May 14, 2009

		FEATURED NEW RELEASES Grizzly Bear (Limited 12") White Rabbits (Exclusive Advance with 7") A Broken Consort Claudio Rocchi Omar Souleyman Pink Noise LP Psychedelic Horseshit LP Stephan Mathieu Don Van Liet (Poem & Painting Book) Trembling Bells Cause Co-Motion Mokira Random Rap (Various) Rocky Mountain Low LP (Various) Hopewell SND Pixel Cazumbi: African Sixties Garage (Various)   2131 South Michigan Avenue (Various) Thai Funk (Various) ALSO AVAILABLE Mark Kozelek The Wooden Birds Double Dagger Florian Hecker Children Maximo Park BACK IN PRINT Jim O'Rourke BACK IN STOCK The World's Lousy with Ideas Vol. 8

		$27.99 CD $44.99 LPx2   Buy Early Get Now: Sonic Youth "The Eternal" We're now taking pre-orders for Sonic Youth's The Eternal (out on Tuesday, June 9th) off of our mail order site. Pre-order the CD or double LP and you'll receive access to a pre-release stream of the album, a limited live LP, exclusive MP3s, a poster, and early access to tour pre-sale ticket offers. Questions? Email: orders@othermusic.com

		May Sun 17 Mon 18 Tues 19 Wed 20 Thurs 21 Fri 22 Sat 23   UPCOMING OTHER MUSIC IN-STORE PERFORMANCE AU REVOIR SIMONE: Monday, May 18 @ 8PM A record release party celebrating Au Revoir Simone's much anticipated new album Still Night, Still Light, which comes out the following day, but the ladies will have some copies to sell that evening for all you early birds. The first 30 people to buy their new CD will also get a FREE copy of Reverse Migration, a collection of the band's favorite remixes and cover versions made from The Bird of Music. FREE ADMISSISION / LIMITED CAPACITY

		May Sun 17 Mon 18 Tues 19 Wed 20 Thurs 21 Fri 22 Sat 23   WIN TICKETS TO A PASSION PIT CONCERT CRUISE You know it's almost summertime when the Rocks Off Concert Cruises start up, and this is going to be a good one! Next Monday night, May 18th, Passion Pit will be performing aboard the Temptress on the eve of the release of their brand new album, Manners, which comes out the following day on French Kiss. Talk about a record release party -- a fun, great band, a boat ride up and down the Hudson, past the Statue of Liberty with the beautiful backdrop of the city skyline...hate to say, if you haven't got your ticket already it's sold out, but Other Music does have a pair of passes up for grabs for one lucky winner. To enter, email tickets@othermusic.com. We'll draw a name this Friday afternoon. ROCKS OFF CONCERT CRUISE ABOARD THE TEMPTRESS Boards at 7PM at 41st Street on the West Side NYC

		$9.99 12   GRIZZLY BEAR Two Weeks (Warp) Probably one of the most anticipated records of the year, we're only days away from the release of Grizzly Bear's new full-length, Veckatimest, out on Tuesday, May 24th. In the meantime, we've got a tease of sorts by way of this super-limited 12" featuring "Two Weeks." It's a great track from a great album, an unexpected summery slice of baroque pop from the band, carried by a simple staccato piano and Ed Droste's breezy falsetto, and of course, lots of lush harmonies. Includes two remixes from Fred Falke, who transforms the song into shimmering, dancefloor friendly electro-pop. These will be gone before you know it so don't wait.

