FEATURED NEW RELEASES
Yo La Tengo
Junior Boys
Dead Moon
Grizzly Bear
The Rapture
OOIOO
Dani Siciliano
Arthur Russell
Xiu Xiu
Rafael Toral
Ryan Teague
The Gentle Rain
Woven Hand
Nicolay
Catfish Haven

ALSO AVAILABLE
Mouse on Mars
Pinback
Magnolia Electric Co.

I'm From Barcelona
Benni Hemm Hemm
Master Musicians of Joujouka
Mono & World's End Girlfriend
Page France
The Low Lows
Basement Jaxx
The Brazilian Girls
Richard Buckner
Album Leaf
Favourite Sons
Black Keys
UNKLE
Indian Jewelry


DOMESTIC PRESSING
TV on the Radio

COMPLETE LIST OF THIS WEEK'S NEW ARRIVALS

YO LA TENGO
I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass
(Matador)

"Beanbag Chair"

"The Room Got Heavy"

I have been laughing at the title of this album since I first heard about it. The album just finished playing, and I'm still laughing. Yo La Tengo tries on open-chested white soul, busted barroom boogaloo, dancepunk, Vince Guaraldi, Appaloosa, Mogwai, the Poppy Family, and the Strawberry Alarm Clock. They're better than any of that stuff. Well, as good as the Poppy Family. And Vince. And Appaloosa. Mogwai, too. We know that already. Back to the record. Seriously, all but about four or five songs on here, and you'd have had to tell me who this band was. This is the kind of record you listen to in a dream, where every song is bizarrely out of sync with another, but you have to deal with it because that's what it is: crazy dream-record. There was really no way to guess that YLT would summon the audacity to pull this off, but they do it. It's perfect, one huge and worthwhile surprise after another. I'm laughing in amazement. [DM]

JUNIOR BOYS
So This Is Goodbye
(Domino)

"In the Morning"

"Double Shadow"

In mid-2004, Junior Boys seemed to appear out of nowhere and floored everyone with their futuristic brand of electro pop. The duo of Jeremy Greenspan and Johnny Dark created an astonishing album filled with dance rhythms and melodies to die for. Last Exit took its cues from OMD, Kraftwerk, Timbaland, the Neptunes, and Depeche Mode. Well, fast forward to 2006 and Johnny Dark, the man that programmed many of the mindblowing beats on Last Exit, is gone but Greenspan has recruited a new partner in Matthew Didemus, and created an album that completely refines the sound that the Junior Boys had explored with their first record. Gone are the stuttering beats and distorted electronics, only to be replaced by crystalline rhythms and Greenspan's subtle vocal delivery. This time out they have kept everything simple and created some of the best pop songs you will hear all year. It is a perfect step forward for the duo because there is not a track on the album that won't stick in your head and stay with you for the rest of the day. Songs like "Double Shadow" and "In the Morning" are perfect electro pop anthems that sound just as good in the bedroom as they do on the dancefloor. Forget about the rest of the dance rock electro pop hybrids that came out this year and get yourself into this. [JS]

DEAD MOON
Echoes of the Past
(Sub Pop)

"Poor Born"

"It's OK"

DEAD MOON
Unknown Passage: The Dead Moon Story
(Magic Umbrella Films)

By any account, this is a banner week for Fred Cole. After 40-plus years toiling in the rock and roll trenches, self-releasing homemade vinyl albums, traveling the country and the world from bar to bar in a beat-up cargo van on bald tires, one gig ahead of a day job, things finally seem to be going his way. With a double-CD best-of from his current band (the 20-year-old Dead Moon, with a permanent line-up of wife Toody on bass and Andrew Loomis on drums) out on the legendary Sub Pop Records, and a feature-length documentary released on DVD, he may be poised to finally get the recognition he deserves. The funny thing is, I don't think he gives a f**k.

