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   May 3, 2007  
       
   

 

 

     
 

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  DOWNLOAD SEA AND CAKE'S UPCOMING ALBUM "EVERYBODY"
THE SEA AND CAKE
Everybody
(Thrill Jockey)

The Sea and Cake's fantastic new album doesn't hit store shelves until Tuesday of next week (May 8th), but we've got the album on our mp3 site, and you can download it right now! Though Everybody is a bit more muscular and direct than past efforts, we still find the group doing what they do best, effortlessly crafting both straightforward indie pop and complex, nuanced, and supremely soulful styles that are near-irresistible. You can preview every track and read the full review by clicking here.

Other Music's Digital Store has new albums arriving every day. Scroll down this update to read about our other digital picks of the week.
 
         
   
       
   
         
 
FEATURED NEW RELEASES
Kirsten Ketsjer the Rock Band
Telegraph Avenue
Teiji Ito
Aus
ST
Frog Eyes
Tobias Thomas
Art Fleury
Fursaxa
Dennis Brown
William Parker & Hamid Drake
Pauline Oliveros
Shit Happens! (Various)
The Spiritualaires
Trinity
Priestbird

 

ALSO AVAILABLE
Dinosaur Jr.
Grails
Yura Yura Teikoku (domestic pressing)

FEATURED MP3 DOWNLOADS
Pandatone
Hauschka
Avey Tare & Kria Brekkan
Bonde Do Role
Kieran Hebden & Steve Reid
Bert Jansch
Emma Pollock
Beach House

 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
       
   

 

 

     
 

$18.99
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  KIRSTEN KETSJER THE
ffffoo k tsscch
(Yoyooyoy)

"The Bridge"
"How Is Your Sleep?"

So, we were ready to take in some copies of the album based on the packaging alone. It's got a beautifully hand-printed three-color cover with a Venus flytrap on it, hand-cut to open up like some kind of geometric flower with a nice micro-text bookmark insert inside. Definitely intrigued, we thought it would be alright to take a chance and play it on the stereo for everyone to hear. We were right. Good to know it's OK to fly in the face of a tried and true cliche' about judging books. A bunch of customers asked if they could buy a copy but we had to turn them away since all we had was the promo. We're ready now.

Kirsten Ketsjer the Rock Band is a three-piece from Denmark, made up of Anja on drums and vocals and Anders and Andreas on dueling guitars. They have the good-hearted melodic chime of the Feelies, the easy-going moments of the Minutemen, as well as the jazziness of Sea and Cake and a little of the bombast of Polvo or even Thinking Fellers Union Local 282. All of that is wrapped up in a smart, fresh-faced, noise-friendly open-endedness that keeps you on your toes. Smiling. Yet all of this classic American indie rock is somehow turned on its head and it breathes like a newborn baby. "The Bridge" is a juxtaposition of tragedy and triumph that will give you strength to persevere, while "How Is Your Sleep?" and "Ernie and the Sand" are full of feel good spirit and imagination that inspires. ffffoo k tsscch is a great album that has the same brand of "feel good" as Au Revoir Simone but in a different way and for different reasons altogether! It's great to hear such familiar sounds done in a new, effective, unforced manner! [SM]

PS: The LP, which is housed in a 12" replica of the CD packaging (including a 7 inch!), is on its way too. We'll let you know as soon as we get it. Also, both the CD and LP would cost almost twice as much in Denmark for the packaging alone, so the price is subject to change in the future.
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  TELEGRAPH AVENUE
Telegraph Avenue
(Repsychled)

"Something Going"
"Let Me Start"

Telegraph Avenue never broke through to American audiences during their brief run in the 1970s. In their home country of Peru, however, these four guys were stars, with a hit single that helped make their self-titled debut one of the all-time best-selling records in Peruvian rock history. Now reissued in a lovingly packaged miniature gatefold sleeve, Telegraph Avenue makes it pretty easy to see how this quartet managed to top Peru's charts way back when. Singing in English while blending bright, sunny melodies with brilliant harmonies and hints of distinctly homegrown percussion, Telegraph Avenue created a sound that was an effortless mix of American psychedelic rock, delicate soul, and breezy pop.