		$11.99 CD $13.99 LP w/CD   WHITE RABBITS It's Frightening (TBD) "Percussion Gun" "Rudie Fails" EXCLUSIVE ADVANCE RELEASE! The second full-length from White Rabbits is available a week early at Other Music and I can tell you now that there is no sophomore slumping. Back in 2007, the New York band caused a stir with their debut, The Plot, garnering enough attention to get signed to Radiohead's TBD label and catch the ear of Spoon's Britt Daniel, who sits in the producer's chair on this new one. The band grew up quick and with It's Frightening they should expect things to get even more hectic, as White Rabbits, in my humble opinion, have created one of the finest rock records of the year. With this release, the piano-driven band is more focused on intricate textures and arrangements, yet beneath all of the layers is some great songwriting. "Percussion Gun" starts off like the bastard son of Adam and the Ants with dueling tribal drums that will have you out of your chair in seconds. Then in comes Stephen Patterson's raspy vocal delivery and the Britt Daniel connection makes perfect sense; sure there's a Spoon-vibe at play here, but the White Rabbits make that sound their own. "They Done Wrong/ We Done Wrong" is another great track filled with simple bass lines, powerful percussion (the band's two drummers are a fixture of their layered pop sound), and an intertwined piano-and-guitar hook that just sticks in your head for hours. Elsewhere, "Company I Keep" switches things up a bit, the focus here being primarily on a lulling acoustic guitar; it's a great track and is one that would not feel out of place on the recent Walkmen record. I could go on and on about all 10 of the album's songs but to tell you the truth, there is not a bad track in the bunch. (It is quite rare in this day and age to find a record without its duds, but this one is filler-free.) It's Frightening is a musical journey well worth taking. A fantastic album that you'll surely see this sitting high in many top 10 lists at the end of the year. WHILE SUPPLIES LAST: Album purchase comes with a free White Rabbits 7" with an exclusive B-side. [JS]

		$13.99 CD $9.99 MP3   A BROKEN CONSORT Box of Birch (Tompkins Square) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store You might not have been aware of it, but Richard Skelton has built up a bit of a cottage industry in the last few years, becoming the kind of artist who has pierced even the blackest of hearts. Those that have managed to track down his plethora of hard-to-find, willfully obscure releases (each usually under a different name, how's that for confusing?) have found themselves tripping over their feet (or fingers) to get more -- such is the addictive allure of Richard Skelton. Last year saw the arrival of his first major release, the effervescent Marking Time (on the Australian label Preservation), and now we are treated to Box of Birch, yet another cracked porthole into the mind of this incredible artist. Originally released on CD-R over two years ago, Box of Birch became an album spoken of in hushed tones, an album which notched itself up to the top of a fair few "best of 2007" lists (including my own) and one that has never strayed far from my CD player in two years. Now repackaged and re-issued by the fittingly hallowed Tompkins Square label, it will hopefully get the widespread attention it deserves and bring some more fans to our dedicated fold. Box of Birch is forged from the most delicate of components, bowed and plucked strings and subtle percussion, yet the arrangements and growth of the pieces are so organic and natural it's easy to forget which instruments you might be hearing altogether. I would be loath to call this "ambient," as it would suggest incorrect reference points, but the record brings to mind a less electronically inclined Mountains infused with the kind of wretched melancholy heard in Ry Cooder's seminal Paris, Texas soundtrack. This is heart-wrenching stuff which will no-doubt glean comparison to Godspeed or A Silver Mount Zion, but where those bands plunged themselves into a near-theatrical universe, Skelton's work seems firmly grounded and almost humble. Box of Birch is an album that haunts your every breath and embeds itself in your subconscious -- a more troublingly beautiful album you would be hard-pressed to find. Utterly unmissable. [JT]

		$19.99 CD   CLAUDIO ROCCHI Suoni Di Frontiera (Die Schachtel) "Del Ru(b)(id) Are Cultura" "Apertura" After serving as a bass player for the well-renowned Italian prog band Stormy Six in the late sixties, visionary singer/songwriter Claudio Rocchi stepped out on his own and recorded three of the very finest avant-folk albums I've ever heard (which unfortunately remain exceedingly difficult to obtain on disc). Nothing on those albums, however, quite prepared me for this gorgeously produced reissue of Rocchi's excursion into analogue synth sounds for his 1975 release, Suoni Di Frontiera. There had always been some fairly trippy leanings on his records, but here he really went whole hog, ensconcing himself in a home studio loaded with miles of electric tape, Binson echoes, keyboards, editing machines, guitars, percussion, voice modulators and ambient field recordings. There is a constant sense of discovery here, without the music being all zip zoing vroomy in spastic explosions, like much of this stuff from the time can be. These are still songs that progress in a linear fashion for the most part, almost reminiscent of Harmonia and Cluster, but with a possibly more personal and spookier vibe, and it never comes off as self indulgent. Totally genius throughout and definitely going to be landing a spot on my top ten of the year, and an album I'd recommend for fans of everyone from Monoton to Black Dice and Growing. [MK]

