NEW RELEASES
Magnetic Fields
Juana Molina
Múm
Thomas Brinkmann
Mission of Burma
Pixies (Best Of)
Excepter
Gang Gang Dance


ALSO AVAILABLE
My Morning Jacket (EP)
Frog Eyes (Limited CD)
David Cross

Studio One Dub (Various)
Beta Band
Detroit Soul (Various)
Blood on the Wall
East New York Ensemble de Music
Lee Perry
The Recoys (Pre-Walkmen project)
Mirah


RESTOCKS
Bulent
William Basinski

"I Don't Believe You"

"Irma"

Like diabetics with a waning supply of insulin, Magnetic Fields fans have been craving the (bitter)sweet taste of Stephin Merritt's wry wit since the release of the band's crowning achievement (so far), 1999's 69 Love Songs. And while the lauded tunesmith been busy with the 6ths and the Future Bible Heroes, with writing music for films and musical theater, the arrival of 69's long-awaited follow-up is the sugar fix many of us have been yearning for.

All Mag Fields discs have some sort of theme, and the conceit this time around is that all 14 songs begin with the self-possessed letter "i" (as if that weren't enough, the tracks are sequenced alphabetically). It's a tenuous thread, but musically the album clicks effortlessly, covering familiar territory with a notable lack of synthesizers -- and with all lead vocals handled by Merritt in his deadpan delivery. There are timeless tunes ("If There's Such a Thing as Love") and Pet Shop Boys-styled new wave ("I Thought You Were My Boyfriend," which sure sounds like it has programmed beats), baroque pop (the harpsichord-driven "In an Operetta") and showtune-inspired numbers (the morose "Is This What They Used to Call Love"). There are winning couplets galore (e.g. "So you quote-love-unquote me/Well, stranger things have come to be," from the stellar "I Don't Believe You"). And a lovely array of instruments played by longtime supporting cast Sam Davol (cello), Claudia Gonson (piano, drums, lovely harmonies), and John Woo (guitar, banjo), along with Merritt and his trademark ukulele. You won't miss the synths.

So does i surpass its three-volume predecessor in scope or depth? Well, at 40 minutes, how could it? But with intensified focus, Merritt and his troupe sound as bitter and sweet as ever. [LV]

"Salvese Quien Pueda"

"Tres Cosas"

Last year's Segundo was probably the first time most of North America and the UK sampled Juana Molina's wispy melodies and acoustic-electronic folk sounds. The Buenos Aires singer/songwriter, who was also a popular comedic actress on Argentinean television during the '90s, has received repeated comparisons to Lisa Germano, Beth Orton, Cat Power, Bebel Gilberto and even Bjork -- none of these being totally dead on, but when grouped together give an idea of the kind of magic that a Molina record holds in store.

Like its predecessor, Tres Cosas finally makes it to our shores two years after its original release in Argentina, and like Segundo, easily stands the test of time. Molina's lullaby-soft melodies and gently picked guitar is steeped in folk tradition, and only the inclusion of light electronic textures gives a clue that this music was produced sometime after Kid A; yet somehow the lines between acoustic and electronic are blurred so perfectly that her music remains organic and pure.

At its essence, Tres Cosas is centered around Molina's circular guitar motions and voice. The electronics are a little more understated than in Segundo allowing her lush vocals to be more prevalent while warm atmospheric tones and occasional splashes of percussion, marimba and strings envelope songs in a beautiful, dreamy haze. I don't even speak a single word of Spanish, but this doesn't stop her intimate, breathy melodies from transporting me to a world that is uniquely hers. [GH]

"The Ghosts You Draw on My Back"

"The Island of Children's Children"

