FEATURED NEW RELEASES
Rhythm & Sound
Marsen Jules
Mark Fosson
Excepter
Paradisco 3000 (Various)
Scritti Politti
Kashmere Stage Band
Motor City Reggae (Trojan Box Set)
Midlake
Erase Errata
Chocolate Milk
Wolf Eyes & Anthony Braxton
The Long Winters
Nai Htaw Paing Ensemble
Spoon
Asobi Seksu

ALSO AVAILABLE
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy (CD single)
White Whale
Ragnar Grippe
Silversun Pickups
Sleepy Jackson
Studio One Scorcher Vol. 2
Osunlade Presents Yoruba Records
Damon McMahon
Our Brother the Native

DOMESTIC PRESSING
The Knife


COMPLETE LIST OF THIS WEEK'S NEW ARRIVALS

RHYTHM & SOUND
See Mi Yah Remixes
(Basic Channel)

"Free for All" Soundstream Remix

"Let We Go" Villalobos Remix

Sometimes people make my job so easy! New Rhythm and Sound remixes from awesome names like Carl Craig, Villalobos, Sleeparchive, Vladislav Delay and Francois K., plus re-workings from Chain Reaction heads Substance, Maurizio and Hallucinator! Great music remixed by fitting, high quality producers makes for a great album. All present offer their own personal twist on the Burial Mix sound which, in general, involves making the cuts slightly 'trackier' while still paying due respect to the original productions. People be scrambling for the Carl Craig/Basic Reshape remix 12-inch as well as the Villalobos/Delay one. Those, and the Sleeparchive track and the Vainqueur mix in particular, are ruling. I have to give thanks to Basic Channel for putting these hard to find cuts on one CD so quickly instead of waiting forever until the vinyl is completely sold out. Praise Jah. [SM]

MARSEN JULES
Les Fleurs
(City Center)

"Coeur Saignant"

"Gueule de Loup"

Marsen Jules amazed many electronic music fans last year with his debut album, Herbstlaub. It was a gorgeous piece of work filled with orchestral swells and electronic manipulations galore. Well, a year later and Jules is back with another stunning piece of work. Les Fleurs is a slight departure from its predecessor, and one in which he tones down some of the orchestration and samples acoustic guitar and plucked harp instead. It is every bit as stunning as his debut, and it is a must have record for those that hold Wolfgang Voigt's Gas albums on a pedestal, or for anyone who waits with baited breath for each new Type Records release. Ambient album of the year? You bet. [JS]

MARK FOSSON
Lost Takoma Sessions
(Drag City)

"Jubilaya"

"Sky Piece"

The tape that Mark Fosson sent to Takoma Records elicited the following comment from John Fahey himself: "Best demo I've heard since Kottke." These recordings were made almost 30 years ago, after the young guitar player moved to Los Angeles to record his debut album for Fahey's label. Unfortunately, Takoma was bought out by another company before anything could be released. The masters were given back to Fosson and he never did anything with them until his cousin -- singer/songwriter Tiffany Anders -- asked if she could hear them. What she found was an album that should have launched the career of an acoustic guitar hero. It would certainly have been one of Takoma's best, had it ever seen the light of day. Fosson's 12-string fingerpicking technique, passed on to him by a local musician in his home state of Kentucky, is impeccable. His songs, all instrumental, are truly beautiful and reflect his deep love of country, blues and folk music. One has to wonder why Fahey didn't track down Fosson and release this stuff on Revenant a decade ago, but at least it's finally out there. [RH]

EXCEPTER
Alternation
(5RC)

"Ice Cream Van"

"Lypse"

Curious bunch, this New York City-based entity known as Excepter. Never mind the fact that one of the band members is an Other Music co-worker/friend of mine, in any past instant that I've written about this group, I've probably spent more time scratching my head than typing. So along comes their new album that many are hailing as Excepter's proper debut. And indeed, with Alternation we do find the band displaying a sort of focus that their previous work has eschewed, reeling in their often free form noise approach for something more linear.

