Welcome to the last Other Music Update of 2006! We'd like to thank all of you for your support throughout this past year and we look forward to sharing more music discoveries with you in the new year to come. For the next week, the shop will be operating under normal business hours until Christmas Eve, when we will be open from 11:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., and then opening our doors again at Noon on Tuesday, December 26th.

Even though you won't be receiving any email announcements from us over the next few weeks, our Mail Order Department will still be open, and as always, we have Gift Certificates available both in the shop and on-line. To order one off of our Web site, go to othermusic.com/giftcertificates/html.

On another note, we'd like to pass on to you something that we've been made aware of and touched by. We recently learned that J. Robbins' (formerly of Government Issue, Jawbox, Burning Airlines and currently Channels) and Janet Morgan's 11-month-old-son Callum has been diagnosed with Type 1 Spinal Muscular Atrophy. It's a disease that has no cure and is very often fatal. We'll be keeping their family in our thoughts. To learn how you might be able to help, please visit desotorecords.com/cal/index.shtml

FEATURED NEW RELEASES
Alela Diane
Takeshi Terauchi
Georges Moustaki
Klick Brinkmann
Alva Noto + Ryuichi Sakamoto (DVD)
Mark Fry
Beirut
Pop Ambient 2007 (Various)
Marcia Griffiths
San Ul Lim
Psychic Ills
Keith Hudson
Desperate Man Blues (Various)
Bread, Love & Dreams
Overhang Party
Hopewell
I Belong to This Band (Various)
A Fine Time (Various)
Amiina
Plague Songs (Various)
Songs of Green Pheasant
Jarvis Cocker
Screamin' Jay Hawkins
Green Milk from the Planet Orange

Jerry Jeff Walker
Rock Plaza Central
MRK1
Mellow Candle
Summer Hymns


ALSO AVAILABLE
M. Rosner
Golden Apples of the Sun (Limited Quantity)
Sonic Youth
Romulo Froes
Wax Poetics Issue #20

BACK IN STOCK
The Long Blondes
Cherrystones (Various)
CD86 (Various)
Peter, Bjorn & John


COMPLETE LIST OF THIS WEEK'S NEW ARRIVALS

ALELA DIANE
The Pirate's Gospel
(Holocene Music)

"Tired Feet"

"The Pirate's Gospel"

I know we're all supposed to be over freak folk by now. If anything, once a genre gets a whole three-page spread in the Sunday Times it might be time to jump ship. And hell, that article ran over a year ago. Indie labels seem to be doing aesthetic 360's, signing everyone in sight with a beard and a bandana. Reissues are no longer out of the question. Even Joanna Newsom, whose Ys is one of the best "freak folk" records of 2006, has routinely denounced the term in just about every single one of her so many interviews of late. The girl has even started to namedrop Randy Newman as her biggest influence, and we all know that the freakiest thing about Randy was the soundtrack to Toy Story 2.

So if anything were actually possible to hinder Alela Diane's stunningly beautiful debut, The Pirate's Gospel, it's the timing. Had Gospel come out three years ago, Alela would be as big as Ms. Newsom (her very good also-Nevada City, California hailing friend), and certainly as respected. Gospel is yet another fully-formed new-folk classic. And it is a classic. Homegrown. Patchwork. Arrestingly intimate. Brazenly playful. Immaculately arranged. It's as good as Milk-Eyed Mender, or Rejoicing in the Hands. In fact, Gospel, is ever so slightly more accessible than either of those records; Alela's lyrics are more direct, her hooks are sharper. Sometimes a whole song is just a refrain and one gets the distinct impression that Alela's biggest influences are spirituals. She's into sing-a-longs, and it's no surprise that some of the most gorgeous moments on all of Gospel are when chorus' of children, or groggy baritone booming men, or just about anyone else in the room rejoices in Alela's…er…chorus' (see: the scene-stealing title track). Sometimes that means just whistling ("Foreign Tongue"), sometimes that means clapping your hands or singing soulful gibberish like "o-we-o" ("The Pirates Gospel") or "clickity, click, click, clack" ("Clickity Clack"), and sometimes it means just plain blissfully singing-a-long as her children's meta-chorus wonderfully does on "Pieces of String." It's all there.

And if Diane comes off sounding a little like Devendra from time to time, mourning over her "tired, tired feet" in a wounded multi-tracked brass howl on the album's opener "Tired Feet," it's only cause she, like Devendra, has studied the late Karen Dalton like a Bible. Alela even hints as much on the song's gauzy refrain -- she coos, "I know that here I've sung before / Here I've sung before." And if Gospel is any proof at all, Alela will be singing here before for a very, very long time to come. Best New Artist of '07? [HG]

TAKESHI TERAUCHI & BLUE JEANS
Let's Go Eleki: Bushi
(King)

Track One

Track Two

A completely ass-kicking reissue of Japanese guitar maestro Takeshi Terauchi and his band Blue Jeans' 1965 LP Let's Go Eleki-Bushi! For the uninitiated, Terauchi is pretty much Japan's first guitar hero, and the "eleki" style -- a dizzying hybrid of post-Ventures surf guitar mixed with touches of Japanese enka & minyo music and even a bit of flamenco -- was the primarily instrumental precursor to the more rock/pop-oriented Group Sounds movement which would follow the first appearance of the Beatles at Budokan in 1966. The Blue Jeans consisted of three guitarists, a bassist, and two drummers, with the overall sound here reminiscent of a group of jacked-up electric shamisen players throwing down more whammy action than an episode of Press Your Luck. A few of the cuts add the odd vocal chant or the sounds of crying children(!), and the energy level on display is satisfyingly high throughout. This is the sort of record that plays as a satisfying whole but also serves up plenty of mixtape fodder; put one of these cuts on a mix for someone and you're most likely handing them a copy of the entire record next time you see them. Lock your apartment doors, tune up your air guitar, and start that Secret Apartment Dance Party! Highest recommendation! [IQ]

