The Other Music Update

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	April 2, 2009


			RECORD STORE DAY: APRIL 18, 2009 Get your calendars out and be sure to mark April 18, 2009 down for the second annual Record Store Day, a day in which record stores nationwide and the people who love them celebrate their uniqueness in the cultural landscape. Last year's event proved wildly popular and those of us who are still standing are back for an even bigger and better day. Our highlights this year include in-store appearances/ performances from the likes of Bill Callahan, Prefuse 73, the Pains of Being Pure at Heart, and more. Also, many labels and bands are making special releases that will only be available on Record Store Day, a few of the highlights being records by Sonic Youth, Arthur Russell, Pavement, Iron and Wine, Bob Dylan, and Grizzly Bear, as well as label samplers and giveaways. We'll provide a full run down of the day's events and a list of exclusive releases in the next few weeks, so circle that date on your calendar and please come by.


	FEATURED NEW RELEASES Tristan Perich Hildur Gudnadóttir Lotus Plaza Yeah Yeah Yeahs (with very limited Animal Collective remix 7") Sven Libaek Laurent Petitgirard Karl Heinz Schafer Circle PJ Harvey & John Parish Christian Naujoks Walter Wegmuller Crystal Stilts (7" single) Pains of Being Pure at Heart (7" single) Amadou & Mariam Peter Bjorn and John The Browns Dawn of the Dead (OST) Pride Plantation Gold (Various Artists) Michael Hurley (LP)		Peter Walker Arvo Part Richard Foreman (DVD) Valet The Long Lost Shadows of Knight Kool Is Back (Various Artists) Sentieri Selvaggi (music of Bryars & Glass) Michael Gordon ALSO AVAILABLE The Whitest Boy Alive Swan Lake Soul Jazz Singles 2008-2009 J Dilla ("Dillanthology") Adventures in Sound (Various Artists) BACK IN PRINT Nigeria 70 (Various Artists) Spiritual Jazz (Various Artists)


			Buy Early Get Now: Sonic Youth "The Eternal" Pre-order Sonic Youth's The Eternal (out on June 9) on CD or LP, and you'll also receive access to an advanced stream of the album (beginning April 28), a limited live LP, exclusive MP3s and a poster. Currently, this Buy Early Get Now offer is for purchases made in person at the store only, but will be available for mail order on April 28th. Questions? Email: orders@othermusic.com

APR

Sun 05

Mon 06

Tues 07

Wed 08

Thurs 09

Fri 10

Sat 11

WIN TICKETS TO MATES OF STATE + BLACK KIDS
Next Monday, April 6, the Mates of States and Black Kids will be performing at Webster Hall and Other Music has a pair of passes to give away to this great double bill! Not only will the winner get two tickets, they'll also receive a Mates of State "Remix" 12-inch and a Black Kids "Wizard of Ahhhhs" 10-inch EP. To enter, send an email to tickets@othermusic.com. We'll notify the lucky winner on Friday afternoon. Good luck!

MONDAY, APRIL 6
WEBSTER HALL: 125 East 11th Street NYC


	$29.99 Soundbox $9.99 MP3		TRISTAN PERICH 1 Bit Music Sound Box (Cantaloupe) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store We finally managed to wrangle a handful of these remarkable contraptions, an ingenious little bit of circuitry hand-soldered into a jewel box with a headphone jack, created by the New York City-based composer/mad genius, Tristan Perich. This is about as primitive and minimal as electronic music can get, but Perich has succeeded in actually composing some remarkably engaging pattern-oriented compositions to go along with his feat of engineering, elevating his project beyond the merely gimmicky. These are not mass-produced like the Buddha Machine, each machine is a one of a kind hand made object made by the composer himself and programmed with about forty minutes of music. We don't expect them to last long, so if you want one please act fast. [MK]


	$15.99 CD		HILDUR GUDNADOTTIR Without Sinking (Touch) "Into Warmer Air" "Circular" I first knowingly came across the disarming stringwork of Icelandic cellist Hildur Gudnadóttir on listening to Pan Sonic's stunning Katodivaihe. Hearing her confident strokes sitting beside the cold electronics of Mika Vainio and Ilpo Väisänen, I knew even then that I just needed to find more of her work. She has of course been busy -- besides her back catalog of work (with Mum and Throbbing Gristle to name only two collaborations), she teamed up with BJ Nilsen and Stilluppsteypa on the incredible Second Childhood -- but Without Sinking feels like the album I've been waiting for all along. Those expecting processed electronics will be sorely disappointed; the beauty in Without Sinking is from its stark, measured restraint. Gudnadóttir has the enviable skill of being able to hold back without losing any urgency or momentum, carrying the tracks through push and pull seemingly without breaking a sweat. Of course this kind of restraint is set aside for only the greatest players, and this is what places Gudnadóttir far from the electro-classical set of recent years. The album is a celebration of a single instrument, and with that instrument she creates cinematic moods which are neither trite nor cliché, less reliant on motifs than Max Richter and far less experimentally minded than Sylvain Chauveau or Johann Johannsson. There are moments on Without Sinking where you could be listening to an ensemble playing without the assistance of any electronic enhancement of any kind. We know better than this, but it is a testament to Gudnadóttir's effortless and varied playing that she can layer her recordings into such accomplished works. The album itself, while segmented into ten tracks, feels like a body of pieces to be heard as one, beckoning you and guiding you through a strangely alluring melancholy. It is music, however, which does not dwell, the melancholy is part of the backdrop and all else is built into the icy landscape. An imaginary soundtrack to your favorite surrealist children's book, Without Sinking is a strong contender for album of the year so far. Absolutely unmissable. [JT]


