrid called "Let's
Push Things Forward." Apparently, there was much need for things
to be pushed forward because his skin-of-his-teeth, mix and match,
smart-ass approach to the multiple genres he plunders caught on
like wildfire. Skinner's debut album "Original Pirate Material"
has garnered a huge buzz in the UK and a mounting interest in the
States. Just this side of being over-the-top precocious, the
Street's epic release mixes hip-hop, dance hall, U.K. garage and a
bit of the aforementioned two-tone horn and organ grooves
(although Skinner claims to have never heard the Specials). Laid
over all of this is a seesawing, heavily accented spoken
soliloquies, pedestrian poetry-cum-rapping that circumvents its
own preciousness to become fascinating and even super catchy.
Fourteen tracks of stripped-down bumping bass and beats follow
Skinner's itinerant ego (and various alter egos) as he represents
for the hyper-stimulated musically adept next generation raised on
the breakneck trend cycles of UK musical fascinations. Whether be
design or as a happy accident, the result is indeed original and
highly enjoyable, (not to mention danceable). [MC]
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NOONDAY UNDERGROUND "Surface Noise" (Setanta) CD $18.99
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Following a two-album stint custom crafting samples for celebrated
pop recyclists Adventures in Stereo, Simone Dine reappeared in
early-2000 with Noonday Underground. Along with the soulful voice of
then 20-year old Daisy Martey, the duo's first LP, "Self-Assembly,"
was a brilliant pastiche of old leftfield '60s pop stirred into a groovy
cocktail of exotica and Euro go-go with a swizzle of sugary
psychedelia. (Imagine the Avalanches reconstructing a soundtrack to
Vampyros Lesbos.) I was hooked. Two or so years later, Noonday
Underground's latest, "Surface Noise," is no less a welcome return
and offers some new flavors. Dine is obviously still fueled by his
obsessive record collector tendencies, but where the production of his
previous effort made Noonday's brand of retro-futurism dreamy and
almost detached, here the tone is considerably warmer; the line
between samples and live instrumentation (which I'm guessing is
minimal) is completely blurred. While Martey only appears for three
tracks, the organic feel of "Surface Noise" brings considerable depth
to her soulful and powerful voice (think Julie Driscoll). The steady,
repetitious beat and melodic bass leads in "Go it Alone" remind me of
mid-'90s Stereolab, sans synthesizer gurgle, the French vocal accent
replaced by a young Grace Slick. Dine also invited collaborators like
Trash Can Sinatras' Frank Reader, who's breathy vocal in "Windmills"
could have been listed as a Colin Blunstone sample and no one would
argue. Outspoken Noonday fan Paul Weller, who once cheekily
pronounced them the "Most Influential Band of All Times" in NME, provides
the album's most standout moment; "I'll Walk Right On" not only replicates
but duplicates the spirit of a classic soul song. The sparse rhythm circles
around a mellow funk backbeat while low piano chords lay a counter melody
to Weller's husky croon -- the ghost of Otis Redding has been tapped. I have
to admit, on first listen I missed the crash beats and '60s swing that more or
less defined "Self-Assembly." But while "Surface Noise" still has those
elements, Dine has embraced a wider source of sound and spirit; this could
very well be his masterpiece. Timeless and wonderful, I'm now adding this to
my top ten list for 2002! [GH]
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SMOKEY AND MIHO "Smokey and Miho" (Afro Sambas) $7.99
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Inspired by the work of Brazilian guitarist Baden Powell, Miho
Hatori (Cibo Matto) teamed up with Smokey Hormel (of Beck and Tom
Waits bands) in late 2000 to celebrate their love of Brazilian
music. Though their live sets often feature covers of songs by Powell,
Jorge Ben and other Brailizian legends, they've written and recorded
four of their own compositions for this five-track debut EP. The standouts
here are 'Blue Glasses' and 'Summer Rain', two sultry and shimmering
examples of modern-day bossa nova. 'Nzage' and 'Orixa & Iemanja' are
percussive, samba explorations while 'Ocean in Your Eyes' sounds more
akin to contemporary trip-hop. Hatori's singing is light and wispy, her
phrasing impressive. Meanwhile Smokey and a small ensemble
accompany her with confidence yet maintain a good deal of restraint.
Refreshingly free of irony, pretense, and kitsch. [TC]
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POLYPHONIC SPREE "Beginning Stages of…" (Good) CD $12.99