Guitarist Bo Ichikawa formed the band in 1970 after returning from a stay in San Francisco, and as such his work occasionally betrays pretty obvious influences from the likes of Quicksilver Messenger Service and Grand Funk Railroad, especially on tracks like the taut and wailing "Let Me Start." Telegraph Avenue was just as beholden to the Beatles and Badfinger, too, as a song like "Happy," with its carefree lope and gliding piano lines, easily attests. But while their reference points are pretty easy to peg, the music throughout their debut is no worse for it. "Sungaligali" even pairs some pretty searing Ichikawa leads with sublime harmonizing from his band mates, giving way to heady percussive outbursts that map out a neat little groove. After this record, Telegraph Avenue wouldn't record another until 1975 (although drummer Walo Carrillo and bassist Alex Nathanson would go on to the form the thoroughly excellent and more hard-edged Tarkus in 1972). By then, the original line up had long since dissipated, leaving this debut as the truest and best representation of this heretofore little-known (in the States, at any rate) Peruvian group. [MC]
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  TEIJI ITO
Tenno
(Tzadik)

Track 4
Track 6

One of the great, truly idiosyncratic works of recent history, Teiji Ito's 1964 masterpiece, Tenno, is a record full of paradoxes and mirrored chambers, of mystery and fundamental, ritual power. A longtime collaborator and one time husband of dancer/experimental filmmaker Maya Deren, Ito was a lifelong student of ecstatic ritual music and was welcomed into shamanic rites in Japan, Nepal, Native America, and Haiti, where he died in 1982. His music can be seen as a synthesis of these studies, a synthesis born out of a deep appreciation and understanding of the music he both participated in and used to generate the prismatic, ritual collage of Tenno. Consisting of overdubs of Ito performing on a myriad of traditional ethnic instruments, electronics, and tape and phonograph manipulations, the 50-odd minutes of Tenno adjust the poles of primitive versus technological, acoustic versus electronic, "live" versus recorded, and music versus noise into so many configurations that it would be dizzying if it were not so grounded in the mysterious primal unity that it is, or so steeped in the steady freedom that ritual paradoxically affords. Shamisen, shakuhachi, Haitian Voudoun drumming, Native American rhythms, Gagaku, fifes, sonorous electronic timbres, animal sounds, and Noh-style vocalizations all share airspace in a perfectly paced drama of tension and release. Yet there is an ancient, abiding patience to the whole affair, a mysterious wisdom that draws all these disparate sounds into a unique, mesmerizing sound world. Highest recommendation. [CC]
 
         
   
   
   
   
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  AUS
Sonorapid
(Music Related)

"Music"
"Toku Kara"

We've been selling out of these in the shop for a while now with nothing but an impassioned, handwritten note letting customers know what it's like. So this review is probably long overdue. At first we were ready to brush Sonorapid off as another Japanese, Oval-esque IDM release; but we were soon drawn in and realized there is a lot more to this album than its surface elements. It does have skittery rhythms, clicks, whirrs, quietly ringing guitar notes and dreamy female vocals, but it all manages to transform within the song. Like the first Pole album, the elements that seem random or conceptual in other records reveal, upon closer inspection, a delicate arrangement that comes and goes, pushing the song forward. (All the songs have that quality, but check out track two, "Tewa Tori Aeru" and track four, "EMI.") That's the other thing about Aus, I can't imagine another artist that blends modern edginess with sweetness and effective song-y-ness in that Japanese way as well. Its kind of an update on the delicate balance reached on Nobukazu Takemura's very first Child's View album. Maybe it's the almost Nagisa Ni Te/romantic undertone that makes it special, that sweetness that's almost too sugary, but ends up being interesting enough, and having enough other qualities to offset the sweetness and lure you into it. This is definitely music for that "special" moment and that "special" place, but even if you're not necessarily in this mood, it will likely bring you there safe and sound. Excellent album. [SM]
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  ST
People I Barely Know
(Music Related)

"I'll Meet You There"
"I Met a Girl with Butterfly Wings"

