FEATURED NEW RELEASES
Gram Parsons (Box Set & DVD)
Lithops
Sublime Frequencies (3 CDs & DVD)
Alvarius B.
The Evangelicals
Bardo Pond
Edip Akbayram
Faust
Loco Dice / Ricardo Villalobos (Mix CD)
Studio One DJ's 2 (Various)
Senor Coconut

Early Morning Hush (Various)
The New York Sound (Various)
Ø (Mika Vainio)

ALSO AVAILABLE
Lou Harrison
Tina Britt


COMPLETE LIST OF THIS WEEK'S NEW ARRIVALS

GRAM PARSONS
The Complete Reprise Sessions
(Rhino)

"She (Alternate Version)"

"Sin City"

Gram Parsons greatly affected the direction of both country and rock music before his untimely death at age 26. He was a member of the International Submarine Band, a formative outfit exploring the Bakersfield country-music sound; the Byrds, replacing David Crosby's Aquarian spirituality with a soulful Southern influence; and the Flying Burrito Brothers, fulfilling Parsons' vision of cosmic American music, one that would smash the divides between country, rhythm & blues, and rock and roll. Rhino has now released The Complete Reprise Sessions, documenting Parsons' two essential solo albums and the work involved in their creation.

Parsons' first solo effort, G.P., was recorded in 1972, with a then-unknown Emmylou Harris singing alongside him and an all-star lineup of Nashville musicians. G.P. is one heck of an album, featuring the lovely duets "We'll Sweep Out the Ashes in the Morning" and "That's All It Took," and the standout numbers "How Much I've Lied" and "Kiss the Children," evoking the finer aspects of 1950s-60s country arrangements in homage to Buck Owens, Merle Haggard and Lefty Frizzell. Parsons' reflective, impressionistic ballad, "A Song for You," is so highly emotive that after years of intimacy with this tune, time still stands still for me with every listen as if it were my first. G.P.'s follow-up, Grievous Angel, recorded in 1973, saw the return of those renowned Nashville musicians, and an even further maturity of Gram's and Emmylou's unrivaled vocal harmonies, resulting in the chillingly sublime yet painful performances found on "Hearts on Fire" and "Love Hurts." Parsons' life ended before this album was even released, and it is a damn shame that the world will never know what further contributions he would have brought to American music.

So old and new fans alike, rejoice in this handsome 3-CD box set that celebrates Gram Parsons' rich but all-too-short solo career. The albums sound great, and each is properly given its own disc, including brief interviews and some live performances. There is a third disc of mostly unreleased alternate versions which, although not always essential, offer us a glimpse at the process involved with creating these masterpiece albums. Standout tracks include: a more down-home version of "Still Feeling Blue" with Parsons as the sole vocalist, a beautifully intimate "The New Soft Shoe," and a touching version of "Brass Buttons" with dusty, weary vocals. There is also a 50-page book with insightful liner notes and lots of cool pictures. Even if you are not a country music fan this just might be the purchase to change your mind. [JC]

Much of Gram Parsons' legacy has been clouded throughout the years by the myths and loose interpretations of his life story. In Gandulf Hennig's documentary, we are not only given some great footage of GP performing, but also insightful interviews with friends and family members, resulting in the telling of Parsons' life story in an intimate manner that is neither biased nor judgmental. We learn of his affluent upbringing in Winter Haven, FL, the alcoholism and depression that killed his parents, and Gram's lifestyle choices that tragically killed him in the end, yet the film manages to not sensationalize or romanticize.

Parsons' personal background is certainly fascinating, but for me the real excitement came in seeing the priceless footage of him performing throughout his musical career. There is also insight given on the theft of his corpse and partial burning of it at Joshua Tree, CA, surely one of the most bizarre tales in rock and roll history. Interviews with both Phil Kaufman (Parsons' roadie, who took his corpse in order to fulfill a pact the two had made) and members of Parsons' family offer us alternate views on what exactly happened and what it meant to them. Excellent interviews are given by Emmylou Harris, Chris Hillman, Keith Richards, and many others. [JC]

LITHOPS
Queries
(Sonig)

"Wackler"

"Tubino See-Through"

