NEW RELEASES
Black Dice
Iron & Wine / Calexico
Devendra Banhart
The Double
CocoRosie
The Enlightened Family (Various)
Sigur Ros
Tape
DJ Koze
Jane
Super Furry Animals
Feathers

Willi Williams
Blood on the Wall
Stereolab (7" singles)
Dominik Eulberg
Richard Swift
Safety Scissors
The Work of Director DVD Series

ALSO AVAILABLE:
Seu Jorge
Johann Johannsson
Sonic Youth

"Snarly Yow"

"Motorcycle'"

Black Dice are arguably one of the most consistently creative and original bands on the planet, and on Broken Ear Record they return with what may be their greatest release to date. Like their good friends in the Animal Collective, Black Dice have continually defied their listeners' wants and expectations, and all for the better. Whereas on their two previous full-lengths the focus was on exploring expansive psychedelic drone-scapes, here they radically overhaul their own creative template, as well as your notion of rhythm. Across its seven tracks, BER constantly tweaks your expectations of what a pop song can contain. Each song generally contains a rhythmic premise, and throughout the course of the piece they explore the endless possibilities to be found therein. But here I should emphasize that this isn't being done in a tedious or gratuitous fashion. A good visual analogy would be pattern oriented art; like the Islamic rugs that influenced the compositions of Morton Feldman, or the striking op-art qualities you find in early Amish and Mennonite quilts. Impossible to comprehend as a whole, you find that you pleasantly lose yourself while studying the disparate relationships between opposing parts. There is a sense of play and discovery that is more to the forefront here than on any of their previous releases, and while there are moments that are as bracing as they've ever been, BER shows Black Dice at their most engaging best. [MK]

"He Lays in the Reigns"

According to the press notes, this collaboration between Sam Beam (a/k/a Iron and Wine) and Calexico was in the planning stages for over three years. Last December, the two entities finally came together over at Calexico's Wavelab Studios in Tucson, Arizona and put these seven tracks to tape. It's an interesting move for everyone involved, with Beam's quiet folk songs getting a full-band workout from one of the southwest's finest ensembles. People familiar with both artists can easily guess the results but that doesn't detract from how perfect these musicians work together. I was kind of surprised that the voice of Calexico's Joey Burns is barely utilized, but these songs are all Beam originals with the band expertly providing the desert soundtrack behind his tales of love and betrayal. Whereas many collaborations end up being novelty or throwaway, both Calexico and Iron and Wine deliver some of their best recorded moments together ("He Lays in the Reins", "16, Maybe Less") and there's no filler. Needless to say, fans of either artist shouldn't hesitate. [GH]

DEVENDRA BANHART
Cripple Crow
(XL)

"I Feel Just Like a Child"

"Hey Mama Wolf"

While some people may already be sounding the death knell for the so-called new folk movement due to its current status as most overexposed genre, the simple fact of the matter is that there just ain't no denying a good song, and thankfully young Devendra Banhart has got 'em in spades. I'm not going to say that every single track on his new 22-song album is amazing, for there are a handful of false starts and ill-conceived ideas, but his best tunes demolish the current competition. Cripple Crow is pretty much bursting at the seams with ideas, as Banhart continues to expand his singular universes' set of themes and oddball notions. In the tragedy that is our current geo-political situation, he seems to have found a newfound reason to leave the mythologies of his own making and come out into the real world to take a stand against war. More sixties posturing his critics may answer, but for my part I'd have to say it's about f**king time and I only wish more musicians would cool it with the navel gazing and at least try to grapple with the problems of the day. And if they can do it in a tune as beautiful as "Cripple Crow," well then all the better. His voice and production sound greater than ever and he's managed to keep the delicacy of his delivery intact despite the greatly expanded list of contributors. While Cripple Crow is more expansive, and in some ways goes out on more limbs than any of his previous releases, it should still satisfy any previous fans, as well as surely make him more than a few new ones. [MK]

"Idiocy"

"Hot Air"