ST is Stefan Ternemar from Sweden, not another Music Related artist, Japan's Shugo Tokumaru. The label compares his album People I Barely Know to Styrofoam, but I hear a lot more going on. Despite being an album of collaborations (re-read the title), I have to say that People really comes across as a varied and consistently good album of songs, with varying elements of Morr Music-type poptronica, well-wrought indie pop and textural IDM. Throughout the record, I hear the dreamy, decaying chimes and slow melancholy of Casino Vs. Japan or B. Fleischmann, plus the take-you-away lift of Band of Horses(!) all wrapped together with that modern day, Swedish indie pop sensibility. (Check out the album opener, "I'll Meet You There.") "Make It to the End" has a slight Postal Service-like urgency to it but, similar to the rest of People, as soon as an influence is recognized, something happens in the song that offsets it and moves the track in another direction. The fifth song has a Go Hawaii-like narrated vocal to it with a blissful Boards of Canada-esque ambience that swirls in by the third minute of the track. It's strange to hear an album that has so much going for it at once: The dude not only can write a song and sing it well, but he's also got great production and sequencing skills, not to mention a talent for finding good collaborators. Music Related is really showing itself to be a music lover's record label. Their releases are just as good as they are simultaneously related and unique from each other, and every release seems like another recommendation from a good friend's solid music collection. [SM]
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  FROG EYES
Tears of the Valedictorian
(Absolutely Kosher)

"Idle Songs"
"Caravan Breakers, They Prey on the Weak and the Old"

Now, here's a band that deserves more attention. After taking the time out to record as Swan Lake with Destroyer's Dan Bejar, Carey Mercer and his Frog Eyes are back with Tears of the Valedictorian. Mercer is one of rock's premier vocalists, not technically, but his possessed howling, crooning, and moaning is partially what makes this band (similar to how Bejar's voice is the foundation of the Destroyer albums). Musically, there are some pretty pristine pop songs on here, I can't help but hear a little Bowie and Roxy Music, but the rattling percussion, broken piano, and wailing guitar paint a whole other, and more complex, sonic landscape. Forget the Wolf Parade connections and whatnot, here's a band that's carving out a niche entirely their own. Recommended. [AK]
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  TOBIAS THOMAS
Please Please Please
(Kompakt)

"Kingpult" - "Krause Duo"
"Lauft Gut" - "Pachulke Und Sohn"

Tobias Thomas released the first mix CD on then fledgling label Kompakt, following that up with the exquisite microhouse mix, Smallville, that showed just how close sleepy bedroom pop (like Erlend Oye and Dntel) were to full-on bangers. For his newest mix, Thomas emulates that same formula, starting off with some fine ambience from Pantha du Prince (whose newest, This Bliss, is one of the year's exemplary techno discs) before slowly seeping into the beats. Boasting tracks from the likes of Villalobos and Reinhard Voigt, and topped by a cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams," Thomas crafts another endearing mix. [AB]
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

$24.99
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  ART FLEURY
I Luoghi Del Potere
(Die Schachtel)

"E=mc2"
"L'overdose"

This stellar reissue of the first record by Italy's Art Fleury will no doubt remind some listeners of the more abstract moments of Can, the instrumental passages of In the Court of...-era King Crimson, or Henry Cow, with whom they toured with in the late-'70s. Much like the aforementioned groups, Art Fleury cannot safely be labeled a "prog" band, anymore than Renaissance tapestries can be called carpets. Perhaps even more than their esteemed peers, Art Fleury seemed possessed of a deep desire to keep their listeners -- and themselves -- from complacent musical experience, a desire that one senses was as much about radical politics as it was about music. Art Fleury's Augusto Ferrari (analog synthesizers), Maurizio Tomasoni (reeds and woodwinds), and Giangi Frugoni (guitars, bass) are capable of sudden, sometimes shocking virtuosity, to be sure, but there are no empty technical gestures here and this record finds the trio seamlessly blending elements of free improvisation, rock, tape music, and agitprop in a heady, propulsive stew that moves through the six tracks with a cinematic, even revolutionary, sense of purpose. These were the high '70s after all, and the members of Art Fleury were all card-carrying members of the radical activist group, Lotta Continua. Through their deft stop-and-start-on-a-dime instrumental sections, the band weaves urban field recordings, mechanically interrupted records, and expressionistic tape manipulation reminiscent of the work of Turkish Agitprop tape composer Ilhan Mimaroglu. To take the cinematic metaphor further, I Luoghi del Potere (Italian for "Places of Power") might be a movie full of angular architecture, rapid, disorienting inter-cutting, chase scenes, and broad, epic pans, and indeed, the liners have it that the band conceived of the record as a soundtrack to an imaginary film. [CC]
 