GEORGES MOUSTAKI
Bobino 70
(Universal Import)

"Nos Corps"

"Votre Fille a 20 Ans"

This review is months overdue but with good reason; any time we've played this live recording of Georges Moustaki in the shop, the CD immediately sells out. But we finally have enough quantity and will hopefully be able to keep this on our shelves for a while. Georges Moustaki was originally born as Yussef Mustacchi in Alexandria, Egypt, and raised in a multicultural household, with Jewish, Greek, Italian, Arab and French roots. From an early age, Moustaki was inspired by literature and music, which clearly carries over into his later masterpieces. Moving to Paris when he was 17, he first worked as a journalist and piano bar bartender, where met many of the music masters of the decade, including Edith Piaf and George Brassens (who he renamed himself in homage to). By 1960, he had begun writing songs for prominent singers such as the aforementioned; but it wasn't until 1968 that he made his well-received first record, The Wog.

A live set recorded at the legendary Bobino, this album would be released two years later. At this point, Moustaki was at the height of his popularity, a fact that's underscored by the roar of the applause between the songs. From the opening track, "Le Temps De Vivre" ("Time to Live"), a certain beauty is revealed in Moustaki's classic style. His balladeer quality overcomes any language barrier, and these songs are easy to take in. The musical arrangements move back and forth, from sparse guitar and hand drum compositions to more dense orchestral pieces with incessant cello and additional percussive elements. But aside from the wonderful harmonizing and incredible spry bass lines, nothing ever gets too complicated or heavy; Moustaki's songs remain delicate and moving throughout. [AC]

"Der Lauf Der Dinge"

"Geschlossene"

Thomas Brinkmann returns in a big way with this tribute to the pinball machine, made (from what I can gather) entirely from manipulated records. Running effects on the run-out grooves, Brinkmann creates a minimalist symphony of syncopated pops and clicks, which some may no doubt link to artists like Pole. Klick Revolution, however, is far busier, a shuffling, propulsive churn akin to ants marching across your inner ear, sideswiped with more cut-n-pasted samples that illustrate movement and velocity. Great for the minisystem in your own head, but man, this thing blasted out of a giant club PA -- for which it would be entirely appropriate -- would get the crowd moving. Busy, intricate, layered minimal technoid bliss from the least obvious of sources. [DM]

ALVA NOTO + RYUICHI SAKAMOTO
Insen Live
(Raster Noton)

First off, the booklet style packaging is one of the best from Raster Noton -- two laser-burned(?) patterns of perforated holes, slightly offset from each other to form an orb-like optical illusion in the center. Two simple elements that create an equally simple, wholly different, other thing, which is exactly what is re-illustrated time and time again in this very generous DVD featuring 10 live tracks performed in Portugal (Casa De Musica, Porto) and Spain (Sonar Festival) in 2006. Without going into too much detail, let me just say that everything you want from a DVD version of this fruitful collaboration is offered here. The stage set is beautifully consistent with Raster Noton's tight, simple geometric aesthetic. Both artists are on either side of the color changing stage, connected by an elongated rectangular screen that displays an endless variety of sound-sensitive shapes and textures that relate to the songs being played. The performances are quietly dynamic and reveal a live tension in the music that is almost as unexpected as it is enjoyable to see. The track selection allows for both Sakamoto and Nicolai to 'lead' alternately, illustrating their strengths, both creating sounds that affect the visual activity behind them.

Excellent performances of "Uoon," "Trioon," "Xerox" and "Ax Mr. L" are included here with unfamiliar track names such as "Barco," "Nor" and "Berlin." The sound was too much for my TV speakers to handle and distorted when the bass frequencies came through, but the optional 2.0 stereo or 5.0 surround sound came through excellently through a decent set of speakers (or headphones). Besides the performances, the bonus footage -- two separate close-up features of Sakamoto or Nicolai while they were performing -- really shed some light on the nature of the collaboration. This is further enhanced by a group of short interviews and discussions with both of them in which they explain that that the whole project came together gradually. Very nicely done and an essential piece to the whole Noto/Sakamoto collection. [SM]

MARK FRY
Dreaming with Alice
(Sunbeam)

"The Witch"

"Lute and Fruit"

This reissue of Mark Fry's long sought-after and only album, Dreaming with Alice, has everything you could want from a British psych-folk record: foot stomping, sitar-infused, psychedelic jams about witches, dreamy folk arrangements, fuzzy guitar workouts, and vocals interspersed with strange, analog washes of sound. The record's adventurous production -- one track is entirely backwards -- is grounded by Fry's lush, reverb-laden voice. His singing (occasionally in harmony or doubled by flute) imparts a humble, mature sensibility that comes as something of a surprise given that Dreaming with Alice was recorded while Fry was still in his teens. Originally released only in Italy in 1972, Sunbeam's reissue includes the album's 16 original tracks plus two bonus cuts recorded a few years later. The liner notes suggest that there may be new material coming from Fry, who has since become a successful painter. [CC]

BEIRUT
Lon Glisland
(Chouette)

What a whirlwind year this must have been for Zach Condon. Unlike the war torn city with which his band shares the same name, Condon's star shone bright in 2006, his Balkan folk-influenced indie pop capturing critics and fans hearts alike. The band worked their asses off supporting their debut album Gulag Orkestar, touring non-stop around the US and to far away places like Russia, and eventually inked a deal in the UK with 4AD. You may have seen us carrying this import version Gulag Orkestar, and wondered what the extra material was. And like me, you were curious but, having already purchased the domestic issued CD, weren't about to drop another 28 bucks just to get the bonus Lon Gisland EP. Thankfully, Chouette (who arranged the recording session for Lon Gisland) has issued a domestic vinyl pressing of that said EP, with a CD version set for release on Ba Da Bing early next year. It's a great addendum to a great record, featuring the song "Elephant Gun," probably some of Beirut's finest recorded moments. Everything we love about the band shows up here in spades, from Condon's yearning melodies to the stereo-panned ukuleles and Gypsy brass and percussion. Recorded at Brooklyn's Seaside Lounge and mastered at Abbey Road, it's fuller-sounding than the album, but the sessions still captured the band's raw energy. There's a new version of fan favorite "Scenic World" which replaces the original's tinkling electronic rhythms with some hand drums and a few more layers of strings. We also get "Carousels," another instant classic which you'll probably recognize if you've caught any of the band's live shows, as well as a couple fun bits of filler.