The solo project from Mouse on Mars' Jan St. Werner, Lithops has always contained the leftfield analog funk that's been at the heart of M.O.M. since the beginning, through to their more recent releases. All that exploratory, textural dub could just as easily be described as machines communicating to each other in their own language. The Lithops stuff has the gradual, no-rush feeling of classic Mouse on Mars albums like Instrumentals, complete with soundtrack-type songs as well as morphing, funky breakbeat tracks. I've always held a secret opinion that Mouse on Mars have more in common with Can than Kraftwerk; check this CD's "Tubino See-Through" and try not to imagine the boys jamming in Inner Space studio! This album almost seems like a call to arms for all laptop producers to make more lively and less sterile records, but in fact, this is a collection of Lithops singles and EPs dating back as far as 1996 (plus unreleased tracks)! Strange that stuff from this long ago can still seem a step or two ahead of the game. [SM]

ETHNIC MINORITY MUSIC FROM NORTHEAST CAMBODIA
(Sublime Frequencies)

"Ayin/Ayon" Jarai

RADIO THAILAND
(Sublime Frequencies)

"Lam Barometer"

RADIO ALGERIA
(Sublime Frequencies)

"Disco Maghreb"

After the last batch of Sublime Frequencies came around, documenting not just North Korean agit-prop opera but also Iraqi beats, we knew that it would be hard to top it, just in terms of global 'hot spots.' While not as controversial this time, the insanely high quality of the SF series continues to astound us. This go around, there are some field recordings made along the NE part of Cambodia, near the Vietnam border. Four small tribal populations are featured here: the Tampoans, Krungs, Braos, and Jarai as their music verges on the brink of extinction as they further integrate into urban populations. These intimate recordings capture a vanishing tradition heavy on gongs and voice. One stunning selection here is about the most heart-rending love song we've heard in a while, despite our not understanding a word of it. A female voice and male guitarist improvise to devastating effect.

Radio Thailand is a two CD set that is hefty indeed. Culled from some 15 years worth of radio transmissions, it's a whiplash mash-up of everything the airwaves have to offer: commercials, twangy bubblegum, insane beat explosions, all intermixed with the native music of the Mo Lam, Luk Thung, and Kantrum. The overall effect is like being in a twister, with brilliant bits of pop, folk, and classical whizzing past your ears so fast there's little to hold onto. A whirlwind of a journey.

Somewhat less hectic is Radio Algeria. This is about as far West as SF has gone so far, capturing snatches of recording from this Mediterranean state. A Francophonic country, French is mixed into Arabic chants as well as strains of Berber folk, Andalusian orchestral maneuvers, and one of our favorite music forms, Rai. Nomadic sounds from the Tuareg and Saharaui also crop up, and with Rick Bishop manning the mics, he focuses often on these amazing instrumentalists. Such virtuousity offsets that telltale radio collage style that continues to make the Sublime Frequencies imprint a globetrotting head-trip. [AB]

Filmed on location in Thailand in 2004 by Robert Millis (Climax Golden Twins) and Richard Bishop, Ghosts of Isan captures the multicolor celebration that is Phi Ta Khon (described as "Mardi Gras from Hell" and "Thai Halloween"). The sound of Mo Lam, Thai country groove music, accompanies the vivid display of elaborate costumes, masks, strange rituals and ceremonies, dancing, and drinking. Seventy-five breathtaking minutes in radiant color, guaranteed to leave you wanting a vacation.

ALVARIUS B.
Alvarius B.
(Abduction)

"No One"

"Mosquito"

Having made what is arguably 2005's most incredible and affecting album (the vinyl-only Blood Operatives of the Barium Sunset), Sun City Girl Alan Bishop has seen fit to reissue the first installment of his side-project Alvarius B. to the digital realm, with four bonus tracks. Originally released in 1994, and never before available on CD, this one's sort of a stretch from the follow-up, but no less arresting. There aren't any vocals, but none are needed, as Bishop rolls through 32 acoustic improvisations, all recorded throughout the '80s on various tape decks. Heavily informed by pastoral folk, peg-twisting improvisation, the grace and scope of John Fahey, and the intrigue of Eastern musical forms, this disc is a powder keg of eminently listenable ideas and sketches, over before they start and subsumed into a compositional whole, discernable in pieces only by changes in recording quality. It's rare that a musical genius committed to a group can stretch out on his own without the results feeling too masturbatory or beyond the ken of listenability, but Bishop does it here, and with themes as blinding as they are sorrowful, too. A winner, front to back. [DM]