         
   
   
   
   
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  FURSAXA
Alone in the Dark Wood
(ATP Recordings)

"Alone in the Dark Wood"
"In the Hollow Mink Shoal"

Though Philadelphian Tara Burke has recorded as Fursaxa since before the turn of the century, she's consistently played the role of the generally unsung folk heiress, releasing a string of great, limited edition CD-Rs and LPs on labels like Eclipse and Time-Lag that pair her oft-spectral voice with a variety of instrumental accoutrement, affecting an earthen and still thoroughly modern approach to sacred song in the process. Far from being just another in an endless parade of simplistic revivers, however, she has created songs that consistently enchant, using simple accompaniment as a backdrop for heaven-sent vocals and ominously quiet ruminations. Alone in the Dark Wood is Burke's latest disc for the All Tomorrow's Parties label (and her seventh solo album overall), and here she pairs up with Fonal Records head honcho Sami Sanpakkila (who also records under the name Es) for a series of tracks that find the songstress in beautiful, unparalleled form.

Built around simple drones and basic guitar strums, Burke's work calls to mind Nico during the heady period that birthed both The Marble Index and Desertshore. But as a contrast to that German chanteuse's frigid textures, Burke's music is more airy and meditative, warmly adorned in a way that allows layers of her voice to weave in and out of ethereal woodwinds, acoustics, and genteel keys, with a ritualistic presence that does justice to frequent comparisons to twelfth century abbess Hildegard von Bingen. Recorded both in Philadelphia and Ulvila, Finland, tracks like "Black Yaw" merge sawing drones and twinkling percussion with wordless chants and moans, while the lithe six-string pluck and swirling cries of the title track speak an intuitive language all their own. Even still, it's pieces like "Cle Elum" and "Birds Inspire Epic Bards" that enthrall the most here, with shimmering loops and waifish toy sounds that bring to light Sanpakkila's unmistakable influence on the record. At a time when recent interest in all things folk and psych seems to be on the wane, Fursaxa returns anew to confidently remind everyone that there's still plenty of peculiar life left in that scene. [MC]
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  DENNIS BROWN
Visions of Dennis Brown
(Crazy Joe)

"Deliverance Will Come"
"Milk and Honey"

Stunning, near-perfect lovers' rock album from 1977 here, with Jamaican legend Dennis Brown teaming up with Joe Gibbs to record some of their strongest respective works. Soulful grooves run off this record like sweat, with organ jazz vamp and rocksteady sound collisions of the type you rarely hear. Tracks like "Love Me Always" play out like a reggae Al Green, as evidenced by the depth of their charts and Brown's silken, welcoming voice. A fantastic edition to your burgeoning reggae collection, complete with four bonus tracks (including the showstopper "Home Sweet Home"). [DM]
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

$15.99
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  WILLIAM PARKER & HAMID DRAKE
Summer Snow Vol. 2
(AUM Fidelity)

"Pahos"
"Anaya Dancing"

Throughout the history of jazz there has been an unfortunate rivalry between musicians from Chicago and New York. Though this has sent ripples throughout the scene, some have, however, managed to put differences aside and used their skills to create wonderful and engaging music. Such is the case with New Yorker William Parker and Chicago resident Hamid Drake. Summer Snow is their second release as a duo. Much like their previous outing, each brings a special tone and mode to the collaboration, moving from free improv to loose and casual structures. Drake is a skilled multi-percussionist who's able to induce a trance with nothing more than a bass drum and/or handheld frame drum, and here he uses both as well as gongs and tablas. Parker's deep, dark and heavy tone can be heard on his mainstay bass not to mention water bowls, dumbek, talking drum, shakuachi, and doson'nguni. Minimal earthy rhythms with intricate and ancient overtones are the foundations for the listening experience here. With this collaboration both show that they can move beyond egos and get down to business. Their generation isn't getting any younger, maybe this will spark more to follow suit. [DG]
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  PAULINE OLIVEROS
Accordion and Voice
(Important)

PAULINE OLIVEROS
Wanderer
(Important)

"The Wanderer"
"Horse Sings from Cloud"

Since the early-60s, composer Pauline Oliveros has been at the forefront of American experimental music. As a charter member of the San Francisco Tape Music Center, along with Morton Subotnick and Ramon Sender, she composed pioneering works for tape and analog synthesizers, as well as accordion, the instrument she has come to be most associated with. But Oliveros also pioneered a radical kind of musical concept; her scores are often not indications of pitch or rhythm, but what she calls, "meditative suggestions," directives that reflect the existential and spiritual reality of musical (or any other kind of) decision making. For example, the score for "Horse Sings from Cloud" instructs the performer to make and sustain a sound, and change only when there is no longer a desire to change.