Cole may be best known for a track that appeared on the original "Nuggets" compilation by his mid-to-late-'60s punk-psych group Lollipop Shoppe, but his "professional" resume begins a few years before that, and in his late-fifties today, he is still spitting blood and sweat and hot lead, making music as fierce and vital and primal and ROCK AND ROLL as anyone before or since. This guy breathes fire and, until the end, he does it his own way with no apologies. Dead Moon albums take the DIY aesthetic to new lows: issued on LP only on the band's own Tombstone Records (with CDs released by Music Maniac in Europe, where the band is huge) with pasted together and hand-scrawled black and white cover art dominated by the group's fierce moon-skull logo. The only thing more primitive than the packaging is the music inside. Recorded at their home studio, in a sprawling log cabin in the woods outside Portland that Fred built himself from the ground up (both the house and the studio), battered gear overloads their tape machine. (According to Loomis, the band rarely uses more than 5 tracks on their 8-track…"Why would we need more?") Cutting their own masters on the lathe that cut the Kingsmen's "Louie Louie," the songs rarely explore more than three chords, and they seethe with emotion and anger that connects them to the true heart of punk rock.

But those trappings, while essential to the force that is Dead Moon, only scratch the surface. You could only get away with making records that look this bad and sound this raw with an ace (of spades) up your sleeve, and with Cole's epic songwriting, razor-wire guitar attack and unforgettable wail, they have that and more. They may be grandparents (seriously, their grandson often runs the merch table at gigs), but Cole's songs still make you want to run away from home, punch your boss, wreck your car, or simply live your life without compromise. There are hints of Roky Erickson, the Seeds, the Stooges, Dylan, and many others in their music; this is simple-minded raw rock and roll, not groundbreaking or new, but far from "retro" or "classic", just honest, original and fierce. The Sub Pop collection, with 49 tracks selected by Cole spanning the band's career, is essential.

The film was directed by Jason Summers and Kate Fix, and this DVD, with 90 minutes of bonus extras, marks the first real release after a small festival tour last year. The filmmakers followed the band on several tours in the States and Europe, and besides riveting live footage, they were privy to countless hours of late-night storytelling about Cole's history, starting at 15 as "Deep Soul Cole" and covering just about the entire history of underground rock and roll, but moreover telling the fascinating story of Fred and Toody and their single-minded quest to live free. From their near-disastrous stint homesteading in the Yukon to launching their first label in the early-'70s to building (literally) their own instrument-store/general-store mini-mall from the ground up in Clackamas, Oregon, the only constants have been their love, and their love of rock and roll. Hear this record, watch this movie, follow your dreams, and screw anyone who tells you different. [JM]

GRIZZLY BEAR
Yellow House
(Warp)

"Easier"

"Central and Remote"

While we were way into Horn of Plenty, the lonesome lo-fi debut from Edward Droste's bedroom recording project, Grizzly Bear, it was always tempered by the fact that upon release of said music, the band had already become a four-person entity, their sound naturally expanded into something far different from their roots. But who knew what the next record would sound like? And after it was announced that it would be released by Warp, that venerable electronic imprint, our heads were getting scratched double-time.

Suffice to say that now there's no scalp to scratch, as Yellow House has completely blown our minds. We knew the group had an attuned ear for group harmonies and discreet, devastating embellishment, but this is a quantum leap forward in all aspects, a type of studio maturity and songwriting acumen we really were not expecting so soon from this Brooklyn quartet. Their first disc brought comparisons to Sufjan Stevens and Animal Collective, but while we cannot for the life of us hear that sterile, overwrought cleverness so infused in the former, Yellow House displays the same type of emotive power and sonic sureness as the latter's Feels album. Add to it a broad acoustic dynamic that evokes someone like Van Dyke Parks' earliest works as well as the sonic subterfuge that This Heat was capable of (think of their slower, more dour moments) and you have an idea of what Grizzly Bear is up to at present. Not just one of the year's biggest surprises, simply one of 2006's best. Highly recommended. [AB]

THE RAPTURE
Pieces of the People We Love
(Universal)

"Get Myself Into It"

"Pieces"