And for all you diehards, Other Music has a handful of Beirut tour shirts which were designed by band member Perrin Cloutier. The shirt is a 100% cotton, cream-colored American Apparel tee, and available in women's small and medium, and men's small, medium and large. [GH]

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Pop Ambient 2007
(Kompakt)

"Nach 1912"

"Altocomulus"

The feeling of the great outdoors offered on last year's Pop Ambient installment has been exchanged for a more heavenly, blissful, earth-atmosphere on the 2007 edition of the series. The sound imagined here seems to take place within a space that's just below the clouds -- not too precious or intimate, with more of a welcoming, projecting energy level. Almost half of this compilation is comprised of light pulse beats that keep the melodies afloat oh so nicely via Triola, Gas, and especially the Field's "Kappsta." In the non-pulse variety, we have equally excellent tracks from Klimek, M. Guentner, Popnoname, and Thomas Fehlmann. Admittedly, we jumped straight to the Gas track to hear some new W. Voigt, but it turns out that this material was previously released on a Mille Plateaux compilation! It's still a beauty though, but it leaves us wondering why someone hasn't reissued the original Gas albums or put out some new stuff from Voigt. Regardless, Pop Ambient 2007 still manages to rank up there as one of the best of the bunch. [SM]

MARCIA GRIFFITHS
Play Me Sweet & Nice
(Trojan)

"Here I Am Baby"

"Don't Let Me Down"

Marcia Griffiths would have been remembered in the annals of roots reggae history just from her mid-'70s work as a member of Bob Marley's legendary backup trio I-Threes, and for the cheesy wedding staple "Electric Slide." Yes…that one! But prior to this, she was one of the most successful solo performers in the reggae world. By the time she recorded this solo album, she had already racked up three number 1 singles in Jamaica and a top 5 hit in the UK. With the legendary Lloyd Charmers behind the board, Griffiths recorded this dynamite record of reggae vocal soul. Her extraordinary voice is the centerpiece here, and her husky, jazz-influenced phrasing in chestnuts like "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" and Neil Diamond's "Play Me" would appeal to any Etta James or Nancy Wilson fan (two of her biggest influences). The sound is varied as well, shifting from breezy rock steady to straight-up funky soul with solid results overall. Highlights include the devastating, straight-ahead funk cover of Al Green's "Here I Am Baby" and Griffith's fragile and affecting rendition of "Gypsy Woman." Featured among the bonus tracks are the stellar Harry Johnson produced singles, which includes Griffiths tearing through a rock steady cover of the Beatles "Don't Let Me Down." All in all, a must have for all fans of funky music past and present. [DH]

SAN UL LIM
3
(World Psychedelia)

Track One

Track Four

Here is a fantastic album for those infatuated with South Korean psych, a scene which has been getting more and more reissue attention lately thanks to World Psychedelia. San Ul Lim, who were apparently a brother and sister project, started recording during the late-'70s (the end of South Korea's musical golden age) and displayed a good deal of inspiration from Shin Jung Hyun and his crew. They originally formed to enter a university song contest, calling themselves A Mu-Lee ("be not different"), but by the time the first album was released they had changed their name to San Ul Lim ("That Mountain Echo"). It's an appropriate moniker for a band whose recordings are awash with studio echo. Originally released in 1978, the five tracks on 3 show off a distinct mix of mysterious husky vocals, twangy guitars, deep bass, soft melodies and good beats. The first 25 minutes of the album feature songs that range from three to eight minutes in length, and in terms of structure and psych-pop content, these tracks showcase the very best of what South Korean artists had to offer the world. But the epic 18-minute long closing track is where the magic truly happens. [AC]

PSYCHIC ILLS
Early Violence
(Social Registry)

"Killers"

"4 A.M."

After releasing a much-lauded full length earlier this year, Psychic Ills bring us Early Violence, a compilation of their early 12-inch and seven-inch singles. Those who liked the comforting fuzz and keyboard drones from their live shows will dig this album. It's here where you can really hear the comparisons to Suicide stripped down as the duo morphs into the current quartet lineup. Wonderfully lo-fi so the reverb and tremolo bleed through songs like the minimal keyboard-led "Killers" and the thick blues soaked haze of "Diamond City," Early Violence is both a good way to introduce the uninitiated, and satisfy the current love for psychedelic noise until the next full length. [LG]

KEITH HUDSON
Entering the Dragon
(Trojan Fan Club)

"Blackbelt Jones"

"Words So True"

Gigantic collection of thirty singles sides by dub/reggae legend Keith Hudson. Almost all of this material precedes his stark, heavy period, and focuses on early '70s works, both as artist and producer. Hudson's always been known for monolithic, buoyant dubs, but hearing his works in a poppier rocksteady context works too -- it doesn't get more badass than his "Blackbelt Jones (Entering the Dragon)" and fuzzed-out "Man from Shooters Hill," the two tracks that open this disc. Bouncing across years, in between original tracks and deep versions, it's an excellent way to collect most of Hudson's scattered output, showcasing his abilities as an arranger and producer right at the outset of his career. [DM]

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Desperate Man Blues
(Clube Media)

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Desperate Man Blues - DVD
(Clube Media)