THE EVANGELICALS
So Gone
(Misra)

"Diving"

"Another Day"

"Here's one that took me by surprise." Why do I always think this about Misra releases? Some indie labels ironically bill themselves as being poised for world takeover, other labels ironically bill themselves as supporting underground culture (whatever that is anymore), all the while Misra keeps on quietly (too quietly!) delivering altogether amazing records from the likes of Shearwater and Centro-Matic, to name a few, that more often than not never get the glowing attention that they most assuredly deserve. Hopefully, that won't be the case with the label's latest release from the Oklahoma-hailing psych-pop trio, the Evangelicals. The group's debut, So Gone, is filled with catchy indie rock jams plagued by a severe case of Attention Deficit Disorder; tempos change mid-song, ballads become distortion-soaked rockers that become ballads again that become epic psych-rock freak outs. The result is a wonderfully addictive record that is roughly 100 times better than the new Flaming Lips joint -- even if the Evangelicals own sound is pretty indebted to the stuff the Lips were doing themselves before they met producer, Dave Fridmann. For fans of the Lips or Broken Social Scene or Grandaddy, this little album should not be missed. [HG]

BARDO POND
Ticket Crystals
(ATP)

"Destroying Angel"

"Isle"

Bardo Pond have been making psychedelic rock music for many a moon now. Maybe not since the dawn of brown acid, but long before "Freek Folk" was fodder for The New York Times, Bardo Pond were slowly unfurling their dense, disorienting wail on the world. The latest album, on All Tomorrow's Parties' in-house label, is a dark and lovely trip in itself, layered deep with John and Michael Gibbons' dual-guitar drone attack, heavy and sludgy while maintaining a looseness that belies the power within. Frontwoman Isobel Sollenberger manages to keep the tracks -- many clocking in at close to 10 minutes -- always just in focus, with her phased-out vocal sound and warped poetry. Behind the times or ahead of them, Bardo Pond are either way crafting timeless psychedelia a few steps ahead of the pack, and Ticket Crystals is full of fresh inspiration. [JM]

EDIP AKBAYRAM
Edip Akbayram
(Shadoks)

"Arabam Kaldi Yolda"

"Daglar Dagladi Beni"

Edip Akbayram is normally ranked with Erkin Koray and Baris Manco as one of the prime movers of Turkish psych. Having debuted in the early-'70s with a victory in what could be considered Turkey's take on the Eurovision song contest, and then filling out the ranks with his band Dostler, these two discs focus on the heaviest and funkiest selections from his first two albums and early singles. And what a monster this is -- having debuted right at the tail end of the Anatolian Pop movement, Akbayram and company were able to borrow more freely from past masters, and from Western head-sounds as the '60s got booted into the '70s, and music steeled itself into the harder, blues-based sounds of Zeppelin and Sabbath. That's not to say that Akbayram doesn't ride both sides of the fence -- there's plenty of psych here -- but his integration of the two forms with the popular sounds of Turkey is the most successful of the triumvirate. Akbayram's voice and delivery project an air of darkness and mystery, and his band shreds genre and multi-instrumental musical aptitude into a singular sound made to melt minds within its all-encompassing, sinuous buzz. Lush instrumentation, saturated production, and dizzying, complex arrangements make for a heavy sound that you've likely never heard before, and which record collectors are now falling over each other to obtain. And while it might be hard to fathom this sort of trip being imbued with catchy melodies and memorable songs, fear not. Once you let these songs wrap themselves around your earholes, that's where they're gonna stay. A faceful of saffron for the non-believers; Edip's the real deal, and this blazing reissue is completely vital listening. [DM]

FAUST
Faust IV
(Virgin)

"Krautrock"

"Giggy Smile"

I'm sure many of you reading this already own a copy of Faust's legendary fourth album; suffice to say this newly re-mastered reissue sounds far superior, reason alone for picking it up, not to mention the bonus disc. Originally released in 1974, Faust IV would be the German avant-rockers' last proper album for almost two decades. Though only releasing a handful of records over the course of four years, they would leave an indelible impression on music. Faust's adventurous studio explorations -- from music improvisations to their experiments with tape collage and electronics -- would go on to influence generations of musicians to come (e.g. the Fall, 23 Skidoo, Nurse With Wound, Stereolab, Olivia Tremor Control, Liars, etc.).