	$13.99 CD $9.99 MP3		LOTUS PLAZA The Floodlight Collective (Kranky) "Red Oak Way" "Whiteout" Deerhunter has been one the more surprising success stories in recent years, with recognition pouring in as much for their beautifully hazy, shoegazey punk as it has for the bizarre antics and unfiltered blog postings of frontman Bradford Cox. Though he's undoubtedly a huge creative force behind the band (as proven by his great Atlas Sound project from last year), guitarist Lockett Pundt has remained Deerhunter's relatively unsung guiding light for a couple of years now, his string work providing a gauzy counterpoint to Cox's songwriting and lyrical musings. His driving role within the band ought to become a little more apparent now, thanks to the release of The Floodlight Collective, the great debut from his Lotus Plaza solo project. Pundt has been dropping little teasers for this project for a while now, but these were little indication as to how fully-formed his tracks would be when given the space to stretch out. Playing pretty much everything by himself, Pundt manages to balance out classic pop structures and styles (with tracks like "Quicksand" bathing itself in classic Phil Spector) with more abstract leanings, giving pieces like "Antoine" over fully to head rushes of cascading, feeding-back melody. Elsewhere, he devotes pieces like "What Grows?" to more familiar shoegaze territory, displaying an almost innate ability for crafting sweet pop songs in the process. More than just another side project, Lotus Plaza's debut is confident step forward from a man who's been fairly comfortable in the background until now. [MC]


	$13.99 CD $19.99 Deluxe CD w/ Bonus Tracks		YEAH YEAH YEAHS It's Blitz! (Interscope) "Zero" "Shame and Fortune" I still remember the glee I experienced on hearing the Yeah Yeah Yeahs now classic debut album Fever to Tell back in 2003. It came at a time when indie rock music felt, for the most part, rather dull and the album had an unusual vigor and attitude which deservedly elevated the band to their rightful place as worldwide press darlings almost overnight. Maybe it was the trio's fusion of scruffy garage pop and Blondie-style hooks, or maybe it was just because every self-respecting NME reader wanted to marry frontwoman Karen O. Whatever it was, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs have carried themselves high for a good six years since and they show no signs of letting go with It's Blitz!, their third full-length. Hardcore fans might be dismayed by the early word that the album was bereft of guitars (it's true, guys), but with TV on the Radio super-producer Dave Sitek at the controls, it manages to retain that edge of mischief and punk, even without Nick Zinner's signature axe motifs. Indeed the Blondie references chucked at the band all these years suddenly become more poignant as they blast through the opening one-two punch of "Zero" and "Heads Will Roll," two of their finest moments to date. Rather than dampen the band's firepower, the pulsating electro-pop throb gives a cold, spine-chillingly sincerity to Karen O's feline squeals, accentuating her already arresting drawl. Even on the relatively more sedate "Skeletons" and album closer "Little Shadow," the near-ambient synthetic production sits as a haunting backbone to the tracks, allowing Karen O's confident tones to take center stage. It's Blitz! is the album the Yeah Yeah Yeahs have been trying to make for a while now, and under the guidance of Dave Sitek they have succeeded triumphantly. More confident than the patchy Show Your Bones and more mature than their spiky debut, this is the record that shows a band can change with the times without losing a shred of energy, even re-defining a new sound in the process. Trust me, every other indie band on the block will be coming out with an "electronic" album after this -- didn't this already happen in the 80s? Pop music doesn't get much better than this. [JT] We have a very limited YYY 7" with an Animal Collective remix, free with purchase of It's Blitz!, while supplies last.


	$19.99 CD		SVEN LIBAEK Solar Flares (Vadim Music) "Space Walk" "No Flowers on Venus" Another essential Vadim reissue, Nordic Australian composer Sven Libaek's 1974 library music holy grail, Solar Flares. This lush, loping funky dreamscape rides waves of homemade synth tones amidst rich brass arrangements, piano chords, wah-guitar madness, and of course, break-worthy funky drumming. This is the sound Air mined wholesale on their Moon Safari album, only here the vibe is obviously less self-consciously retro and more of that great space-age Epcot Center/Tomorrowland vibe that permeates through so many of the best records in the library scene, at times even coming off like a meeting between Brian Wilson and early electronicist Morton Subotnick. Perfectly timed with the arrival of warmer climes, Solar Flares is filled with stately Sunday afternoon soothing sonics -- totally relaxing, and entirely gorgeous. Decadanse heads and jazzier-minded beatheads will love this one. [IQ]


	$21.99 LP		LAURENT PETITGIRARD Pop Instrumental de France (Vadim Music) "Mr. Green Jeans" "Dance des Squelettes" Vadim strikes again with another French orchestral-funk bomb, this time a killer reissue of composer/keyboardist Laurent Petitgirard's 1971 album Pop Instrumental De France. Any record that kicks off with a lush, decadanse-vibed cover of Frank Zappa's "Mr. Green Jeans," one of my all-time favorite songs (Zappa haters wait outside!) is already scoring points on paper alone. Thankfully, the version here is gorgeous -- all harpsichords, funky drums, and woozy strings, it starts the proceedings in a rather stately, majestic fashion. From there we get hefty helpings of percolating funk & strings, including an organ-led groover dedicated to the memory of saxophonist Albert Ayler, a sweet Franco-Latin boogaloo number bolstered by handclaps and chants of "Soho!!", loping crabwalk grooves, choral vocal flourishes, and flutes aplenty. I'll be honest in saying that I wasn't crazy about this record upon first listen while working in the shop; it wasn't until I could sit at home with headphones on and soak in all of the details that I really began to appreciate and in turn really get into what Petitgirard has going on here. It's now become one of my favorite releases this week, and is highly recommended to fans of the church of Gainsbourg and Vannier, and to anyone looking for some solid, well orchestrated Pop-Prog groovers. Good stuff! [IQ]