Joe Bussard, the subject of Edward Gillan's award winning documentary, Desperate Man Blues, is a man who has been hunting for rare blues, hillbilly, bluegrass, and jazz 78 rpm records for over 50 years. His enthusiasm and deep love of all things old-timey is infectious; to watch Bussard listen to one of his 25,000 records is to see the music transmuted into a series of involuntary grins, ticks, and jigs that one cannot help but adore, even if old time is "just old scratchy records" to you. He started hunting for this music, most of which was recorded in the 1920s and 30s, when he was 16, taking weekend trips that have led him down thousands of miles of dirt road, to the side rooms and porches of cabins and shacks throughout the southern United States. His collection has been the source of numerous anthologies of country blues, bluegrass, string band, and hillbilly music and includes the only known existing copies of many now classic performances, which, without the efforts of enthusiasts and collectors like Bussard, would surely have been lost forever. As amiable and charming a subject as he is, the real star of the film is, of course, the music. Sides by Robert Johnson, Charley Patton, the Carter Family, Lane Hardin, Clarence Ashley, and countless others from Bussard's collection make appearances on the film's soundtrack, but the real gem, for my money, is some rarely seen 16mm footage of Son House performing "Death Letter Blues" in 1968. During his brief explanation of the song's origins, House seems surprisingly slow of speech and even a little vulnerable, but before long he launches into a bone-chilling performance on steel guitar, full of fierce right hand gesticulation and that unmistakably powerful Son House holler.

Thankfully, "Death Letter Blues," is one of the tracks collected on the film's companion CD. And it's in good company, for in addition to the aforementioned blues greats, the CD is full of tunes by country string bands (Floyd Ming and his Pep Steppers), hot-hot-hot early jazz groups (Billy Banks and his Orchestra), banjo songsters (Uncle Dave Macon, Clarence Ashley), and good old time country music (The Carter Family). The compilation is really just the tip of Bussard's 25,000 record iceberg, but it's a mighty fine place to start. [CC]

BREAD, LOVE & DREAMS
Amaryllis
(Sunbeam)

"Amaryllis"

"Circle of Night"

The ever-prolific Sunbeam has quickly become one of the reissue labels to watch in 2006, and the unveiling of the third and final album by Edinburgh-based Bread, Love and Dreams (David McNiven and Angie Rew) does nothing but solidify that. Originally released in 1971, very much below the radar, Amaryllis is one of the classic left of center folk records (acid folk, perhaps?) that always show up on obscure top 10 lists written by major nerds. Thankfully, the sounds on here back that up. The suite of songs that take up side one is a great Incredible String Band-y sounding epic with a slight mystical flower power vibe. The flute and keyboards complement the male/female vocal interchanges nicely. The four standalone tracks on the second side are slightly different in nature, with a more folk-rocking approach that gives a few nods to Bert Jansch and Pentangle (Danny Thompson and Terry Cox guest on the album). Comes with a richly illustrated booklet that includes notes by McNiven himself. [AK]

OVERHANG PARTY
Live Before and After
(Musik Atlach)

"Kizashi"

"A Gust of Wind"

Overhang Party is a Japanese psychedelic rock band that's been banging out rock-based heft, splitting between non-glacial gloom and righteous riffs, since the early '90s. They appeared on the landmark PSF Tokyo Flashback compilations, toured the US in 1999 (I saw them in Pittsburgh with four other people; they were crushingly loud), and have released five studio albums of immaculate quality and unconscionable scarcity. Live Before and After finds ten recent songs over two distinct band lineups, recorded live in Tokyo: a 2004 quartet featuring original frontman/guitarist Rinji Fukuoka and drummer Iwao Yamazaki, and a current four-piece lineup with only Fukuoka as the lone holdout. These drastic personnel shifts point to why the 2006 sessions rip with bone-rattling authority -- imagine High Rise with more of a settled down, ragged American rock sensibility to them, a la Neil Young & Crazy Horse or Dinosaur Jr., but still drawn out to epic lengths, and that should give you an idea of the mood here. Fukuoka and second guitarist Junzo Suzuki take turns tearing off huge shanks of still-bleeding riffage and mind-melting psych-fuzz solos on guitar, as the rhythm section holds everything down with tightness and authority. By contrast, the second disc's material is a holdout from the Overhang Party I remember: melancholy, crystalline slow melodic psych haze in line with Mazzy Star, the more inspired moments of the Brian Jonestown Massacre, and early Spiritualized. Compelling through and through, and a stunning document of both sides of the blotter. [DM]

HOPEWELL
The Notbirds EP
(Sunnylane)

"With Tomorrow"

Hopewell has kept busy this past year, constantly touring the States and playing countless local shows here in the New York City area. Who knows where they found time to record this six-song EP, but the hard work is paying off, as this is their tightest set yet. For the uninitiated, Hopewell shares sonic ground with groups like Grandaddy, Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev -- no surprise as band singer Jason Russo is a former member of the latter and Mercury Rev's Jonathan Donahue and Jeff Mercel make a guest appearance here on "Beautiful Targets." However, their psychedelic-tinged indie rock is a little more direct than the aforementioned. Sure, you've got plenty of playful, unexpected music shifts and bits of ear candy, but the actual song takes precedence over any studio gimmicks, and vocal harmonies abound. They even turn a cover of Gene Clark's introspective "With Tomorrow" into an epic rocker that would no doubt be playing on Yoshimi's iPod playlist as she set out to battle the Pink Robots. [GH]

VARIOUS ARTISTS
I Belong to This Band - Awake My Soul: The Story of the Sacred Harp
(Dust-to-Digital)

"Christian Soldier"

"The Child of Grace"

Contrary to what the term suggests, there are no harps or any other instruments for that matter, in Sacred Harp music. Originating in the rural south in the mid-1800s and still practiced to this day, Sacred Harp gatherings are all day singing events in which people assemble in a "hollow square" formation, with the members on each side singing a different part of the harmony and facing the center of the square -- Sacred Harp Singing is not a spectator sport -- while different members of the congregation take turns standing in the center and leading songs. The resulting quadraphonic polyphony of voices is nothing short of glorious. Masses of voices combine and cooperate to form rich, simple chords and phasing, multi-part rhythms that are as uplifting in their resplendent spirit as they are in rich in social metaphor.

