FEATURED NEW RELEASES
Baden Powell & Vinicius de Moraes
Gilles Peterson (Back in Brazil Mix)
William Basinski
The Legends
Jesus & Mary Chain (5 reissues)
Triosk
45 Kings III (Various)
Laura Veirs (2 reissues)
Mika Miko
Confuzed Disco (Various)
Archie Bronson Outfit
Colonial Dance Bands

Bulawayo Jazz
Kenyan Songs & Strings
The Necks
Say Hi to Your Mom

ALSO AVAILABLE
Pharrell
Adam Green
Science Faction: Grime

COMPLETE LIST OF THIS WEEK'S NEW ARRIVALS

BADEN POWELL & VINICIUS DE MORAES
Os Afro Sambas de Baden e Vinicius
(Forma)

"Canto de Ossanha"

"Canto do Caboclo Pedra Preta"

Baden Powell is widely regarded as one of the great masters of Brazilian music, his oeuvre a successful mergence of pop craftsmanship, swing rhythms, and classical and jazz guitar virtuosity. His compositions radically explored the guitar's potentialities in pop and jazz music, bridging Brazilian popular music with classical artistry. His creative partner here, the Brazilian poet, composer and singer Vinicius de Moraes, wrote (along with Antonio Carlos Jobim) some of the most definitive and endearing songs of the Bossa Nova era, such as "Chega de Saudade" and "Garota de Ipanema." Powell and de Moraes' 1966 masterpiece, Os Afro Sambas de Baden e Vinicius, is undeniably one of the most important records from that exceptionally fertile decade of Brazilian artistry, yet it has not ever before been consistently available on compact disc.

During a six month travel in Bahia in the 1960s, Powell explored the Candomble and Umbanda rituals found in the region, studying closely the highly rhythmic, percussive musical traditions involved. Thus inspired, Powell and de Moraes went on to compose this collection of true classics, beautifully sung by de Moraes and female choral group Quarteto Em Cy. This album maintains a discreet roughness around its edges, resulting in an eerie moodiness in exceptional contrast with the brightness, sophistication and subtle nostalgia characteristic of Powell and de Moraes. Certain to be one of the most important reissues of the year, Os Afro Sambas is vibrant, timeless, inspiring, haunting -- truly a milestone of Brazilian popular music. [JC]

GILLES PETERSON
Back in Brazil
(Etherr)

"Conversacao de Paz" Sergio Ricardo

"Roda Piao" Azymuth

One of the world's most revered tastemakers didn't waste any time providing the discerning dance music enthusiast with an excellent mix for the last month of summer. The set up is very similar to the last year's collection of Peterson faves from Brazil: One disc is made up of classic old school Brazilian grooves; this time the artists includes such OM faves as Lo Borges and Jorge Ben, as well as lesser know artists (Evinha and Luis Eca). The real treat is the second disc though, where Peterson tears through some hot exclusives from brand spankin' new artists, as well as Brazilian excursions from Bugz in the Attic and Jay Dee. Highlights include the sick, 4/ 4 minimal funk a carioca of Edu K and Voltair, and the low-end tweeter fryin' "A Pomba Girou" from Zero DB. This is the best record I've heard this week, I'm keepin' this one J. [DH]

WILLIAM BASINSKI
Variations for Piano and Tape
(2062)

"Variations for Piano and Tape"

One of our favorite minimal composers in recent memory returns. And yes, Basinski is still rooting through those old crumbling tapes he made in the early-'80s when he still resided in Gotham, soundtracking the scuzz and grit of the Lower East Side with effervescent piano loops and ambient drifts. This particular piece combines the two to lovely effect. Since the physicality of the medium always manifests itself in his work, this go-round, the tape loop slips off of the tape head, leading to happy accidents in its sound. [AB]

THE LEGENDS
Public Radio
(Recordhead)

"Today"

"He Knows the Sun"

What a difference a few years make. Last time I checked on the Legends, the Swedish nine-piece (or so we thought) were crafting an infectious fusion of '60s Motown and fuzzy, early-to-mid '80s British pop. The most obvious touchstone for their debut album was the Jesus and Mary Chain, only Up Against the Legends replaced the Reid brothers' druggy, existential musings and Velvet Underground fetishizing with an immediate, handclap-fueled blast of sunny pop. Jump to 2006, and it turns out that this Broken Social Scene-sized ensemble isn't just fronted by Club 8/Acid House Kings-man Johan Angergard, it has, in fact, been his one-man show all along.

