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   June 28, 2007  
       
   
         
      We'd like to remind our local customers that Other Music buys, sells, and trades used compact dics, records, and DVDs.  If you have a large collection that you're interested in selling, feel free to call 212.477.8150 to make an appointment, otherwise, drop by anytime for immediate service.  It's a barely-kept secret that we have the best curated used bins in the city, with new arrivals showing up constantly, whether they be impossible to find rarities or brand spanking new releases. Come by and take a look!!!  
         
   
       
   
         
 
FEATURED NEW RELEASES
Colleen
The Rail Band
Mike Wexler
Buell Kazee
King Khan & the Shrines
Stud Cole
Jorge Ben
Blitzen Trapper
Simian Mobile Disco
Bad Brains
Authenticite (Various)
Speicher 3 (Various)
Ryan Adams
 

Jim Ford
Headstone Circus
Glastonbury Fayre (Box Set)
Nouvelle Vague New Wave Comp.

ALSO AVAILABLE
Beastie Boys (w/bonus 7")
Hans Appelqvist
Marcus Schnickler & Hayden Chisholm
 
         
   
   
   
   
   
       
   
 
 
JUN Sun 24 Mon 25 Tues 26 Wed 27 Thurs 28 Fri 29 Sat 30



 

WIN BEACH PARTY TICKETS WITH PRINS THOMAS
Every Saturday night from June 30 to September 1, at the Water Taxi Beach in Long Island City, a few special guests are joining residents Justin Carter, Probus and the Brothers’ Brothers to continue the tradition that began last year with Saturday night sets by DJs like Metro Area and Quantic. It kicks off with Prins Thomas, the neo-disco king from Norway who’s a collaborator with Hans-Peter Lindstrom and at the helm of the great label Full Pupp. You can win a pair of tickets to this Saturday’s Beach Party by emailing giveaway@othermusic.com. Please include a daytime phone number where you can be reached. The two winners will be chosen tomorrow, Friday, June 29th, so enter right away!

SATURDAY, JUNE 30th
WATER TAXI BEACH: 2nd Street & Borden Ave, Long Island City, Queens


     
 
   
   
 
 
JUL Sun 01 Mon 02 Tues 03 Wed 04 Thurs 05 Fri 06 Sat 07
    Sun 08 Mon 09 Tues 10 Wed 11 Thurs 12 Fri 13 Sat 14

Art Brut

 

HIGHLINE BALLROOM TICKET GIVE AWAY
Other Music has two pairs of tickets to give away for each of the shows listed below at the Highline Ballroom! To enter, just send an email to tickets@othermusic.com, and please list the show that you’d like to see in the subject line, along with your daytime phone number. The two winners for each show will be notified on Monday, July 2nd.

TUESDAY, JULY 3rd
Moby (DJ set), DJ King Britt and live performances by Kudu, Sunshine Jones, and the BeATaRds

MONDAY, JULY 9th
Art Brut w/ White Rabbits

WEDNESDAY, JULY 11th
Mark Ronson (Live)

HIGHLINE BALLROOM: 431 16th Street NYC


     
 
   
   
 
 
JUL Sun 01 Mon 02 Tues 03 Wed 04 Thurs 05 Fri 06 Sat 07



 

WIN TICKETS TO THE EGYPTIAN LOVER
The West Coast king of old school and electro, Egyptian Lover returns to NYC on July 6, this time playing an extended DJ set and a live PA with Other Music’s Duane Harriott! This is going to be good folks, and we’ve got two pairs of tickets to give away. All you have to do to enter is send an email to contest@othermusic.com, along with a daytime phone number where you can be reached. The two winners will be notified on Monday, July 2nd.

FRIDAY, JULY 6th
The Get Up! w/ special guest The Egyptian Lover & resident Duane Harriott

APT: 419 W. 10th Street NYC
Doors at 10 P.M.