Dust-to-Digital's excellent compilation, which is also companion to the documentary, Awake My Soul: The Story of the Sacred Harp, collects recordings from 1928 all the way up the summer of 2006. The recordings range from intimate family groups culled from archival, private pressed 78s to the other-worldly sounds of contemporary groups consisting of hundreds of people. At 30 tracks, this thorough and varied collection of songs is more than an adequate introduction to the Sacred Harp, and definitely has some new sounds to offer those familiar with older compilations by Alan Lomax and others. If you've been trying to track down that righteous feeling you had when the fugitives stumbled upon the singing river baptism in O Brother... Where Art Thou, and this one's for you. [CC]

VARIOUS ARTISTS
A Fine Time: The South Side of Soul
(Sundazed)

"The Judgment "

"Who's Been Warming My Oven?"

This is an excellent compilation of '60s Southern soul from Florida's tiny Minaret label. Rich, blues-infused vocal R&B is what's offered here, which is just fine with us. Any fan of the Memphis sound of Stax or Muscle Shoals will find a lot to shout about. Whether it's the loose, harmonica boogie of "Don't Worry About Me" by Willie Cobbs, or the bluesy social lament of "The Judgment" from vocal duo Candi & Billy (which features a young Candi Staton), this comp delivers. Every track on here is a winner and any fan of the aforementioned artists will love this. [DH]

AMIINA
Seoul
(Worker's Institute)

"Seoul"

The four women in Amiina may be better known for providing the string accompaniment behind Iceland's Sigur Ros and Efterklang, but as this little preview to their second full-length shows, the Reykjavik quartet may finally get their turn in the spotlight. On this three-song EP, their beautiful yet playful classical techniques are complemented by bits of electronics. The music sounds like a mix between a more tempered Four Tet or a string-laden Trisok, as well as their aforementioned Icelandic counterparts. As you can imagine, it's all minimal, pretty, and just a li'l eerie. [DG]

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Plague Songs
(4AD)

"Flies"

"Blood"

Just looking at the title of this new 4AD compilation, you can't help but wonder how Plague Songs would have turned out had it been released during the late-'80s, when the label was all things dreamy, dark and ethereal. The concept, a song for each of the 10 plagues as told in the book of Exodus, would have been perfect fodder for a Lonely Is an Eyesore-type gathering of artists like This Mortal Coil, Dead Can Dance, Dif Juz, and Cocteau Twins. Well, it's obviously a different era for the label and, good ol' art fag dreaming aside, the selection of names here isn't too shabby. Commissioned by British arts organization Artangel for the Margate Exodus, a one day event in which local residents of Margate played these works live at the festival, this compilation isn't a live recording, however, but rather a collection of studio performances by the original composers. Not every contribution is noteworthy, but the tracks that really work are when the artist interjects their own personality into the song. Only Stephin Merritt could turn an ode to lice ("The Meaning of Lice") into a totally hummable pop song with lyrics like "Fleas, fleas, STDs / All of Egypt on her knees." On "Flies," Brian Eno's airy keyboard piece is based on the insect's perspective, complete with layers of buzzing noises made by Robert Wyatt. As expected, Scott Walker's contribution is delightfully dramatic, his baritone voice naturally taking on the plague of darkness while he is accompanied only by the call-and-response of a spirited choir and the constant swing of a tambourine. Rufus Wainwright turns "Death of the Firstborn" into a very personal account, lamenting the loss of his 19-year-old cousin in a fatal accident which had occurred around the same time that he had been commissioned to write the track. Other standouts include Laurie Anderson's haunting, orchestrated "Death of Livestock" and "Hailstones," where the Tiger Lilies intertwine drug references and religious imagery amidst a sullen cabaret accompaniment. [GH]

SONGS OF GREEN PHEASANT
Aerial Days
(Fat Cat)

"Pink by White"

"Stars Form Birds"

I was surprised to find out that Songs of a Green Pheasant was a solo project. I was even more surprised when I realized that these songs were put to tape using 4- and 8-track recorders; the music sounds so full, with layers of ambient guitars and endless vocal harmonies. A school teacher by day, Adam Sumpner is the man behind these thousand layers, creating music that's dark, dense and somber in tone, a style that fans of Talk Talk, Galaxie 500, the Clientele and Flying Saucer Attack will certainly enjoy. And while there's certainly a shoegaze quality to these seven long tracks, it's counterbalanced by a nouveau folk approach (check the wind chimes and tablas in "Stars Form Birds"), and the results are mesmerizing. [AC]

JARVIS COCKER
Jarvis
(Rough Trade)

"Don't Let Him Waste Your Time"

"I Will Kill Again"

As the front-man of Pulp, Jarvis Cocker earned a reputation as a mouthpiece for the freaks, an eloquent leader of the pill-popping UK underground -- elegant, sophisticated, down and dirty, hilarious and cruel. He is older and wiser and a rock and roll success story now, and his first solo album shows some of that newfound mellowness without losing much of Cocker's bite. He is joined by a band anchored by his mate Richard Hawley, who was a sometime member of Pulp, as well as Pulp's bassist and sometime songwriter Steve Mackey, so you can imagine that the sound is not too far from that band's later work; clean, sometimes soaring production, with simple intertwined guitars, keys, and taught rhythms. Many of the best songs sound oddly familiar, some with good reason, like "Black Magic," which is built around a blatant (and credited) sample of "Crimson & Clover," but even the surprises will seem homey and welcoming to Jarvis' longtime fans. As should his lyrics, still going for the jugular, but only when deserved, like his warning in "Don't Let Him Waste Your Time" not to count on that selfish oaf cuz "then some skinny bitch walks by in some hot-pants and he's a-running out the door". Or even more prescient and hilarious in "Fat Children," Cocker's nightmare of being attacked late at night by wobbling hordes of coddled thugs, the chorus chants "Fat children took my life. Oh," and the punch-line reads "Oh, the parents are the problem; giving birth to maggots without the sense to become flies. So pander to your pampered little princess- of such enormous size. Oh." [JM]