Now, I'm not sure why he decided to drop the nine-piece facade, or why he even needed it in the first place, but even more of a surprise is the new record's shift in direction. Far more subdued and grayer than its predecessor, the '80s influence in Public Radio is retuned and refocused, replacing the JAMC-styled buzz-saw guitars with chiming six-strings and colder synth textures. If anything, you can detect a strong influence of Seventeen Seconds-era Cure running through several of the tracks; it's especially apparent in album opener "Today," which seems to mirror the bleak ambience of "Play for Today" right down to the flanged guitars and the no-frills beat of a drum machine. But what saves this record from being another bland reassembly of Thatcher-era new wave is Angergard's gift of melody. Before you have a chance to peg "Hide Away" as an icy early New Order retread, his voice comes in and it actually soars, while the jangling "He Knows the Sun" reminds me of Felt until it opens up into a shiny chorus that would have been single-worthy off of a Lightning Seeds record. Angergard also throws a bone to those who might be missing the sing-a-long '60s vibe from the previous album with "Something Good," a song that actually sounds like Belle & Sebastian revisiting Robert Smith and Co's "Close to Me." Whether diehards of the first album will be happy with Angergard's evolution is anyone's guess, but with Public Radio, I think the Legends might have just gained a whole new audience that'll be just as devoted, and perhaps a little paler and with bigger hair. [GH]

The first pressing of this CD also comes with a bonus disc containing eight remixes of album and non-album tracks from Les Esplons, Project-X and Jimahl.

THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN
Psychocandy - DualDisc
(Rhino)

"Never Understand"

THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN
Darklands - DualDisc
(Rhino)

"Darklands"

THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN
Automatic - DualDisc
(Rhino)

"Blues from a Gun"

THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN
Honey's Dead - DualDisc
(Rhino)

"Reverence"

THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN
Stoned and Dethroned - DualDisc
(Rhino)

"Sometimes Always"

Let me start off by saying that the Jesus and Mary Chain changed my life. Back in 1985, my high school girlfriend first introduced me to the band when she played the "Never Understand" single on her stereo, and I was hooked from the first note. Taking cues from both the Velvet Underground and Phil Spector, the track was also filled with the most basic percussion (only one snare) and squalls of feedback, but underneath it all was this gem of a song. It blew me away and I wondered why somebody hadn't thought of this before. I instantly became obsessed with the Reid Brothers and ran out and bought the 12" the next day. From that point on, upon the day of any JAMC release, I would head to my local import shop and then rush home to my turntable to hear what my high school idols had in store for me. After numerous singles, JAMC then blessed us with their debut full-length, Psychocandy, and still to this day, I can not think of a more perfect album. The record had it all: the songs, the attitude, the image and, most of all, the feedback. It was a brilliant debut and is definitely heralded as a classic.

Fast forward to 1987, and JAMC had a brand new single out, entitled "April Skies." Of course, after handing the record store clerk my money, I immediately ran home and played it. Boy was I in for a shock…NO FEEDBACK! Gone were the squalling guitars, gone was the simplistic drumming, but there was still the song. "April Skies" was another brilliant track, albeit one that threw every JAMC fan for a loop, yet still just as incredible as their debut. After a few more singles, JAMC released their second full-length, Darklands, a gorgeous Velvet Underground-inspired gem of an album that was no less gripping than their first one. At this point in time, I had never experienced a band that had dumped their trademark sound (especially the one that made them famous) for something entirely different while still keeping their integrity intact. It was true, the Reid brothers were geniuses!

Though the Jesus and Mary Chain continued to flirt with change throughout the rest of their career, I loved every album that they released. Their third record, Automatic, had some major hits for the band ("Head On," "Blues from a Gun") and so did their fourth album, Honey's Dead ("Reverence"). But their fifth full-length, Stoned and Dethroned, yielded them their biggest song yet with "Sometimes Always," a brilliant duet between Jim Reid and Mazzy Star's Hope Sandoval. Hits aside, JAMC released some fantastic records that, unfortunately, have not been in print in the US for quite some time, until now. Finally, their first five full-lengths have been reissued in America, all of them re-mastered as dual-discs, with the videos from each album included in the package. Thank you Rhino for giving more people a chance to hear (and see) the amazing legacy that the Jesus and Mary Chain left behind. I, for one, will never be the same. Some truly essential music here. [JS]