     
 
   
   
   
   
   
       
   

 

 

     
 

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  COLLEEN
Les Ondes Silencieuses
(Leaf)

"Blue Sands"
"Le Bateau"

Over the course of a few great recordings, French producer Colleen (a/k/a Cecile Schott) has created a beautiful, low-key world of genteel ambient music. Originally pulling samples from her own record collection, her exquisite sophomore effort The Golden Morning Breaks saw her shy away from borrowing the work of others in favor of sampling her own playing on a variety of instruments. Again continuing her graceful evolution, Schott's third full-length album Les Ondes Silencieuses presents a further break from her earliest recordings, moving away from the digital world almost completely in favor of a stark series of unadorned, barely effected compositions played on a vintage viola de gamba, a classical guitar, a clarinet, a spinet, and a few wineglasses. Though far more stark and naked than anything she has previously attempted, this latest work revels in the same tonal grace that has made each of her albums so beguiling.

While Schott's traditional loops are absent from this recording, she still favors the type of sweetly melodic figures that made up many of her earlier tracks. Now, however, she allows the rich timbres and tones of her instruments to come to the fore, granting the solemn lines of the title track ample space to reverberate. "Sun Against My Eyes" works in a similar fashion, with spare clarinet passages balancing out her delicately plucked guitar. Ultimately, however, it's the handful of viola de gamba tracks that shine the brightest here, as pieces like "Blue Sands" weave together passages both urgent and restrained from the antique instrument to create pieces that are subtly complex and richly textured. Les Ondes Silencieuses marks a definite departure from the Colleen sound that we've come to love over the past few years. It's more than welcome, however, and one that indicates that Cecile Schott has barely scratched the surface of her prodigious talent. [MC]
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  THE RAIL BAND
1 Soundiata
(Belle Epoque/Sterns)

"Armee Mali"
"Fankante Dankele"

First two-disc volume in a projected three-volume series devoted to the peak creative years (1970-1983) of the long running Malian super group, the Rail Band. The Rail Band were a state-sponsored ensemble set up and funded by the national railway to provide entertainment at the Buffet Hotel de la Gare Bamako. Their original singer was Salif Keita, an albino of noble descent who had to break the rules of his caste in order to step into the role of a griot. Possessing an impossibly beautiful voice, he is today one of the most famous Africans alive, but it was via the Rail Band that he originally came to prominence and arguably did the greatest work of his career. Always a guitar heavy band, they would adapt the melodic lines usually played on traditional Mandingo instruments like the kora and the balafon into virtuousic and serpentine patterns, while adding elements of Arabic, French, Cuban, and American pop. Their groundbreaking lead guitarist was Djelimady Tounkara, a sheer genius who could rival even the dazzling brilliance of Bembeya Jazz guitarist "Diamond Fingers" Diabate.

In 1972 they added a balafon and kora player named Mory Kante to the band, and it turned out that he was as thrilling a singer as he was an instrumentalist. A rivalry soon developed between Kante and Keita, with Keita departing the group shortly thereafter to join a rival band, Les Ambassadeours. Remarkably, the quality of the ensemble did not decline one bit, and Mory Kante has gone on to acquire fame on a level with Salif Keita. The Rail Band was constantly innovating, stretching the boundaries of their song lengths and influences, changing dialects to fit their audience, adding and stripping away members, horn parts, effects, and styles. They are one of my all time favorite African groups, and the LPs I own by them are amongst my prized possessions. Sterns is doing a great service by offering such an in-depth and essential overview of a group who deserves to be as known as practically any other African group or artist we've reviewed in the past 10 years. [MK]
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  MIKE WEXLER
Sun Wheel
(Amish)

"Southern Cross"
"Cipher"

If you're finding Devendra Banhart almost too charming nowadays, Mike Wexler and his sophomore effort, Sun Wheel, just may be the answer. With a highly idiosyncratic voice that leisurely rolls over clean piano compositions and crisp finger-picked guitar like sugary molasses, Wexler stretches eight vivid, yet spare folk numbers over a solid 43 minutes. Both epic and modest, all tracks move decisively into one another -- check out the transition between the soothing "Ecliptic" to the pounding sounds of a Rheem Mark VII and cascading piano scales in "Cipher" -- as Wexler's capable songwriting skills work seamlessly with the penetrating pangs of his acoustic instrumentation to capture an almost eerie, ethereal psych-y chamber-folk feel without moving into blatantly kitschy territory. With the added percussion arrangements lending the record a needed balance among its softer melodies and more piercing crescendos, the seventh song, "Southern Cross," is able to go out with a bang, followed by the album-ending and perfect comedown track, "Antinomia." At the end of the day, sure, you could compare Wexler to Joanna Newsom (but male) or maybe even dub him the forbidden lovechild of M. Ward and Leonard Cohen, but just because you can doesn't mean you should. Let's give some credit where it's due. Recommended! [PG]
 