	$19.99 CD		KARL HEINZ SCHAFER Les Gants Blancs du Diable OST (Vadim Music) "La Victime" "Couleurs" Oh man, this is a good find. French composer/arranger Karl Heinz Schafer studied with renowned composer Olivier Messiaen, served as an apprentice to soundtrack maestro Michel Magne, wrote arrangements for Charles Aznavour, and played jazz with Stan Getz. On this soundtrack to 1973's Les Gants Blancs Du Diable, he does quite nicely in delivering a great mix of all of these influences, funk with hefty doses of orchestral and jazz flourish. The cues on display here are wonderfully eclectic, juggling these influences and ingredients with the deftness and lush beauty of OM fave Jean-Claude Vannier -- stomping, cymbal-heavy funk breaks dance around the speakers with swoops of dramatic strings, grand piano, and mournful organ, with the occasional sitar or cooing female vocal slithering amidst the throbs of Fender bass. It's not as bombastic as Vannier's work tends to be, but the subtlety works in Schafer's favor. Fans of Vannier, soundtrack and library music heads, and those who like small doses of avant oddity mixed with their pop-orchestration will find much to love here. Nice! [IQ]


	$12.99 CD		CIRCLE Hollywood (Ektro) "Connection" "Madman" Circle have been worrying the eardrums of the less eclectically minded for a good twenty years or so now; that almost makes them veterans of the scene. Many have wondered why they never 'made it' -- I think it's simply because they're Finnish. Up there in the dimly lit snowlands of Suomi it's hard to fit into any kind of popular culture; it's just so darned weird -- and weird is something Circle have in spades. This time around they have found that weird loves company and joined forces with Californian Bruce Duff, ex Jesters of Destiny, a lesser known 80s alt-metal outfit. Thanks to the wonder of the Internet, Circle got in touch with Mr. Duff and a friendship was sparked -- this friendship led to the obligatory trading and eventual collaboration, and Hollywood was born. Some might think that with a frontman such as Duff, singing discernibly in English (rather than the band's home-brewed Meronian), that this record could be their shot at the big time, but no such luck. Hollywood, thank goodness, is just as obtuse as ever, this time latching wholeheartedly onto the progressive rock sound and blending in elements of their usual motoric Kraut drive for good measure. The best comparison might be Peter Gabriel-era Genesis, and believe me when I tell you that's a good thing. Progressive Rock (or 'prog' to the fans) might be universally derided by musos and women alike, but for some of us bespectacled, lunchbox carrying, anorak-wearing types, there really is something beautiful in there. Maybe it's the synthesizers, the bombastic guitars, the epic running time or the almost pained vocals -- there's just something unavoidably great about the sound. Sure it's not credible, and with any luck it's never going to be (don't want those hipster types catching on now do we?) but what it lacks in credibility it makes up for in sheer balls, balls which Circle have by the pound. A far cry from their NWOFHM or outré jazz recordings (such as the phenomenal Tower -- check it), Hollywood is a transcendent stab at something which should be spoken of in hushed tones. It's big, it's loud, it's proud and it's very good indeed. Don't be scared now... [JT]


	$13.99 CD		PJ HARVEY & JOHN PARISH A Woman a Man Walked By (Island) "Black Hearted Love" John Parish is a frequent collaborator of the dervish known as Polly Jean Harvey -- in fact, he is the guitarist in her working band, and has frequently appeared with her on record. But this is just the second album the two have made as a duo, with songwriting credits shared. 1996's Dance Hall at Louse Point was clearly an anomaly for the music they had previously created under PJ's name, full of stark bluesy soundscapes overlaid with Harvey's even starker poetry. This new one is a far cry from that, and it also seems to be a reaction to PJ Harvey's remarkably restrained last studio album, 2007's White Chalk. A Woman a Man Walked By is instead a wonderful and fairly straightforward rock album; featuring Parish's always tasteful, rarely showy guitar work, and Harvey's powerful wail, what results is a great new set of songs that will no doubt appeal to fans of Harvey's fiercest work. Indeed these songs may have originated with Parish, but Harvey seems liberated singing over another's song-structure, and the results show off the best in both musicians. [JM]


	$15.99 CD		CHRISTIAN NAUJOKS Christian Naujoks (Dial) "Maladies" "Two Epilogues No. 2" In this new millennium we've seen a number of important electronic labels transition into a more 'indie'-styled aesthetic only to fall flat while seemingly losing the plot. Much like a 12-year-old punk's first 'weird haircut,' this transition can sometimes be awkward and painful to witness. Not so with the almighty Dial Records, however, as evidenced by Christian Naujoks' excellent new disc. The album succeeds with an intimate, intellectual pop vibe that possesses a similar kind of charm found in the gentler releases from Factory and Benelux, and the more romantic modern classical moments of the esteemed Les Disques Du Crepuscule label. Imagine the intimacy of Durutti Column (but with a laptop) remixed by Gavin Bryars (Hommages), and you're getting close to what this stuff manages to do well -- "Maladies" sounds like laptop Terry Riley while "Young Blood" could be Bryars in a moment of private mourning, a beautiful bummer to be sure. On "Off the Rose," Naujoks intriguingly adapts New Order's "Leave Me Alone," placing the classic original's lyrics over the top of Phillip Glass-style piano patterns. And while many of us have awakened from a dream and written it down to cull some significant bit of information from it later, how many of us can say they've risen fresh from that dream and recorded the details, the way Naujoks did with "Bloom," a stream of consciousness, ethereal dirty south JAM?! But one of the personal highlights for me, "TTT" is strangely reminiscent of an uncharacteristically macabre moment in Mr. Roger's Land of Make Believe, and repeated listens will make you a believer too, guaranteed. (Make sure to check out another new release on Dial, the Pyramid Drift 12" EP, which features Momus, Christoph de Babalon, Phillip Sollmann a/k/a Efdemin, and Arises, all recorded live at The Gala of the Great Pyramid, March, 2008 at Hau 1 in Berlin.) [SM]