TRIOSK
The Headlight Serenade
(Leaf)

"Visions IV"

"Headlights"

One of my favorite new groups of the past few years is this Australian three-piece. Triosk's recorded journey began in 2003 with 1+3+1, their winding and wonderful collaboration with Jan Jelinek, and since then they've established a unique mix of jazz, minimalism, post-rock, electronica, improvisation, deconstruction and loose groove. Their second proper full-length, The Headlight Serenade, is a wealth of stark yet shimmering, rich pastoral landscapes. Like the barren sands of down under, their minimalist touch is engaging, with just enough structure to pull you in, and then, through repetition with slight variations, you eventually find yourself happily lost in their organic maze of sound. Triosk's jazzier moments are downplayed here for an almost classical treatment, using piano to great effect, as well as Rhodes, electric and acoustic bass, drums, vibes, percussion, and samplers in the process. Listing reference points is not that simple, for their fragile and fractured compositions have some familiarity, yet it's truly their own. Think deconstructed Can or This Heat, Steve Reich, the Necks, Rachel's, and, of course, Jan Jelinek. If you're looking for an expansive, engaging and easily enjoyable journey in minimalism, this is where it's at. Dark, warm and a thing of beauty, Triosk keeps getting better with each release. A little teaser: one of the best surprises of the album comes during the last track, "Fear Survivor." [DG]

VARIOUS ARTISTS
45 Kings III
(Fat City)

"Lay It on Me Baby" Mike Harper

"If I Could" Enrica

If you need another fix of that particular brand of left-o-center freakbeat psychosoul, look no further than this comp. Well-respected beat digger Chris McBride is our guide this time around, and you'll find all the psychedelic splashes of breaky funk one might expect those crazy Mancs to rescue from permanent obscurity. Highlights include the weird Christian country funk of Gary Atkinson, the breakbeat shuffle of Mike Harper's "Lay It on Me Baby," and the sexy psych-pop of Nino Ferrer's "The Garden." Fans of Andy Votel, David Holmes and all things B-Music will find a lot to like about this release. [DH]

LAURA VEIRS
Troubled by the Fire
(Kill Rock Stars)

"Bedroom Eyes"

LAURA VEIRS
The Triumphs & Travails of Orphan Mae
(Kill Rock Stars)

"Jailhouse Fire"

Veirs. Did the name make the music, or did the music beget the name? Either way, there is no denying the stunningly sly nature of Laura Veirs' songs. Veirs' most recent duo of albums for Nonesuch ('04's Carbon Glacier and '05's Year of Meteors) were both alluring in their ability to sound warm and organic and inviting, and yet at the same time so stubbornly hard to pin down. You couldn't just write Laura off as yet another sweet-voiced girl, playing sad folk ditties on her acoustic guitar. No, half the time Veirs was singing about rock formations and other semi-obscure geological references, while her band seemed to be working in the juiciest bits from every genre as her accompaniment. Laura's music isn't folk or country, or rock, or cabaret, or minimalist, and yet one can hear everyone from Kate and Anna McGarrigle to the Pixies to the Decemberists (with whom she has a duet on their upcoming new record) and even Steve Reich in her music. Sure, those two Nonesuch albums are dazzling, but Veirs didn't just drop out of the sky, fully-formed, one of the best contemporary songwriters around!? Or did she?

The good people at Kill Rock Stars have done the listening public a fine service by re-releasing some of Veirs' hard-to-track-down earlier records. And it was as "earlier records" that I approached listening to '01's The Triumphs and Travails of Orphan Mae and '03's Troubled By the Fire. However, instead of mere novelties showcasing Veirs honing her craft and finding her voice and all that other sh*t young artists do, Troubled turns out to be one of Veirs' best records. There is no denying that Laura has found her Phil Spector in producer, and de-facto band member, Tucker Martine, whose meticulous and pristine soundscapes suit Veirs like Bloody Mary's do Sunday brunch. Furthermore, Troubled features the playing of guitar virtuoso Bill Frisell too. So she's in good company, but her songs like the subdued grunge-rock of "Canon Fodder," or the wistful pseudo-country balladry of "Bedroom Eyes," time and again steal the show. The earlier album, Triumph and Travails, is a little less dazzling, if only because it feels more reigned in by its old-timey conceptual bent…but hey, even if Triumphs was Veirs' only record she'd still be a songwriter to stop and take note of, instead she's one of my generation's best. Now, will someone please just re-release her first album!!! [HG]