         
   
   
   
   
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  BUELL KAZEE
Buell Kazee
(June Appal)

"The Roving Cowboy"
"Short Life of Trouble"

As the years pass, fewer things strike me with a sense of lightning-bolt urgency and wonder. I think as we develop our musical tastes we latch onto a core group of elements to which we are most attracted and which define the kind of stuff that we enjoy for the rest of our lives. Iconic gateway examples might be Led Zeppelin, Beethoven, Motown, Duke Ellington, or Hank Williams. For me, the discovery of Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music during my college years was one of these pivotal musical road signs. I found a new world of sound and emotion through the 1920s music of Mississippi John Hurt, Charlie Poole, and the Carter Family, among others, but the singer that moved me most was represented with a scant three songs. He was a Baptist minister and banjo player from Kentucky named Buell Kazee (1900-1976). His unusual name was befitting of the curious marriage of his genteel voice (as opposed to the signature high lonesome sound of many singers from Appalachia) with the mountain mainstays of the banjo and painfully tragic lyrics. It turns out that Rev. Kazee was a renaissance man of sorts, having formally studied literature, music, Greek and Latin. He also wrote books on music and theology: the poetry found in his vast repertoire of inherited English and Scottish ballads (many of which were from Francis Child's "song-catching") wasn't lost on Kazee.

Recently preserved from the original quarter-inch tape by the Appalshop Archive, the June Appal collection is the most recent stop in my search for more Kazee, containing songs recorded late in his life at the prompting of his family. In addition to revisiting some of the material he recorded for the Brunswick label back in the late '20s such as "East Virginia," "The Orphan Girl" and "Wagoner's Lad," Kazee also chose to debut the a cappella religious tune "O Thou in Whose Presence." Suffice it to say that the music on this disc is riveting, improving on his Folkways recordings from 1958, and expanding upon his material featured on Yazoo's excellent Kentucky Mountain Music box-set. Even as a septuagenarian, and after having been away from regular playing, he still had it. I continue to scratch my head at his steady clawhammer banjo technique which gracefully incorporates a "drop-thumb" element unrivalled in the world of traditional music. As a bonus, seven tracks are included on the CD version that weren't on the 1978 LP, making it a must-have for those lucky (very!) few to have the original. Incidentally, liner notes are dutifully handled by mountain music scholar Loyal Jones (converts must read his Minstrel of the Appalachians: The Story of Bascom Lamar Lunsford). If you're into music of adventure, step right up. [KC]
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  KING KHAN & THE SHRINES
What Is?
(Hazelwood)

"Take a Little Bit"
"I Wanna Be a Girl"

The rockingest French-Canadian Indian exiled in Germany is back! Perhaps best known as one half of King Khan & BBQ Show (BBQ being Mark Sultan, whose new album on In the Red was featured here not too long ago), Khan has churned out great rock n roll records for a decade now and What Is?! is no exception. In this incarnation, Khan is backed by an incredible eight-piece band, with a full brass section, and makes like Paul Revere & the Raiders, the Stones, the Stooges, Jacques Dutronc, Johnny Thunders, Dylan, and Sun Ra (no, wait til you hear "Cosmic Serenade"), all in the space of one album. One of the key things that makes What Is?! such an amazing record is the production. It's so authentically 60s sounding, it'll have you fooled, the way it drips with practice space sweat, raw soul power, and snotty punk attitude. And then there's the raspy howl of Khan. The way he preaches and confesses like a man possessed, or James Brown raised on Nuggets and Pebbles, is totally irresistible. If you're not loving this record, you are sick of rock n roll. [AK]
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  STUD COLE
Burn Baby Burn
(Norton)

"Burn Baby Burn"
"Don't Do That"

The howls and hollers of Stud Cole identify his style as somewhere after the discovery of Elvis, but not by too long. Born in Buffalo, NY, Patrick Tirone modeled himself after the singers heard on local station WKBW. His passion for this new music called rock 'n' roll led him to California where he spent the next 10 years enthralled in the music scene, yet never with much success. The Stud Cole story is a familiar one: despite his utmost dedication to singing and songwriting, only a limited amount of his material every made it to record, which in turn very few listened to. At the end of his 10-year trial, Stud Cole returned to just being Patrick Tirone.