SCREAMIN' JAY HAWKINS
At Home with...
(Acadia)

"Hong Kong"

"I Put a Spell on You"

Screamin' Jay Hawkins was the original Ol' Dirty Bastard. Don't believe me? Give a listen to this and then tell me what you think. A performer of considerable vocal prowess who crafted an outrageous, scandalous, and often humorous persona around his talent, Hawkins was a Golden Gloves-winning boxing champ who gave up the ring for the sing after finding inspiration in none other than Paul Robeson. Hawkins studied opera in high-school but soon discovered that the real money was in the burgeoning R&B scene, playing piano and sax with folks like Tiny Grimes, Fats Domino, and Lionel Hampton, among others. Jay cut his first sides as a leader (sadly not included here) in the early '50s on labels like Wing, Apollo, and Grand. One of those early Grand sides was a ballad entitled "I Put a Spell on You." The tune was recut in 1956 for Okeh and the rest is, as they say, history.

This reissue of Hawkins's 1958 debut LP At Home With appends a whopping 13 bonus tracks to the original 12 song lineup, adding many essential single sides from the Okeh, Epic, and RCA labels. The original LP was often lambasted by folks who saw nothing in Hawkins but a bug-eyed bellowing novelty with 70-odd children, but in actuality the record's rather eclectic choice of tunes shows just how great a voice the man truly possessed. Yes, "Spell" was there, but so were wholly original takes on tunes like "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot," "Take Me Back to My Boots & Saddle," and "I Love Paris." Amongst the bonus cuts are essential sides more in the "Spell" vein like "Little Demon," "Alligator Wine," "Frenzy," and "There's Something Wrong with You" (with perhaps the first published lyric about Bellevue Hospital!). Also included are the alternate takes of the aforementioned tunes previously released on the Epic compilation "Cow Fingers & Mosquito Pie." There's honestly very little missing from this disc ("Feast of the Mau-Mau," "She Put the Wamee on Me," and the infamous "Constipation Blues" come to mind), but with that considered, this is a damn fine collection with excellent liner notes and photos of the original record sleeves and gig flyers of the era. Essential listening! [IQ]

GREEN MILK FROM THE PLANET ORANGE
You Take Me to the World
(Beta-Lactam)

"Killmekillmekillme"

JERRY JEFF WALKER
Five Years Gone
(Collector's Choice)

"Help Me Now"

"A Letter Sung to Friends"

Jerry Jeff Walker's Five Years Gone is a disarmingly modest affair. It's surely one of the greatest singer-songwriter albums of the late-'60s, early-'70s (it was originally released in '69, but sounds more like '73, if you feel me). Walker is a seminal figure in the "outlaw country" music scene, but where his later records gave in to all his ruffneck, bar-burning, id impulses, Gone is a somber, loner record to the highest degree. Its lyrics are equal parts cryptic, and stunningly straightforward. The production is slightly murky, hazy, bass-heavy, mercurial. And of course, the arrangements sparse -- mainly just Walker's boozy, baritone backed by his acoustic guitar, and sometimes his ace band, always there without being too showy, always in the pocket, wheezy pedal steels mixing in and out, and hollow bass notes giving light to the dust-flaked regret-filled air.

One could theoretically find Gone filed in the country section of many a record store, but it's no "country record." It's a brooding dark oddity even within Walker's own personal discography, and I'm not really sure that the album has any equal outside of Townes Van Zandt's self-titled joint. It's telling that Walker, himself, never really revisited the territory covered on Gone; he'd already perfected the formula, there was only downhill to go. Gone is surely one of the most treasured albums in my collection, if only for "Blues in Your Mind," one of the single best songs ever written about depression and pathos. And for those of you who are thinking to yourself that Walker's name sounds familiar, but just can't quite place it, he's the dude that penned "Mr. Bojangles" (of which a woozy melancholy version is included on here), but please don't hold that against him. [HG]

ROCK PLAZA CENTRAL
Are We Not Horses?
(Rock Plaza Central)

"When We Go, How We Go"

"My Children, be Joyful"

Are We Not Horses? is the self-released debut by Toronto indie rockers Rock Plaza Central. Led by songwriter Chris Eaton, the band has a sprawling, rootsy sound that is both original and instantly familiar: picked acoustic guitars, moaning fiddle, swelling horns, piano, tapping drums and Eaton's plaintive, emotional wail -- think Neutral Milk Hotel meets the Palace Brothers. Lyrically, the album is a loose song-cycle about some rather animated mechanical horses, but I don't want to give away too much. Rock Plaza Central is already gaining some steam on the blogs, and this emotional, mysterious album may be setting the stage for a photo finish in the 2006 indie rock horse race. [JM]

MRK1
Copyright Laws
(Planet Mu)

"Caveman Boogie"

Virus Syndicate member MRK1 releases his debut full-length for Planet Mu. Copyright Laws is a rumbling mix of dubstep and grime, and includes a guest vocal appearance from Sizzla on the first track. Though the album recalls Skream's stripped-down grind, something doesn't quite sit right here. Copyright Laws isn't as engaging as his 12-inch releases over the past year, and though there is plenty of rolling bass and other trademark elements of the scene present, it's lacking just a little spark. [DG]

MELLOW CANDLE
Swaddling Songs
(Acme)

"Heaven Health"

"Boulders on My Grave"