		$14.99 CD   OMAR SOULEYMAN Dabke 2020 (Sublime Frequencies) "Jamila" "Lansob Sherek" A couple of years back, Sublime Frequencies gave much of the western world its first chance to hear the music of Omar Souleyman, a legendary Syrian practitioner of the regional form of dance and party music known as Dabke. Back again now with a second glimpse at this unique vocalist and bona fide pop star's blend of passionately chanted vocals, dizzyingly stomping rhythms, and reedy, wheezing synthesizer accompaniment, Alan Bishop's singular globe-trotting label thus presents Dabke 2020, a second collection of Souleyman's music culled from the myriad of tape releases he dropped between 1998 and 2008. Though his songs are known for their manic, rhythmic intensity, this latest collection opens on a slightly more reserved note with "Atabat," a beatless song-poem that still manages a quiet intensity with electrified strings and droning keyboards. From there, Souleyman and his crew move quickly into high gear with tracks like "Shift Al Mani" and "Qalub An Nas," matching driving rhythms and winding melodic lines to frantic call-and-response vocals that never waver in intensity. And while things may slow down for more mournful songs like "Kaset Hanzal," with this closing track's percussion nearly down to a slow heartbeat, Souleyman's voice still drips with emotion, making a case for his brand of electronically-assisted Dabke being one of the most engrossing and expressive forms of party music on the planet. [MC]

		$13.99 LP   PINK NOISE Alpha (Almost Ready) It makes perfect sense that "Out of place, out of time" would be the opening lyric of the new Pink Noise LP; drums, drum machines, synths, distorted vocals and other junk shop electronics are combined with some of the most cracked, Chrome-damaged guitar I've heard in a long while, and this record is a blast from the past, yet totally original. Elements like these are more often used to make records that leave you shaking your head muttering, "why?" but in these capable hands they sound downright revolutionary. In a time when everyone and their mother seems to have a weird punk, bedroom recording project, I can say without a doubt that this is one of the few worth paying attention to. [DMa]

		$14.99 LP   PSYCHEDELIC HORSESHIT Shitgaze Anthems (Woodsist) Man, Woodsist has been on an absolute tear lately! In the last few months the label has let forth with a flurry of releases, becoming almost a default compendium of the current lo-fi pop resurgence. With platters from Vivian Girls, Wavves, and Kurt Vile in the bag, it seemed only a matter of time before they hit up the 'Shit for a few tunes. After all, Psychedelic Horseshit are practically the dons of the "shitgaze" movement at this point, inspiring the coining of the term to describe their brand of muddled, reverb-drenched noise-pop. True to form, PH show little interest in distancing themselves from this derogatory association, or capitulating to any other traditional notions of "maturation," instead choosing to further embrace the albatross. Presented as a collection of B-sides to their upcoming Siltbreeze full-length, Shitgaze Anthems sees the band as stubbornly unhinged as ever; the production remains murky and disorienting, as melodies come forth and vanish unpredictably in the mix, even making good on the group's threatened affinity for dub. Most importantly, the Horseshit remember to bring songs to the slop-hop, anchoring things with an innate sense of pop melody many of their peers lack. Pick this one up and remind yourself where it all started. [JTr]