That being said, what has been archived in Burn Baby Burn is a treasure trove full of off-kilter doo-wop, loose rockabilly and sultry, blues-inspired rock tunes. His songwriting might not be the most creative -- get ready for a lot of simple rhyme structures -- but the personality of this wild rocker warms the heart. Perhaps 1968 was not ready for the ghostly wailing, shrieking guitars, and doubled-up tracks that Stud favored, but I think that now is a great time for a revival...where ever he may be. If you're a fan of the Cramps, Screaming Jay Hawkins, Hasil Adkins, Ronnie Dawson, Charlie Feathers, etc., you can't go wrong with Stud. [AC]
 
         
   
   
   
   
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  JORGE BEN
Forca Bruta
(Dusty Groove)

"Apareceau Aparecida"
"Oba la vem ela"

For some sad reason, much of Brazilian soul god Jorge Ben's early Philips catalog remains out of print after a brief Brazil-only CD reissue campaign in the early/mid '90s. Let's all give thanks to Chicago's Dusty Groove for reissuing one of Ben's deepest, most emotional albums, 1970's Forca Bruta. After the previous year's self-titled shakedown partyfest LP (the one which features "Take It Easy My Brother, Charlie" and "Pais Tropical"), Forca Bruta sees Ben mellowing out a bit for an album that, while it still grooves solidly, relies more on quiet intimacy and subtle orchestrated flourishes akin to the work of Caetano Veloso's self-titled LPs of the same period. Here he's backed up here by samba heavyweights Trio Mocoto, leaving the primary instrumentation down to Ben's unmistakable rhythm guitar and the trio's percussion; despite the lack of low end, everything swings, shakes, and bumps, and JB's vocals never quite sounded as throaty and passionate in the early years as they did on this LP -- the fire in his voice on this album is matched perhaps only on his 1976 classic Africa Brazil. Anyone with an interest in Brazilian soul and post-tropicalist pop would be wise to check out this record; it's an essential part of Ben's early discography, and without question one of the most beautiful records the man has ever recorded. Highest recommendation! [IQ]
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  BLITZEN TRAPPER
Wild Mountain Nation
(Self Released)

"Futures & Folly"
"Sci-fi Kid"

I have to say that it is totally refreshing to see so many new artists these days taking influences from the indie bands of the late '80s and early '90s. Blitzen Trapper is definitely one of those groups that literally wears its influence on its sleeve. One look at the cover and you'll swear that they were some Pavement or Silver Jews offshoot, and, well... the music sounds quite like it too. Wild Mountain Nation is a great, catchy record filled with lo-fi distorted pop songs that could easily be mistaken for something off of Wowee Zowee. And yes, that is a very good thing. Album opener "Devil's a Go-Go" does Pavement better than Mr. Malkmus does these days. Not to say that the song is a blatant copy, it's just a really great track filled with angular guitars, off-kilter rhythm changes, and a singer with a deadpan country drawl accent. The title cut is a hooky chorus-filled country rock stomper, not unlike early Wilco or Brooklyn favorites Oakley Hall. On the Slanted and Enchanted-influenced jam "Miss Spiritual Tramp," Blitzen Trapper take their Pavement influence a little too far, but for some reason it works. Malkmus- and Mark E. Smith-isms aside, it is an extremely fun song. There's not much more that I can say about this album, except that if you are missing the days of yore, when Pavement and Guided by Voices were played non-stop on college radio stations across the country, then this is for you. Blitzen Trapper aren't doing anything new, but it really is all about the songs anyway, right? And this band has more than enough to go around! [JS]
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  SIMIAN MOBILE DISCO
Attack Decay Sustain Release
(Wichita)

"It's the Beat"
"Wooden"