These two reissues from the ever-prolific Important Records imprint, Accordion and Voice and The Wanderer, date from 1982 and 1984 respectively, and represent her solo and group settings for the instrument. A common thread connecting Oliveros' work for electronic and acoustic instruments is the exploration of difference tones -- the phenomenon by which the simultaneous sounding of two tones produces a third tone. This is most easily illustrated in the pulsing or beating sound that one hears when tuning up a guitar or fingering two adjacent keys on an organ, or in the shimmering metallic tones of Balinese Gamelan. The accordion, with its reedy, harmonically rich voice and capacity for producing long sustained notes, is an ideal instrument for exploring difference tones, a quality employed to great effect on these two releases. Accordion and Voice is a deep, meditative record that finds Oliveros unaccompanied, her singing at times blending effortlessly with the long harmonics of her accordion and at others entering into dynamic, spatializing interplay. Intimate, yet universal, Accordion and Voice is both a powerful, personal vision and the kind of selfless, spiritual surrender that one associates with the Eastern spiritual traditions that Oliveros has long been a practitioner of.

The Wanderer is a decidedly more social record, the title track having been written for twenty accordions, two bass accordions and five percussionists, with Oliveros as soloist. The piece explores similarly meditative ground before bursting into an ecstatic fanfare inspired by Irish, Cajun, and Klezmer rhythms. Also Included is a bonus track featuring Oliveros in duo form with David Tudor. Nicely packaged in deluxe cardboard gatefolds with original liners and highly recommended. [CC]
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

$21.99
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  VARIOUS ARTISTS
Shit Happens!
(Bear Family)

"Mommy Please Stay Home with Me" Eddy Arnold
"Pickin' Flowers" Ted Harris

Know what's wrong with the music industry? Nobody's got any breathing room to take a chance. Shit Happens! is the kind of record that defies such penny-pinching logic; an idea you'd sort out drunk at three in the morning. "They should make a compilation of the most depressing country songs -- which we all know to be some of the most depressing of the 20th century -- then challenge anyone out there to listen to the whole thing front-to-back, or even read its lyrics in one sitting." It's happened with Shit Happens! Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Porter Wagoner, the Louvin Brothers, Hank Snow (country's king of the bumpkin-bummers), and more name artists sing songs about children both abused and dead, blind orphans, fatal illnesses, dead dogs, dead parents, drunk driving accidents, and all the worst domestic tragedies life has to offer. Sequenced loosely by subject, the inherent comedic response to these songs, as the album descends further and further into the madness of sadness, takes hold. If you can make it to Johnny Horton's "Another Woman Wears My Wedding Ring," or Ed Bruce's "Tiny Golden Locket," in which a lost boy gets run over by his drunken mother, you're either going to be laughing or tying a noose. Maybe both. Comes with a 68-page booklet, appropriately illustrated by Reinhard Kleist. Will brighten your day solely by comparison -- a must-have! [DM]
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  THE SPIRITUALAIRES
Singing Songs of Praise
(Case Quarter)

"I'm Going to Tell on You"
"Some Folks Say"

One of the most unique mainstays of the independent radio stations of the South are the "Sunday Morning Ministries" programs. They generally consist of a local preacher or singing group providing a Sunday service on the air for shut-ins, with local businesses sponsoring them. With the increasing consolidation of radio stations around the country, these programs are becoming more and more scarce. Formed in the 1950s, the Spiritualaires are one of the few remaining authentic vocal gospel groups of this nature and this album is surprisingly their first recorded effort.