Local boys take the next step with their Matador debut, and it's a big move in the right direction for them. Their first album Palm Fronds was endearing in its crunchiness and experimentation (involving lo-fi textures, disintegrating structures, and definite dub moves) but for those who have followed the group the past few years know that they are a powerful rock band first. Of course, this is going to draw comparisons to another local New York quartet who were heavily taken with Echo and the Bunnymen and early eighties rock and signed onto Matador. But rather than mention Interpol yet again, the quirkiness of the Double, their sussing out of squawks and feedback to accentuate (or counteract) their melodies, their willingness to take u-turns and let the songs be a bit more stream of consciousness reminds us of another old Matador band, Pavement. Not so glib, perhaps, but the Double's marriage of noisy guitar, organ, and effects is smart, and a reinvigorating look at indie-rock stylings, and it shouldn't come as a surprise that this is New York's next big band. [AB]

"2 Beautiful Boys"

"Noah's Ark"

There's a saying in the entertainment business that no press is bad press, and if you get people talking, no matter what they say, at least you provoked a reaction. The new album, Noah's Ark, from the Casady sisters, aka CocoRosie, is a fine case in point. From the moment I played the promo in the store, there's been a love/hate debate going on.

What I dig about CocoRosie is that they seem to be the only ones in the new folk scene acknowledging that it's 2005 for God's sake. They let you know that they listen to hip-hop, Billie Holiday, old crackly 78s, and that they can appropriate it--much like Bjork did--as texture, mood and exploration. Like their sophomore effort's title, Noah's Ark, it surely feels like they brought the whole animal kingdom into the world of their bedrooms. So they gather the people they need; Antony, Devendra Banhart, Diane Cluck, Jana Hunter, and a French rapper lend their voices over a farmyard full of chickens and sheep, tablas, harps, samples, music boxes, cell phones, pianos, and a dozen more sounds, not to mention beat boxing.

Listening to the album is like peering into the black metal cauldron of Snow White, being stirred by three witches. It's folk-not-folk, indie-tronica, bedroom beats for girls and gays, the inverse of emo. On the first single, "Beautiful Boyz", they let Antony croon, "Beautiful Boys, tattoos of ships, tattoos of tears." Any questions? Yeah, Devendra can flirt with androgyny, and then dismiss it, but these girls are the new drag queens of the indie scene. Not ashamed to try something different. Even with all its folkiness, the album feels more like a semi-organic take on trip-hop---imagine Portishead if they never heard Isaac Hayes or Burt Bacharach. Don't expect beats and vocals though, theirs is a much more minimal, musical and uniquely innocent approach.

Is it any good? That depends on how you listen to it. If you go for the quirky ancient-present folk tales and myth making of Devendra Banhart, Ariel Pink, Diana Cluck, Antony, Joanna Newsom, and even Goldfrapp's first album (but not as dramatic), then CocoRosie deserve to spend some time in your CD player. You might find something you like, maybe not. That's what music listening is all about, right? [DG]

"Real Good Time" Diane Cluck

"Kissing without Lips" Jana Hunter

Featuring unreleased tracks from both new and old San Francisco songsters and their knob-twiddling friends, The Enlightened Family compilation is an interesting first release for the Voodoo-Eros imprint, a new record label run by CocoRosie sister, Bianca Casady. A lot of territory is covered across the 13 tracks: two old Devendra Banhart songs (from when he was just 16), a "lost" recording of Vashti Bunyan from 1968, an instrumental done by Patrick Wolf while on a desert island--all precious collector's items. Little consistency can be found in this album; between the lo-fi instrumental pieces, the beat focused CocoRosie side projects, and the eerie yet angelic recordings of Diane Cluck and Bunyan, Voodoo-Eros declares its place in the eclectic up and coming record label contingency. There is a lot of music being created within this new family and Casady is kind enough to enlighten all of us. A fantastic compilation for those seeking out the bindi rock movement and beyond. [AC]

"Glosoli"

"Saeglopur"

It's been over three years since Sigur Ros released an album, and during this time, there has been much speculation in the press regarding what direction they would take. The band claimed that their new direction would be more "pop," and promised that there was an album with proper song titles in the works. Well here it is, and to say it is "pop" is definitely relative, for Takk is more structured and focused than its predecessor, ( ). As a whole, the album works better than any of their previous releases. Many people were turned off by the darkness of 2002's ( ), but on their latest, Sigur Ros revisit the structure and euphoric sound of Agaetis Byrjun. All of that record's signature elements are still there. The bombastic drums, sweeping strings, falsetto vocals, bowed guitars, and delicate piano melodies are distinctively Sigur Ros, but somehow this album seems happy and optimistic. It's especially evident on a track like "Glosoli", which is absolutely gorgeous and probably, along with "Svefn-G-Englar", their finest musical achievement. With ( ), I kind of wrote the band off for repeating what they had previously done, only to lesser effect. But with Takk, Sigur Ros may have just created their masterpiece. A beautiful piece of work. [JS]