There's been plenty of anticipation for this one on the other side of the Atlantic as well as in the States, where at any given indie-dance party you're certain to see kids getting down to Simian Mobile Disco's "Hustler" or "It's the Beat." In the meantime, the duo's debut full-length has just been released in the UK while supposedly sparking a bidding war between a few unnamed US labels. Listening to these in-your-face dance tracks, it's hard to believe that the members of this duo are the direct descendents of the group that created 2001's Chemistry Is What We Are, a brainy, laidback album of Air-meets-Beatles psych-pop. Simian disbanded following 2002's We Are Your Friends, when James Ford and Jas Shaw left the group to dive into dance music fulltime as Simian Mobile Disco. While they were certainly finding plenty of work in their remix/DJ/producer life, the Justice Vs. Simian reworking of the title track from the defunct band's swan song skyrocketed the duo (and Justice) last year, thanks in no part to Kanye West's mouthing off on live television when "We Are Your Friends" took home MTV Europe's Best Music Video award.

So if you're wondering what the hell "nu rave" is all about, then you won't find a better place to start than Simian Mobile Disco's debut. First off, they're unabashed about the kind of music that they make; it's almost all strictly for dancing. And while there are moments where you just might be reaching for that glow-stick, there are equal doses of acid, big beat, electro-pop and house to keep you from grinding your teeth for too long. Tracks like the aforementioned anthemic "It's the Beat" (which features lead vocals from the Go! Team's Ninja) and "Hustler" -- a sleazy, filter-sweeping ode to stealing records (which we certainly don't condone) -- are indeed debaucherous and borderline disposable, yet Shaw and Ford also manage to coax a pop element that you wouldn't expect to come through the buzzing, analog pulses. And right when you to think you've got SMD all figured out, you get to cuts like the silly but infectious playground rap "Hot Dog" or the straightforward '80s-pop of "Love" (which features former Simian singer Simon Lord). Much like Fatboy Slim and the Chemical Brothers acted as the gateway for so many to the dance floor during the '90s, there's a whole new generation discovering electronic music and club culture, with Simian Mobile Disco and Justice pointing the way. (This import release is extremely limited and comes with bonus disc containing six remixes and dubs.) [GH]
 
         
   
   
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  BAD BRAINS
Build a Nation
(Megaforce)

"Jah Love"
"Universal Peace"

The Bad Brains are without a doubt one of my favorite bands of all time. I think almost anyone who saw them on stage in the early- to mid-'80s would be quick to agree that they were an unbelievably powerful force of nature. The D.C. quartet was not the first to fuse punk rock and reggae, as several of the UK's first-wave punk bands (the Clash et al.) were rabid reggae fans and the influence slipped into their music in many ways. But Bad Brains' melding of hardcore's testosterone-fueled aggression and personal politics with reggae's bass-driven soul and righteous positive message on their first two albums had an untold effect on the American underground -- not to mention that, for better or worse, they pretty much invented punk-metal on the amazing 1986 thriller, I Against I. After that album's release, the band essentially split into two factions, with lead-guitarist Dr. Know and bassist Daryl Jenifer continuing on the path of hard rock and releasing several albums under the Bad Brains name with varying lineups, and vocalist H.R., with drummer Earl Hudson, pursuing pure reggae.

Build a Nation reunites the original four Bad Brains, and while the group simply will never reach the musical plateaus that they regularly trod 20 some years ago, it is a remarkably solid and enjoyable album, and any fan should give it a listen. Superfan Adam Yauch did more than that and helmed production (25 years ago, the Beastie Boys and Bad Brains appeared together on the seminal New York Thrash comp on ROIR), and he helped craft a focused, dirty, dubby noise-fest of an album. As on their first two, the new record alternates hell-bent hardcore with deep dub, throwing in some hybrid dubby metal riffs to boot, and while the songwriting doesn't quite approach their classics like "Pay to Cum," "How Low Can a Punk Get?" or "I Against I," the playing is exhilarating and this is easily their best effort since the mid-'80s. Dr. Know is still one of the greatest punk guitarists of all time, and this is the only band that could ever keep up with him, fusing pure aggression with technical prowess and finesse that are unmatched. [JM]
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  VARIOUS ARTISTS
Authenticite: Syliphone Years 1965-1980
(Sterns Music)

"Samba" Pivi et les Balladins
"Koukou Befo" Orchestre de Beyla

Following Guinea's independence from French colonial rule in 1958, the government instituted an official cultural policy of arts development, where music, above all the arts, received extra attention -- in particular, music that celebrated the rich music tradition of West Africa. Songs that dealt with the topics of anti-imperialism/anti-colonization and African nationalism became anthems, and bands began to form all across the country. Large annual competitions were held and the winners would often become huge sensations, and were frequently nationalized by the government. During this time, the government also formed the Syliphone label to showcase this homegrown talent.