	$31.99 CDx2		WALTER WEGMULLER Tarot (Spalax) "Der Hohepriester" "Die Prufung" In a canon already filled with crazed, LSD-powered, monolithic psychedelic jams, this might be the kookiest Krautrock/ kosmische album of the bunch. The legend goes something along the lines that painter/ gypsy/ mystic/ madman Walter Wegmüller put together this super-session (featuring both Klaus 'Quadro' Schultze and Manuel Göttsching), bathed their cerebral cortices in LSD, and pressed play while Wegmüller set up in front of a microphone and intoned a text he had written about the Tarot. Which is all well and good (and lord knows that there are plenty of acid-indebted slabs to be had) but the band really does soar, with Göttsching taking plenty of third-eye opening/ spine-puddling guitar solos. About the only thing we regret is that -- unlike the mid-90s reissue Spalax did -- this set doesn't come with the Tarot card set that Wegmüller painted to accompany the original release. [AB]


	$5.99 45 $1.99 MP3 $5.99 45 $1.99 MP3		CRYSTAL STILTS Love Is a Wave (Slumberland) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART Young Adult Friction (Slumberland) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store If someone would've told me this time last year that two of the biggest break-out bands (it's all relative, of course) of 08/09 would be Crystal Stilts and Pains of Being Pure at Heart, I would've laughed. Not cos they don't deserve it, Crystal Stilts, in particular, have been my favorite local group for a long time, but bands that draw pretty heavily on an era of British pop (C86 etc) that has been maligned and ridiculed for as long as I can remember?? Today your Brooklyn, tomorrow the World! Amazing. The new Crystal Stilts 45 sums up what they're all about: concise, razor-sharp pop songs with reverb-erating, chiming guitars and the ghost of stand-up drumming Bobby Gillespie always in the room. "Love Is a Wave" is their best to date. The b-side, "Sugar Baby," channels solo Alan Vega rockabilly but adds a layer of keyboards and pop melody. F**king unstoppable. We'll let you be the final judge on their band name, but moniker aside, the Pains of Being Pure at Heart are the coolest. In the midst of Devendra/folk imposter frenzy and Animal Collective mania, these kids were cranking out the sweetest Field Mice-inspired racket, and I guess people were listening. Who knew? You might know "Young Adult Friction" from their debut LP, an upbeat JD Salinger-informed five star hit, but have you heard it on blood red vinyl? The exclusive b-side, "Ramona," is more of a slowburner but builds up nicely, and is gone all too soon. Just like these two records, probably. [AK]


	$17.99 CD		AMADOU & MARIAM Welcome to Mali (Nonesuch) "Sabali" "Welcome to Mali" It blows my mind that it took nearly six months from its original release for a record this wonderful (and feverishly desired) to make it to the shores of the United States. Malian stars Amadou & Mariam deliver the eagerly anticipated follow-up to their breakthrough album Dimanche À Bamako, and it proves to be well worth the wait. Featuring production and collaborative arrangements by Manu Chao cohort (and frequent A&M creative foil) Marc-Antoine Moreau as well as a few guest spots by Damon Albarn (who also produces opener "Sabali," hands-down one of the strongest contenders for Single of the Year), the album ably displays the fearlessly eclectic yet playful nature of the current crop of globally-minded producers and pop stars, balancing layers of loping, textural rhythms with the buzzing angles of Amadou's guitar playing and the duo's lovely vocalizing, amidst flourishes of kora, balafon, and even some disco syn-drums and synth arpeggios. During the initial boom of what would become the massive mid-'80s world music boom, these ingredients would often lead frequent liner-note-scanners (myself included) to run for the hills, as the glossy overproduction of artists with true grit, beauty, and integrity would end up sounding diluted and at times even desperate. On Welcome to Mali, though, the duo and their collaborators use these elements in a logical, tactful manner that makes the pair's firm grasp of pop language come off as entirely natural and inevitable. The songs here bounce, slither, ache, and groove all over the place, overflowing with hooks, harmonies, and beats aplenty. In all honesty, I wish that more pop music could be so simultaneously earnest and adventurous, so willing to appeal to the masses as it reaches further towards creative outskirts. There's a reason that these two manage to successfully appeal to 40- and 50-something NPR types, cubicle prisoners, wizened world-travelers and anti-establishment punks all the same -- their music ingests influences as equally diverse as their audience and treats it all with equal excitement, respect, and gusto. I've gushed enough, so I'll wrap it up by staking a bold claim with the highest recommendation I could probably bestow: Afro Jam of the Year. [IQ]


	$14.99 CD		PETER BJORN AND JOHN Living Thing (Almost Gold) "The Feeling" I can only imagine that it must have been a bit tricky for PB&J to craft a follow-up to their surprise 2006 breakthrough Writer's Block. Even more daunting than with the challenge of the dreaded sophomore slump, these guys were in fact delivering their fifth album -- despite newfound international success, the Swedish trio has been knocking around since the late '90s, and first released a full-length in 2002. Indeed, popular tastes did not just finally catch up to them, but instead the group's sound changed a bit over the years, from coy retro-pop to something more modern and universal that was simply informed by 60's sunshine sounds. Living Thing continues in that diversifying direction, adding more low-fi drum machine bleeps, hip-swiveling international rhythms and a couple of joyous children's choruses to their repertoire, and while there may not be another "Young Folks" in this set, there are plenty of fine sing-a-longs. [JM]


	$7.99 CD		THE BROWNS Family History (1928) "For the Saints" "Modern Man" Akin to their West Coast label mates the Soft Pack (previously known as the Muslims), the Browns have made a very memorable first impression with their debut, a smart, six-song EP entitled Family History, where the Brooklyn trio converts their love for classic American indie rock, a la the Feelies, into a fresher take on what the genre has come to mean today. While there isn't a dud on the EP, things really take shape when the breezy, lackadaisical vocals and jangly guitars are edged out by noisier bass and heavy drum lines -- check the one-two punch of album opener "Forgotten Son" and the following "For the Saints," and the steady scrape of closer "Two of You." If this EP is a taste of what's to come, we'll definitely be hearing lots more from the band. Good stuff. [PG]