Case in point, the record's third track, the creepy electro-dub "The Rock Stepper," which, say if someone like Maurice Fulton got their hands dirty doing a remix of, could be this year's "Let's Get Sick." It's not that the Excepter dudes are strangers to dance beats, but here their sinister funk deconstructions are reconstituted into forward -- albeit still discordant -- moving tracks. During "Ice Cream Van, former No-Necker J. F. Ryan's stoned musings are more upfront in the mix, playing nicely with the gurgled one-finger keyboard melodies. We're not talking electro-pop, however. Throughout Alternation, it's hard to listen to echo-plexed vocal chants and mechanic drum machine whirs without drawing a line that goes back three decades to pre-industrialists like Throbbing Gristle or even Pop Group's avant moments. It's ever-present here with the same sense of experimentation and adventurism, but I'll be damned. Excepter not only side-steps the whole regurgitation thing, they wholly own it, creating a singular sound that exists in the now. [GH]

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Paradisco 3000 Presents: Chicago Boogie
(Eskimo)

"Manhassett (Space Mix)" Club Ice

"Peaches and Prunes" Nightlife Unlimited

Yet another amazing reissue compilation that has eluded us for over a year and is finally back in stock with quantity. This mix is a take-home soundtrack to the popular party in Amsterdam of the same name. Sharing a similar aesthetic with Blacktronica, Negroclash and the like (electronic soul and all of its leftfield counterparts), this compilation focuses solely on Chicago's funky urban club anthems, circa late-'70s and early-'80s. When I encountered this CD a year and half ago, it felt like such a relief to hear a mix that truly captured the sound of early Chicago dance music. I remember buying my first "house" mix tape back in '87, when I was 14 visiting the Windy City. That cassette had Sylvester, Skatt Bros. and Telex sitting side by side next to early Farley and Marshall Jefferson. I actually thought that Telex and Sylvester was house music up until I was 21 or so, because I had never heard those tracks in any other context other than that mix tape. The sound was a lot more open-ended, leftfield and blacker, but it all emanated a certain mood that I hadn't heard in hip-hop or the stuff I listened to on New York radio, although…I'm digressing aren't I?? (The editors hate when I do this.)

Okay, this is a fantastic record that you should purchase because the selection is stellar, mixing Italo and leftfield disco (Kasso, Electra, Liquid Liquid) next to deep early house (Virgo, Larry Heard, Frankie Knuckles) and there's a sleazy, nasty funk that pervades throughout. This is the sound that has been influencing the burgeoning new school leftfield disco as of late, and if you are into any of those artists (Lindstrom, Danny Wang, Metro Area) or the aforementioned ones, you'll love this. I promise you! [DH]

SCRITTI POLITTI
White Bread, Black Beer
(Nonesuch)

"The Boom Boom Bap"

"Petrococadollar"

Green Gartside has to be one of the most irresistible and underrated white soul men around. As the instantly recognizable voice of Scritti Politti, he has brought his breathy, soft and soulful touch to pop music for over three decades now. Though the band's beginnings go all the way back to the post-punk era (showcased last year in their Rough Trade compilation Early), it wasn't until the mid-'80s, when Scritti Politti slimmed their line-up and scored international chart success with the album Cupid & Psyche 85, that many, myself included, began to know their name. Gone were their edgy, aggro rhythms and Marxist lyrics, replaced by sugar-sweet vocals and catchy-as-hell pop structures. This is where White Bread, Black Beer lives. A continuation of the unapologetically smooth blend of hip-hop and pop found on '99's Anomie (which featured guests like Meshell Ndegeocello and Q-Tip), Scritti Politti's latest also embraces American R&B, soul and light reggae. This time it's essentially a solo outing recorded in the back room of Gartside's house in Hackney, but what results is an album of classic, unpretentious pop that's perfectly updated and sounding so smooth and sweet that you may develop a couple of cavities just by listening. If you've been a fan of ol' faves like Orange Juice/Edwin Collins, Robert Wyatt, Arthur Russell and even the Pet Shop Boys, or new schoolers from Justin Timberlake to Thom Yorke, you'll definitely want to grab this CD. And let me tell you, Gartside's voice sounds as good as ever. Welcome Back. [DG]

KASHMERE STAGE BAND
Texas Thunder Soul 1968-1974
(Now-Again/Stones Throw)