Culled from the Syliphone's wealth of releases, this two-disc compilation is a fantastic overview of the music from this period. Although there's a distinctly regional African aesthetic, you can clearly detect other influences, most prevalently Cuban jazz. It's not hard to hear the sound of cosmopolitan 1950s Havana rumba in songs like 22 Novembre Band's "Kourma," but thanks to the tight brass arrangements, syncopated drums and slippery guitar work, all combined with the infectious vocal deliveries, a unique brand of distinctly African jazz was borne. Pivi et les Balladins' "Samba" starts off with the shortest, urgent little guitar lick before a barrage of horns and pulsing drums jump in; soon after, a call-and-response between the vocals and horn opens up into a beautiful rhythm guitar and a muted electric organ solo. If it hadn't been for the liner notes, I wouldn't know when to place this song -- I hear highlife/Afro-beat, however, the keyboard work reminds me, at times, of American organ-fueled R&B. A joyful noise for sure! And lest we forget this is also dance music-of the highest order. Those of you who got the Bembeya Jazz National or Orchestra Baobab reissues from a few years back may have an idea of what to expect, but for the uninitiated this is an excellent introduction to the wealth of music from this small West African nation. Recommended. [GA]
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  VARIOUS ARTISTS
Speicher 3
(Kompakt Extra)

"Cellophane" Davidovitch
"Deal" Axel Bartsch

The latest Speicher mix CD done by Michael Mayer and Jorg Burger (an addition to the Speicher team) is one which will appeal to new fans of the Cologne label, while proving to old followers that the Kompakt sound is far from stagnant. Although Speicher 3 suffers from a couple of un-engaging tracks, the majority of the selection will have your head bobbing and your feet moving, taking you away to that blissful state of...Kompakt-ness. To these ears, this collection of cuts seems to have much more presence, as well as being more dynamic than previous Kompakt mixes. Its dynamic nature is also emphasized with the presence of some artists who are not found as frequently on the Kompakt label as they are elsewhere, such as Sweden's John Dahlback and the Finnish producers who comprise Motiivi:Tuntematon, contributing the great closer "Mankind Failed," an excellent house track which moves into a rhythmic, melodic drone. While today, keeping up with the trailblazing imprint can be somewhat overwhelming, what with a multitude of label offshoots and releases, but Speicher 3 is a fantastic way for the listener to get a good perspective of the overall state of Kompakt. Listen and enjoy. [LR]
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  RYAN ADAMS
Easy Tiger
(Lost Highway)

"Two"
"Halloween Head"

When Ryan Adams and Parker Posey were the indie It Couple a few years back, they wrote a song together called "Note to Self: Don't Die." It was a smirk then, but Adams, now clean after a lifetime of varying abusive habits, really wasn't joking. So how does it sound to hear the prolific scamp without his crutches? Like a slice of 2001's Gold sounds, Adams moves further into AAA terrain, wheeling and dealing in rich melancholia. He's very much aware of his abilities as a shapeshifter: If he wants to please Starbucks laptoppers, he can; if he wants to sidle up to someone as cool as Gillian Welch onstage, he can (while wearing a vintage Batman T-shirt and nerd glasses). "Everybody Knows" blows it open with a rollicking piano thump, while "Halloweenhead" -- a nod to his bad-boy days, his "head full of tricks and treats" -- chugs along with a confident array of songwriterly boasting, guitar solos, and swaggering staccato.