"Reversed Flames"

"Summonspipe"

Swedish trio Tape follow up their Häpna releases (Opera and Milieu) with a live and mostly improvised recording for Dutch radio station VPRO. Released as part of Staalplaat's "Mort Aux Vaches" series, the session treads a similar path to that of their previous albums; it's another faded postcard from the dew-soaked Swedish countryside, where folky acoustics (acoustic guitar, zither, and miniharp) and field recordings are juxtaposed with electronics and synthesizer. Over six tracks and 33 minutes, these contrasting elements help create some of the most entrancing and infinitely beautiful soundscapes, which should thaw even severely frostbitten hearts. Especially recommended for those who have been enjoying releases by Colleen, Mountains, and Fennesz. [AK]

"Brutalga Square"

"Estrella"

Koze (pronounced Koz-uh!) has released a full-length album on Kompakt entitled Kosi Comes Around. The recent trend of Kompakt artists ''stretching out a bit" on their full-lengths is continued here. There is plenty of wirey, linear, undulating housey German funk on this album, similar to his most recent 12-inch on Kompakt, but there are also other listener-oriented songs that lead into and out of the main body of the album. Track one, "Estrella" is light on the beat but full of percolating mello-tronics. It's a mild cut, full of dancing string-like melodies. Track two, "Raw" is some of the undulating loop-funk I was talking about earlier. The similarity in the groove might have you singing the lyrics to Mayer's "Lovefood" over the top. Track three, "Don't Feed the Cat" has an endless French Kiss-style pulse with signature Koze-style squiggly bits thrown on top. Speaking of French Kiss, this album has many synthesized references to classic house grooves stripped bare and fucked with sparingly, using everything from strange sounds, odd bass pulses to random Kaos-pad produced squiggling sounds. There are also many odd transitions within tracks, where the beat will minimize and ride for a long time and suddenly burst and change. The stripped down funk combined with the goofy unpredictability of this album makes it eligible for a new hybrid genre name. Maybe "Minimal Rave Funk"? [SM]

"Coconuts"

"Ossie"

I remember a couple of years ago when Scott originally brought in these sweet looking CD-R packages of the recordings he'd been making with our co-worker Noah (who now does Animal Collective full-time) at his house in Greenpoint. It was handmade and featured a taping of the very first time they had ever jammed together. Visually it was great, with a beautiful and stark illustration drawn by Scott on the front, and with an excellent appropriation of the Grateful Dead logo on the back sleeve. I think it was due to humbleness on Scott's part, and a desire to only let a few friends in on their meetings at first, but he'd only ever intermittently bring them in and we never had enough for all the people who started calling and e-mailing from all over the world. So it's a good thing that Igor over at Psych-O-Path finally took it out of his hands and mass-produced enough copies to satisfy demand. It even has the same great handmade looking artwork intact, though now it's been expertly letter pressed by Jonas Asher.

I'll be honest; I never expected to have to hear so much techno music in my life until I started working at Other Music. But sometimes people's enthusiasm is contagious, and when you're around folks like Scott and Noah who really feel it, you can't help but finally start to see what you may have perhaps previously overlooked. One thing I particularly enjoyed about their debut release was the way they really subverted my sense of what techno was supposed to entail. Certainly it was more human, more religious, transcendent, and less prone to perfection than I had mistakenly thought techno could be. On Coconuts, with its off-rhythm piano lines and distended choir child vocals played live matched to the static of effects boxes being plugged and a schaffel beat, Jane have really managed to make something that is more than techno. It's a new kind of improvisation that can be performed in your bedroom just as easily as at your favorite club. [MK]

SUPER FURRY ANIMALS
Love Kraft
(XL/Beggars Banquet)

"Zoom!"