One of the year's most anticipated and ambitious releases, Múm's third full-length (their second for Fat Cat) shows the band effortlessly improving on the unique sound that has already made them so popular. Summer Make Good is a far darker album than the band has made before, especially in comparison to the sugary Finally We Are No One. The music evokes the same kind of delightfully creepy feeling brought on by the film The City of Lost Children or by Jan Svankmajer's nightmarish Lewis Carrol adaptation Alice. The way Kristin Anna Valtysdottir's eerie childlike voice floats over the band's pastoral analog soundscapes is utterly chilling. If you like Aphex Twin, Bjork, Boards of Canada, or the Cocteau Twins and you aren't yet familiar with Múm, now's the time to find out what you've been missing. Regardless of all of the praise that's indiscriminately tossed at Sigur Ros, I'd pick Múm as the superior Icelandic band any day of the week. Some other reviewers have complained that Múm's concentration on song-based composition is a step in the wrong direction, but it seems to me that Summer Make Good is the next logical place for them to go, and I'll bet that their fans will really appreciate what they've accomplished. Highly recommended. [RH]

"Surface + Today"

"Polar 1: 21: 31"

For Tour De Traum, Kompakt's sister label and its owner Riley Reinhold open the vaults and let the one and only Thomas Brinkmann in to do what he will with them. And that he does. Brinkmann takes his favorite Traum tracks and mashes, splices, fades and overlaps them in a way that only he can. In the first song alone, he melds four tracks into one 3-minute segment that not only adds a bit to each of the individual songs, but he has created something new and all his own. Thomas is never one to make things easy on himself for he has reshaped and interpreted eight of the 13 tracks contained herein, tweaking some ever-so-slightly but still adding his personal touch -- one that is both bass heavy and dubbed out. On this CD I have to say that Thomas Brinkmann has had excellent source material to work with (probably some of the best that Cologne has to offer) and he has created an impeccable mix that lives up to the standards of himself, Traum and I am sure, you, the listener. This is one of the finest mixes that I have heard in some time and it has a surefire place in my CD changer for months to come. Recommended! [JS]

"The Enthusiast"

"Max Ernst's Dream"

1982 seems like a lifetime away. I was excitedly riding to the mall record store with my grandfather to start my record collection with Waylon Jennings's Greatest Hits. Like most eleven-year-olds, I was largely informed by television ("Just some good ol' boys/Never meanin' no harm…") and FM radio (Casey Kasem). Mission of Burma had just ended their 5-year studio recording efforts, but it would be another few years until I discovered that there was a musical world outside my own homogenous suburban one. As it turned out, I got my hands on a college radio show tape hosted by my brother and his friends. Amidst the already familiar Violent Femmes, Depeche Mode and Cure tunes, one song stood out and turned me upside down: "That's How I Escaped My Certain Fate".

Forward to 2004: First, I finally got to see Boston's finest (true!) live - thanks Nils - and then the first studio album by Mission of Burma since 1982's brilliant VS. The core of the group - Roger Miller, Clint Conley, and Peter Prescott - is the same, but they've enlisted ex-Volcano Sun and dashing engineer Bob Weston to record the album and sit in on tape manipulation/loops for the on-hiatus Martin Swope. Masterfully recorded and executed, ONoffON finds MOB right where they left off: one of the few truly essential American rock bands. This is not an example of a bunch of old geezers getting back together to cash in on their past successes. One, they were never monetarily successful as a band, and two, this band has no mass appeal: too arty to be punk, too punk to be arty. No cameos from Michael Stipe or Moby here (just members of Rachel's and Tanya Donnelly). MOB have never fit into a scene, and thank God that they will not with this record. It seems like they've simply returned to have a little fun.