"Do Your Thing"

"All Praises / Zero Pint (Reprise)"

Stones Throw's reissue label Now-Again serves up another slab of Texas funk from folks we shoulda heard of but never did. The Kashmere Stage band, led by Conrad O. Johnson, was exactly that: a competing high school jazz band from Houston. Johnson was a former jazz musician and arranger who had taken a job teaching band class at Kashmere High in the north side of Houston. Johnson saw an opportunity to teach big band fundamentals to his students by writing new arrangements and original compositions that combined the hard R&B and funk that was popular at the time with the classic big band jazz sound that he knew and loved. The kids took to it immediately and he rehearsed his group endlessly with the goal of turning them into the "best stage band in the world." Lucky for us, he recorded his band's performances during this time and this collection is basically a best of comp compiled by Stones Throw's funk historian, Egon. To think that this group was comprised of teenagers between the ages of 15 and 18 is insane because the playing is so airtight. But the real star is Johnson. These are some of the best brass arrangements I've ever heard in funk and the recordings are surprisingly bright and fleshed out, which is quite unusual for any vanity pressing, let alone a vanity pressing of a high school jazz band! These records have been coveted and talked about with a sort of beat digger reverence for a long time; collectors and producers like Keb Darge, Cut Chemist and Coldcut have been fans for years, and DJ Shadow has been known to have sampled a break or two. Hard funk enthusiasts with a budget, rejoice! [DH]

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Motor City Reggae
(Trojan)

"Wherever I Lay My Hat " Cornell Cambell

"It's the Same Old Song" Delroy Wilson

"(It's the Way) Nature Planned It" Ken Boothe & B. B. Seaton

American soul music and Jamaican culture have been distant cousins for some time now, and the latest three-CD box set from Trojan illustrates this point to perfection. Motor City Reggae collects 50 great songs from Motown which get covered by too many names to mention here, but included are the likes of Derrick Harriott, Alton Ellis, the Heptones, John Holt, Delroy Wilson, and more. Songs by the Temptations, Four Tops, Jackson 5, the Miracles, Marvin Gaye, etc. get the reggae downbeat treatment with some amazing results. Just think of Bob (Marley) and Marcia (Griffiths) re-envisioning the Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell classic "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" -- it's pure cover version bliss. Motor City Reggae is nothing less than a testament to the quality of the song writing and arranging of Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Norman Whitfield, Berry Gordy, and crew, as well as those inspired islanders' ear for interpretation. If you've been a fan of Soul Jazz's Studio One Soul series, then you're in for a real treat. [DG]

MIDLAKE
The Trials of Van Occupanther
(Bella Union)

"Roscoe"

"It Covers the Hillsides"

Perhaps it's a sign of the incredible processor speed and search engine capacity of our modern times that causes indie bands to chew up influences and move on at such a lightning clip. The return of electro was quickly followed by the stoner folk craze, and now the search goes on for un-mined retro-revivals. Ultimately, it's just rock and roll and we need our influences, make it too original and it sounds like crap. I want a beat and a melody. Nonetheless, I was a bit surprised, pleasantly so, to hear the new Midlake album, their second release on former Cocteau Twin Simon Raymonde's Bella Union label.

The boys from Denton, Texas have taken a leap forward from their quirky folk-pop debut and delivered a rich and beautiful suite of songs that effortlessly draw not on some forgotten building block of modern pop, but on the classic staples of adult radio: Steely Dan, Rumors-era Fleetwood Mac, maybe even a touch of Wings in there. I'm not calling this record cheesy, I happen to think those are all wonderful bands. Midlake bring smart songwriting, interesting lyrics, great playing and nuanced production to The Trials Of Van Occupanther. This makes for a record that is sure to appeal not just to your washed-up alcoholic uncle, but also to fans of slick and accomplished bands like the Doves or Radiohead. From the great opening salvo of "Roscoe" to the first single, the aim-for-the-heart-is-this-marriage-over-before-it-started ballad of "Young Bride," Midlake have crafted a mature and lovely album of laid-back piano, crisp gated drums, majestic guitars and hypnotic vocal riffs that are destined to be stuck on someone's radio for many years to come, just waiting for the culture vultures to catch up to it again. [JM]