		$16.99 CD   STEPHAN MATHIEU Radioland (Die Schachtel) "Raphael" "Auf Der Gasse" It's hard to go into Radioland without resorting to mindless hyperbole, but I'm going to try all the same. Released last year on the Die Schachtel imprint, Radioland has finally been pressed in greater numbers (and in simpler packaging), so with any luck it should finally get to a few more rabid ambient music fans out there. You see, this is a very special album indeed, and although Mathieu has spent the last umpteen years delicately crafting the most sumptuous experimental sounds imaginable, it is with this album that he has reached the pinnacle of his esteemed career. I first came into contact with Mathieu back in the early 00s with his albums for the Mille Plateaux offshoot Ritornell, but on Radioland the Max/MSP-induced stutter of those early records is all but gone, instead replaced by the most cautious of drones and the most glacial of harmonies. There is hardly a shortage of ambient records at the moment, hardly a shortage even of ambient records that utilize the familiar hum of a shortwave radio, but what Mathieu has done here is create a set of near-orchestral pieces, burying them beneath a chattering chorus of static. The melodic elements are there, but reveal themselves slowly over the second, third, fourth or one-hundredth listen, each time giving us that tiny bit more we've been thirsting for. Comparisons could come thick and fast -- Tim Hecker, Brian Eno, Thomas Koner, even Mountains -- but with Radioland Stephan Mathieu has truly come into his own, giving us an album that will be treasured for many years to come. You may have heard this record mentioned quite frequently over the last year or so, and you can believe the hype -- now is your chance to purchase a copy of your very own. Absolutely necessary! [JT]

		$11.99 BK   DON VAN VLIET Paintings and Poem Catalog (Werner/Kern) We've received a short stack of this wonderful book of paintings by none other than Don Van Vliet, a/k/a Captain Beefheart, 48 pages of oil paintings by the American Primitive master, all featuring collusions of violent color, swirling, distorted brushstrokes, and familiar forms twisted and mutated into something slightly unrecognizable and unsettling -- in other words, very much like the man's music. The works date from 1984 until 1997, and also included is a forward by Polly Jean Harvey, along with a handful of short poems both handwritten and typeset by Van Vliet. All in all, this is quite a nice little diary of work by one of America's most intriguing modern artists working in multiple medias, and Beefheart fans would be wise to dig this. Grab one before they're gone! [IQ]

		$17.99 CD $9.99 MP3   TREMBLING BELLS Carbeth (Honest Jon's) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store With a stamp of approval from Joe Boyd himself, Trembling Bells, led by the well-pedigreed Alex Neilson (sometime drummer for Current 93, Baby Dee, Jandek and others), seem poised to galvanize the pint-swilling fans of Fairport, Pentangle, Steeleye Span and the like who could use a little fresh blood to raise a glass to. This Glasgow quartet clearly holds the classic era of British folk-rock in high regard, and moreover those artists' inspirations -- traditional British melodies and early music -- and they have the songwriting chops and discipline to craft powerful songs on love and loss in the ancient style. They also have Lavinia Blackwall, a startling and emotional soprano who can easily pull off both the pure emotion and the theatrics that make these songs soar. Coupled with Neilson's raw and reedy singing, there is a richness and depth to these tunes that few modern bands could even approach. But their sound is far from staid trad-rock, as they bring in strains of dense, swirling psychedelia, loose-limbed improv and a touch of fist-pumping rock and roll, creating a positively infectious blend of tradition and devil-may-care abandon. Perhaps the most arresting feature of Carbeth is the album's sense of immediacy and spontaneity, with a live, cacophonous sound that may be founded on drums, strummed guitar and soaring vocals, but also provides a riot of French horn-led brass arrangements, viola-heavy strings, swelling harmonium and swirling electric guitars, all delivered in a freewheeling style that makes it wonderfully clear how much fun these folks are having. A truly wonderful debut from a group that should not be missed by fans of any and all of the above. [JM]

		$7.99 12" $5.99 MP3   CAUSE CO-MOTION Because Because Because EP (Slumberland) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store Are Cause Co-Motion afraid of making an album? In this day and age, when bands who have been together just a few months often release an LP before landing their first gig, it is kind of refreshing to have these guys bucking that trend in favor little records jam packed with quality from front to back. Nevertheless, they have at least made the jump from the 7" to the 12" format with this new six-song EP, but the essential ingredients are still intact; Canyons full of reverb? Check. Songs titles asking questions, e.g. "Is What You Say What You Mean?" Check. Hyperactive, nerdy pop hits, not a bad song to be heard? Check. Another essential Cause Co-Motion release? Check. [DMa]

