July 20 , 2005  
   

 

 

     
 

NEW RELEASES
Susumu Yokota
Pep & Tapineria La Guarda
Colder
Sufjan Stevens
Don Cooper
Alarm Will Sound Performs Aphex Twin
Pelt
La Düsseldorf (2 Reissues)
Nudge
Charlie Poole (Box Set)
Autechre/Hafler Trio

 


Studio One Lovers (Various)
Os Brazoes
Endless Boogie
Reigning Sound
Pau Riba
Debashish Bhattacharya
Some Water and Sun


BACK IN STOCK
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

 
         
   
   
   
       
   
 
 
JUL Sun 17 Mon 18 Tues 19 Wed 20 Thurs 21 Fri 22 Sat 23


The Cribs
 

WIN TICKETS TO SEE THE CRIBS W/ KAISER CHIEFS
Following a successful European tour opening for Bloc Party and Kaiser Chiefs, the Cribs are now accompanying the Kaisers on their American tour, and will be performing in NYC on Thursday, July 21, along with the Redwalls. Other Music is giving away two pairs of tickets to this sold out show, so enter right away by emailing contest@othermusic.com. Please leave a daytime number where you can be reached. The winners will be notified by Noon, Thursday, July 21st.

July 21 @ WEBSTER HALL: 125 East 11th Street NYC

Check out the Cribs video for "Mirror Kisses," off their upcoming album The New Fellas, set for release on August 23 on Wichita Records. Their self-titled debut album is also available.

 
   
   
 
 
JUL Sun 17 Mon 18 Tues 19 Wed 20 Thurs 21 Fri 22 Sat 23


Maurice Fulton
 

WIN TICKETS TO NEGROCLASH W/ MAURICE FULTON
Thursday night, DJs Lindsey, Language, and Duane are back and ready to make that ass move with their patented mix of funk, soul, electronic jams, and hip-hop that has kept guests grooving ‘til the break-a-dawn! And this month, they’ve snagged a special DJ set from the one-and-only MAURICE FULTON! He’s been called “the superhero of ALL house music,” and is guaranteed to bring a seriously funky brilliance to anything he touches. After all, he's the one who gave !!! the thump as well as being one-half of OM's favorite twisted house duo, MU. Other Music is giving away two pairs of tickets. You won't want to miss this, so email giveaway@othermusic.com to enter to win a pair. Leave a daytime number where you can be reached. The winners will be notified by 3:00 P.M., Thursday, July 21st.

July 21 @ APT: 419 West 13th Street NYC

 
   
   
 
 
JUL Sun 17 Mon 18 Tues 19 Wed 20 Thurs 21 Fri 22 Sat 23


Alan Licht and Aki Onda
 

TICKET GIVEAWAY TO "MAKE MUSIC NOW" FEAT: MOUNTAINS AND AKI ONDA & ALAN LICHT
The second installation of Make Music Now, which features innovative New York musicians presenting commissioned live performances inspired by SculptureCenter's current exhibition, Make It Now: New Sculpture in New York, takes place this Friday. The guests will include Apestaartje duo MOUNTAINS (featuring Koen Holtkamp and Brendon Anderegg) and the pairing of AKI ONDA and ALAN LICHT. Other Music is giving away two pairs of tickets to see this special performance. You can enter to win a pair by sending an e-mail to tickets@othermusic.com. Leave a daytime number where you can be reached. Winners will be notified by Noon on Friday, July 22nd.

JULY 22 @ GALAPAGOS ART SPACE: 70 N. 6th Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn

 
   
   
 
 
JUL Sun 24 Mon 25 Tues 26 Wed 27 Thurs 28 Fri 29 Sat 30


Photo Courtesy of NY Mosaico
 

UPCOMING OTHER MUSIC PARTY W/ DJ GREG CAZ
Join us at our next Other Music Party on Tuesday, July 26. This month, our special guest will be none other than DJ GREG CAZ of Brazilian Beat Brooklyn, who has been rockin' the Black Betty in Williamsburg for four years. He's also the man behind those great Baile Funk and Soul of Samba Rock compilations. Expect to hear tasty bits of rare groove, funk, soul, reggae, salsa, psych, rock and jazz, as well as some new surprises he just scored in Istanbul. Caz will be joined by DJs Brooks Rice and Other Music's very own Michael Klausman.