Compared to their earlier works, Faust IV is somewhat tempered, especially considering the cut-n-paste mayhem of its predecessor, Faust Tapes, but it's far from a straight-ahead record. The 12-minute instrumental opening track "Krautrock" is as sprawling as the title implies (surely the group was taking a playful piss on contemporaries like Can and Neu!), while "Just a Second" unexpectedly turns a bluesy, stoner rock jam into a strange, musique concrète-influenced workout -- think Black Sabbath meets Ash Ra Tempel meets Luc Ferrari. In contrast, the "The Sad Skinhead" is given a Teutonic reggae workout, seemingly plotting a course which post-punk bands like Scritti Politi would follow a half-a-decade later, and I wouldn't be surprised to find the Beta Band citing the whimsical "It's a Bit of a Pain" as an inspiration for any number of songs from their Three EPs-era. And I haven't even touched upon "Giggy Smile" yet, but let's just say that its rollicking Zappa/Beefheart-esque and proggy Canterbury-styled jamming effortlessly twists through jazzy interludes, and is a Faust masterpiece.

Those of you who bought the Wumme Years box set a while back will find the overlapping Peel Session tracks "Lurcher," "Krautrock," and "Do So" a bit of a redux, but there are also several great alternate mixes including an extended version of "Just a Second," as well as the ambient "Piano Piece" which never made the initial cut. Needless to say, Faust IV is an absolute touchstone in '70s German experimental rock (ahem…Krautrock), and still, in the year 2006, sounds ahead of its time. [GH]

LOCO DICE / RICARDO VILLALOBOS
Green & Blue
(Cocoon)

"Listen to Eddy" Bucci

"Keep On Turning Around" / "Kids in the Street"

Here’s a double-disc mix CD featuring Loco Dice and Ricardo Villalobos, recorded live at the Green & Blue Open Air party, where some danced and some “paddled in the pool to the rhythm of the music.” (New Yorkers just need to imagine an ideal version of PS1's summer parties with Loco Dice and Villalobos as the guest DJs.) We had to review this one with a CD’s worth of Villalobos in the mix...and being an outdoor, summer event, the Chilean-born producer delivers a decidedly uptempo, calypso-tech take. You can even hear people’s screams and whistles creeping into the mix here and there -- on the second CD, Roman's “Jeckle” really kills it (the crowd approval is most audible here) with a dark groove that cuts through the previous Motorcity dub of "Keep on Turning Around." Villalobos definitely lays into an outdoor version of his sound with Donnacha Costello's “Bear Bounces Back,” and kills it again with a beautiful mix into Tejada's “Infected.” More percolatin' house arrives with Sammy Dee and Guido Schneider's “Styleways” and Digitaline's “Rubicube.” (It's here that the mix heads into bubbly, finger-snap minimal house territory, conjuring an image of Villalobos on the beach, wearing Hawaiian print 'Jams'.) Darth Vega into Woody's “Put ‘em Up” is just ri-dick-a-lous -- a throbbing brain-splitter of a track.

I listened to Loco Dice's mix expecting it to be the less interesting of the two but it's equally well-programmed, and it might even be more engaging than the Villalobos side. It too has the poolside/lawn-jam/beachball vibe, but it actually lays into some deepness (bumpy Perlon house with Alexander East's “Beginning Weekend” and Reiky's “Fucky”) that keeps the minimal, warm chord house feel going with stabbing micro-vocal samples. The deep bits climb into more of a minimal Lipps Inc. thing (less retro minimal disco that's really fresh sounding!), but that's, of course, a good thing (Phillip Bader’s "Perry Rhodan," Traffic Signs’ "Infiltrate"), while Loco Dice's own “Jacuzzi Games” sets it up nicely for Konrad Black's killer “Medusa Smile” as the finale.