MIKA MIKO
C.Y.S.L.A.B.F.
(Kill Rock Stars)

"End of Time"

Analogy time: if Los Angeles venue The Smell is that metropolis' version of NYC promoter Todd P., then that probably makes Mika Miko, a five-piece ladies auxiliary from way out there, the La-La equivalent of, say, Shellshag or the late, great Tallboys. Within their compactly messy bursts of sound are elements of early Rough Trade acts like LiliPUT or the Raincoats, twisted up with the fierce and jagged blasts of West Coast punk primeval, like the Germs playing Red Kross' 12" EP. Lo-fi, energetic, and over before you know it, C.Y.S.L.A.B.F. carries the torch not only for the last thirty odd years of women in punk, but within the boundary-less freedoms that come with doing it yourself; where the music you play and listen to works with the politics you subscribe to and the culture you inhabit. [DM]

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Confuzed Disco: A Retrospective of Italian Records
(Irma Casa Di Primord)

"Funky Is On" Funky Family

"IC Love Affair" Gaz Nevada

The Italians seem to own the summer of '06, and why fight it? They have great food, they can play some good futbol, and they certainly gave us some fantastic dance music, as demonstrated by this release. Confuzed Disco is a great compilation of tracks from the Italian label, one of the most interesting European imprints of the late-'70s and early-'80s. Italian operated out of Bologna, and the records they put out during this time are some of the most creative and collectable records in the Italo disco genre. The most interesting thing about these productions is that they weren't really inspired by "disco music" per se. Bologna is a large university town so the tunes that Italian released were inspired by what most cutting edge collegiates were into during the time: post-punk, reggae, hip-hop, jazz-funk and new wave. The label's musical philosophy was closer to New York's Ze and 99 Records, than Casablanca. This compilation does contain a few tracks that have all the Italo mainstays (arpeggiated synths, vocoders, hard Linn drum kicks, goofy English lyrics), but many will be surprised by some of the edgier stuff represented within. This retrospective also contains some remixes and re-edits by Morgan Geist, Munk, Lindstrom and others, who owe more than a little debt to the innovative producers and artists on this label. [DH]

ARCHIE BRONSON OUTFIT
Derdang Derdang
(Domino)

"Kink"

"Cherry Lips"

The second album by Domino dark horses Archie Bronson Outfit was apparently produced in Nashville, and while Derdang Derdang doesn't necessarily contain much country swagger, it definitely reeks of Southern voodoo. There's a convincing possession in singer Sam Windett's voice that brings to mind David Thomas in his Pere Ubu days or Gun Club's Jeffrey Lee Pierce, and sometimes the songs on Derdang Derdang share the same hypnotic and seemingly desperate qualities of Pierce's two masterpieces, Fire of Love and Miami. As a whole, this is an infectious brew of garage soul twang and modern rattlesnake blues that, as is the case with thoroughly "unhip" sounding albums (see Howlin Rain), will never expire. Come on, let's put South London voodoo on the map and make these dudes rich. Franz Ferdinand for record collectors? Arctic Monkeys for nerds? Not quite because it's better than that, but hey, I tried. Recommended. [AK]

HUGH TRACEY RECORDINGS:

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Colonial Dance Bands: 1950 & 1952
(SWP)

"Chaupele Mpenzi" Ally K Sykes & the Dar-es-Salaam Swingers

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Bulawayo Jazz: 1950, '51 & '52
(SWP)

"Mafambira e Wai" The Cold Storage Band

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Kenyan Songs & Strings: 1950 & 1952
(SWP)

"Kang'et Chorwet" Bekiyebei Arap Mosonik

We are blessed with the rich musical legacies recorded by Hugh Tracey, self-taught expert and documentarian of African music. He founded the International Library of African Music (ILAM), and painstakingly documented the diverse and plentiful music found across the continent, traditional sounds as well as fascinating results from the ingestion of outside musical influences. Here are the three latest in this excellent series of releases from Tracey's archives.