July 26 @ APT: 419 West 13th Street NYC
No Cover - $5 Rum Punch all night long

 
   
   
 
 
JUL Sun 24 Mon 25 Tues 26 Wed 27 Thurs 28 Fri 29 Sat 30
AUG Sun 7 Mon 8 Tues 9 Wed 10 Thurs 11 Fri 12 Sat 13
AUG Sun 14 Mon 15 Tues 16 Wed 17 Thurs 18 Fri 19 Sat 20
AUG Sun 21 Mon 22 Tues 23 Wed 24 Thurs 25 Fri 26 Sat 27


Ben Chasny

 

UPCOMING IN-STORE APPEARANCES
BEN CHASNY (Six Organs of Admittance)
Sunday, July 24 @ 7:00 P.M.
VICTOR GAMA
Monday, August 8 @ 8:00 P.M.
COLLEEN
Monday, August 15 @ 8:00 P.M.
PORTASTATIC

Monday, August 22 @ 8:00 P.M. (Record release party and in-store performance)

OTHER MUSIC
15 East 4th Street NYC
Free Admission/Limited Capacity

 
   
      
   

 

 

     
 

$14.99
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  SUSUMU YOKOTA
Symbol
(Lo Recordings)

"Purple Rose Minuet"
"The Plateau Which the Zephyr of Flora Occupies"

I have to start off by saying that I never really paid too much attention to Susumu Yokota in the past. It's not that his previous records were bad; it's just that he is so prolific that it is hard to keep up with his vast output. It is kind of like deciding that you're going to suddenly get into Merzbow, and then having to search out all of his previous releases--it's just too much. That being said, Symbol is Yokota's 25th full-length and he describes it as his "masterpiece." It may well be because this album is a gorgeous piece of work that will appeal to many, many people. It's a perfect combination of classical music and modern electronica. Yes, I know I have described many an artists' album like that, especially artists on the Type label. But where producer/composers like Marsen Jules, Goldmund, and Johan Johannson are minimal in nature, Yokota hits you over the head with his compositions. The songs here are new age symphonies, and I could definitely picture them accompanying a modern dance performance. The electronics are perfectly melded with the classical instruments. The strings swell, the horns blare, the percussion thumps, and the electronics twinkle and add texture, while the vocals--by none other than Meredith Monk--lead the tracks through this lovely journey. Symbol is a beautiful record and one that I will be playing numerous times in the near future. This album has turned me into a fan, now only 24 more albums to buy...whew! [JS]

 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

$17.99
CD

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  PEP & TAPINERIA LA GUARDA
Brossa D'ahir
(Discmedi)

"Cims I Abismes"
"Una Paura"

This is a great, charming, unassuming little Spanish folk record that seems to already be defining my summer. Everyone I've played it for has been as surprised as I at how lovely it is. It's not the kind of thing that'll have to grow on you either, for it isn't particularly weird, or psychedelic, or anything like that. It's just, well, like I said, lovely. Warmly and impeccably recorded by Daevid Allen in 1976 in Deia, Mallorca, Pep Laguarda and Tapineria's only album Brossa D'ahir seems to just gently float outside of time. What taste and restraint they show, with peacefully shambolic melodies, delicately strummed acoustic guitars, and lightly tapped woodblocks cocooning the listener in an exquisite Mediterranean glow. I'm serious; it's rare for a record to succeed this well at making a listener feel so content. So, let's just let the rest of summer slowly unwind with Brossa D'ahir as our soundtrack shall we? [MK]

 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

$26.99
CD

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  COLDER
Heat
(Output)

"Wrong Baby"
"To the Music"