The album production is highlighted by the slow, ghostly pitch-perfect harmonies of the group, but what really sets this recording apart is the firm, rhythmic bluesy guitar playing of Curtis Harris, which is the lone instrumental accompaniment on the record. His playing is firmly rooted in the Lightning Hopkins tradition of boogie pickin', which, as we all know, is the root of most modern American music. Elements of blues, country, and early rock 'n' roll are all weaved into the vocal tapestry as well. It's pretty astonishing to hear how many musical references are contained within this framework, and it's a joy to finally have this music recorded for all to hear. [DH]
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  TRINITY
Three Piece Suit
(Crazy Joe)

"Queen Majesty"
"Three Piece Suit"

You've heard the term "producer's producer"... well, how about "toaster's toaster"? This excellent reissue from such a vocalist comes via this one-man "trio," known as Trinity. Featuring production from Joe Gibbs and engineer Errol Thompson, Three Piece Suit was originally recorded in 1977, and then slightly updated in 1982. The record is a nice slice of early dance hall with solid backing from one of Sly & Robbie's various incarnations, appearing here as the Professionals. Punchy rockers rhythms, tight horn arrangements from Vin Gordon and Bobby Ellis (this was around the time of Gibbs' African Dub All-Mighty series of heavyweight dub rhythms), here, some of those tracks get the full vocal chat-up from Trinity with a mix of street tuff, ghetto fluff and JA humor. A solid release, the songs are imaginative, crisp, and vibrant as its cover suggests; the backside reads "roots reggae is a medicine for the world." Includes two bonus tracks. A nice way to welcome in the warm weather. [DG]
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  PRIESTBIRD
In Your Time
(Kemado)

"Smoke & Pain"
"Jackyl"

If you think Danny Elfman and Tim Burton are a perfect match, then Priestbird is the new soundtrack to your favorite Middle Ages saga. There are a lot of different sounds and ideas found on this record -- "Guest Room" is reminiscent of Debussy's piano preludes tainted with the melancholy of Satie, the intro to "Smoke & Pain" could be confused with heavy-jammers Earthless, and throughout the album there is a definite Barrett-era Pink Floyd vibe -- but you cannot deny the epic quality of In Your Time. A frighteningly raw cello replaces the traditional bass guitar, not to mention some serious space/prog guitar lines to be reckoned with. [RO]
 
         
   
       
   

 

 

     
 

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  DINOSAUR JR.
Beyond
(Fat Possum)

"Almost Ready"

Reunion albums are boring, tired affairs. Futile attempts to relive glory days. Well, forget what you know because the new Dinosaur album (featuring the original line-up of J Mascis, Lou Barlow and Murph) is blistering! The two Barlow tracks are sublime, some of the best he's written since Sebadoh's heyday, and Mascis' guitar playing is razor sharp. Why settle for indie rock imitators when you can you have a brand new album by the band who invented it all? Brilliant.
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  GRAILS
Burning Off Impurities
(Temporary Residence)

Origin-Ing

Pushing the boundaries of instrumental rock music, Grails' Burning Off Impurities draws inspiration from Krautrock (Faust, Popol Vuh), psychedelia, noise, folk, and spaghetti westerns. It is pastoral yet immensely intense, utilizing dynamics and space to utmost effect. And it really sounds nothing like Mogwai or Explosions in the Sky. A great and incredibly versatile ROCK record, that's not afraid to be just that.
 
         
   
       
   

 

 

     
 

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  YURA YURA TEIKOKU
Sweet Spot
(Mesh Key)

Track 6

The phenomenon of Yura Yura Teikoku may not have swept the entire nation; however, for the few-hundred audience members lucky enough to catch a show during one of the band's few trips to NYC, YYT's brilliance has not been forgotten. The trio, whose impact on Japanese psych/pop/rock culture is immeasurable, graced us with a couple of shows in October of 2005 and last July that were worthy of Koenji's UFO Club. It was also around the same time that Mesh-Key began domestically releasing their records, first Na.ma.shi.bi.re.Na.ma.me.ma.i, and then Sweet Spot. The latter of the two proves to be a great follow-up to the trio's live performance, during which the echoplex hums and loops, jutting in and out of the melody until finally engulfing the sound fully. Although there are some moments of overwhelming droned-out guitar riffs, the songs on Sweet Spot. mostly just hint at psychedelic consciousness while keeping their pop sensibilities intact. For those who have heard Na.ma.shi.bi.re.Na.ma.me.ma.i or one of the colorful imported vinyl pieces, expect a different experience: a little lighter, a little more melodious, and arguably more memorable. [AC]
 
         
   