"Well, people don't dance no more/They stand there just like this/They cross their arms and stare you down/And drink and moan and diss." Thus speaks Mattie Safer on this, the third Rapture album, and whether it's an assault on latter-day backlash, or a lament of the scene from what was really only a few years back, it's important in knowing that these guys have come back and made something more technically advanced and much brighter than the bulk of their brooding, mournful Echoes. I'm sure that certain clubs and DJs are waiting for the dozens of remixes that will inevitably fall out of Pieces of the People We Love, but don't forget the actual songs behind this thing, which up-ratchets the minimal pound of previous singles to massive Yacht Rockian vocal breakdowns (the opener "Don Gon Do It," sophisticated disco work-ups ("Get Myself Into It"), Britpop-blessed fashion runway romps like the title track, or loose-limbed Happy Mondays-esque sway ("Down For So Long"), yet never lets the crowd forget that there's a sharp post-punk band at the center of all this ("The Devil," "Live in Sunshine.") As the first of the DFA's initial groups to move in with other producers -- in this case, Paul Epworth and Danger Mouse -- the Rapture had more to prove with this album than most bands in their weight class, and they do so with enthusiasm and confidence, making sure that they're aware of what you're saying, and replying in kind. Very highly recommended. [DM]

OOIOO
Taiga
(Thrill Jockey)

"UJA"

"ATS"

Yoshimi's girl gang known as OOIOO have a new album out called Taiga. While their last record, Kiila Kiila, had a breezy mellowness to it, Taiga comes across as a busier, childlike tropicalia-funk jam. It has all the elements we expect from an OOIOO record: chanty, sometimes yelled vocals in imaginary languages, kindergarten funkiness and world music in a blender influences, electric and acoustic sounds mixed to create a brightly lit rainforest atmosphere. The “Katamari Damacy” vibe is still there too. Maybe it's the recent live Boredoms set that's to blame, but there is more "drumminess" to this album, with lots of different percussion all over; real and synthesized. It's funky in an unforced way, groovin' and fun (check "ATS," it rules.) The album even opens with an OOIOO-ized, multi-drum kit jam. "UMO" needs to get sampled by some modern Baile Funk producer, with lots of breezed-out guitar solos winding through the drums. OOIOO are steppin it up with this one and it works. Cool record. [SM]

DANI SICILIANO
Slappers
(!K7)

"Slappers"

"Too Young"

The second full-length from Dani Siciliano finds her designing a quirky, crisp, minimal and tight set of her own songs, aided by the production talents of husband Matthew Herbert. The title Slappers perfectly describes the overall atmosphere; sharp and wet organic sounds slap the speakers while her unique voice whispers and coos in your ear. Not unlike the work of Bjork, whom Herbert has also created sonic palettes for, Siciliano's work is rich, intricate, and poppy. Her musical start as a jazz vocalist and DJ also helps her expand and connect her eclectic tastes. Organic and found sounds make up the source material that is then reshaped and constructed into the backbone of the songs, and lyrically, titles like "Be My Producer" and "Why Can't I Make You High" give a little glimpse into her off-kilter yet easily accessible world. A refreshing voice and producer riding the line between pop and experimental. [DG]

ARTHUR RUSSELL
Springfield
(Audika)

"Springfield"

Drawing from an unreleased album entitled, Corn, this EP collection from Arthur Russell leans more towards his disco-not-disco releases. The focus here is primarily on a piece called "Springfield," which comes in three versions: original, detail, and a remix by production duo DFA, with lots of drum machine lead exercises in moving beyond the tag of "disco." Though not as obvious as some of the tracks from the Soul Jazz collection, World of Arthur Russell, this is a fine companion piece of more subtle late night jams. Includes an alternate version of one of his classics, "Let's Go Swimming," as well as several previously unreleased songs. A short and sweet journey into intimate and (slightly) danceable territory. [DG]

XIU XIU
The Air Force
(5RC)

"Boy Soprano"

"Save Me Save Me"

Inhabiting the previously barren land between the realms of Mark Hollis, Yoko Ono and Radiohead, Xiu Xiu's The Air Force is a deep record that is not easy to distill in a few sentences, or a few listens. Its heart lies in Jamie Stewart's sad and twisted poetry and raw emotional vocal delivery, but its soul is in the rich yet restrained production from Deerhoof's Greg Saunier (with Stewart and Caralee McElroy). For an album with so much going on -- burbling electronics, cinematic orchestration, stark acoustics, skittering percussion, spoken word and much more -- The Air Force soars effortlessly through its self-constructed universe, and it beckons you to step inside. Charged with an uninhibited and often uncomfortable sexuality, painfully lonely and maladjusted, Xiu Xiu have crafted a world where they are free to be, and it's a remarkably welcoming place. [JM]

