FEATURED NEW RELEASES
Markus Guentner
Celluloid Years (Various Artists)
Band of Horses
Lagos Chop Up (Various Artists)
Lagos All Routes (Various Artists)
Storsveit Nix Noltes
Madlib
Liars
Loose Fur
Television Personalities

Ms. John Soda
Sparks

ALSO AVAILABLE:
Animal Collective (CD Single w/DVD)
Roots Manuva
Ursula 1000
Idol Tryouts 2 (Ghostly Comp.)
Essex Green

COMPLETE LIST OF THIS WEEK'S NEW ARRIVALS

MARKUS GUENTNER
Lovely Society
(Ware)

"Options 2" (Ziggy Kinder Remix)

"On My Mind"

We already knew that Markus Guentner was wearing a couple of musical hats by way of his shimmering atmospheric productions which he crafted for Kompakt's Pop Ambient series (not to mention two incendiary Gas-inspired full-lengths for the same label), and conversely, his more beat oriented 12"s and 2003's Audio Island, all released on the Ware label. While in this German producer's hands, these elements aren't exactly disparate--witness the perfect marriage of ambient and deep techno in his 1981 album--Guentner obviously had an eye on the dancefloor for much of the making of his newest record. It's not that I thought him to be a two-trick pony, but Lovely Society is more encompassing stylistically than what I'd previously heard from him, with poppy-tech tracks that are guaranteed to get a party shaking (the Ziggy Kinder remix of "Options 2") as well as some introspective minimal house like "All the Time" which features a lovely airy vocal loop from Heiko Badge. Not to worry, Guentner still washes the productions with his warm gauzy textures; cuts like "Something About You" and "Never Want to Stop Playing That Game" seem to be custom-made for both toe-tapping and/or sinking deep into your living room couch. Definitely one of my favorite techno releases as of late, I'm willing to bet money that J Dennis will be spinning some tracks off of Lovely Society during next week's Other Music party at APT. [GH]

"Escapades of Futura 2000" Futura 2000 w/ The Clash

"Home of Hip-Hop" D.St

Alongside stellar '80s record labels like Ze, 99, and On-U Sound, Celluloid's stated mission was simple: "Put together musicians who have no business being together." Headed by Bill Laswell, the NYC imprint really did bring together who's who talents from the diverse worlds of hip-hop, electro, improv, dub, funk, spoken word, punk and turntablism. Across this two-CD set, The Celluloid Years outlines the underground cross-pollination of New York, London, Africa and France, circa 1982 to 1985. In various incarnations we get the musical experiments of graffiti artists Fab Five Freddy and Futura 2000 (who also designed many of the label's 12" covers and is featured here chatting on top of a funk groove provided by the Clash), turntable wizardry from Grandmixer D.St, the African electro-funk of Manu Dibango, dubby noise of Laswell (with and without Material), social conscious tales from the Last Poets, electro masterminds Afrika Bambaataa and DMX, and the re-pairing of Jimi Hendrix and Buddy Miles with Lightnin' Rod. Other notables hidden in the production credits are Francois Kevorkian, Bernie Worrell, Olu Dara, Bernard Fowler, Wally Badarou, and John Lydon. Wow, that's a mouthful. The 21 extended mixes presented here are the proof in the pudding, so to speak--edgy, gritty, otherworldly, danceable, and still inspiring. Like a bombed-out train across the Queens bridge, Celluloid Years will take you back in time to the rough, rumbling and creatively diverse streets of New York. If you're a fan of NYC's Wild Style/Warriors/Style Wars-era, you need this. Classic outsider beats and grooves finally get a fresh look. [DG]

$13.99 CD

"The First Song"

"The Funeral"

In 2004, Band Of Horses rose from the ashes of Northwest staples Carissa's Wierd and haven't looked back since. After touring and releasing an EP themselves, they have since signed to Sub Pop and delivered this gorgeous debut full-length, Everything All the Time. Guitarist/vocalist Ben Bridwell and bassist Mat Brooke have a chemistry that is not evident in most new bands around today, no doubt attributed to playing together for well over a decade in their previous group. Band of Horses create beautiful reverb-drenched, country-tinged pop songs that are a perfect combination of the Shins, My Morning Jacket, and Flaming Lips. This is not to dismiss them as imitators; it's just the closest comparison. For example, a song like "Part One" would not be out of place on MMJ's At Dawn album, with its finger-picked acoustic guitars and country vibe. On the other hand, Band of Horses' "Wicked Gil" is a brilliant pop anthem that recalls the aforementioned Shins at their best. I even hear a little Sunny Day Real Estate in the instrumentation of "The First Song;" its shimmering guitars and slow build to a climax is guaranteed to make an emo boy weep. "The Funeral" is definitely one of my favorites, with its "ooh-ooohs" and catchy guitar chords--it's a track that starts like the Flaming Lips before kicking in to a heavy, Built to Spill-styled jam. The song seriously has me nodding my head every time.