As the title implies, Colonial Dance Bands: 1950 & 1952 collects tracks from African dance bands during the colonial period, recorded in British Kenya, Tanganyika and Northern Rhodesia; Portuguese East Africa; and Belgian Congo. These bands decidedly broke from traditional music in favor of the more hip "town music" which they were commissioned to play to Europeans in hotels and the like. The songs are very rhythmic and convey a profound sense of nostalgia. It is an odd, somewhat paradoxical moment in music and social transformation -- although these bands were playing music to suit the ears of the colonizers (you'll hear recurrent elements of tango and rumba on this disc), they were also embarking on an exciting exploration of potentialities in popular African music. There is a fascinating marriage of sound present throughout this disc, particularly in the taarab numbers, representative of African Swahili music with a strong Arab influence.

Bulawayo Jazz: 1950, '51 & '52 documents the little-known development of a style of jazz music in early-1950s Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), something rarely seen outside of the USA at that point. Alto saxophone holds a strong presence on these recordings, resulting in an often jovial wail heard on the tunes.

Kenyan Songs and Strings: 1950 & 1952 is a selection of recordings from eight peoples of the Kenyan region. The songs are traditional, comprised of various vocal styles and, mostly, string instruments -- a variety of lyres, the oud and guitar.

It is truly a marvel how impressive the quality is of these recordings, despite the limited technology Tracey had to work with (e.g. cumbersome disk-cutters and one hand-held microphone). The discs in this series are consistently excellent and accompanied by outstanding liner notes sure to delight all, from ethnomusicologists to the newcomer to the vast world of African music. Those liner notes include a biography of Tracey as well as a detailed history of those traditions recorded on each disc, and informative selections from Tracey's original field notes. [JC]

THE NECKS
Chemist
(Fish of Milk)

"Fatal"

"Abillera"

Coming up on twenty years of telepathic improvisation, Australian trio the Necks returns with their 13th album. Switching it up a bit, this record hinges around a single idea that the band then expands into three 23-minute tracks. Drums, bass, and guitar meld and move exquisitely, reaching into all sorts of jazzy sonic spaces -- both mellow and clipped -- that others just can't reach. [AB]

SAY HI TO YOUR MOM
Impeccable Blahs
(Euphoria)

"These Fangs"

"Sad but Endearingly So"

NYC's Say Hi To Your Mom (a/k/a Eric Elbogen) has been quietly putting out some of the catchiest new wave fuzz pop around. Say Hi's brand new fourth album, Impeccable Blahs, channels MySpace-era ennui through power pop and a thinly-veiled vampire motif. I'll take it -- hipsters'll suck your blood just like the bourgeoisie and most of the time hipsters are the capitalist bourgeoisie, so I'm down with Elbogen's cause. Furthermore, anyone who can write hooks this catchy and who's not afraid to use the Moog presets on a Juno keyboard is okay in my book. Impeccable, and certainly not blah. [HG]

PHARRELL
In My Mind
(Interscope)

"How Does It Feel"

Neptunes and N.E.R.D. mainman Pharrell drops a full-length's worth of his signature moves, as In My Mind has all the bass drum thump, hand claps, guitar riffs, and funky synth most of you can handle. Oh, and a Phil Collins sample. And not surprisingly, the guest list reads like it was ripped straight from the society pages of the Source: Kanye, Snoop, Jay-Z, Slim Thug, Nelly....and Gwen Stefani. Well done, Skateboard P, this sh*t is guaranteed to set clubs and radios on fire long into 2007.

ADAM GREEN
Jacket Full of Danger
(Rough Trade)

"Nat King Cole"

Jacket Full of Danger has all the elements we've come to expect from an Adam Green album: The crooning baritone, over the top string arrangements, and twisted middle of the road balladry. Except this time, multiply it all by at least two. Jacket Full of Danger plays as an absurd, yet oddly compelling, score to a lost '60s musical, with Green in the lead role as the drunken, misunderstood genius.

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Science Faction: Grime
(Breakbeat Science)

"Sing Along" Crazy Titch

New grime mix by Cheeky, DJ for Dizzee and Wiley, featuring 16 pirate radio classics by some of the UK's top vocal talent, including Wiley, Tinchy Strider, Crazy Titch, Roll Deep, Jammer, and a whole host of names unknown to most of us. True underground music, as raw and electric as it comes.

THIS WEEK'S CONTRIBUTORS

[AB] Adrian Burkholder
[JC] Jo Colagiacomi
[DG] Daniel Givens
[HG] Hartley Goldstein
[GH] Gerald Hammill
[DH] Duane Harriott
[AK] Andreas Knutsen
[DM] Doug Mosurock
[JS] Jeremy Sponder


THANKS FOR READING
- all of us at Other Music