The UK's Acme Records deliver a nice reissue of the 1972 debut from Irish trad-folk-rock combo Mellow Candle. Formed in Dublin in the early-'60s, the band crafted somewhat muscular folk in the vein of Fairport or Fotheringay, with tight, complex arrangements of acoustic and electric guitars over a rock rhythm section and soaring female harmonies. This batch of originals harkens to simpler times of traditional Irish and English life, both musically and lyrically. The straighter tracks might remind you of the California sounds of the era -- like Crosby Stills and Nash -- but Mellow Candle were defined by their Irish roots. In the end, their music is for fans of a more traditional sound, although updated to the early-'70s. [JM]

SUMMER HYMNS
Backwards Masks
(Misra)

"Way You Walk"

"Start Swimming"

I first heard Summer Hymns years ago, when they performed live on a college radio station in Atlanta, GA. It obviously made an impression on me because I still remember the set. There was a heartfelt quality in their delivery, and one which seemed particularly absent in the Athens' scene at the time. Simply put, their indie rock had soul. Summer Hymns' latest offering, Backwards Masks, is a beautiful and honest album -- with poetic lyrics and dreamy ballad structures, filled with tinkering piano and the distant beat of a tambourine. Each song tells a story that's always engaging yet easy enough to just take in. The jangly guitars and muted percussion have a gentle tone, one that's comparable to artists like Lambchop, Mojave 3 and Yo La Tengo's more somber moments -- dreamy, sweet and smart, but never overtly so. [AC]

M. ROSNER
Morning Tones
(Apestaartje)

"Morning Tones"

On his second album (his first for Apestaartje, who also put out the excellent Mountains titles), Australian sound artist M. Rosner utilizes acoustic guitar, recordings of his father playing violin, electronics, and field recordings to create quietly ferocious meditations in sound, falling somewhere between texture and melody. Six lengthy pieces stretch and compress, shifting the listener's attention gradually from one thing to the next. Intimate, dark and beautiful.

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Golden Apples of the Sun
(Bastet)

A few more copies of this out of print collection were just unearthed in a warehouse, and we got a few of 'em! Golden Apples of the Sun saw Devendra compile the cream of 2004's folk-not-folk crop and provide the artwork for Arthur Magazine's Bastet imprint, and it's truly all encompassing. Everybody's on here: Vetiver, Joanna Newsom, White Magic, Espers, Iron & Wine, Josephine Foster, Jack Rose, CocoRosie, Antony, and Devendra duetting with Vashti Bunyan. Easily the best compilation of the genre. Get it now or never.

SONIC YOUTH
Destroyed Room: B-Sides and Rarities
(Geffen)

"Beautiful Plateau"

Following the release of Rather Ripped, one of Sonic Youth's best albums in years, Thurston, Kim, Lee and Steve give us one more reason to believe that SY is one of the most creative and influential rock bands, ever. The Destroyed Room culls together 11 rarities spanning the decade between Experimental Jet Set, Trash & No Star to Sonic Nurse. Features a wide variety of tracks, from dissonant sound collages to Japanese B-sides, and the glorious, 25-minute full version of "The Diamond Sea." Store customers who purchase a copy of The Destroyed Room will receive a limited edition Sonic Youth T-shirt (SIZE MEDIUM ONLY). Web customers can request a shirt with their purchase by e-mailing orders@othermusic.com, additional shipping charge will be applied to the order. While supplies last.

ROMULO FROES
Calado
(Bizarre Music)

"Nao Me Pergunte"

Utterly jawdropping, beautiful contemporary Brazilian samba jams. As hushed and mesmerizing as the Jose Gonzalez record, but with a tinge more rhythm and dynamics, Calado pushes Romulo Froes to the forefront of the quiet is the new loud movement, and is definitely a cat to check for in the months to come.

WAX POETICS
December/January 2007
(Issue #20)

Wax Poetics celebrates #20 Upsetter-style. The new issue includes lengthy articles on Lee Perry, legendary Jamaican group the Soul Syndicate, and premier producer Lloyd "Bullwackie" Barnes. In addition, we get features on Dennis Coffey, Andy Votel, Curtis Ousley, Eightball & MJG, a Dewey Redman obit and more.

THE LONG BLONDES
Someone to Drive You Home
(Rough Trade)

"Lust in the Movies"

"Once and Never Again"

It's interesting to note that in early 2006, Sheffield brought us the Arctic Monkeys' highly-buzzed debut. So it's fitting that as the year draws to a close, the same English town is book-ending '06 with the Long Blondes' anticipated first full-length. Now if you've gone to any indie dance party in this city or elsewhere in the past year, sandwiched somewhere between new rave hits from Klaxons and Shitdisco, you're guaranteed to have heard the group's wiry "Giddy Stratospheres." And if you have any love of the Au Pairs, Raincoats or the Banshees, you danced. Well, here's a whole album's worth of new favorites, and a few re-workings of earlier singles (including the aforementioned "Giddy Stratospheres"). It's really a disservice to even mention the Arctic Monkeys in this review because geographical reference aside, the Long Blondes are on a whole different, much more glamorous trip. Actually, another Sheffield act instantly comes to mind, and fitting enough, former Pulp member Steve Mackey is behind the mixing board adding some gloss to their jagged guitar pop, but not enough shine to dilute the girl/boy quintet's raw, glammy brew of new wave, post-punk, riot grrl and '60s pop. The sultry-voiced Kate Jackson is equal parts Ari Up, Siouxsie Sioux and Deborah Harry, delivering sexy odes about 19-year-old girls breaking boys' hearts and bizarre love triangles, filled with clever pop culture references and a few obscure name drops that'll get kids Googling the likes of photographer Lee Miller (in "Madame Ray") and 'Saint' Scott Walker (in "You Could Have Both"). But there's also an underlying theme of female empowerment running throughout, ensuring that a shout-out chorus of "Edie Sedgwick, Anna Karina, Arlene Dahl! I just want to be your sweetheart!" (in album opener "Lust in the Movies") is actually an intelligent observation on gender roles. Thank god groups like the Long Blondes still exist, reminding us that rock music can still be smart, fun and even a little dangerous. I'll take new wave over new rave any day. [GH]