ERASE ERRATA
Nightlife
(Kill Rock Stars)

"Hotel Suicide"

"Tax Dollar"

I'm baffled that during this dubious time in our country's history, musicians have, for the most part, stayed strangely silent. You'd expect that with the renewed interest in folk and post-punk -- both music movements which left behind a large cannon of protest songs and sharp, political commentary -- we'd be hearing a lot more "speaking up" from today's artists revisiting these styles. Perhaps that's why my ears perked up during "Tax Dollar," off of Erase Errata's new album, Nightlife. "Yes, I really got away / With murder and manslaughter / All funded by my tax dollar." At closer inspection, it seems that much of the Oakland art punks' third full-length deals with topics like the war, poverty, and the general apathy which most of America exhibits towards these issues, thanks to the distractions of modern society. But before you say careful what you wish for, let me assure you that the female trio avoids falling into the cartoon trap that often comes with political-messaged music, and succeed in making you think while you shake your hips. They've turned down the skronk a notch or two, due in part to the departure of guitarist Sara Jaffe, but thankfully, it's not as radical of a reinvention as you might expect. Song for song, Erase Errata delivers the frantic, twitchy fun of their previous records and they're definitely far from tongue tied. [GH]

CHOCOLATE MILK
Action Speaks Louder Than Words
(Sony/BMG)

"Time Machine"

"Confusion"

This was one of my dad's favorite records and I've actually seen him play air bass guitar to "Time Machine" a couple of times. I can't wait to pick this up and send it to him on CD, he's gonna flip out! As for the rest of you, this is a wonderful lost funk treasure that has finally gotten a proper re-release. Chocolate Milk was a New Orleans funk band who was discovered by the Meters, and their debut album is one of the finest Southern soul albums from that time period. Their sound was quite unusual for a Southern band at the time, however, more laidback than most of their contemporaries and definitely not as bluesy. Chocolate Milk's funk was more in the vein of War and Ohio Players than, say, the Meters or Barkays, and a tad bit spacier than any of these bands. And with Allen Toussaint at the production helm, you know it's gotta be good, right? This Crescent City classic has been a fave of many a beat-digger for years, so it's nice to see yet another gem easily available again. Sweet! [DH]

WOLF EYES & ANTHONY BRAXTON
Black Vomit
(Victo)

"The Mangler"

For the metaphorically-disinclined, the title of this live set of Michigan's gnarliest and jazz's most prickly practitioner teaming up for one night at the Victoriaville Festival (this year even paired Mike Patton with Christian Fennesz!) ought to really sum up the disc for you. Such a collaboration isn't so shocking though, as anyone who has followed the sonically-adventurous Braxton over the decades has no doubt heard him work and weave alongside decidedly non-jazz backdrops as sinewave generators, bowed cymbals, and unfiltered Moog noise. Large swaths of this 34-minute meltdown offset blow-outs and squawks with moments that are incredibly nuanced, sparse, and of course, stomach-churning and skin-crawling. [AB]

THE LONG WINTERS
Putting the Days to Bed
(Barsuk)

"Fire Island, AK"

"Mountain to Sound"

John Roderick may be a negative creep, but he manages to funnel his bitterness into some remarkably likable pop music. His band, sometimes a solo affair and sometimes a full-fledged group session, is hard to put a finger on. They don't have a sound that is easy to pigeonhole, because this is not about the sound, it's about the songs themselves, fueled by Roderick's sharp wit and hugely personal gripes and pains and let-downs and put-downs, and his hopes too. Folksy, rocking, sad and yet triumphant, the Long Winters are tied in with Death Cab for Cutie in a few ways, and their pop is a definite reference point for the band, but the Winters bring an acid tongue and energy to the show that Death Cab lacks. Give these songs an inch and they will seep into your consciousness, like a letter from an ex that you tried to throw away but dug back out of the trash for a read and can never forget. [JM]

NAI HTAW PAING ENSEMBLE
Mon Music of Burma
(Fire Museum)

"Gwet-Pwa-Kit"