An aerial slow burner stocked with earnest confessionals and twined-together harmonies, "The Sun Also Sets" may be about the palpable demise of two people who've checked out without saying so, but the song's construction is heavily laden with the fruits of sentimentality. For all his propensity toward stream-of-consciousness, nutty-nutnik ramblings and plain old "Shut the f**k up"-inducing garbage, this is Adams proving himself as a solid presence rather than a creative mosquito. Something different exists on this one, and that's humility. For every record of chatter that Adams has sneezed out in the past five or six years, many were just a therapeutic exercise in narcissism. But here, the flappability factor is low: the lyrics are thoughtful, the songs they frame meaningful. "Rip Off" is even a retro ballad akin to Adams' Whiskeytown heyday, with pauses and paeans in all the right places. The Cardinals work wonders at filling in the colors of their frontman's ever-changing silhouette; he leads, they connect his ideas into a stormy, dulcet landscape. Here's to not fading away. [KO]
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  JIM FORD
Sounds of Our Time
(Bear Family)

"Harlan County"
"Linda Comes Running"

A few interesting facts about the life and times of obscure white country soul singer Jim Ford:

--Ford grew up near famed Harlan County, Kentucky, and as a youngster he would go over to Loretta Lynn's house to listen to the radio.
--He spent his teenage years homeless on the streets of New Orleans after running away from his folks.
--He eventually made his way to Los Angeles where he scored a record deal, and the chance to record with the best sidemen in the business, including the legendary James Burton, Jim Keltner, Gene Page, and Dr. John.
--He released one album with said sidemen, Harlan County, and it's the best record from 1969 you've never heard.
--Ford used excessive amounts of drugs.
--He tried to record a follow-up in England with both Brinsley Schwarz, and the Hampton Grease band, but couldn't get along with either of them, so he just went ahead and recorded forty songs by himself that have never been released.
--Nick Lowe, who was in Brinsley Schwarz at the time, claims Ford is the biggest musical influence in his life.
--Ford once emptied $3,000 worth of cocaine into legendary producer "Sy" Waronker's coffee mug.
--Ford plays on Sly Stone's There's a Riot Going On, and his photograph can be found on the cover.
--Sly and Ford were best friends, they'd party for days on end together with Bobby Womack, who says that during that time he forgot he had a wife and children.
--Sly Stone says that Jim Ford is the "baddest white man on the planet", and a "killer writer."
--The entire Temptations album Wings of Love was written by Ford.
--The superb English mod band the Koobas changed their name to Harlan County and recorded all the songs off Ford's album after hearing it.
--Ford raised two of Marlon Brando's kids.
--Ford modeled in a Sergio Leone inspired Playboy spread called The Good, the Bad, and the Garlic.

Hands down the best rock and roll reissue of the year, Jim Ford's The Sounds of Our Time will be absolutely essential for anyone who has ever dug or given two sh*ts about Exile on Main Street, Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham, Dr. John, Link Wray's three track shack recordings, gritty southern soul, driving with the windows down etc., etc. I'm serious; it is THAT GOOD! Including the classic Harlan County album in its entirety as well as 15 more tracks that are just as good, if not better, that Bear Family fished out of the 300 hundred hours of reel-to-reel tapes which Ford's got stashed beneath his bed in a trailer park in Northern California. [MK]
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

$14.99
CD

Buy

  HEADSTONE CIRCUS
Headstone Circus
(Shadoks)

"I'm Crazy"
"Reason to Live"

Worthwhile collection of rootsy, chooglin' rock from this late '60s Washington, DC quartet, fronted by minor psych-folk legend Glenn Faria. When this band is cookin', you best follow or get out of the way, as their weighty tonk resembles some of the best unheralded country rock out there (and not unlike David Crosby's awesome solo album), with the two leadoff tracks "I'm Goin' Down" and "You Don't Know" taking all comers with their mean attitude and lean sound. The rest of the collection holds it down, with the occasional awkwardly retouched demo and hissy, lo-fi rehearsal tape sound, but the bright moments here outshine most wallet-draining Johnny-come-lately psych reissues. Have at it! [DM]
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

$56.99
CDx2 w/ DVD

Buy

  VARIOUS ARTISTS
Glastonbury Fayre Festival

(Akarma)