	$15.99 CD		DAWN OF THE DEAD Soundtrack (Trunk) "Desert de Glace" Pierre Arvay "Cosmogony Part 1" Paul Lemel When it comes to George Romero's seminal zombie movie Dawn of the Dead, most people would swear blind that Italian electro-prog pioneers Goblin composed the soundtrack. It's true, they did compose a soundtrack, but this wasn't the soundtrack I remember accompanying Fly Boy and friends as they fled from re-animated cadavers in an abandoned mall. Goblin's version was written for Dario Argento's "re-cut" version of Dawn of the Dead (retitled Zombi); the Romero version, however, like Night of the Living Dead before it, used a mish-mash of library music and incidental themes. Through the magic of the ever-reliable Trunk Records, we can now hear this music in one place -- collected, re-mastered and presented lovingly. The odd juxtaposition of circus anthems such as H. Chappell's "The Gonk" and the well-remembered "Mall Montage Scene" gives us an edge that Goblin's soundtrack never did. While the Italians came up with one of the best works of their career, it lacked the wry humor of Romero's synching. Romero was using this music as yet another way to point out his politics and show the sheer insanity of the situation. As a collection of top-drawer library music, Dawn of the Dead is one of the finest, and combined with the history and the memories, it's absolutely unmissable. [JT]


	$13.99 CD		PRIDE Pride (Wounded Bird) "Proud Sorrow" "Worthless Pleasures" Excellent reissue of one of the rarer and more mysterious pieces in the David Axelrod production discography. Many old school diggers and hip-hop heads revere Axelrod for the funky, cosmic orchestral psych-funk tone poems he released under his own name, as well as the two concept albums he produced for the Electric Prunes in the late '60s. Around this time, he also produced this mellow psych-pop album from a group led by himself and his son...sort of. Axelrod was still signed to Capitol as a "solo" artist, so Pride was in fact a fictitious band that he signed to Warner Bros. and "produced." Although credited as a three-piece featuring David, his son Michael, and former Love guitarist Noony Rickett, Axelrod utilized the same crack lineup of L.A. studio musicians that he had enlisted on the aforementioned recordings: Earl Palmer on drums, bassists Carol Kaye and Arthur Wright, pianist Don Randi, and Al Casey on guitar. Even with his A-team, this album was a bit of a departure from Axelrod's better-known work. His trademark dissonant strings, brass arrangements and guitar fuzz are gone, replaced by Spanish acoustic guitar and lilting lead vocals from Rickett. It's probably the closest thing to "rock" Axelrod had ever produced during this time period, but it still has all of the impeccable arrangements, funky breaks and cosmic, religious underpinnings of his classic work. Recommended! [DH]


	$17.99 CDx2		VARIOUS ARTISTS Plantation Gold (Omni) Totally, and I mean totally, bananas collection of obscure country tracks issued via visionary Nashville producer Shelby Singleton's myriad collection of independent record labels. Singleton was an ex-marine and Korean War vet who kicked around the record industry throughout the sixties in numerous positions at different labels. He decided to finally go it alone, and set up Plantation records in Nashville. Pretty much straight out the gate he had a gigantic success with Jeannie C. Riley's take on the Tom T. Hall-penned "Harper Valley P.T.A.," which sold millions and allowed Singleton to develop all sorts of Plantation label offshoots, explore the pop and Southern Soul markets, and purchase the essentially dormant Sun Records catalog and turn it into the licensing cash-cow it no doubt remains to this day. Clearly an inveterate opportunist, and seemingly willing to give anybody a shot to see if what they had might stick, Singleton issued countless singles that never made it past the promo only stage. As this 58 (!) track compilation amply demonstrates, plenty of these folks' singles were simply too bizarre to ever have a chance at mainstream success, but what I love here is that everybody was afforded the same stellar and almost uniformly forward-thinking-of-its-time production. For every mildly racially offensive Ray 'Wong' Riley and his "Happy Valley C.I.A.," you find an unsung genius like Dee Mullins or Jackie Burns. The music here constantly traverses a fine line between heartfelt earnestness and calculated exploitation, but it's never less than fascinating. [MK]


	$12.99 LP		MICHAEL HURLEY Armchair Boogie (Mississippi) We heard a rumbling in the pipeline a few years back that Mississippi was going to re-press these crucial early Michael Hurley efforts, thought forever lost in major label limbo. It took a bit, but we're glad to have Hurley's Armchair Boogie back around. Originally pressed up in 1971 by Warner Brothers, this cracked, comfy, and kooky effort (sadly lacking the comic that was tucked into the original) had the folkster doing country-tinged wobblers like "Be Kind to Me" and stark ruminations like "Troubled Waters." (Cat Power fans should also take note of "Werewolf," which Ms. Marshall subsequently covered on We Are Free.) A must for fans of American folk and iconoclastic music-makers of the past half-century. [AB]


	$13.99 CD $7.99 MP3		PETER WALKER Long Lost Tapes 1970 (Tompkins Square) "Meditation Blues" "Missing You" Peter Walker was an integral player on the Cambridge/ Greenwich Village folk scenes of the mid '60s, and his two pioneering Vanguard albums from the latter part of that decade defined a new kind of folk, incorporating East Indian raga as well as the strains of free jazz and psychedelia that were powerfully affecting the sounds of the time. He studied with Indian masters like Ravi Shankar and he was also the musical director for Dr. Timothy Leary's infamous LSD experiments, and along with his associations with "straighter" folkies like Joan Baez and Tim Hardin, you get a pretty good idea of his place in the scene. But of course his music was much more influential with the cognoscenti than it was popular in the mainstream. After a couple of gorgeous LPs, Walker was on the verge of slipping into the warm embrace of obscurity in upstate New York when he organized one last session in Woodstock, at Levon Helm's famously magical home studio. That session, filed away for all these years, was cajoled out of the attic by Tompkins Square, and it is a joy to behold nearly 40 years later. At the center of these six hypnotic tracks is Walker's nimble, nylon-stringed acoustic, as well as his sinewy electric guitar work and Badal Roy's bubbling tabla. Added to the mix at times are Maruga Booker's fluid, jazzy drumming, plus electric bass, flute, saxophone, and even some meditative vocals on "102nd Psalm" -- the beautiful recording quality and loose, inspired playing makes this a solid-gold discovery. [JM]