"Ohio Heat"

Love Kraft is Super Furry Animals' seventh release... and that fact exudes much in-of-itself, exclaiming depth and longevity which is so vacant of the today's modern pop swindle. Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev are often paralleled peers, but the Furries have effectively succeeded in carving out their own unique domain with powerful and prolific songs that sonically translate as eclectic pop-opera-decadence-for-tomorrow: lilting, allusive, gorgeous and attractively unpredictable. Every member of the band has contributed to the cosmic stretch of highly poeticized lyricism and colorfully explosive instrumentation, making Love Kraft ROCK, quite literally, at that. Volatile guitars grace the romantic soundscapes of fantastical effects, folksy musings, cozy eastern-fused strings (arranged by Sean O'Hagan), and enormously catchy choruses. Sensuous, radiant, and passionately aloof in a self-designed yet all-encompassing musical elysium--SFA yield a perfect daydream-in-record-format for this year and forever next. [MT]

What drew me to this record weren't the floppy hats, wind catchers or flowers strewn about this cover, especially since I'm still baffled by this whole avant-folk, neo-folk, or whatever-you-call-it movement. I wanted to hear some psychedelic sounds, guitars, and good songwriting. The Feathers self-titled LP pretty much delivers. Mellow, acoustic guitar reigns on this six-song album, reminiscent of Vashti Bunyan on "Ulna," and Fairport Convention on the meatier "Ibez Horn," where lots of acoustic guitars and flute struggle amidst sitar drones and other strange noises. Pretty, but not too delicate and trippy enough to keep it interesting. [LG]

"Messenger Man"

"Give Jah Praise"

Finally, Steve Barrow's Blood and Fire label has released this long overdue reissue of Messenger Man. Willi Williams is best known for writing and voicing the great song "Armagideon Time," which the Clash later covered and brought to worldwide attention. What sets Williams apart from the rest of the pack is his subtle soul and roots approach. Perhaps, because the Jamaican-born singer spent half of his career in Toronto is the reason why his sound is so unique. Recorded at Channel One and Joe Gibbs' studio, keyboardist Jackie Mittoo (whom Williams befriended while in Canada) is prominently featured over these 17 tracks. Also included are a few choice extended versions and dubs. Some of the finer moments in roots reggae. [DG]

"Reunite on Ice"

"Right to Lite Tonight"

Named after a Skinny Puppy song (actually, probably not), Blood on the Wall make the most joyously beautiful and fearlessly reckless racket in NY right now. Awesomer is equal parts VU, Modern Lovers, Sonic Youth, Minutemen, punk rock fury, '90s college radio, and, most importantly, the right f**king NOW! Just as good for the pre-party, the drunken stupor, and the comedown. Buy it already. It's the sound from the gutter that soars. [AK]

It gets better with "Visionary Road Maps", where punchy drums and a nasty bassline dance around guitars and Laetitia Sadier's seductively detached singing. Midway through, there's a break and the song takes a left turn into brooding soundtrack territory. The flipside, "Interlock", is a nice mod pop gem. Funky keyboards and splashy drums propel this one, as Sadier expertly croons over the track, leaving just enough space to let the music do its thing.

Finally, on "Plastic Mile", the band returns to the Neu!-esque drone-pop of their earlier records, but as the song progresses, so does the instrumentation; guitar lines and space age keyboard squiggles play off nicely against the vocal harmonies. On the b-side, "I Was a Sunny Rainphase", a simple rhythm is filled out with bleepy sounds and rich horn arrangements, while Sadier plays call and response with herself, slowly weaving a hypnotic swirl of sound and harmony. Nothing on here will surprise longtime fans of the "groop" but at least two of three are guaranteed to please. All come complete with Stereolab's patented esoteric artwork screened onto a simple white sleeve. [GA]

"Dinamo" / "Pele Bloss"

"Las Velas No Arden" / "I Am Dirty"

Dominik Eulberg pleasantly surprised us with his Flora and Fauna album for Traum a little while back. Kreucht & Fleucht is a double mix CD that is full of solid tracks and, like his album, cut-up and creative production. The mix mostly contains neo-jacking and interestingly bleeping German house tracks, with that blunted haze in the production that keeps the beats and bleeps from being too harsh. As you'd expect, CD-1 focuses on the softer side of the club experience (it will still make your ass bob a bit), while CD-2 rocks a little harder without losing any of its creative edge. Classics like Termiten's "Nordhorn" (a soft melodic bobber secretly released by Villalobos) are blended alongside Sergej Auto's killer "I Am Dirty", Tejada's "Paranoia" and SuperMayer's remix of Losoul's "You Know". That, plus the Robag Wruhme remixes peppered here and there, should give you a good idea of what this sounds like. CD-2 has jams from Steve Barnes (Eulberg remix), Kraml ("Safari") and some fat, cutup stompers by Wighnomy Bros that beat your ass. It's worth pointing out that Eulberg's mix focuses on the bounce of these tracks and not the herky-jerky qualities. This mix coaxes you onto the dancefloor and keeps you there, slow and steady. It's full of small surprises and no frills. One of my favorite mixes to show up in a while. [SM]