		$15.99 CD $19.99 LP $9.99 MP3   MOKIRA Persona (Type) "Lord, Am I Going Down?" "Valla Torg Kraut" As Mokira, Sweden's Andreas Tilliander has released a series of excellent records over the past few years that bounded from minimally clicking rhythms to gently ebbing ambience. Returning with Persona, his second full-length for the Type label (and first for that imprint since 2003's stunning Album), Tilliander presents seven delicate constructions that bring the techniques he honed for years with his laptop into a warm analogue realm, one that allows him to tip his hat to folks like William Basinski and legendary drone rockers Spacemen 3. Opening with the distant strains of a fading, melodic tape loop, Persona finds Tilliander basking in glowing drones track in and track out. The surprising influence of Spacemen 3 makes itself known a couple of times here, both in the titular homage to that band's nod to Lou Reed with "Ode to the Ode to the Street Hassle" (and its circular, near orchestral minimal refrain), and in the more stretched-out and languid "Oscillations and Tremolo," a piece that sounds like a pared-down, distended epic from The Perfect Prescription. Elsewhere, "Lord, Am I Going Down?" creates a beautiful dreamscape out of ebbing waves of melody and echoing reverberations, while "Vall Torg Kraut" remains more minimal, gradually implying a rhythm as the track builds in intensity. Solid through and through, Mokira's Persona is yet another great and consistently engaging addition to Tilliander's impressive catalogue. [MC]

		$15.99 CD   VARIOUS ARTISTS Random Rap 1987/1988 (Madison Square Garage) "Time to Get Paid" Harpy Brothers "Pelon" 360 Degrees At first glance, this is another great collection of excellent east coast independent hip-hop from the late '80s. But with a lil' fingertip scratch to expose the labels, you'll see the name Paul C in the production and mixing credits on every selection. This unassuming, funky white boy from Queens is the unsung creator of that boom-bap true school sound. Though his career was tragically cut short in 1989 when he was found shot dead at the age of 24 in his Queens studio while preparing for a session with Biz Markie, the man was an huge influence on hip-hop, some of his notable accomplishments being: schooling the Large Professor on beat making, discovering Pharoahe Monch, mentoring Pete Rock, and producing beats for the Ultramagnetic MCs' classic album Critical Beatdown and Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em for Eric B. & Rakim. Paul C's drums crack you in the head like a bat to the dome, and he was the creator of that sparse, stutter-snare chop that DJ Premier, Dilla, and DJ Shadow perfected and took to the bank. He was also the first to master the panning and layering techniques that producers like Hank Shocklee, Dr. Dre, Prince Paul and Marley Marl are notorious for. In short, Paul C changed the game in an incredibly short amount of time, and here are 11 great examples of how. Fans of Cut Chemist, Edan, Kanye, or the aforementioned who aren't familiar with Paul C's work, I urge you to check for this comp highlighting the productions of one of the best who ever did it. [DH]

		$26.99 LPx2 w/CD   VARIOUS ARTISTS Rocky Mountain Low (Hyperpycnal) Wow, first that Local Anesthetic comp, and now this fantastic collection that goes even deeper into the Denver/Boulder, Colorado (and even Wyoming) punk rock scene of a couple years earlier. This LP includes some serious archival action along the lines of Eric Boucher (a/k/a Jello Biafra) and his group the Healers, and the Boulder-based band of misfits the Dancing Assholes, who obviously had a huge impact on the future Dead Kennedy. I'm sure that the Healers/Dancing Assholes rendition of "California Über Alles" might be considered a huge selling point in a lot of circles, but there's a ton of even better stuff here, and a lot of it is guns-a-blazin' punk rock like KBD stars DefeX, the fantastically dumb and to the point Lilly Rose & the Thorns, the X-tastic Transistors and more. There is also the rudimentary punk of the Profalactics and the aforementioned Dancing Assholes, and the tuff power-pop of Immortal Nightflames -- look for someone to cover "All Cried Out" in the next 24 hours or so. Rocky Mountain Low comes with an exhaustive 24-page book packed with photos and info that will keep you busy for some time, and all of the material except the Dirty Dogs tracks is previously unreleased. Also, this double-LP includes a bonus CD of almost the whole record (minus one song). Action of the highest order! [DMa]