RAFAEL TORAL
Space
(Staubgold)

This is unreal -- Toral, stepped fully out of his Loveless phase, hauls off and invents this new style of electronic structured improv that's so close to the sound, textures, and phrasing of Euro free jazz, you'd almost imagine there'd have to be five bald old men on a stage somewhere, twittering away to the sounds of their own heads. But no, Toral maintains some really choice, dignified, and inspired moments all throughout Space, a five-part crawl from oblique and haunted Bill Dixon-esque passages, to round-toned chill-out sessions, to sputtering outbursts worthy of electric Miles or Don Ellis, all strung together in a pace that engrosses even passive listening experience. Unlike anything I've heard in years, and essential to check out. [DM]

RYAN TEAGUE
Coins and Crosses
(Type)

"Coins and Crosses"

"Seven Keys"

Cambridge's Ryan Teague caught us off-guard with last year's EP, Six Preludes, but his full-length debut is both a quiet stunner and a grandiose achievement. His ear is finely attuned to movie soundtracks as well as laptop manipulators like Tim Hecker and Ekkehard Ehlers, taking simple motifs and stretching them over broad canvasses to greatest effect. This time, he enlists the Cambridge Philharmonic as well as harpist Rhodri Davies and layers these sources until something new emerges. Names like Debussy, Eno, and Johan Johannsson bubble to mind, but Teague stands on his own, and Coins & Crosses conjures the perfect soundtrack for whatever film you have spooling in your head. [AB]

THE GENTLE RAIN
Moody
(Sunbeam)

"Use Me"

"Gonna Make You an Offer You Can't Refuse"

This is yet another lost leftfield beatdigger classic for the heads. The Gentle Rain was the brainchild of a young British arranger named Nick Ingman and was marketed as one of those hip instrumental easy listening audiophile albums that were all the rage during the swingin' early-'70s. What Mr. Ingman and a bevy of ace sessionmen (including Alan Hawkshaw and Kenny Wheeler) produced was a psychedelic jazz fusion classic that sounded like it should be sold alongside Bitches Brew and Deodato's Prelude instead of Percy Faith and Woody Herman. There is absolutely no kitsch factor here, folks. Almost every track features thick basslines, killer spacey Moog, courtesy of Ingman himself, and enough breaks to supply Madlib and Pete Rock with a year's worth of sampling material. Highlights include the spooky take on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and the psychedelic trumpet/wah wah fuzz guitar workout of "Family Affair." This is one of the sexiest instrumental records ever made and it hasn't been easy to find, an original vinyl copy of this album can set you back as much as $300. I paid $85 for my copy (yeesh!!), so this is a steal. Fans of David Axelrod, Jean Claude Vannier, Isaac Hayes and Johnny Harris' Fragments album should pick this up ASAP! [DH]

WOVEN HAND
Mosaic
(Sounds Familyre)

"Winter Shaker"

"Dirty Blue"

Fans of David Eugene Edwards earlier Woven Hand releases, as well as his previous incarnation as 16 Horsepower, should be quite pleased, if not surprised, by the new album Mosaic. Edwards has delivered another dark, swirling moan of a record, led by his haunted Nick Cave-inspired baritone and fleshed out with lovely acoustic guitar strums, brushed drums, and hypnotic organ and string flourishes. Brooding and intense, yet full of delicate touches, Mosaic delivers deep melancholy laced with beauty and joy. [JM]

NICOLAY
Here
(BBE)

"I Am the Man"

"What It Used to Be"

The Holland-born hip hop producer responsible for the phenomenal Foreign Exchange album from 2004 returns with a solo follow up here. The format is pretty much the same as Foreign Exchange, with Nicolay sending instrumental beats from his native Netherlands to underground emcees and soul vocalists in America. This time around, he collaborates with underground contenders Black Spade, Darrien Brockington and Wiz Khalifa. Nicolay's lucid cinematic boom bap is still in effect, but there seems to be a slight rockish edge to the proceedings here, evident by the distorted guitar leads on "Give Her Everything" and the interpolations of British rock riffs from ELO and Focus 3 on "Adore" and "The End Iis Near." If you were a fan of his Foreign Exchange project, this won't disappoint, and for those not familiar, he's definitely an artist you should check out. Recommended for fans of J Dilla, RJD2, Little Brother and the like. [DH]