	$17.99 CD		ARVO PART In Principio (ECM) "In Principio" "Fur Lennart in Memoriam" Arvo Pärt has become the go-to classical artist for music fans who aren't fond of classical music. "I don't like classical music, but I do like Arvo Pärt" is a phrase I often hear, and I suppose it makes sense. Pärt's compositions have been as influential to ambient and experimental music as Brian Eno's, and have a resonance that can be witnessed far from the staid world of classical academia. The usage of his works in film and television has brought his music to a wide and rapturous audience, and this can surely only be a good thing. In Principio is the latest album from ECM and comes in celebration of his 25th anniversary with the label. Made up largely of the choral "In Principio," it follows the direction of Ta Deum and Litany, and is, not surprisingly, another essential addition to the man's largely flawless oeuvre. Performed by Pärt veterans the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, the recordings and performances are peerless, giving these works the luxurious treatment they deserve. Devotional as ever, the pieces are rooted in religion and memory, with "In Principio" itself named from a line from John's Gospel, "Für Lennart In Memoriam" written for a friend's burial, and "Da Pacem Domine" written in memory of the victims of 2004's Madrid bombing. Each piece feels spiritually relevant in its own way and whether you choose to believe or not, Pärt has the ability to make even the most hardened atheist see the work of something altogether inexplicable in his work, and to open some ears to classical composition as well. [JT]


	$24.99 DVD		RICHARD FOREMAN Ontological-Hysteric Theater DVD (Tzadik) In a landscape continually besieged with iPod and Calvin Klein advertisements, I find it comforting every year when the distinctive black and white posters announcing avant-garde theater director, and general all around provocateur, Richard Foreman's latest production at St. Mark's Church become ubiquitous all over town. I know many people wonder if anything actually interesting still happens in New York, but every year you can find the proof wheat-pasted on a wall next to a bodega near you. Foreman founded the Ontological-Hysteric Theater company in 1968, and over the course of fifty-some odd (literally) plays and forty years, he remains one of the most fiercely iconoclastic figures in the American cultural landscape. It is a huge event then that Tzadik has seen fit to finally issue the first retrospective DVD of his work, along with the complete performance of the 1972 production of Sophia: The Cliffs, gorgeously filmed in silvery 16mm. Maddening, gripping, absurd, ugly, yet sublimely beautiful, this is a totally essential set from a major artist of the 20th and 21st centuries, as important in his way as Artuad, Brecht, and Julian Beck. [MK]


	$16.99 LP w/MP3		VALET False Face Society (Mexican Summer) A killer vinyl-only 12" EP from Honey Owens, False Face Society is not necessarily a step in a new direction, but it does move away from Valet's typical reverb-infested mire into a more austere, dark and glistening realm. It's as if the Portland mainstay returned to the universe where she found 2006's Blood Is Clean and channeled these tracks via a more direct transmission. Owens still throws down the tribal drumming, drugged-out vocals and otherworldly ambience that we love so much, but this time it sounds more refined, as if the effects and guitar are swirling with more profound precision. The A-side is a 16-minute-long exploration of hovering drones and pounding drums, and the flip features two tracks, the first of which bows down to a truly dark corner of Valet's world, with a super heavy low-end loop that burrows below layers and layers of gyrating sound waves. Finally, the clincher for this EP is Owens' cover of Boris and Michio Kurihara's "Rainbow," which sounds truly haunted. The song is a captivating example of what makes Valet irresistible, with its tribal hand drums, wah-wah guitar, and Honey's enchanting vocals. False Face Society is definitely one of my favorite acquisitions in a while. [BCa]


	$14.99 CD $9.99 MP3		THE LONG LOST The Long Lost (Ninja Tune) "Sibliance" "The Art of Kissing" Alfred Darlington is one busy Californian-cum-Victorian guy; not content with releasing album after album under the Daedelus moniker and producing countless records under various other pseudonyms, he has found time for his beloved wife, Laura. The Long Lost is the ongoing collaborative project between the childhood sweethearts, and this self-titled debut is the culmination of years of both love and work. Taking a distinctly Tropicalia approach from the outset, production-wise this feels like Alfred's truly psychedelic record, taking in elements from his Adventure Time and Daedelus work and kicking the electronics into the background. Laura's vocals, however, form the heart of the Long Lost, and through her assured, sultry tones we are coerced through the couple's moonlit world. Decaying cinema, crackly 78s and midnight love songs form the backdrop to this selection of engaging songs, and while the production at times threatens to overwhelm the simplicity of the writing, for the most part these tracks are hauntingly stripped down. At times you would be forgiven for thinking that the songs had been unearthed recordings made some time in the middle of the 20th Century -- maybe not Victorian but close. The folky, psychedelic, Caetano Veloso-influenced vibe is fitting given their California locale, and permeates the entire record. Maybe Daedelus' most bare production to date The Long Lost is compelling, engaging and altogether quite lovely. Perfect for the imminent warmer weather. [JT]