		$12.99 CD $9.99 MP3   HOPEWELL Good Good Desperation (Tee Pee) "Worried Mind" "Realms of Gold" The first time I heard Hopewell was years ago, performing at an artist loft in South Williamsburg. I was a newcomer to New York City and a friend had tipped me off to the band because two of their members were also playing in Mercury Rev, who were a favorite of mine. All that I really recall is my first impression of the group: dark, raw, and wonderfully psychedelic. Since then, we've seen a lot of different music phenomena sweep through this town and the world at large, from dance punk to new weird America; all the while Hopewell have continued to make music on their own terms, with slight reinventions and occasional member changes, but at their essence still a band who could be just as at home rocking out in an old loft space as on a big stage warming the crowd for My Bloody Valentine -- as they did in Chicago last year. One thing that has been missing in their recordings, however, is the spontaneous energy of their live shows, something that the band's newest album rectifies. Opener "Preamble (pt. II)" winds up from a sun-kissed chorus of voices and lands into an acid bath of fuzzed-out guitars and the smell of burning tube amps. I swear the next track, "Island," could be Hopewell's answer to Jane's Addiction's "Mountain Song," as Jason Russo's voice echoes and soars above the tribal stomp of the drums and wailing guitars. In contrast, "10,000 Black Masses" is stripped down to a slow, bass-led repetition that conjures images of desert sunsets and peyote, and nicely sets the stage for the third-eye opening freak-out of "Stranger," driving the point home that space rock is back, if it ever left. [GH]

		$17.99 CD   SND Atavism (Raster-Noton) "Untitled 2" "Untitled 9" Sometimes you don't know how much you've missed something until you get it back, and SND are one of those rare things. Having pioneered a totally unique (and still untouched) brand of minimal electronic music in the late '90s, SND (the project of Leeds-based musicians Mark Fell and Mat Steel) went on to define the genre. They featured prominently on the influential Clicks and Cuts compilation back in 2000 and were idolized by Autechre of all people, but since their career-topping Tenderlove in 2002, they have been all but silent. Those of you with fast enough fingers might have bagged the stunning 4,5,6 triple-pack that appeared last year, but Atavism is the duo's real return from the mire of obscurity, and it's typically no slouch. Now settled in to the very appropriate Raster-Noton label, SND are back doing what they do best -- pounding clipped rhythms and those characteristic sheet-glass synth stabs. They rarely diverge from the sound they made their own, but each release seems to vary as Fell and Steel take on different rhythmic forms and draw in new ideas. Atavism is markedly removed from the 2-step influenced Tenderlove, as it brings a love of Autechre-patented DSP processes into the mix, lacing the familiar syncopated rhythms with a lick of well-sculpted distortion. Cascading, resonating shards and rumbles tumble through the frequencies like well-trained trapeze artists, astounding with every blip and hiss. SND are a tour de force of electronic music, and yet again show that there are few in the business who tackle the genre with quite such panache. Who needs lo-fi anyway? [JT]

		$17.99 CD   PIXEL The Drive (Raster-Noton) "+28° 35 42.88 -80° 37 13.02" "+40° 42 24.12 -73° 59 51.18" The third record from Jon Egeskov under the Pixel moniker, The Drive casts us into the desolate landscape of an imaginary road movie. Harnessing the traditional motorik click of his Raster-Noton home and the warm hum of hot amplifier tubes, he does it with a mechanical ease and an eerie satisfaction. The familiar rattle of a car engine is replaced by this omnipresent tube drone, and Egeskov's percussive chirps dance on top like tiny insects, ducking and diving in-between each other in perfectly choreographed sequence. There is something almost soothing about the complex mathematical precision in Egeskov's production, but beneath the digital jitter there is something less predictable and more organic. Occasionally the guitar (which was no doubt responsible for all that hum in the first place) makes its presence known and cries forth with a distorted urgency. As the plucked notes echo forcefully over the cycling clicks and burps, it leaves you to think of the journey ahead, and those long American highways. Will we ever find a rest stop? Will we ever make it to Denny's again? Who knows, but this jerky ain't gonna eat itself. [JT]