CATFISH HAVEN
Tell Me
(Secretly Canadian)

"Another Late Night"

"Tell Me"

Catfish Haven's singer, George Hunter, is the new voice at the brink of inspiring fistfights. His songs are like the music heard when something's about to go down in a bar somewhere. He sounds like the anti-Jack White; traditionally steeped in name-brand influences from Steve Marriott or Otis Redding to Bob Seger, with idiosyncratic touches of Isaac Brock or Chris Martin thrown in here and there. There are rhythmic rave-ups on Tell Me that could brand them as total slaves to the rhythm, like a raw blue-eyed soul version of Unrest's Imperial FFRR. There are other moves that would earn them the kind of praise that says they're the new Afghan Whigs. Overall, however, it's got a classic R&B vibe ripping throughout, one that can't be faked (especially on the ballads, which Hunter nails with deadly accuracy). This group's got a future in movie soundtracks, too; everything here sounding incredibly familiar, inspired, and cinematic -- right off the bat. [DM]

MOUSE ON MARS
Varcharz
(Ipecac)

"Duul"

New album by the German pioneers of electronica which combines organized chaos and pinpoint precision. A mix of hot electronic funk, freeform electronics, and deep low end thump makes for one the comeback albums of the year.

PINBACK
Nautical Antiques
(Ace Fu)

"Versailles"

Eleven track compilation of Pinback rarities spanning 1998 to 2001, including Europe-only b-sides and a slew of demos. Full of the band's trademark well-crafted songwriting and ethereal guitar work, Nautical Antiques is sure to satisfy not only hardcore Pinback devotees.

MAGNOLIA ELECTRIC CO.
Fading Trails
(Secretly Canadian)

"Don't Fade on Me"

"Fading Trails" was culled from various recording sessions made by Jason Molina under his given name, as well as his Magnolia Electric Co. and Songs: Ohia guises. What results is one of his most reflective albums, often recalling Neil Young's yearning spirit.

I'M FROM BARCELONA
Let Me Introduce My Friends
(Dolores)

"Oversleeping"

Don't let the name fool you, the 29 members in I'm From Barcelona hail from Sweden. Centered around the immaculate songwriting skills of Emanuel Lundgren, Let Me Introduce My Friends is one of this year's great pop albums. Strings, horns, banjo, and accordion accompany Lundgren's naïve and heartfelt stories of everyday life. For fans of Belle & Sebastian, The Boy Least Likely To, and the Elephant 6 collective.

BENNI HEMM HEMM
Benni Hemm Hemm
(Morr Music)

"Sumarnott"

Originally released on a small Icelandic label in 2005, Benni Hemm Hemm's self-titled album is a joyous and heartfelt collection of orchestrated pop. Combining the fervor of Arcade Fire with the confessional honesty of Tindersticks, this is sure to be one of the surprise hits of 2006.

MASTER MUSICIANS OF JOUJOUKA
Boujeloud
(Sub Rosa)

"Jewash Halal"

MONO & WORLD'S END GIRLFRIEND
Palmless Prayer/Mass Murder Refrain
(Temporary Residence)

A collaboration between Japan's Mono and contemporary electronic composer World's End Girlfriend, this beast of a disc explores even darker and more evocative territories than what we're used to from Mono. Walls of guitar and electronics create unsurpassed eerie orchestral beauty. The musical equivalent of jumping off a cliff in the dark.

PAGE FRANCE
Hello, Dear Wind
(Suicide Squeeze)

"Chariot"

Based around the fragile and catchy songwriting of Michael Nau, Page France's Hello, Dear Wind is perfect melodic pop, reminiscent of Sufjan Stevens and Belle and Sebastian, with Nau's evocative lyrical imagery adding extra depth to the songs.

THE LOW LOWS
Fire on the Bright Sky
(Warm)

"Velvet"

Risen from the ashes of Parker & Lily, the Low Lows deliver a gorgeous album full of delicate folk, campfire alt country, and melancholic steel guitar lullabies, echoing Mazzy Star, Galaxie 500, and Yo La Tengo. A blissfully soothing pill of a record.