	$16.99 CD		SHADOWS OF KNIGHT Shake! (Rev-Ola) "Shake" "I Am What I Am" Rev-Ola finally closes the gap in the timeline of the Shadows of Knight, releasing this lost chapter of the '60s Chicago garage rockers' career, a peculiar stint with bubblegum-tastic Super K Productions, which came after the collapse of their former label, Dunwich. And, amusingly enough, it was with Super K that the band created some of their best singles, leaving behind their rhythm and blues based sound. The romping, breakbeat-heavy anthem opener "Shake" -- seriously, this song is great! -- exemplifies everything the band was about: crunching guitar riffs, raspy vocals and sharp attitude, always with a pop edge. After that, the hits just keep coming; "Run Run Billy Porter" and "My Fire Department Needs a Fireman" are filled with pure, sticky pop goodness but are far from wimpy, both songs giving 1910 Fruitgum Company and Ohio Express a run for the money. At the opposite side of the spectrum, "I Wanna Make You All Mine" is fuzzed out, tuff garage punk of the very highest order. And to top it all off, the Knights even dabble in a little humor-filled psychedelia (see "Uncle Wiggly's Airship") with extraordinary results. Additionally, the album includes stellar liner notes by Joe Foster (Television Personalities, Creation Records, etc.) and you know if it's good enough for Joe, whose taste has never steered us wrong, it's good enough for us. [PG]


	$15.99 CD $16.99 LPx2		VARIOUS ARTISTS Kool Is Back: Imitations, Interpolations, & the Inspiration of Kool & the Gang (LSD) "Funky Granny" The Everyday People "Jamming with Shorty" Shorty and the Junior Kools Many probably equate Kool & the Gang to syrupy, smooth pop-era hits like "Cherish," "Celebration" and "Joanna," but the group actually got their start in the mid-'60s performing as a fledgling nine-piece jazz band called the Jazzaics. By the start of the '70s, they had evolved into one of the most influential funk groups of all time, and the early sound of this NYC band, an infectious blend of big, brassy jazz arrangements and hardnosed soul rhythms, could only be matched by the mighty JB's. And like the JB's, Kool & the Gang spawned a slew of jazz-influenced, brass-led funk groups the world over; Tower of Power, Earth Wind & Fire and Fela Kuti are just a few of the more famous examples. And though this collection of Kool & the Gang covers features strictly little known artists and regional acts from across the globe, it's a diggers "De-Lite", and the highlights are plenty. There are the break-laden covers of "Give It Up" and "Love the Life You Live" from Thailand's the Impossibles and the truly incredible psych-soul cover of "Who's Gonna Take the Weight" by British Afro-funkers Cane & Able, whose stellar output deserves a proper, legitimate CD reissue...ahem!! We also get two(!!) killer steel drum covers of "Funky Stuff" and a great reworking of "Kool Is Back" by '70s post-punk band Brain Damage. If you're a fan of the Nigeria 70 comps, Lafayette Afro-Rock Band, and the Vampisoul reissues, then you need to check this out. [DH]


	$5.99 CD $1.99 MP3		SENTIERI SELVAGGI Plays Gavin Bryars and Philip Glass (Cantaloupe) "Sub Rosa" "Facades" Another short but sublime release from New York's Canteloupe label, this time we see Italian group Sentieri Selvaggi taking to the stage to perform pieces from two of contemporary classical music's most renowned figures. "Sub Rosa" from Bryars comes first, and this was a composition apparently influenced by Bryars introduction to the work of Bill Frisell. Bryars transposed part of his "In Line" and in doing so transformed it into a work of his own, a work played here delicately and incredibly beautifully using a peculiar ensemble of instruments; bowed vibraphone, recorder, clarinet, piano, violin and bass are used to create an almost medieval sounding piece, rich in melody but sparse and surprising at every note. The second piece is Philip Glass' "Facades," which was originally written as part of his seminal soundtrack work, Koyannisquatsi. Cut from the film, it was transposed and re-recorded, eventually appearing on Glassworks. Classic Glass, this work for me shows the immense skill of Sentieri Selvaggi as they give the piece a new emotional resonance with their ensemble playing. Cinematic and mysterious, this polishes off a very satisfying short-form recording -- more please. [JT]


	$5.99 CD $3.99 MP3		MICHAEL GORDON [Purgatorio] Popopera (Cantaloupe) "[Purgatorio] Popopera" Without knowing any back-story to this latest composition from Michael Gordon, you could be forgiven for listening to it in the same way as you might, well, Rhys Chatham. [Purgatorio] Popopera is, to listen to, a twenty-minute guitar composition, with distorted rhythms jangling over wavering bass notes and an echoing mid range. The piece rises and falls through its duration taking us through the gamut of Gordon's expression -- then you read up on how the piece was made, and much more becomes clear. [Puragtorio] Popopera is a dance piece choreographed by Emio Greco and Pieter Scholten, but it was Michael Gordon who had the idea to give each dancer a guitar (eight in total) and have them play a piece that he had written. As Gordon mentions in his notes, these dancers become "guitar heroes," and had I not known I would never have assumed that dancers were playing the piece. This isn't to say they didn't train immensely, but the very concept is quite absurd (and apparently concerned the choreographers even initially). However you listen to the record though, it is an incredibly accomplished and enjoyable piece of music -- I can only imagine what seeing the performance must have been like. [JT]


	$14.99 CD		THE WHITEST BOY ALIVE Rules (Bubbles) "Timebomb" Erlend Oye takes another bold step away from Kings of Convenience's lightweight pop -- or at least a shuffle across the dancefloor -- on the new one from the Whitest Boy Alive. Of course Oye's sweet and syrupy vox is still front and center here, but the songs take on a suave '70s disco vibe, perhaps heard through a Phoenix filter, and despite your best intentions it is hard not to at least tap a toe in agreement.


	$14.99 CD $14.99 LP $9.99 MP3		SWAN LAKE Enemy Mine (Jagjaguwar) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store Featuring Dan Bejar (Destroyer/New Pornographers), Spencer Krug (Sunset Rubdown, Wolf Parade) and Casey Mercer (Frog Eyes, Blackout Beach), Swan Lake's music is the sum of its parts: darkly romantic, often unsettling songs that are obtuse and cerebral but never off-putting. More stripped down than Beast Moans, their second full-length is driven by the three unusual vocalists, relying less on the sprawling sonic textures of its predecessor, and while it hangs together as a whole, it also allows these three distinct voices room to flourish on their own, each alternately taking the lead or lurking in the shadows.