       
   

 

 

     
 

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  PANDATONE
Happy Together
(Music Related)

Following a three year hiatus, Pandatone is back with Happy Together on his own Music Related imprint, (the same label that brought us Shugo Tokumaru's brilliant Night Piece). As with those releases, subtle and organic electronica is the order of the day as Pandatone utilizes acoustic guitars, understated male and female vocals, samples and field recordings to create eight enchanting compositions. However, what makes this album stand out is Pandatone's urge to experiment. There are lots of little twists and turns to these songs, as he's not afraid to throw in some tape hiss and slightly dissonant elements. This is a guaranteed winner if you've enjoyed works by Mum, Psapp, Tujiko Noriko, and maybe even Portishead.

 

 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  HAUSCHKA
Versions of the Prepared Piano
(Karoake Kalk)

Two years ago, Hauscka's Prepared Piano found the Dusseldorf pianist working in the same minimalist realm as John Cage, while embracing an unexpected melodic accessibility. Strangely enough, this album would be perfect fodder for producers such as Tarwater, Mira, Barbara Morgenstern, Nobukazu Takemura and Wechsel Garland to remix, adding their distinctive personalities to these re-imaginings.

 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  AVEY TARE & KRIA BREKKAN
Pullhair Rubeye
(Paw Tracks)

The recently married frontpersons of Animal Collective and Mum have provocatively decided to release their first collaborative album backwards. While Avey and Kria's voices are mysterious but familiar, the other instruments sound almost completely abstract. The most thought-provoking Animal Collective-related project yet, it's a beautiful listen for those who accept the music on the terms presented.

 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  BONDE DO ROLE
Solta O Frango - Single
(Domino)

Discovered by DJ/producer Diplo, these baile funk punks deliver exactly what you'd expect: foul-mouthed (ask your Portuguese-speaking friends) party bangers that will sound like a major revelation at 3 in the morning. Think CSS's filthier and more aggressive sibling. Definitely recommended to fans of M.I.A. and, of course, anyone who digs favela booty beats. Look for the full-length in June.

 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

$9.99
mp3

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  KIERAN HEBDEN & STEVE REID
Tongues
(Domino)

The third studio meeting between Four Tet's Kieran Hebden and drummer extraordinaire Steve Reid, a jazz veteran who has played time keeper for the likes of Miles Davis, Sun Ra and Fela Kuti. As you might expect, Tongues is a great album of sampler and drum set improvisations, but unlike their previous collaborations together, the pieces here are shorter, more explosive, and also more melodic.

 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

$9.99
mp3

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  BERT JANSCH
Bert Jansch
(Castle Music)

Bert Jansch's first few solo records are among the finest and most influential folk albums ever made. Neil Young called him the "Jimi Hendrix of the acoustic guitar." His self-titled debut was recorded for a mere 100 pounds and featured a series of brilliant ruminations on the blues, love, and debilitating drug addiction. It's one of those records that, once you get it into your life, you'll regret not having gotten it there sooner.

 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

$1.99
mp3

Buy

  EMMA POLLOCK
Adrenaline - Single
(4AD)

Former Delgados' singer Emma Pollock steps out into the solo spotlight and brings us these two new wonderfully sublime pop songs, with a backing band that includes her former bandmate Paul Savage, Jamie Savage (Paul's brother) and Aerogramme's Campbell McNeil. Check back for her full-length, Watch the Fireworks, set for release in September on 4AD Records.

 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

$9.99
mp3

Buy

  BEACH HOUSE
Beach House
(Car Park)

Though Beach House have received many comparisons to Mazzy Star, that analogy falls short of describing just what the duo are all about. Their songs are more indebted to the baroque pop sounds of yesterday, coming off like a modern re-up of the Zombies' Odyssey & Oracle, played at half-speed and with the orchestral moves rendered in Technicolor Casio chords, soaked through with shimmering reverb.

 
         
   
   
 
   
      
   
         
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THIS WEEK'S CONTRIBUTORS

[AB] Adrian Burkholder
[CC] Che Chen
[AC] Amanda Colbenson
[MC] Michael Crumsho
[DG] Daniel Givens
[DH] Duane Harriott
[AK] Andreas Knutsen
[DM] Doug Mosurock
[SM] Scott Mou
[RO] Rebecca Ottman


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