"Waygoon-Maygoon"

The Mon people appeared in what is now Burma, Cambodia and Thailand in roughly the 2nd century B.C. They were a highly-advanced Buddhist culture that controlled large portions of the region until around the 8th and 9th centuries, when the Burmese began to gain power and influence. Still, much of the modern Burmese culture comes from the ancient traditions of the Mon, and with this CD, we get a much-needed glimpse at this rare and endangered music. The distinct instrumentation includes the kyam, a three-string zither with a body that is carved into the shape of a crocodile. The strings are strummed and plucked with a plectrum made from ivory, horn, wood or bamboo, with one string used mostly for melody and the other two usually serving as a drone. Also prevalent is the graw, a rare, traditional Mon instrument with a western-looking viola body that's played upright like a cello. The music itself has a very tranquil, almost trance-like quality to it. At times, male and female vocalists interplay with metered drums and flute while smaller percussion instruments fill in the space. In contrast, some songs are just simply arranged around a bamboo flute or xylophone. Some songs sound very airy while others are played with a little more sense of urgency; all the while there is still this meditative, calming feeling emanating from this music. I'm not able to give you a regional context, but I will say that I found it to be highly dynamic, especially in the improvisations and interplay between musicians as individual moments of tension within the music seemed to get swallowed whole by the prevailing tone of peacefulness. A great discovery truly awaits! [GA]

SPOON
Telephono / Soft Effects
(Merge)

"Don't Buy the Realistic"

"Mountain to Sound"

It's been more than 10 years since Austin, Texas pop powerhouse Spoon first caused a commotion as the next-big-thing in indie rock. They ended up toiling in the trenches for a few years before truly hitting their stride and releasing their great critical and commercial successes on Merge, including last year's phenomenal Gimme Fiction album. But Brit Daniel and Spoon were a great band from the start, albeit a bit rougher around the edges, and Merge has put together a fine 2-on-1 package re-releasing the long out-of-print Matador Records debut Telephono, plus the follow-up, Soft Effects EP. A must-have for fans of their later stuff. If you haven't been scouring the used bins for these you should have been, but they are again available at a fraction of the price, re-mastered with full artwork and a bonus video. [JM]

ASOBI SEKSU
Citrus
(Friendly Fire)

"Strawberries"

"Thursday"

New York City's Asobi Seksu deliver their lush dream pop opus, Citrus. There's no sophomore slumping here, as the album is beautifully nuanced, neatly sidestepping shoegaze cliches by keeping the angelic-voiced Yuki's blissful melodies (sung in both English and Japanese) in the forefront, amidst the lush swirls of guitar and keyboards. Admirably, not just another band trying to copy My Bloody Valentine's blueprint, Asobi Seksu's love of catchy, sunshine-y songcraft cuts through the album's hallucinatory waves of effects. [GH]

BONNIE 'PRINCE' BILLY
Cursed Sleep
(Drag City)

"Cursed Sleep"

The first single off Then the Letting Go, the upcoming sixth album from Will Oldham's Bonnie 'Prince' Billy guise. Featuring three songs (one from the album and two exclusive b-sides), Oldham tells his anguished tales over a bluesy-folk backdrop with pretty harmonies from Faun Fable's Dawn McCarthy, and crisp production from Bjork producer Valgeir Sigurdsson. A delicious taste of things to come.

WHITE WHALE
WW1
(Merge)

"We're Just Temporary Ma'am"

White Whale is a group of fellows you may recognize, made up of members of bands like Butterglory, Thee Higher Burning Fire and the Get Up Kids. Their debut, WW1 on Merge, is self-described on their MySpace page as "Roxy Sabbath," and though a hilarious description, it's semi-accurate, as WW1 is both a thunderous and romantic record. This compelling and ambitious debut from these skilled musicians will fit well into the collection of any fan of the epic and orchestral indie rock music scene.

RAGNAR GRIPPE
Sand
(Streamline)

"Sand"

Warehouse finds of this lost minimalist document of Swedish composer Ragnar Grippe. Originally released on Shandar in the late-'70s (also home to LaMonte Young and Charlemagne Palestine), this unassuming little jewel of an album is a sonic approximation of the art of Indian sand painting, the slow layering of organ, maracas, and rattles all gathered up in some time-lag accumulators for a fine late night listen.