If Colder's debut album Again had been released 20 years earlier, you would have surely seen the group listed among the 15 other late-'70s/early-'80s French underground artists represented on the Volga Select curated So Young but So Cold compilation. Actually a one-man-band, the brainchild of Parisian producer/graphic designer/videographer Marc Nguyen Tan, the first Colder record was filled with much of the same icy detachment felt throughout that comp, as he put the Gallic touch on electronic, prog, and post-punk-inspired music--stylistic cues that are more often than not associated with England and Germany. Granted, it's easier to assimilate musical styles when you are looking back over two or three decades and are able to see how bands like Can, Joy Division, and NYC's Suicide have affected the artists that followed, but Tan didn't really try to mask his influences. The only tip off that the album had been made sometime after 2000, than say an early-Factory Records release, was in the modern electronic production. But as stylized as it was, Again also contained something that most new, retro-ripping albums of the past few years lacked. I detected in Tan's music a genuine sense of respect for the artists that obviously influenced him, and he ambitiously, yet successfully, fused the sounds he loved into his own modernist vision that was unmistakably Colder. Now, two years later, his follow-up, Heat, comes our way as an Output import, and I'm happy to say, not too much has changed.

Quite honestly, I always thought the Joy Division comparisons given to Again were way overused, but when the stiff, chugging drum intro that kicks off Heat's opener, "Wrong Baby," leads to a percussive-picked bassline, I can't help but think of "She's Lost Control." Only here, Tan's ghostly, understated vocals are more Alan Vega than Ian Curtis. (You'll hear even more apparent Suicide influences a few songs later in the mechanical pulse and the dark melody of "Downtown.") In the track that follows, the tight angular funk of "Losing Myself" doesn't really move forward, but more so, hovers in place, no doubt inspired by Can rhythm-makers Jaki Liebezeit and Holger Czukay. Yes, the reference points of Again and Heat are mostly the same, but they are clearly two different albums. "To the Music" is driven by a punchy bass, and is much more propulsive than anything off of Colder's debut. In "Tonight," Tan's dark dub turns downright funky, while the eerie "Your Face" is made even more haunting by the spooky swirl of an organ. If anything, Heat seems to be more organic than its predecessor, with the presence of more live instruments rubbing against the electronic production. Indeed, Marc Nguyen Tan adeptly walks that fine artistic line, producing a record that retains the same icy visions of his first Colder album, while offering subtle differences that will keep fans looking forward to the next. [GH]

 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

$14.99
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  SUFJAN STEVENS
Illinois
(Asthmatic Kitty)

"Chicago"
"Come On! Feel The Illinoise!"

Considering that Sufjan's last three record releases have been reissues of older records, Illinois picks up where Greetings from Michigan, his last album, left off: A musical tour of the United States. What becomes apparent on this release is that our journey through America will involve not merely a quick drive along the scenic routes, but a more elaborate study of American historical folklore/cultural sociology and the geographic landscape. While his Michigan record's investigative narrative might have been easily chalked up to a native reexamining his roots, the depth of his most recent work suggests his undertaking is a more serious affair than one might have first assumed.

Despite the tongue in cheek allusion on the cover to Quiet Riot, the music takes itself very seriously. On this release, Sufjan establishes himself as a clever arranger; his work on this record sounds decisively studied and controlled, turning to musical devices favored by Phillip Glass or Steve Reich. Also on this release, we have the former Michigan Militia now reinvented as the Illinoisemaker Choir, with frequent collaborators Katrina Kerns and Tom Eaton reunited with the Brooklyn-bound Tara McDonnell, Jennifer Hoover and Becky Lock, creating a perfect choir to propel the careening vocals.

Sufjan Stevens seems to be the golden child of many an influential media outlet, and it might very well be deserved as this record raises the bar in several departments. Illinois proves to be a beautifully arranged, well written, and cohesive album that gives us something to look forward to: perhaps a Rhode Island 7" single, a Texas 4-CD box set, or even a South Dakota drone record. (These are the last of the quantity of the infamous album covers with the Man of Steel, so get 'em now before they become collectors items on eBay.) [RZ]

 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

$18.99
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  DON COOPER
Howlin' at the Moon: A Best Of
(Delay 68)

"Fat Love Birds"
"Captain Spangle's Crystal Song"