As MVP Prescott's "The Enthusiast," "Fake Blood" and "Absent Mind" evidence, the rollicking agro as well as the barbed wire hooks are in tow here. I can't stop singing "I'm high as a kite on a windless night." Miller's epic sonic journeys through the bowels of the pop song are present in "Falling", with fantastic vocal harmonies from Conley, and "Max Ernst's Dream", featuring the best use of tremolo since "Them Two." Twelve brand new songs, three reworked takes of older material, and one pleasant 15-second silent track halfway through this rock refresher course make up the CD. The all-analogue double LP contains a bonus track, and for non-vinyl buying audiophile types out there, Matador has issued the release as its first ever high-definition hybrid SACD. By the way, this may very well be the best-planned and carried out musical reunion of all time. Well, except for the Eagles. [KC]

"Vacation"

For the second time in a row now, one of Brooklyn's grandest experimental entourages (which incidentally includes Other Music's Dan Hougland in its five-member line-up) have presented us with a sonic totem whose jaunty and bright packaging belie an almost certain palpable sense of unease. This new twelve-inch is entitled "Vacation", and here Excepter have perhaps crafted a treatise on nothing less than the uncomfortable aspects of having to leave one's home.

Or they may well have been channeling the soundtrack to a particularly bizarre road trip I once went on involving an Indian burial ground, a cross eyed woman Xeroxing chain letters at a supermarket, and an extremely sadistic alligator farm outside of Hot Springs, Arkansas where I witnessed a stuffed Fiji Merman. Unease indeed. But of course, like on any worthy and good vacation, once you've become used to new unsettling sensations like foot blisters and sunburn you realize how sublime the landscape is. And sublimity is what Excepter trades in spades.

Side-one positions the moment where you have trouble getting your bearings, trouble putting your surroundings into perspective. The rhythms are all displaced, their center of gravity slackened by synths squiggling all willy-nilly looking for something to latch onto. Side-two, "Forget Me," is where everything comes into focus -- like a photograph that you can spend some time with to chart your inner progress. This track could be Excepter's pop moment, their breezy road trip down the Autobahn (and here the Kraut reference is especially apt). Pistons fired, these beats are allowed to lope carefree into the coming summer's new season of discontent. Ex-ceptional. [MK]

"The Thread"

Gang Gang Dance are a group composed of well-known entities (in and around NYC in particular) but have left a sporadic, almost shadowy, impression upon people nonetheless. Various members play/have played in various other bands. They'll 'surface' to perform a clutch of shows, most all well-attended, only to 'disappear' again (as regards to any kind of reliable congregation). Oh, and there's also been no record to speak of, save a 100-copy CD, more or less fleetingly manifested for an art event with probably somewhere that amount of attendees. Anyways, now we have a document, albeit only in LP format (with a full-color gatefold cover), and thankfully definitely a good one.

The opening female vocal ululations soon enough refract electronically, and the summoned whale-song dimension spires into an urgent metempsychotic groove. Coming as they do from different angles, it's safe to assume there is humanity to the postproduction approach on here. Indeed the first side in its totality achieves a narrative facility which, when sized up against the nature of its parts, could remind one of a more quietly-alloyed Chrome.

It does not end there, in fact there is something of a sense of unfinished business, and the second side strikes off with a snapping dream of desert suspense. Machinic industry rises up here too though, marking yet another salient entrée into the crafted spuriousness GGD seek to espouse. An open drone fills for much of the half, accumulating a lyric denouement that possesses overtures toward melody and texture but less toward propulsive mien.

Again, and as always with this outfit, not so fast, especially in assuming the accumulation will not build anew, and fairly dramatically, before the end. And it is when it in fact does that sadly deceased member Nathan Maddox joins the fray most obviously, his vox working up the Can-like lather along with the suddenly more brash (especially after the subdued interlude) compatriots, everything spiking up to the sendoff digitized muezzin wail. Good record. [DHo]

"Sky Rhythm"

"Rastaman Version"

Soul Jazz's ever-expanding Studio One re-issue series continues with their journey into dub and features dubs of tracks originally created for Horace Andy, Dawn Penn, Freddie McGregor, Delroy Wilson, and Jackie Mittoo. Dating 1968 to 1972, this showcases the golden era within the exploration of the studio as an instrument. Producer Clemont "Coxsone" Dodd, along with engineer Sylvan Morris, began to sculpt the former backing tracks used in various sessions into original pieces in their own right. Their style isn't the heavily processed or altered techniques that King Tubby or Lee Perry would utilize; Dodd's style is a bit more subtle yet just as grooving. Another great selection of Jamaican music from our friends in the UK. [DG]