Another major plus to this album is the incredible production by the brilliant Phil Ek, who in my mind should be the honorary third member of Band of Horses. Ek is a genius behind the board and has produced some of my favorite groups with a track record that includes Modest Mouse, Built to Spill and the Shins; needless to say, this record sounds incredible. I cannot give enough praise to this album and the band in general; Everything All the Time has been in my CD player for a few months now and I've played it just about every day. Just take a few minutes and listen to the sound samples while you read some of the other reviews below, and then go buy this album. You will not regret it! Hands down, one of the finest debuts of the year. [JS]

Chop Up
$15.99 CD




All Routes
$15.99 CD

"Sir Shina Adewale" Awa Ni Superstars

"Soffry Soffry Catch Monkey" Ikenga Super Stars of Africa

"Sowambe" Sagbeni Aragbada

"Omo Mi Gbo Temi" Kollington Ayinla

Though we've been exposed to the Ethiopiques series, and acquainted with Fela Kuti, Tony Allen and King Sunny Ade via reissue efforts, most of us haven't been privy to a wider understanding of African musicians of a less-than-international status. Honest Jons' two new compilations, focusing on the music of Nigeria's capital, Lagos, from the 1960s to early 1980s, take strides in bridging that gap. Five different styles of music--highlife, Afro-beat, fuji, apala, and juju--are covered here, mingling the popular with the personal, the folk with the taught, big bands with street groups, the pop song and the prayer. The liner notes to these collections are identical; they describe methods behind each style of music, give some brief historical information, but that's it. Much the same way Blur's Damon Albarn, presenter of these two releases (and from his involvement with this label, probably one of the more benevolent Britpop stars to the music world), had to learn about these records upon purchasing them, so do we as listeners. It also serves to show how these styles of music coexist and blend with one another; witness Kollington Ayinla's breathlessly polyrhythmic turn on Lagos Chop Up, matched on Lagos All Routes by its sultry, galloping counterpart, brought to the stage with modal, bell-like electric piano. It's impossible to recommend one of these over the other, as they're at an equal and balanced level of quality. No better views on the stylistic history of Nigerian pop music exist, and if they do, they're not going to be as easy to come by and immediately satisfying as these two. [DM]

"Daichovo"

"Griska Lagid"

This is not the kind of music one expects to come from Reykjavik. Comprised of anywhere between seven to a dozen players at any given moment (including Mùm's Kristin Anna Valtysdottir), Icelandic collective Storsveit Nix Noltes may come from the land of glaciers, elves and Bjork, but theirs is the sound of Bulgarian folk music. While simultaneously, gypsy punk may have exploded here in NYC thanks to Gogol Bordello and the like, Storsveit Nix Noltes seem to be more grounded in their approach, free of irony and cartoon showmanship, instead creating music that is all at once filled with drama, whimsy and just enough shambolic experimentation in their interpretations of Eastern European traditionals to keep things loose and interesting. Word has it Storsveit Nix Noltes stole the show at the FatCat showcase during last week's SXSW, and they're opening for Animal Collective in NYC this weekend. So if you've got a ticket, make sure that you get there in time to catch their set. [GH]

MADLIB
Beat Konducta Vol. 1 & 2: Movie Scenes
(Stones Throw)

"The Payback (Gotta)"

"Pyramids (Change)"

Following the excellent soul reedit extravaganza of the late J Dilla's Donuts, Stones Throw calls on Madlib for the sequel. Beat Konducta Movie Scenes Vol. 1 & 2: Movie Scenes is a collection of 35 tracks styled very much like J Dilla's masterpiece, but with the unmistakable Madlib stamp. One-to-two minute snatches of beats, loops, samples and live playing are strung together to create a thumping, minimal yet layered, soulful mix. These are beats that Madlib would give to potential collaborators like Jay Dee, MF Doom, MED, Melvin Van Peebles and Dudley Perkins. Rumor is that some of these might reappear on later releases with vocals; but on their own they show Madlib at his most playful. No doubt you're familiar with this style of psych-soul-ploitation; here he imagines interludes for what would be a sinister futuristic tale of back-stabbing, love, gambling, out-smarting the man, etc. If Donuts satisfied your sweet-beat tooth, then let the Beat Konductor direct you to your next tasty treat. A cinematic experience, looser than Madvillian or Quasimoto, and just as weird and funky, even without an MC. [DG]

LIARS
Drums Not Dead
(Mute)

"Be Quiet Mt. Heart Attack"

"A Visit from Drum"

From New York City's Class of '01 rock bands --out of a berth wide enough to include the Strokes, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Radio 4, Black Dice, and the Rapture, among others--Liars became the de facto whipping post for all the change this period of music instigated, good or bad. Eschewing the sporty dance rhythms that made them known in favor of loose, haunted noise experiments on They Were Wrong, So We Drowned (and ditching their original rhythm section, now playing in NYC's n0 things, in the process), Liars became pariahs of critics and a scene which had placed expectations on them, which the band had no intention of filling. Their live shows approached untold ferocity, bowling over those whose minds were open enough to see past the red ink. Alas, with middle fingers extended, the group retreated to different parts of the world (namely, Berlin and Los Angeles) and patiently revisited their creative processes.