Along with reissues like Vashti Bunyan, Judee Sill, Bill Fay, etc., this is a pretty inspirational real-deal (re)discovery, certainly standing out amidst a good number of newbie hairy-fairy warblers and a wash of insipid imagery perpetuated by PR peoples and obnoxious salesmen that are scurrying to add terms like "folky" to their lexicons, cliff-notes, and one-sheets. But, looking and acting the part was pretty much an essential requisite back then, also. Although, erratic and cutthroat tactics utilized by the capricious labels that harbored many of these folk-revivalists (or prevented them from signing on in the first place) regarded many of these uber-talented artists as second-rate (even if some did fit that proverbial part) and either sent countless future-gems to the cutout bins or doomed their efforts to obscurity. Thankfully, now there are a few zealous people out there that are diligently unearthing and exposing these wayward, discarded treasures. Don Cooper was one of those inopportune casualties, that is until champion of the uncool-cool, Andy Votel, along with Chris McBride (45 Kings), compiled this collection. These are the artists overshadowed by the likes of Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell, substandard-deemed songbirds bearing just as much relevancy--if not more--within the wholistic dynamic of the folk scene, then AND now.

Don Cooper got his start covering the likes of James Brown and Beach Boys, initially angling himself in pop affection and sensibility--and with these foundational musical-moldings came the affirming occasion of hearing the Freewheelin' Dylan. Soon, Cooper came into his own, lifting his sundry influential palette of authentic bluegrass and folk, and fusing them into credible street-styled rune and rhyme, with a highly expressive broken-in-and-been-around croon vividly depicting wholesome deep-dyed narratives that blur the lines between the existential, socio-soaked, and politically aware, to the mystically-tinged illusions. Like the perfect folk tale.

Cooper's sugar sweet soulful musings and dusty sunshine grooves are captivatingly varied with keys, harmonica, strings, and funkified bassisms forging for a polished rhythmic flow, along with head-bobbing drums courtesy of Bernard Purdie (soul and funk's renowned back-beat pro, from James Brown to Aretha Franklin). Diversity like this partially owes to many hip-hop luminaries exploring psychedelics and hippy-dipping, such as 3rd Bass' MC Serch--Cooper's "Captain Spangles" gets sampled on his solo gig--to Main Source and Cypress Hill, both whom copped a ditty from the looney-space-tunes psych-folk outfit, Elephant's Memory.

Howlin' At the Moon is a "best of" collection spanning Don Cooper's four LPs from 1969-1972. Gorgeously packaged with love and care, this dud-free CD contains thorough liner notes, a pictorial discography and cute, original artwork. One of the best folk reissues of the year. [MT]

 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

$17.99
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  ACOUSTICA
Alarm Will Sound Performs Aphex Twin
(Cantaloupe)

"4"
"Fingerbib"

As the long-anticipated twelve-disc Analord series from English savant Richard D. James (a/k/a Aphex Twin) finally wraps up, this most curious CD arrives. Alarm Will Sound, the twenty-two person strong orchestral ensemble based in Manhattan, has taken it upon themselves to examine the electronic maestro's past oeuvre in an all-acoustic and live setting. If this sounds vaguely familiar, know that Aphex Twin has already received a similar treatment in years past from no less a luminary than Phillip Glass (who scored "Icct Hedral" for orchestra), and James himself has dabbled in new classical music with an astounding remix of minimal composer Gavin Bryars' classic "The Sinking of the Titanic." The AWS ensemble fearlessly have a go at any and all tracks, from the early acid of "Blue Calx" to the intricate and irregular pleasantries of classic tracks from the Richard D. James Album like "Fingerbib" and "4", even taking on the complicated and jumbled breakbeats from Drukqs. And they really do nail down every single detail and sonic scribble contained in the originals with deft precision. It gives a bit more of a flesh 'n' blood feel to this strikingly singular computer music that Aphex Twin embodies. [RB]

 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

$13.99
CD

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  PELT
Untitled
(VHF)