	$24.99 CDx3		VARIOUS ARTISTS Soul Jazz Singles 2008 to 2009 (Soul Jazz) "Dayrider" Ramadanman Here in the shop, Soul Jazz is definitely best known for their always amazing and top-selling reissues of reggae, dub, funk, disco, and various other underground dance vibes from the past 30 years. But the UK label also has a great ear for more modern club fare, and this vast (and well-priced) triple-disc set compiles their singles output from the past year, including one mixed disc. Heavy on dubstep, Euro disco and various other deep, funky sounds.


	$14.99 CD		J DILLA Dillanthology (Rapster) "Runnin'" The Pharcyde Despite an early and untimely death, James "J Dilla" Yancey's production work was wonderfully deep and varied, and his influence seems to only be growing. And while it would not be possible to represent his complex output in a single disc, Dillanthology Vol.1 does a nice job of showing off some of his most iconic productions as well as several deeper cuts, mostly from the late '90s, with artists like Pharcyde, De La Soul, Common, Slum Village, Amp Fiddler, Steve Spacek, The Roots, Busta Rhymes, Erikah Badu and more. Vol.2, bring it on!!!


	$12.99 CD		DAVID RODIGAN Real Authentic Reggae Vol. 2 (BBE) "This Is Another Festival" Jackie Edwards David Rodigan has been a fixture on London radio for more than 30 years, with a series of shows that highlight his deep passion for Jamaican music. His excellent BBE comps run the gamut from early obscurities to more recent hits, but his taste is always impeccable, and his compilations showcase a deep and insightful knowledge of all things reggae.


	$16.99 CD		VARIOUS ARTISTS Adventures in Sound (El / Cherry Red) "Etude Noire" Pierre Schaeffer "Concret PH" Iannis Xenakis El Recordings hits another home run with this excellent primer of essential early electronic composition and musique concrete, filled with groundbreaking tracks from the most important artists of the genre, including Stockhausen, Xenakis, Schaefer, Varese and Henry. If there can be a "greatest hits" compilation of avant-classical composition, this is it, and it is a great intro to this brain-tickling music.


	$15.99 CDx2		VARIOUS ARTISTS Nigeria 70 (Strut) "Ifa" Tunji Oyelana & the Blenders "Kita Kita" Gasper Lawai An Afro-funk compilation in which tracks from other Nigerian artists can make even Fela look dull? Unbelievable! Long, long out of print, Strut has finally reissued one of our all time favorite compilations (of any musical genre), which contains two CDs' worth of the choicest, rarest Afro-funk from Lagos and nearby, from classic artists like Sir Victor Uwaifo, Fela (natch), Sunny Ade, and the Lijadu Sisters to total catalog unknowns: Bongos Ikwue, the Funkees, Gasper Lawal. Twenty-two tracks in total, this re-pressing is without the third audio documentary disc of the original issue (there are, however, still extensive liner notes), but as before, it's really all about the music.


	$15.99 CD		VARIOUS ARTISTS Spiritual Jazz (Now Again) "Ayo Ayo Nene" Mor Thiam "The Afrikan in Winter" The Positive Force A sweet relief to see Stone's Throw/Now Again doing an expanded domestic reissue of this stellar Jazzman comp from last year. Occasionally (well, pretty often actually) there are albums that just don't sell nearly as many copies as we'd like, considering how good they are. There could be any number of reasons, either import prices, because we weren't forceful enough in our enthusiasm, or they may have simply been drowned out in the never-ending flood of titles we see around here. So, a do-over then in the case of this remarkable Spiritual Jazz comp. Let us be perfectly clear this time, THIS ALBUM IS TREMENDOUSLY GREAT! Even if you have next to no interest in jazz, buy it -- you'd be hard pressed to hear such a beautiful collection of music all year. This is a seriously esoteric selection of artists, all of whom were mostly working at the margins of the jazz industry, and most had to privately finance their endeavors. What they lacked in promotional know-how they more than made up for in artistic vision, and we're extremely fortunate to see these folks delivered from obscurity. Seriously, we want to see this one on the best sellers board now people! Here's what we had to say when it came out last year: Gerald Short (a/k/a Jazzman Gerald) has been a record digger for years, and through his Jazzman label has released some excellent soul and funk compilations. His imprint's motto states "we dig deeper," and here's the result of just that. Spiritual Jazz collects mostly misses from the post-Coltrane era, where many musicians took root in their heritage and grounded themselves firmly in the up-lift-ment of all people, worldwide. That said, the track listing reads like a missing link in jazz history. A few slightly familiar names like James Tatum, Ronnie Boykins, and Salah Ragab sit between ethnocentric bands like the Positive Fore, Hastings Street Jazz Experience, and the Ohio Penitentiary 511 Jazz Ensemble(!?). From soulfully constructed free jazz to spoken word, to European and Africa jazz, the compilation flows and is centered with an attention to quality, not just a funky break. Refreshing in its dedication and selection. [DG]


	PHONE ORDERS Phone orders are accepted at (212) 477-8150 (ext. #2, mailorder) Mon-Fri, Noon - 7pm EST EMAIL For general inquiries or other information please email sales@othermusic.com. Do not reply to this message. REMOVE This is an automated list. If you would like to be removed for any reason, please visit: digital.othermusic.com/subscribe.php		THIS WEEK'S CONTRIBUTORS [AB] Adrian Burkholder [BCa] Brian Cassidy [MC] Michael Crumsho [PG] Pamela Garavano-Coolbaugh [DG] Daniel Givens [DH] Duane Harriott [IQ] Mikey IQ Jones [MK] Michael Klausman [AK] Andreas Knutsen [JM] Josh Madell [SM] Scott Mou [JT] John Twells THANKS FOR READING - all of us at Other Music

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