SILVERSUN PICKUPS
Carnavas
(Dangerbird)

"Melatonin"

A much-hailed band in LA's Silverlake scene, Silversun Pickups' national debut is seeping with the group's love for early-'90s college radio, a la Swervedriver, Pixies, Catherine Wheel, and Gish-era Smashing Pumpkins. However, the record is not as mopey as a few of those aforementioned names might suggest, thanks to a little bit of West Coast sunshine warming the guy/girl vocals and crunchy guitars.

SLEEPY JACKSON
Personality: One Was a Spider One Was a Bird
(Astralwerks)

"I Understand What You Want but I Just Don't Agree"

The Sleepy Jackson return with a lovely record of lite pop that falls somewhere between A.M. radio soft-rock and Mercury Rev's slick psychedelia. Warm, lush production envelops the album in honey and sweet wine, with keyboards, strings, horns and vocal washes gently embracing these delicious, oddball songs.

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Studio One Scorcher Vol. 2
(Soul Jazz)

"Gumbay Jump" Dub Specialist

A solid follow-up to the first collection of instrumental reggae sides that came out a couple of summers ago. There's less ska on the second volume of Studio One Scorcher, but there's a lot more rock steady and funk, and just more variety in sound in general, with artists such as Tommy McCook, the Skatalites and Jackie Mitto among the artists represented. Not a single dud in the track selection, here's yet another reason to love and cherish Soul Jazz.

OSUNLADE PRESENTS: YORUBA RECORDS
Cinco Anos Despue - Five Years On
(Soul Jazz)

"New Day (Quentin Harris Remix)"

A double-CD collection compiling the best of Osunlade's Afro-inspired soul and deep house productions and collaborations of the past five years, all released on his Yoruba Records imprint. Featuring hard-to-find and long-out-of-print tracks including Erro's "Don't Change" and Osunlade's "Ochun's Arrival," plus classics from artists like Atelewo, Nardirah Shakoor, KB and Djinji Brown.

DAMON MCMAHON
Mansions
(Astralwerks)

"Baby Brown Eyes"

The debut solo outing from former Inouk frontman Damon Mcmahon is a stark and beautiful offering, with gently-picked acoustic guitar and McMahon's lonesome drawl hanging in the thick summer air. Music unadorned, and it takes a songwriter and performer of unusual grace to pull it off with such success.

OUR BROTHER THE NATIVE
Tooth and Claw
(FatCat)

"Welcome to the Arborary"

These teenaged American freaks make a joyful noise clearly informed by the likes of FatCat labelmates Animal Collective. Layered, haunting electro-acoustic pop full of found-sounds, children's toys, clapping hands and wavering vocals, the songs sneak up on you and then disappear into the mist.

Silent Shout
$14.99 CD

"Neverland"

"Silent Shout"

One of 2006's most anticipated releases is finally available at a domestic price. This Swedish brother-sister duo of Olof Dreijer and Karin Dreijer Andersson, always hidden behind masks, made waves with their first release Deep Cuts, which spawned the dancefloor hit "Heartbeats." (The song would also get an acoustic reworking by fellow countryman José González on his Veneer album.) Silent Shout is on another plane altogether. Their boy-girl heavily-processed voices mix with throbs and thuds to delirious effect. It's poppy, but distended and contorted by banks of digital effects that verge on the psychedelic and vertiginous. Lest you get too dizzy, there's a massive dancefloor foundation to it as well to keep it all grounded. "We Share Our Mother's Health" pongs between the tundra and the funhouse, chilly but with a hot and claustrophobic atmosphere as well. Well worth the wait. [AB]

THIS WEEK'S CONTRIBUTORS

[GA] Geoff Albores
[AB] Adrian Burkholder
[DG] Daniel Givens
[GH] Gerald Hammill
[DH] Duane Harriott
[RH] Rob Hatch-Miller
[JM] Josh Madell
[SM] Scott Mou
[JS] Jeremy Sponder


THANKS FOR READING
- all of us at Other Music