Track 2
Track 3

Pelt's new album, packaged in a handsome black-and-white cardboard sleeve and referred to on the VHF Records website as (untitled), is the band's first since 2003's Pearls From The River. 2005 marks their tenth year together, and yet, with both a CD compilation of two previously-released solo 12"s and a new full-length album out last year (not to mention another due in a couple of months), the band's guitarist Jack Rose is arguably more popular on his own today than Pelt has ever been as a group. Pelt's music isn't at all built around the Fahey-inspired acoustic guitar playing that many people will undoubtedly associate with Mr. Rose. They're more of a drone-folk band, similar in many ways to Charalambides and some of the groups associated with the Jewelled Antler Collective, including but certainly not limited to Thuja. (untitled) is made up of three long, hypnotic ragas and a brief solo cello piece, all of which the band recorded in Philadelphia last December. Among the instruments played by the four members of the group on this particular recording are acoustic guitar, gong, cello, Tibetan bowls, esraj (a bowed sitar), and sruti (an Indian harmonium with no keyboard). Be prepared for total hypnotic bliss, this album is not recommended for nighttime cross-country driving. [RH]

 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 



La Düsseldorf
$21.99
CD

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Viva
$21.99 CD

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  LA DÜSSELDORF
La Düsseldorf
(Warners Germany)
"Düsseldorf"

LA DÜSSELDORF
Viva
(Warners Germany)
"White Overalls"

Two outstanding post-Neu! records are finally easier to come by, thanks to Warner Germany. When listening to Neu! '75--the last record that Klaus Dinger and Michael Rother would record together until reuniting for Neu! 4 some 10 years later--it's easy to contrast the difference between Rother's gorgeous synthesizer and guitar textures against Dinger's aggressive, almost punk approach in his rhythms and vocals. (There's no denying this album's influence on punk, which was still in its infancy wearing safety pinned diapers, no doubt.) But Dinger's first two La Düsseldorf albums, the epic self-titled 1976 debut, produced by Konrad Plank, and the even more epic Viva which would follow two years later, are brimming with melodic romanticism. Certainly not the ambient space-ways which Rother would travel with Cluster's Dieter Moebius and Hans-Joachim Roedelius in the Kraut-supergroup Harmonia, La Düsseldorf 's music was far more dynamic, grand anthems for exploring the cosmos.

With his first La Düsseldorf album, Dinger is joined by his brother Thomas on drums, and Hans Lampe on percussion and electronics (the two also performed on Neu! 75). Though he doesn't play any other instrument besides guitar, that signature restrained, motorik pulse is present throughout, but here it leads to bombastic crescendos that seem fit for bringing a whole stadium filled with spectators to their feet. (For further proof, check out the field recording of the football chant that opens the title track.) The eponymous record is said to have inspired David Bowie's Low album, not to mention the first two P.I.L. records. Listening to the vocals, there are moments where you could imagine an impressionable Johnny "Not Quite Rotten Yet" Lydon trying to master Dinger's indistinguishable growls. In many ways, the first La Düsseldorf LP plays like a poppier Neu! 75, with tempos that crest up to punk speed but then give way to slower, proggy interludes. The record even produced a European hit with the cosmic instrumental, "Silver Cloud."

La Düsseldorf 's second album reaches even higher, stratospheric heights, and in my opinion, is Klaus Dinger's finest moment. The title track, which opens Viva, is an anthemic sing-along, filled with stomping beats and handclaps; to these ears it sounds like Martian glam rock. The two-minute "White Overalls" could be a Krautrockin' take on Plastic Bertrand's "Ca Plane Pour Moi," while "Geld" simply rocks out, with Dinger chanting "make love, make love, make love not war" over buzzing guitars and crystalline synthesizers. The crown jewel, however, is the 20-minute closer, "Cha Cha 2000." Over a majestic, Olympian score, Dinger makes an earnest, albeit heartfelt, communal plea for a better tomorrow. Futurist rock doesn't get any better. [GH]

 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

$14.99
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  NUDGE
Cached
(Kranky)

"Classic Mode"
"Blon"

With one foot in the processed and the other in the organically freeform, Nudge (Brian Foote and Paul Dickow of Fontanelle, and Honey Owens of Jackie-O-Motherfucker) kick out all the outer spaceways jams on Cached. Centered around bass, electronics and a smattering of drums and percussion, I hear reggae, African highlife sounds, the cold white funk of This Heat and 23 Skidoo, Sun Ra, drawn out drones, and a few brief intravenous dancefloor injections...yet I've heard nothing like it.