Drums Not Dead is the result of that experience, and it brings along brave measures of tension and minimalism the band was never known for until now. Ostensibly a concept album, it's the first Liars record that demands your undivided attention all the way through, as its songs crash and bleed into one another with thunderous drums against quavering drones. The easiest description of where they've headed on this, their third full-length, is chiming, martial mid-'80s Sonic Youth crosscut with the pagan pummel of Crash Worship, or the collapsing-in-motion dynamics of Storm&Stress coupled with the post-industrial street corner life buzz of TV on the Radio; but it's not that easy of a record to pin down. Largely reconvened around percussion and the dynamics of the human voice, the group has made something unlike any of its previous efforts, with clean sound, a performance mode free from traditional song structures, and the most lucid head ever on its shoulders. What you get here are bold movements of a musical battle between creativity and doubt (one which we can assume was foisted upon them by the public), smaller ideas built up and blown out to threatening, monster-beneath-the-bed proportions, which sound fresh and exciting even in their more familiar passages. The DVD includes three 45-minute visual interpretations of the entire album, made by filmmaker Markus Wambganss, and band members Angus Andrew and Julian Gross. [DM]

LOOSE FUR
Born Again in the USA
(Drag City)

"Hey Chicken"

"Apostolic"

Okay, it's a scruffy sort of supergroup, with Wilco's Jeff Tweedy and Glenn Kotche (a classical percussionist in his own right, as his recent Nonesuch disc make clear) jamming with uber-producer Jim O'Rourke, but even with a cast-off and casual feel to the proceedings, this trio embodies slack in a way that J.R. Bob Dobbs could really get behind and appreciate. Loading up with bagfuls of riffs, licks, and snips of lyrics in the studio, the boys just jammed as many parts and changes in as they could, and we'll be damned if this doesn't touch on '70s sounds like Steely Dan, Thin Lizzy, Sparks, obscure Italian prog, Cali country, Bread-soft pop, and Foghat, sometimes within the same tune. And when in doubt, they employ the cowbell to take it all over the edge. (As a sidenote, those interested should peep their video for lead-off rocker "Hey Chicken," which cobbles together footage from Power Rangers to hilarious effect.) [AB]

TELEVISION PERSONALITIES
My Dark Places
(Domino)

"She Can Stop Traffic"

"Hope You're Happy Now"

First Television Personalities album in 11 years, and it's been a long and, perhaps unintentionally, winding road for Dan Treacy. Responsible for some of the greatest DIY pop/punk records of the late-'70s/early-'80s ("And Don't the Kids Just Love It", "Mummy You're Not Watching Me", "The Painted Word"), Treacy battled addiction, homelessness and legal troubles for years, and ended up on a prison boat outside of London in 2004. Thanks to family, friends and a small but extremely dedicated fanbase, Treacy cleaned himself up and raised enough money to begin recording what would become My Dark Places.

As is the case with almost any Television Personalities record, especially the later ones, My Dark Places is heartbreaking and self-deprecating yet tongue-in-cheek and upbeat, although this one definitely veers toward the former (check "Sick Again" and "I Hope You're Happy Now"). Always a master at borrowing and referencing pop culture, the eerie "Ex-Girlfriend Club" unexpectedly paraphrases Althea & Donna's "Uptown Top Ranking" and on another track Treacy loots an old TVP's song for lyrics. The strangest and one of the best tracks on the album is "Velvet Underground" where Treacy sings of VU as the World's 8th wonder over a piano-based boogie-woogie romp ("Don't sit under the apple tree with anyone but Lou Reed"). Musically, My Dark Places runs the gamut from piano ballads and weird drum machine experiments to uptempo mod pop, and is a must for the initiated. Beginners might want to check out the earlier albums first and then return to this one, as it's another perfectly illogical piece in Dan Treacy's puzzle. Props to Domino for spending all that Franz Ferdinand and Arctic Monkeys cash in all the right places. [AB]

MS. JOHN SODA
Notes and the Like
(Morr Music)

"A Nod on Hold"

"Scan the Ways"