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"This is a choral symphonic pop band." So say the sparse notes
included in their debut album, featuring detailed listings of 24
musicians and their weapons of choice (which, besides a 13
member chorus, include French horn, piccolo, bells, Moog, timpani,
strings and then some) but not a word on track listing or song
credits. I worry a bit that I am being tricked into the feelings
of elation that accompany music like this, as the relatively
sheltered ears of the modern listener are unaccustomed to the pure
joy of hearing a large group of voices sing out. And yet along
with the creative instrumentation and warm, natural production on
this album I think my ears are getting a much-needed romp in the
grass. Why argue with pleasure? With a gentle, soaring sound
somewhere between "Pet Sounds," Mercury Rev, Neutral Milk Hotel,
Lambchop and Up With People, this group is doing their best to
inject our modern world with a new spirituality, singing simple
odes to sunshine, holidays, embracing love and life. I am somewhat
skeptical of their flowing white church-robes and saccharine
lyrical content but their music is undeniably uplifting and I am
certain that this will be a defining album for summer 2002. Let
yourself be swept away and you won't regret it. Recommended. [JM]
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COMPUTER SOUP/JAN JELINEK "Improvisations & Edits..." (Soup Disk) CD $15.99
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Jan Jelinek, also known as Farben, is probably best known for his
clinical, dub-a-delic glitch house. Here, on "Improvisations and
Edits/Tokyo 09 26," Jelinek collaborates with Computer Soup to
expose subdued emotion with music best described as "liquefied jazz".
(Not Acid Jazz.) Translucent, muted horns expand, contract and
penetrate clouds of confused hiss, bleeps and static. There is a sense
of mourning and searching that is devoid of cliche'. (Miles would smile.)
The cryptic information on the CD sleeve: "Tokyo 9/26/2001" is enough
to illustrate the fact that this is music attempting to somehow connect
with a post-September 11th NYC. A sincere effort: recommended. [SM]
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RAPTURE "Mirror" (Gravity) CD $11.99
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Back in print and back in stock... for those of you that are only
familiar with Rapture's current mixture of Gang Of Four-ish disco-
punk, this earlier effort could be something of a surprise. When
this was released back in '99 it immediately became one of my
favorite albums and I am sure some of my co-workers can attest to
the fact that I would recommend it to just about everyone that
would come into the store. It offers an adrenaline charged,
keyboard driven, almost goth mixture of the Cure, PIL, and
Screamers. The first song "Notes..." starts with a siren, a mic
check, then headlong into some brilliant one string guitar riffs;
the dominant phrase is "I am taking notes on the underground".
"Olio" could easily pass for a lost Cure song, Luke's voice sounds
almost identical to Robert Smith... honestly, this song could've been
on "Pornography". The title track is the crowning jewel; an anthemic
guitar part backed by some of Vito's best drumming, he sounds like
Charles Hayward of This Heat. Combine that with my all time favorite
lyric, "Alan Vega, Suicide" -- I am serious, this song is amazing. Also
included is a Kid 606 remix of "Notes..." titled "In Love with the
Underground". Three years have elapsed since its release and I am
sure that Luke and Vito are happy to have put this album in their past.
With their faces on covers of magazines and playing at venues like
Hammerstein Ballroom, they are now on the verge of becoming the
rock stars that they have always wanted to be; but it's this first
album that I keep going back to. I still can't recommend it enough.
If you have ever owned a Cure poster, you've got to buy this. If you like
to wear black in the summertime, you have to check this out. Even if
you're not a fan of what they are doing now, you should buy a copy.
Hell, if you are a Rapture fan, you must buy this album! [AG]
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THIS JUST IN:


TRACY AND THE PLASTICS "Forever Sucks EP" (Chainsaw) CD $8.99
RealAudio: /ramgen/othermusic/bestofth.rm
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This week's contributors: Tom Capodanno [TC], Matt Connors [MC],
Andy Giles [AG], Daniel Givens [DG], Gerald Hammill [GH], Duane
Harriott [DH], Dan Hougland [DHo], Nicole Lang [NL], Josh Madell [JM],
Scott Mou [SM], Jeremy Sponder [JS], and Phil Waldorf [PW].


THE BIG PICTURE:

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