"Classic Mode" sees Nudge in a nightclub mood, only they have the keys to the planetarium where the dancefloor lights up like a prism. "Contact" is a cold jazz funk great, while "Blon" oscillates wildly in the echo chamber. This is a meticulously calculated electronic excursion, that, at the same time, sounds loose and limber like an expansive Black Ark dub session. For fans of…music. [AK]

 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

$37.99
3xCD Box Set

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  CHARLIE POOLE
You Ain't Talkin' To Me
(Columbia Legacy)

"If the River Was Whiskey"
"White House Blues"

Well, it's been about a minute since we wrote up a good old timey collection, and this new three disc box set documenting the legendary Charlie Poole, and the milieu in which he lived and worked, is surely worth a moment of your attention.

Poole was born in 1892 in North Carolina, and, how American is this, he was both a crack baseball player as well as one of the chief architects of what came to be known as country and western music. Enormously influential, it is said that his banjo technique (whose originality was apparently born of necessity due to a baseball injury) was the template used by Bill Monroe as he willed bluegrass into existence. But perhaps even more importantly, he had a knack for intensely personalizing the narratives of the popular songs of his day. His particular brand of hard luck, rambling man lyricism would serve as the precursor to that modern master of country music, Hank Williams, who was no doubt well acquainted with the shellacked sides Columbia records issued in droves in the years leading up to the great depression.

One of the very first widespread country stars, he unfortunately shared with Williams Sr. a proclivity for hard living and enormous benders. There is a song on this set called "If the River Was Whiskey", and you can only imagine what he'd have done if it were. The years of the depression and drink took their toll however, and also like Hank, he didn't live to see his 40th birthday.

This is a great set filled with rollicking string band dance numbers, political barbs, slow waltzes, and tale after tale of hard luck. Housed in an attractive cigar box with an illustration by fan R. Crumb, and extensive notes by writer Henry Sapoznik, the CDs also include a number of tracks by his immediate forbears as well as some by the countless musicians he influenced. [MK]

 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

$27.99
CD

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  AUTECHRE & HAFLER TRIO
ae03/3hae
(Die Stadt Records)

"ae03"
"3hae"

This, the second collaboration between electronic/noise artist Autechre and noise/electronic artist Hafler Trio, the uncomfortable confection is a lovingly packaged and limited edition double CD set. Each disc contains one long track of somewhat pastoral soundscapes, and both come off as quite a bit more Hafler than Autechre, if you know what I mean. The tracks are full of movement, but of the incremental variety, with imagined wind and rain and deep-sea exploration occasionally taking pause for a light lunch of electronic noodles, but soon returning to the great wide open. True ambience much more than ambient music, the real treats here are the ones that you are never quite sure you really heard. [JM]

 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

$18.99
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  VARIOUS ARTISTS
Studio One Lovers
(Soul Jazz)

"Darling I Need Your Loving" John Holt & the Paragons
"Let Him Try" Alton Ellis

This one goes out to the lovers in the house. After a slight, yet needed detour with the recent, electronic Microsolutions to Megaproblems collection, Soul Jazz return to their series of compilations culled from the bottomless vaults of Studio One. Beginning with Delroy Wilson's "I Don't Know Why," the sultry, sweet vocal harmonies keep on coming from John Holt and the Paragons, Alton Ellis, Carlton and the Shoes, Heptones, Mad Lads, Sharks, as well as a handful of duets from Bob (Marley) and Marcia (Griffiths), Freddy and Jenny, and Larry and Alvin. Lots of nice horn arrangements are added to the lovely mid-tempo selections here. Light your scented candles, run the bath, and soak in the vibes. [DG]

 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

$21.99
CD

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  OS BRAZOES
S/T
(RGE)

"Pega a Voga Cabeludo"
"Carolina, Carol Bela"

An obscure slice of late-'60s Brazilian psychedelia. Os Brazoes' main claim to fame was being picked by Gal Costa for her backing band when she was making her hugely influential early forays into Tropicalia. Turns out her sidemen had a pretty great album in them as well; they created a similar synthesis of North American rock and roll and local Brazilian forms, with very similar results, as those being explored by Tropicalia ringleaders Os Mutantes and Gilberto Gil (whom they cover here). There's a great version of Jorge Ben's classic "Carolina" included, as well as lots of fuzz guitar, phasing, and studio trickery loading up all the tracks. They never get too far away from the samba however and the entire record ends up with a pretty sweet party vibe throughout. [MK]