Green & Blue goes against the grain of “experimental, minimal techno mixes” very nicely and offers the lighter side of the scene without compromising quality. It's nice to imagine everyone dancing and smiling in bathing suits and sunglasses, not naked in body paint with pacifiers in their mouths. Since it's the first day of summer, maybe it's time to get out the inflatable water slide, put Green & Blue on the boombox and throw our own beach-themed techno parties…hmmm, not a bad idea. [SM]

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Studio One DJ's 2
(Soul Jazz)

"Fever Teaser" Dennis Alcapone

"Crab Walking" Prince Jazzbo

Ahhh, summer and Soul Jazz. As always, these choice selections will keep your BBQ hot. Studio One DJ's 2 continues the vocal assault established on the first installment, but this time more lesser-known names get their chance to toast on top of the sweet rhythms. (Check the opener, Dennis Alcapone's teaser of Horace Andy's "Fever.") Along with the great Alcapone, Prince Jazzbo and Lone Ranger, we also get a taste of the island's self-proclaimed royalty, King Stitt, King Cry Cry, and Prince Francis, among many others. It seems that producer / label-head (the late) Clement Dodd's vault of songs from Jamaican talent big and small was infinite; let's just hope those faithful Brits at Soul Jazz never find the end. [DG]

SENOR COCONUT
Yellow Fever
(Essay)

"Yellow Magic (Tong Poo)"

"Music Plans"

So let me get this straight. I'm reviewing a mambo album made by a German expatriate whose obsession with Latin culture led him to take up permanent residence in Chile? Wait a minute! These are all Yellow Magic Orchestra covers. Wasn't that the early-'80s electro band made up of Japanese guys obsessed with Latin exotica? My head hurts. Thankfully, this album isn't as much of a chore to listen to as it is to think about. If you're familiar with Atom Heart's "Senor Coconut" nom de plume, than you know to expect this kind of cultural mix-n-match tomfoolery. This follow-up to the hugely popular album of Kraftwerk mambo covers is a bit denser and features a bevy of high-profile collaborators (Towa Tei, Akufen, Nouvelle Vague) and guest appearances from all three members of YMO, Ryuichi Sakamoto included. You'll find a bit more glitch on this one, but it's all subtle and doesn't get in the way of the live mambo madness. Yellow Fever may not be as instantly accessible as the Kraftwerk stuff, but that's only because the YMO tunes aren't as well known. But that shouldn't stop you from purchasing this truly original take on the tired "tribute album" premise. If you're already a fan, you'll love it. For the uninitiated, this is exactly what your favorite summer day sounds like. Buy it and make that awesome sunny Saturday even awesomer..erer. [DH]

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Early Morning Hush: Gather in the Mushrooms 2
(Castle Music)

"The Skater" Midwinter

"Cherry Blossom Fool" Duncan Browne

So you don't necessarily need to be an avid reader of the Sunday New York Times to know that freak folk/acid folk/psych-folk/wyrd folk/folk revival/New Weird America is blowing up now faster than Britney Spears' jeans size. What that recent Times article did absolutely nail is the reverence for the past that all these new folksters have. Hermes even quotes Other Music's Michael Klausman, stating that, "We live in the age of the reissue." And that's dead on. In the past few years, there has been a glut of really influential reissues making the scene -- particularly of the folk variety, especially made between the years 1968 and 1976, and especially on the Sanctuary imprint, Castle Music. Thankfully, for those of you who have not been keeping track of all this stuff, or just needed rent money, or would rather be able to continue ordering decent wine at dinners with friends, Castle has put out two amazing comps collecting highlights from most of the essential old folk jams, and a couple out-of-print obscurities to make it impossible for all the jaded collectors to pass up. Gather in the Mushrooms converted the non-believers a while back, and now the more somber Early Morning Hush is its every bit as savory follow-up. If names like Shirley Collins or Pentangle or Steeleye Span are new to you, Hush is going to open up a whole new world of just outright life-changing music. However, if you're already familiar with those cats, Hush is worth picking up if only for Loudest Whisper's breathtaking ballad "Lir's Lament," or the especially pastoral Duncan Browne rarity, "Cherry Blossom Fool," or the raga-tinged cut "The Shaker" from Midwinter (who!?). There's even a rare track from Anne Briggs, who was basically to the folk revival what Cat Power is to indie rock: a cultish, tragic live performer who made a pair of absolutely unforgettable records -- records so earnest, un-ironic, and dare I say, real, it's no wonder legions of kids swear by their soundscapes, even if only a handful actually succeed at recapturing their magic. [HG]