"Assessment"

"Lion Thief"

One can only assume that Heroes to Zeroes, the title of the Beta Band's new album, is another example of the kind of self-effacement we've come to expect from these great Scots. I've always thought that immediately following their Three EPs, the group could have avoided almost drowning in inventiveness had they not been afforded the luxury of working with a producer in a professional multi-track studio. Heroes to Zeroes however, is different in that it's the first time the band have self-produced themselves since those mythical EPs (Nigel Godrich assists with the mix) and wow, what a difference.

Kicking off with a straightforward rock beat and buzz-chime guitar lead which could have come out of the Edge's black Fender, I don't think I've ever heard the Beta Band sound quite so conventional, right through the horn-accompanied rock jam ending. But it's not a bad surprise, and Stephen Mason's unmistakable voice certainly shows a more dynamic side than those monotone yet incredibly perfect melodies of the Champion Version EP. Then track two, "Space," begins with a familiar, sluggy percussion groove and soon deconstructs into a stoned refrain of reverb-ed 'la-la-las' and piano. The pop charms are immediate while the song playfully sways through the kind of unexpected changes that only these four lads can produce. By the fourth track, the funky, clavichord driven "Easy," it seems that the Beta Band just might be delivering the full-length album that they've threatened to make, but never could quite squeak out.

Heroes to Zeroes is about as eclectic of a record as you'd want from the boys. The group juxtaposes playful pop gratis, orchestrated Beach Boy-esque chorus breaks and snatches of melancholy psychedelia together, often within the same song (check out "Space Beatle") and with lots of odd sounds be it percussive clanks, squiggly synths or samples of dogs barking. More instantaneous and upbeat than 2000's Hot Shots II, the Beta Band are able to steer their 'everything but the kitchen sink' mantra more effectively than ever; even the searing "Liquid Bird" which crams a hell of a lot in three-minutes-and-twenty-some-seconds, doesn't feel misguided or too weighty. I'm not quite ready to declare Heroes to Zeroes the Beta Band album we've all been patiently waiting for, but damn they're so, so close. Give me a few more listens however, and I just might say that it is. [GH]

"Inside" Arnold and Malik Alston

"Burning Brightly" Ayro

From Berry Gordy Jr's Motown vision, a label playing a significant role in black Detroit, articulating and promoting the social, cultural, and political agendas of African Americans living in the urban north (as well as emphasizing individual ambition) in correlation with the simultaneous civil rights movement; to the Belleville Three, (Derrick May, Kevin Saunderson, Juan Atkins) the "techno-rebels" who embodied movement two decades ago towards the phantom future of raves and monorails: Soul emanates out of the concrete of the beautiful decay that is the city by the lake. Subsequent to the vastly praised Philly Soul Compilation, the Unisex label heads to the Motor City to draw together and arrange the new sounds of what is Detroit Soul.

Detroit has been commonly revered for its influential domination of the techno scene, though the budding talent along with the time-honored veterans has evolved into an increasingly diverse and original force due to both the convergence of the city's own past and the electronic genre taking a colorful, global heed. This is a collected works of recent music inspired by Detroit's musical milieu of soul, R&B, techno, hip hop, and jazz making for an atmosphere of funky, far-reaching deep rhythms, Latin grooves, broken-beat, to bass-tastic street-soul rumblings. The fresh sounds include Gilles Peterson darling Ayro, to Carl Craig's (Detroit Experiment) radically revamped disco-house-funked version of Donald Byrd's "Think Twice", to John Arnold and Malik Alston's swooping collaboration, and to the street-yet-smooth hip hop stylings coming from the heart of the D, Jay Dee and Slum Village. Don't sleep on this gorgeous, butter-smooth collection repping the gentler side of America's toughest city. [MT]