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Cherrystones Word
(Poptones)

"You've Been Duplicated"

"I Can't Control Myself"

What is so great about Cherrystones' mixes is first, you are drawn into his cavernous resource of rarely tread upon jams by a harmless little break and suddenly you are plunging into the depths of full-on psych funk, world funk, freak funk, funk prog and whatever else lurks beneath the musty lands known as "crate-digging-ton." Word reeks of just-dislodged tasty morsels and also some near and dear choice bits of dirty jams. What a berserk and beautiful comp! Fellow spelunkers of sound will be delighted to hear tracks by Chrome, the Deviants, Pan & Regaliz and Lard Free among such surprises as Roger C. Reale & Rue Morgan's glammed-out cover of the Troggs "I Can't Control Myself" and the driving yet jerky, synth-art-rock dancer "Do the Residue" by Kontakt Mikrofoon Orkest. There is such a melee of sound within and Mr. Goddard includes tenderly written liner notes for each track, explaining away any lack of cohesion with the intensity of a fanboy supreme. Listening, it's hard to imagine such a cerebral mix packing the dancefloor. But, as relayed to me by many at Rubulad last December, people were in fact all over dancing, all crushed up on each other and then bang! In "Dead Moon Night," Fred screams out, "It's way across the room!" That must've been a mindbender! Yeah, there are gems all over this thing and those who follow Gareth Goddard are accustomed to nothing less. You won't be disappointed. [NL]

VARIOUS ARTISTS
CD86: 48 Tracks from the Birth of Indie Pop
(Castle)

"Don't Slip Up" Meat Whiplash

"Safety Net" Shop Assistants

The story goes something like this: Twenty years ago, the NME released C86, a compilation of the up and coming pop bands at the time, including Primal Scream, the Pastels, McCarthy, Wedding Present, and many more. C86 has since become a term on its own, describing the legion of bands playing a sort of jangly, yet in a lot of cases punk- and Velvet Underground-influenced, pop music. As Bob Stanley (St. Etienne) states in the excellent booklet (complete with typewriter font and lots of cut and paste action, like the fanzines of the era), the music industry in the UK at the time was in a state of deep sleep. Rough Trade had crossed over into the mainstream, Postcard was dead, and the major labels were looking to make some quick cash from the cleaned up new wave pop of Howard Jones and Nik Kershaw. Enter one of the greatest DIY movements in musical history…

Armed with the ideals of punk, a slew of labels (most of them run out of bedrooms) were born and a million bands were formed, and true to the spirit of '77, the primary formats were the 7" and the flexi disc. The release of "Upside Down" by a little band called the Jesus & Mary Chain probably spawned the whole thing, and helped launch Creation Records into rock 'n' roll oblivion. The other Creation bands on here, including the Pastels, Jasmine Minks, Bodines, and the Loft, sound equally great today as that first, menacing JAMC record. And then there was Subway, whose roster included the first incarnation of the Soup Dragons (then a totally awesome pop band, whose breakneck songs never managed to break the two-minute barrier), 53rd & 3rd, Egg, Reception, Sarah…it could go on forever. Granted, there are a few duds among the 48 bands included, but the multitude and variety of short, sharp pop kicks on here is staggering; Mary Chain-styled fuzz blowouts (Meat Whiplash and the Bachelor Pad), '60s and punk-inspired girl bands (Flatmates, Primitives, Shop Assistants), Byrdsian jangle (Primal Scream, Sea Urchins, Razorcuts), and irreverent pop (Big Flame, Wolfhounds, McCarthy). Puts most of today's indie bands to shame. [AK]

PETER, BJORN & JOHN
Writer's Block
(Wichita/V2 Import)

"Young Folks"

"The Chills"

The Swedish pop invasion is old news at this point and frankly, I've lost count of how many new Scandinavian groups have been gracing our shelves as of late. That said, Peter, Bjorn and John are at the top of my list, right next to Love Is All, and I'm actually surprised at how much I like their new album. With each of the three members (we already know their first names) contributing songs, Writer's Block is a stylistically diverse record, not necessarily cohesive but all the better for it. I guess the common denominator here would be classic indie pop, and I can hear lots of influences, from the Soft Boys to Galaxie 500, but there are certainly traces of R&B, '60s, power pop and, of course, a little Velvet Underground. Kicking off with the shoegazey strum-fest of "Objects of My Affection," the album quickly shifts into some skeletal pop via "Young Folks," where whistling is used in place of guitar leads, and the Concretes' former singer Victoria Bergsman trades charmingly pensive verses with Peter. The album then takes a bit of a cerebral pop turn with "Amsterdam," which conjures images of OMD collaborating with the Beatles, complete with more whistling, and instruments like whip and footsteps credited to John. It doesn't let up, as Writer's Block constantly morphs from song to song with very few disappointments -- the harmony-filled "Let's Call It Off" isn't bad but feels like filler when compared to most of the track selection -- and then, three-quarters of the way through we reach another highlight, "The Chills," a surprisingly haunting slice of detached synth-pop. The thing about Writer's Block is that each song has a certain I've-heard-it-before familiarity to it, but still remain fresh to the ears. The more I listen, the more it doesn't get old. [GH]

THIS WEEK'S CONTRIBUTORS

[CC] Che Chen
[AC] Amanda Colbenson
[LG] Lisa Garrett
[DG] Daniel Givens
[HG] Hartley Goldstein
[GH] Gerald Hammill
[DH] Duane Harriott
[IQ] Mikey IQ Jones
[AK] Andreas Knutsen
[NL] Nicole Lang
[JM] Josh Madell
[DM] Doug Mosurock
[SM] Scott Mou


THANKS FOR READING
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