 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

Stanton Karma
$9.99
LP

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Came Wide Game Finish
$19.99
LP

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  ENDLESS BOOGIE
Stanton Karma
Came Wide Game Finish
(Mound Duel)

Endless Boogie are a heavy jam institution of immense awesomeness, and they've been kicking around for a good number of years; yet, they are New York's best kept secret--that is, not only latent from the rest of the planet, but from New Yorkers themselves, even. Chances are it's not your fault if you haven't seen them live or heard about 'em yet--their elusive aesthete (from flyers to records) hasn't really been conducive to any sort of mass populist embrace. And these records are a sort of attestation to that, studio rehearsal/tape deck recordings capturing an authentic lo-fi quality akin to many of the original late-'60s/early 70s psych-rock bands. But more importantly, these LPs encapsulate a sort of true-spirited underground/DIY attitude; mind you, these guys have been around the proverbial block. They are not only impressive musicians, but some of these guys are responsible for the Träd, Gräs och Stenar records resurfacing, employees of one of America's favorite indie labels (Matador), members of Double Leopards...and Paul Major is a beyond-legendary record dude and axe-jammer--all booting some of the illest hypno-psych-jam-blues ever heard since the Groundhogs, Coloured Balls, and Velvet Underground.

The Boogie perfect bombastic blues-rock as a fiery instrumental combo with the occasional ramblin' blues vocals, extended guitar solos and long-involved improvisations. Whether or not their name is a John Lee Hooker reference is questionable, but inspirations from artists like Charley Patton and Blind Lemon Jefferson are subtle, just like similarities with boogie-based hard-rockers ZZ Top--without the cheese-sleaze and pompous album-rock attitude. Their live shows are cosmic revelations, with build-ups that climax into a seriously delirious, wah-drenched, stoned-droned bliss.

The white LP is limited to 150, while the black LP is limited to 500 copies--both are highly recommended...along with their live gigs. Vibe in and BOOGIE. [MT]

 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

$11.99
CD

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  REIGNING SOUND
Live at Maxwell's
(Telstar)

"You Got Me Hummin'"
"Bad Man"

What do you need to know about this? Yes, it's a live album from a forgotten gig on a Monday night at some Jersey dive bar…but hell, if there is a band and a bar and a night of dirty rock and roll that deserves to be remembered, it might be the Reigning Sound at Maxwell's, July 19, 2004. Greg Oblivian is the real deal, a raw, impassioned songwriter and blistering performer, and this set includes tracks from his old days with the Oblivians, all three Reigning Sound discs, as well as some choice covers by the likes of the Gentrys, Sam and Dave, and Sam Cooke. Even their studio albums are slightly unhinged one-take wonders, so why not get live with the 'Sound and live a little, love? [JM]

 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

$21.99
CD

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  PAU RIBA
Electroccid Accid Alquimistic Xoc
(Fonomusic)

"Es Fa Llarg Esperar'"
"Maria"

Released in 1975, Electroccid Accid Alquimistic Xoc was the fourth album by Catalan musician Pau Riba, who at one point was associated with Musica Dispersa and later in his career worked with Daevid Allen of Gong, and whose incredible acoustic album Jo La Donya I El Gripau (1971) has been one of my personal favorite musical discoveries of this year. Xoc, unlike that record, is a foray into epic psychedelic/progressive rock with nods to T. Rex, the Soft Machine, the Pink Fairies, Pink Floyd, and lots of other great bands from the late-'60s and early-'70s. Where the previous album had loads of gentle finger-picked acoustic guitar, this one is almost entirely electric, with huge powerchords and blistering leads, in addition to piano, flute, Mellotron, Rhodes, organ, Moog, bass, drums and vibraphone. Eduardo Bort, another Spanish artist whose self-titled album was popular at OM this year, is featured playing fiery guitar on one track. As with Jo La Donya, Riba's vocals here are nothing short of perplexing, often deep and beautiful like Caetano Veloso, but just as often totally bizarre, shrieking and making noises that I don't even know how to describe on songs such as "Lluna Estimada." This is a pretty terrific record, an Iberian psych classic to be sure. You might even call it "sick." [RH]

 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

$15.99
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  DEBASHISH BHATTACHARYA
Calcutta Slide Guitar
(Riverboat)

"Prabha'"
"Prema Chakor"

Debashish Bhattacharya was born in 1963, to a musical family in Calcutta. His parents were devotional singers and classically trained musicians, so from a very early age he was immersed in the classical music of India. Beginning at about the age of three, Bhattacharya studied vocal scales and rhythm with his parents, and it was also around this time that he became fascinated with a Hawaiian slide guitar that he had found lying around the house.