"Mae Abilene"

"Let's Heal Properly"

Is early-'90s indie rock the new post-punk? It's been well over a decade since we first heard Pavement, and Sonic Youth aren't nearly as youthful as they were back when Daydream Nation hit, so it's really only a matter of time before the retro indie revival hits full swing. Brooklyn rockers Blood On The Wall are beating everyone else to the punch with a self-titled debut that hearkens back to the glory days of both aforementioned bands with unparalleled success. There's a pinch of post-punk flavoring tossed in for good measure, albeit in more of a Fall/SST Records vein than you'd hear from your average flavor-of-the-month New York band. Loveable brother-sister duo Brad and Courtney Shanks play guitar and bass and share lead vocal duties with drummer Miggy Littleton, who also plays in White Magic with Mira Billotte fromQuix*o*tic. Blood On The Wall's album is raw, fun, and unpretentious. Listening to them, I can't help but think of another sibling-led Brooklyn trio, the Rogers Sisters, whose Troubleman album was quite successful at OM a couple of years back. Anyone who loved that record would do well from themselves by picking up a copy of this fine release. It doesn't shatter any expectations or change the face of modern music, it's just good old fashioned drunken garage band party rock and roll with hooks and attitude galore. Damn fun stuff if I do say so myself. [RH]

"Sun Flower"

Since its small 1974 release on Folkway Records, The East New York Ensemble de Music's At the Helm had been yet another long-lost gem in the myriad of soul-jazz recordings imploring to be unearthed. Bilal Abduraham, playing soprano sax and an ancient Korean reed instrument, lets soar the diverse musical influences of his upbringing in cross-cultural Bed-Stuy. Ameen Nuraldeen's vibraphone is relentlessly enlightening.

Upon listening to this recording, I feel an exuberance reminiscent of my introduction to Philip Cohran's classic On the Beach album, or even Don Cherry's Mu, First and Second Part. The vibe throughout is that of the finest macrocosmic spiritual jazz incorporating literally a world of polyrhythmic influence, truly stimulating. Asian/African influences gallantly shine throughout. My favorite moment comes during the fantastic culmination of their version of "Sun Flower." This is one of those fine albums that will impalpably ascend you, keeping its titillating, exploratory rhythm throughout. Highly recommended! [JC]

"Black Panta"

"Upsetting Rhythm #1"

Author and ethnomusicologist, David Katz compiles a choice selection of dubs from one of reggae's self-crowned princes, Lee Perry. Originally released in 1973 in an edition of 300, Blackboard Jungle now gets six additional unreleased tracks (pulled from his Black Ark era). This is a landmark album in dub's history. Smoldering and sweating, dripping reverb and delay create a haze of atmosphere atop the Upsetter's trademark "sinky- beats" (thanks Koen). This selection has been remastered with stereo separation so every cymbal, guitar, snare, cowbell, and shaker is crystal clear, while every bass thump is as solid as a heartbeat. One of the best sounding I've heard in a while. Recommended! [DG]

"Song of the Paper Dolls"

"That's the Punchline"

The Recoys do sound now like an unexpected, more distinctive flip on the Pavement-surrogate sweepstakes otherwise rampant in their time. In the liner-note reportage a Bruce Springsteen cover is said to have been perpetrated by them quite literally on the campus of Princeton -- and to no one -- a performance 'event' which rendered the singer Hamilton Leithauser (of now-Walkmen note) prostrate in one of the school's hallowed hallways much later, only picking himself up and dusting himself off as students finally begin to amble by on the way to class the next morning. This is fairly Pyrrhic, romantic behavior whilst within the confines of Brahmins, and much the same could now be said of the Walkmen. Isn't "The Rat" both romantic and assiduously without preciousness, or even pretentiousness for that matter? If you'd like to hear some of the nascent architecture of that type of currently Lear Jet capability, this is a good place, and maybe the only place apart from Jonathan Fire-eater's records, to home in on. The latter's and also the Walkmen's Walter Martin had to do with the Recoys in terms of technical support, and Pete Bauer from this band followed with Leithauser into Walkmenhood. Also some of these songs became Walkmen songs. Have I mentioned the Walkmen? Just kidding, but part of the appeal of this record could certainly be said to be its "prequel" quality. [DHo]