VARIOUS ARTISTS
The New York Sound
(BGP)

"(You) Keep On Making Me Hot" Busta Jones

"Money (Dollar Bill Y'all)" Jimmy Spicer

This is another welcome collection of New York boogie from the early-'80s, a very interesting time in the history of modern soul music. Between the late-'70s until about 1983 or so, you see the disco backlash and the availability of affordable drum machines and the burgeoning hip-hop era collide to create an interesting strain of funk that was woefully underappreciated up until recent years. The last disco tune to have a major impact in the black community was Chic's "Good Times," and this became the model from which most R&B and then hip-hop took their sound from. The tempo was slowed down to about 90-100 BPMs, and the production became extremely minimal compared to the lavish sound of the mid-'70s disco era, with more emphasis on the bass lines. The drum sound got deeper and more compressed and the vocals were simpler and lot poppier. At the time, a lot of old school soul superstars became disillusioned with this stripped-down style because it was a stark contrast to the sound of old, and there was definitely a cookie cutter approach to many of the records. But these records have been highly-influential some 25 years later, because most current mainstream hip-hop have updated and even made a living sampling and rehashing these tunes (P. Diddy anyone?). You also hear how massively influential these records are in the underground neo-disco tunes from Metro Area, Lindstrom, Danny Wang and the like. Highlights of this collection include Fonda Rae and Rainbow Brown. This is some of my favorite music in the world. [DH]

Ø (MIKA VAINIO)
Tulkinta
(Sahko)

"Radium"

"Atomit"

The Sahko label has finally seen it fit to re-release one of the sickest minimal techno albums of 1997, the Tulkinta LP from Pansonic's Mika Vainio. (Tulkinta is actually a combination of two EPs fleshed out with some extra material.) Fans of his main project need to check this out to hear the dancefloor side of Pansonic, a side that is just as uncompromising as the starkest Mika/Ilpo release. Featuring all the analog fullness and granular organic quality, injected with a pure, un-ironic love for acid house, it's also the wellspring from which the killer Sleeparchive has culled much inspiration. Richie Hawtin is another oft-used reference point, but the early Vainio tracks are much more dynamic, both bigger and smaller with a neurosurgical precision to it that doesn't distract the deep acid funk coming from its roots. This stuff is minimal/clinical before it was cool to be and it shows in how it uses no unessential elements -- globular bass, Morse code melodies and static as vivid as pebbles ricocheting off the car windshield. (Once, as I listened to this while driving on the highway with a friend, the hyper-vivid static bits in "Radium" sounded so physical that it seemed like there actually were small rocks hitting the windshield!) The music is endlessly inventive, both painfully minimal and huge enough to fill an imaginary superclub. I say imaginary because I doubt that in 1997 these tracks made it very far past the sound systems of underground clubs and home stereos. To me, the standout producers of today are getting back to basics while adding their own signature touches to things. So while this reissue is long overdue, the timing seems perfect for the re-release of this gem as well as the other Sahko reissues we've been seeing. One of my all time favorites. [SM]

LOU HARRISON
Chamber & Gamelan Works
(New World)

"Concerto in Slendro [Allegro]"

Staggeringly beautiful compositions from the enigmatic Lou Harrison, a near perfect introduction to his large body of work. Emphasis is on the gamelan-inspired chamber music and the medieval-influenced string pieces, the latter of which are more than ably performed by the Kronos Quartet. Impeccable.

TINA BRITT
Blue All the Way
(Stateside)

"I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know"

Blue All the Way is heavy on covers (only one original) but Sue Records label head Juggy Murray's gritty, down home production touch combined with Tina Britt's powerful delivery makes this ubiquitous, as she tears through deep versions of songs originally recorded by Billie Holiday, Otis Redding, Don Covay, and many others. Twenty tracks in total, three previously unreleased.

THIS WEEK'S CONTRIBUTORS

[AB] Adrian Burkholder
[JC] JoAnn Colagiacomi
[DG] Daniel Givens
[HG] Hartley Goldstein
[GH] Gerald Hammill
[DH] Duane Harriott
[JM] Josh Madell
[DM] Doug Mosurock
[SM] Scott Mou


THANKS FOR READING
- all of us at Other Music