While I was hoping for another rock-out moment like "Go Check," off of Ms. John Soda's first full-length No P. or D., the group's latest, Notes and the Like, doesn't deliver in that regard. But as far as evolution, the sophomore release from the super-duo of Micha Acher (Notwist/Tied & Tickled Trio) and Stefanie Böhm (Couch) goes for a little more variety in style and production, while staying true to the pretty electro-pop sounds that put Morr Music on the map. Sweet, melancholic songs like "A Nod on Hold" and "A Million Times" are filled with the signature mix of skittering electronics and acoustic instruments so prevalent in the duo's aforementioned music projects, only here the string arrangements are richer than before, adding to the drama already cast by Böhm's lovely, detached vocals. It's not exactly chamber-electronica, but you can't help but think of Iceland's Mùm. Notes and the Like isn't all down-tempo, however. "No. One" doesn't let up on the melancholy, but the song picks up the album's pace with its swinging electro beat and Peter Hook-styled bass-lines, while Böhm's daydream melodies and the bedroom electronics of "Outlined View" is reminiscent of labelmates Lali Puna's recent work. Not exactly the awaited follow-up to Neon Golden, but definitely an album that will keep us happily at bay until the next Notwist record. [GH]

SPARKS
Hello Young Lovers
(In the Red)

"Dick Around"

"Here Kitty"

For all their striking (and hilarious) album art of the '70s, some three decades into their career, Sparks has created their cutest cover ever with a field of fluffy bunnies. Yes, the Brothers Mael are older, wiser, and no longer the underwear models they once were in their youth, yet Hello Young Lovers finds them in fine mettle, wit, and form. Perhaps Viagra is to blame, but they are randy as all get-out here, impishly blending military maneuvers as pick-up lines, reciting ex-lovers' perfumes, beckoning at kittens, and generally dicking around. Sonically, it's close to their previous Lil Beethoven, but with touches of glam, grandeur, and glitz that has made them seem ageless, even after all these years. [AB]

ANIMAL COLLECTIVE
Grass
(FatCat)

"Fickle Cycle"

Limited pressing of Animal Collective's "Grass," a single from 2005's Feels, with two non-album tracks, the lysergic "Must Be Treeman" and live favorite, "Fickle Cycle." The DVD includes videos for the title track, "Who Could Win a Rabbit" and an exclusive clip for "Fickle Cycle." Also features a six minute video/sound collage by Gang Gang Dance's Brian DeGraw.

ROOTS MANUVA
Alternately Deep
(Big Dada)

"Double Drat"

Alternately Deep is a further exploration of the sharp and shiny, digital-dubby hip-hop productions that filled Roots Manuva's Awfully Deep album. Most of the dozen tracks are previously unreleased, including b-sides, alternative mixes, and a few cuts that were only available as downloads until now. Witty and dark, the UK rapper could be the UK's LL Cool J--whose last name is also Smith--only Manuva came from the islands, not Queens.

URSULA 1000
Here Comes Tomorrow
(Eighteenth Street Lounge)

"Electrik Boogie"

Another brilliantly warped sonic adventure from Alex Gimeno! With his third Ursula 1000 album, Here Comes Tomorrow, the NYC producer/DJ continues to meld hip-hop, jazz, electro, Latin, funk, bossa nova, and a whole lot more into an original swinging production. Features guests like Cristina (Ze Records), Los Amigos Invisibles, Tower of Power and members of Gentle People.

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Idol Tryouts Two
(Ghostly International)

"Spin Cycle" Solvent

"Umbra" Loscil

The follow-up to Ghostly International's 2003 released Idol Tryouts compilation. Exclusive tracks from the electronic label's diverse roster are featured on two CDs. Titled "Avant-pop," disc-one includes artists like Solvent, Matthew Dear, Skeletons & the Girl-Faced Boys, Daniel Wang, Lawrence, and more. The second disc is mysteriously named "SMM," emphasizing texture and melodic nuances with familiar faces like Loscil, Lucine, Richard Divine and Greg Davis. The two CDs contain 27 tracks in all.

ESSEX GREEN
Cannibal Sea
(Merge)

"Cardinal Points"

The third full-length from Essex Green finds the Brooklyn band delivering a collection of wanderlust songs, eyeing calm retreats from big city life. The band pulls from a classic pop songbook, with influences from the Byrds to the Mamas and the Papas that can be heard throughout their lovely vocal harmonies and timeless music.

THIS WEEK'S CONTRIBUTORS

[AB] Adrian Burkholder
[DG] Daniel Givens
[GH] Gerald Hammill
[AK] Andreas Knutsen
[DM] Doug Mosurock
[JS] Jeremy Sponder


THANKS FOR READING
- all of us at Other Music