"Lovely Night"

"Half Lit"

"Lady Day"

Richard Swift recently inked a deal with Secretly Canadian and is currently finishing his next album, set for release in the spring. In the meantime, his new label has repackaged two earlier efforts, The Novelist and Walking without Effort, released under the title of The Collection Volume 1, in order to give a proper introduction to the California singer/songwriter. Over the course of these 17 tracks, Swift displays an immediate affinity for crafting wonderfully sad, nostalgic pop songs, much in the vein of modern troubadours like Rufus Wainwright and Stephin Merrit. Swift seems inspired by vaudeville as well as master songsmiths like Bacharach and Cohen, embellishing his perfectly arranged songs with a kaleidoscopic Van Dyke Parks-styled twist here and there. Not really groundbreaking, but Swift certainly proves that there are still a few out there who know how to write 'em like they used to. Definitely a songwriter to keep your eye on. [GH]

"Amnesia, I Need You to Remind Me"

"L'Amour D'Cuisine"

San Francisco/Berlin-based Safety Scissors return with a sophomore release that features much of the squelchy IDM-disco-pop of the first album. Generally, the way it works is: a bouncy electro house beat is laid down while an endless barrage of bleeps, shifting keyboard lines, and leftfield sound effects keep the music constantly moving in one direction or another. Erlend Oye (Kings Of Convenience) and Kevin Blechdom provide vocal assistance, while Vladislav Delay adds some programming. But it's Safety Scissors who make the music so infectious and bubbly you'll find yourself humming along on the first listen. There's something very strange about this mixture of hyper-kinetic bedroom pop and the somewhat detached, hook-laden singing that make this sound somewhere between android music and bubblegum Euro pop. Think somewhere between Plaid, Magnetic Fields, and Tom Tom Club with a little G Rizo thrown in for good measure. [GA]

ALSO AVAILABLE
SEU JORGE
Cru
(Wrasse)

"Tive Razo (I Was Right)"

"Mania de Peitao (Large Chested Mania)"

Most Americans probably discovered Seu Jorge through his memorable role in Wes Anderson's motion picture The Life Aquatic, performing Portuguese renditions of David Bowie songs on his acoustic guitar. But unlike most actors that take embarrassing stabs at music, Jorge is a truly gifted singer and songwriter. In fact, Cru, which translated into English means "raw," is one of our favorite new albums to come out of Brazil. Jorge occasionally adds light electronic flourishes, bits of funk, and even a little Portuguese rapping to his heartfelt sambas, and the results are spectacular. (Full review next week.)

ALSO AVAILABLE
JOHANN JOHANNSSON
Dis
(Workers Institute)

"Bankok Norðursins"

"Hótel Borg"

Johann Johannsson's newest work is also a soundtrack to a film of the same name. The Icelandic composer invited members of Reykjavik bands Singapore Sling, Funerals, Slowblow and Trabant, as well as guitarist Hilmar Jennsson and singer Ragneheidur Gronda, to contribute to these lovely, melancholic pieces.

ALSO AVAILABLE
SONIC YOUTH
Goo Deluxe Edition
(Geffen)

Fifteen years after its original release, Sonic Youth's breakthrough album Goo receives the deluxe treatment. This newly remastered two-CD set includes b-sides, rehearsal tapes, demo recordings and more.

THIS WEEK'S CONTRIBUTORS

[GA] Geoff Albores
[AB] Adrian Burkholder
[AC] Amanda Colbenson
[LG] Lisa Garrett
[DG] Daniel Givens
[GH] Gerald Hammill
[MK] Michael Klausman
[AK] Andreas Knutsen
[SM] Scott Mou
[JS] Jeremy Sponder
[MT] Mahssa Taghinia


THANKS FOR READING
- all of us at Other Music