"Don't Die in Me"

"You've Gone Away Enough"

C'mon Miracle is the third solo album from the Microphone's Mirah Yom Tov Zeitlyn. The album is unmistakably the work of Mirah: intimate and soft vocals, simple melodies, and a wide assortment of instruments. Her lyrics range from personal to political ("Jerusalem"), yet always remain clever and pleasing to the ear. The album opens with "Nobody Has to Stay," a quieter track with gentle keyboards and cello, then develops into tracks that implement a variety of instruments (including accordion!). The songs range from calm and minimal (the harp and echoing lyrics on "We're Both So Sorry") to complex and almost abrasive (the lo-fi drums on "Look Up!" or the multi-layered "The Dogs of B.A."). Mirah's growth as a songwriter is apparent on C'mon Miracle: the song arrangement is more eclectic and most importantly, her style has become defined and her "own." [CP]

"Sunna Abla"

"Sen Varsin"

Every once in a while, you hear a record for the very first time and it becomes instantly ingrained into your memory. You intuitively know every note before it comes, you can hum along from start to finish, you feel that it has always been with you and will stay with you for eternity. Bulent Ortacgil's absolutely phenomenal 1974 debut Benimle Oynar Misin is considered a landmark album in his native Turkey, but after three decades the singer-songwriter remains virtually unknown in the United States. Bulent's songs are written and arranged simply and tastefully, with his voice and gorgeous fingerpicked guitar playing in the forefront of almost every track, and sparse accompaniment on piano, trumpet, saxophone, strings, and several other instruments played by a long list of sidemen and women. The music on this record follows in the tradition of Nick Drake, Donovan, Duncan Browne, the Pentangle, Dando Shaft, Fairport Convention, and other like-minded British folk singers and folk rock bands. The mood is melancholic, but with a strong underlying sense of hope and joy.

Even though I don't understand a word of Turkish, this is one of the most moving and engrossing records I've heard in ages. It's sort of unfortunate that the liner notes don't include English translations, because it's hard to imagine that the lyrics are anything less than brilliant. At the same time, it's refreshing to listen and pay attention only to the emotion in the voice and not to its verbal content. As far as I'm concerned, this is the one to beat as far as reissues go in 2004. It's truly too beautiful to put into any words that I've ever heard, and after spending just a few weeks with it I already consider it one of my absolute favorite albums of all time. Why has it taken so long for this masterpiece to see the light of day in our country? Don't sleep on this one, folks, this is an album that promises to stick with you for a long, long time. [RH]

"Disintegration Loops Track 1"

"Disintegration Loops Track 2"

William Basinski has been operating at the fringe of New York's art-music scene for some time now. He has previously released an album on the Raster-Noton label, and is also apparently responsible for a bit of Antony and the Johnsons' music. With this release he'll hopefully come into quite a bit more renown. "The Disintegration Loops" is comprised of elegantly beautiful orchestral tape loops that he had recorded in the mid-'80s and recently rediscovered. However, as the tapes were being transferred to a digital master, the analogue spool began to disintegrate which ended up further enhancing the already spectral quality of the music. These events unfolded concurrently to the destruction of the World Trade Center. Basinski witnessed the Twin Towers' decimation from his home and decided to release this music as an elegy to that moment, and indeed, he succeeded in creating a very fitting pastoral landscape that admirably does not diminish or trivialize that tragic event in any way. The music uncannily transcends time as the loops swell and fray into seeming infinity. This is an undeniably tragic and stunning tribute, and one of the best and most prescient records I've heard. [MK]