In Calcutta, Hawaiian music and the steel slide guitar were popular from the late-'20s through the '40s, largely due to a visit from the legendary Tau Moe. For Bhattacharya, there was a natural draw to the instrument, and while continuing his voice and rhythm studies he began to experiment with the slide guitar. Over time, key modifications in the guitar and advancements in his technique allowed him to expand the sound and color of ragas. His slide-work gives the music a sparkling effect that appears to resonate outward. Some of the picking seems to stretch in such an elastic contortion as to test the boundaries of control before snapping back into place, only to refract again in bright, undulating cascades of sound. His music tells stories with color and space, and interplay as tabla and tambura weave intricate patterns. From slow, sliding drones to quick agile improvisations, Bhattacharya leaves you feeling at once calmed and highly stimulated.

To date, he has designed 19 steel slide guitars with new additions such as drone and resonating strings, while developing a three-finger picking technique that allows him to move about with great speed and dexterity. There are so many different patterns to this music it practically begs for repeated listens. [GA]

 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

$14.99
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  SOME WATER AND SUN
All My Friends Have to Go
(Hefty)

"A Oh'"
"Snowbreaker"

Following the sound cues of music makers like Super_Collider, Spacek, Prefuse 73 and Herbert, Hefty Records labelhead John Hughes III (Slicker) and Japanese vocalist Shin Tasaki (Spanova) come together to create a sonic frenzy of beats, bass and voice, under the guise of Some Water and Sun. Their new album, All My Friends Have to Go, references musical blueprints drawn up by a diverse cross-section of artists: from modern R&B'ers like Timbaland and Jay Dee, to European microsoul a la Erlend Oye, to the midwestern trip-hop of Telefon Tel Aviv. (L'Altra's Lindsay Anderson, who also collaborates with Telefon Tel Aviv, provides guest vocals throughout this release). The end result sounds like a boombastic assault on the ears, juxtaposed by the lovely whispers of a male voice. (Imagine Prefuse producing a multilingual John Mayer singing in both Japanese and English.) Vocal harmonies are sliced, diced, and submerged within the choppy, yet soulful electronic production, and at times the production sucks the air right out of the whole proceedings; but it still never misses a (broken) beat. For those looking for some sonic bite in their pop, here ya go. Cross-cultural electronic soul music. If you've liked Jamie Lidell, Postal Service, Dwele, Notwist, Rosin Murphy, Band of Bees, or Usher, you should give it this a listen. [DG]

 
         
   
   
   
   

 

 

     
 

$12.99
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  BACK IN STOCK

CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
(Clap Your Hands Say Yeah)

"The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth"

Back in stock!! No longer a best-kept-secret, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah have become Brooklyn's favorite sons in a little over a year, setting Internet blogs and e-zines on fire, all the while unpretentiously just doing what they do. The Talking Heads/David Byrne comparisons are inevitable (especially in the vocals), only these newcomers aren't on some new wave revival trip. Both direct and quirky in their music, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah are breathing fresh, new life into indie rock.

 
         
   
   
 
   
     
  

 

 

   
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THIS WEEK'S CONTRIBUTORS

[GA] Geoff Albores
[RB] Randy Breaux
[DG] Daniel Givens
[GH] Gerald Hammill
[RH] Rob Hatch-Miller
[MK] Michael Klausman
[AK] Andreas Knutsen
[JM] Josh Madell
[JS] Jeremy Sponder
[MT] Mahssa Taghinia
[RZ] Rich Zerbo


THANKS FOR READING
- all of us at Other Music

 
     
  
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