"Do It" The Pink Fairies
"Love Song" Brinsley Schwarz

Here's a great box set documenting the 1971 Glastonbury festival. Originally released as a triple album limited to 5,000 copies, this faithfully reproduced 2-CD plus DVD package features tracks by Grateful Dead (massive version of "Dark Star"), Mighty Baby, Hawkwind, David Bowie, Pete Townshend, Marc Bolan, Pink Fairies, Edgar Broughton Band, Brinsley Schwarz, Daevid Allen & Gong, and Skin Alley. The highlights are many but the standouts for me are the snotty and extended Pink Fairies rave ups and a completely jamming 16-minute Mighty Baby track called "A Blanket In My Muesli." The excellent 87-minute documentary DVD (Glastonbury Fayre The Movie) features footage of Terry Reid (whose performance is totally killer, with the perfect backdrop of dudes smoking weed in the background), Fairport Convention, Family, Melanie, Gong, Arthur Brown, Quintessence, Traffic, and others, and lots of great shots of the crowd frolicking in the sun, crazed hippie dancing, and assorted bacchanalian activity. The box also comes with repros of all the original inserts, including a booklet and a huge foldout poster. Essential! [AK]
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

$19.99
CDx2

Buy

  VARIOUS ARTISTS
Nouvelle Vague Presents New Wave
(District 6)

"Jet Boy Jet Girl" Elton Motello
"Move On Up" The Flying Lizards

Marc Collin and Gilles Legeun, the duo behind the massive bossa-new wave cover project Nouvelle Vague, curates a compilation of their favorite vintage re-workings. Go figure! Yes, you'll find quintessential covers like the Slits' "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" and Devo's "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," but there are also all sorts of interesting rarities and odds and ends, a la Paul Haig's take on Sly and the Family Stone's "Running Away," Duran Duran's disco rendition of Bowie's "Fame" and the always hilarious "Jet Boy Jet Girl" from Elton Motello. So yeah! This is actually a helluva lot of fun and a perfect album that you can play to impress your music snob friends. Turn any summer social gathering that you happen to find yourself at into an instant new wave party. [DH]
 
         
   
       
   

 

 

     
 

$16.99
CD

Buy

  BEASTIE BOYS
The Mix Up
(Capitol)

"14th St. Break"

Brand new all-instrumental album from the Beastie Boys, with a little help from Money Mark. In the tradition of the instrumentals and interludes on Check Your Head and Ill Communication, the trio (Mike D on drums, Adrock on guitar, and Yauch on bass) hold down the laidback funky groove and flirt with a multitude of styles; dub, jazz, punk etc. We have a very limited amount of bonus 7"s to give away...don't sleep!
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

$15.99
CD

Buy

  HANS APPELQVIST
Sifantin och morkre
(Hapna)

"Tank Att Himlens Alla Stjarnor"

More highly original work by Sweden's Hans Appelqvist on Sifantin och morkret. A master of combining field recordings with acoustic instruments, he focuses on nature sounds and children's voices combined with some pretty advanced kazoo playing. It's a truly unique world of sound, and at times, Appelqvist comes across as more of a storyteller than a musician. His best work since Att mota verkligheten.
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

$15.99
CD

Buy

  MARCUS SCHMICKLER & HAYDEN CHISHOLM
Amazing Daze
(Hapna)

"Amazing Daze"

Two subtle and undulating drone pieces by Marcus Schmickler, perhaps better known as Pluramon, and saxophone player Hayden Chisholm, who you might've heard on works by David Sylvian and Burnt Friedman. Chisholm plays bagpipes and sho here, which is processed and manipulated by Schmickler, creating meditative and sometimes dissonant soundscapes which are not too far removed from recordings by Pauline Oliveros and Phil Niblock.
 
         
   
   
 
   
      
   
         
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THIS WEEK'S CONTRIBUTORS

[GA] Geoff Albores
[AC] Amanda Colbenson
[PG] Pamela Garavano-Coolbaugh
[KC] Kevin Coultas
[MC] Michael Crumsho
[GH] Gerald Hammill
[DH] Duane Harriott
[IQ] Mikey IQ Jones
[MK] Michael Klausman
[AK] Andreas Knutsen
[JM] Josh Madell
[DM] Doug Mosurock
[KO] Kristy Ojala
[LR] Linden Renz
[JS] Jeremy Sponder


THANKS FOR READING
- all of us at Other Music
 
         
   
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