BASEMENT JAXX
Crazy Itch Radio
(XL)

"On the Train"

Basement Jaxx deliver a pop album, with heavy nods to house, grime, and a variety of world musics. Enough dancefloor bangers to keep heads on the floor, but also some more adventurous moments, including the Eastern European folk music influenced "Hey You."

BRAZILIAN GIRLS
Talk to La Bomb
(Verve)

"Jique"

Brazilian Girls' exuberant sophomore effort is a fiery hot stew of a multitude of styles, incorporating jazz, electro, dub, and punk. More aggressive than the debut, Talk to La Bomb will not only seduce but also provoke.

RICHARD BUCKNER
Meadow
(Merge)

"Lucky"

Eight solo album by Richard Buckner, who's by now become a singer/songwriter of quite some stature. Meadow is another very intimate album (where he is backed by members of Guided by Voices and the Mekons), with Buckner's smoky voice telling stories of searching and wandering. For fans of Wilco, Calexico, and beyond.

ALBUM LEAF
Into the Blue Again
(Sub Pop)

"Always for You"

After 2004's orchestral In a Safe Place, Jimmy LaValle takes a step back (and two forward) with Into the Blue Again, where he downsizes the instrumentation and handles the majority of the production and musical duties himself. The album is full of LaValle's trademark warm night time lullabies with soft keyboards and delayed guitar, but he also explores new territory with a couple of vocal tracks.

FAVOURITE SONS
Down Beside Your Beauty
(Vice)

"When You're Away from Me"

Well-crafted British-influenced rock by this Brooklyn-based band, featuring ex-members of Rollerskate Skinny and Aspera. The dark and romantic Down Beside Your Beauty evokes Echo and the Bunnymen and New Order, but with an updated 21st century rock 'n' roll sheen.

BLACK KEYS
Magic Potion
(Nonesuch)

"Just Got to Be"

Another generous helping of minimal guitar & drums blues by Black Keys, evoking a stripped-down Led Zeppelin or R.L. Burnside reincarnated as two white dudes. Magic Potion is all sincere blue-eyed rock 'n' roll that sticks to what it knows best: Rocking out!

UNKLE
Self Defence
(Global Underground)

Massive 4-CD box with remixes of tracks from the Never Never Land album, and unreleased material from the same period. Features mixes by Morgan Geist, RJD2, DFA, Junkie XL, and many more, and a surprise vocal appearance by Ian Astbury (The Cult!).

INDIAN JEWELRY
Invasive Exotics
(Monitor)

"Lost My Sight"

Totally reckless and anarchic mix of noise, ritualistic percussion, thrift store keyboards, guitars, and dance beats, Indian Jewelry provide the soundtrack to both witch burning ceremonies and the late night dancefloor. Check last track "Lost My Sight" for the ultimate psykick industrial trance.

TV ON THE RADIO
Return to Cookie Mountain
(Interscope)

"I Was a Lover"

"Playhouses"

Domestic priced version of the new TV on the Radio album comes with three bonus tracks; two unreleased songs from the Cookie Mountain sessions and a remix. Here's what we had to say a few months ago when we were offering the import version.

I'm pleased to report that Return to Cookie Mountain is sure to keep the TV on the Radio's growing fan base happy. It's an immediately recognizable collection of what's become their trademark sound (dual vocal interplay, shoegaze-inspired walls of guitar and the ability to turn a melody into a frenzy in five minutes), and more in line with their debut full-length as opposed to their first EP. Influences from Peter Gabriel, classic soul and doo-wop are still in the mix, along with some nice studio tricks, tribal percussion, female vocals from Katrina Ford (Celebration), Omega Moon (Majesticons) and, once again, the Antibalas horn section. The biggest surprise here, however, is the flawless addition of guest vocalist (and number one fan) David Bowie on "Province." TV on the Radio might not be taking as many chances as before, but what they offer is a tight and solid rocking album that will not disappoint, and you're guaranteed to find at least a couple of new favorite songs from the band. [DG]

THIS WEEK'S CONTRIBUTORS

[AB] Adrian Burkholder
[DG] Daniel Givens
[DH] Duane Harriott
[JM] Josh Madell
[DM] Doug Mosurock
[SM] Scott Mou
[JS] Jeremy Sponder


THANKS FOR READING
- all of us at Other Music