		$24.99 CD   VARIOUS ARTISTS Cazumbi: African Sixties Garage (No Smoke) "Baby I Love You" Gino Garrido E Os Psicodelicos "Muato Wa N'Ginjla" Teta Lando Oh man, this is without a doubt one of the best garage/freakbeat/'60s guitar-group comps I've heard in ages. Cazumbi focuses on rock'n'roll, surf, and R'n'B bands from various regions in Africa, among them Angola, Congo, Mozambique, and South Africa. Rock music was heavily outlawed in many African regions much as it had been in places with heavy military government influence, and as such ended up developing a hearty, wild rock music scene (South America and the tropicalia movement come to mind as an apt point of comparison). Adding fuel to the fire was the fact that many popular western white acts were not permitted to have records imported into the African nations, so lots of local groups popped up to record their own versions of classic jams which were then pressed domestically in Africa. As such, there are many tunes on this collection which I'd never thought I wanted to hear again, but the versions on offer are more fiery, rambunctious, and unhinged than perhaps any I've heard before. Take for instance Impacto's pituitary groove through "Knock on Wood," or Conjunto De Oliveira Muge's version of "I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night" sung in Italian(!!). These tunes are raw as hell, often in their respective native dialects (though there are a few tunes in English as well), and frequently feature nice little tweaks in the arrangements that breathe new life into classic yet perhaps overheard tunes. And if the covers weren't good enough, the originals all kick serious ass as well. Also included are early cuts by more established Congolese artists Docteur Nico, African Fiesta, and Orquestre Veve, who deliver one of the best versions of Shocking Blue's "Venus" that I've ever heard. All in all, if you're a fan of '60s garage, international rock, or just a fruggin' good time, you'd be wise to check this. It's probably not going to be around for long, so act now or cry later! [IQ]

		$24.99 CD   VARIOUS ARTISTS 2131 South Michigan Avenue: 60's Garage and Psychedelia from USA and Destination Records (Sundazed) "I'll Make You Pay" The Shady Daze "The Trip" Park Avenue Playground USA and Destination were small yet powerful independent record companies that operated out of Chicago, both headed up by Jim Golden. During the two labels' three-year heyday from 1965 to '68, the city had a bustling teen garage rock scene and Golden was a heavy supporter and promoter of it, setting up a studio to record fiery singles by young bands from the Windy City and the surrounding area. He immediately hit pay dirt with "Sugar and Spice" from the Cryan' Shames and the Buckinghams' smash hit "Kind of a Drag." Both songs were released on Columbia Records and are not included here, but his two labels put out some of the best American garage rock of that era and this all-killer, no-filler two-disc collection highlights some of USA and Destination's most revered releases. The British Invasion was in full swing and as you might imagine, you can hear that influence throughout this set. The aforementioned Buckinghams rip through a nice fuzzy take on the blues standard, "I'm a Man," and there's also a lot of Mersey beat/Hollies-influenced, mid-tempo burners like the Jokers' harmony-laden "What'cha Gonna Do" and the Richochette's "I Don't Want You." The nasty, blues stompin' "One Girl Man" by the Lost Agency is a garage rock classic -- Kinks-influenced, proto-punk snottiness at its finest. There's also some good ol' unhinged psych madness in the form of Park Avenue Playground's "The Trip" and a bit of flanged-out darkness coming from the Flock's "What Would You Do If the Sun Died?" Energetic, '60s Cavestomp rock of the highest order here, fans of the Monks, Kinks, Nuggets and the like, come on down!!! [DH]

		$21.99 CD   VARIOUS ARTISTS Thai Funk (Zud Rang Ma) "Nam Man Pang" Sroeng Santi "Disco Tour" Nakplang Krumklowna" With the Sublime Frequencies and B-Music crews spending the last few years searching through just about every crate in the known world, you would think there would be no stone left unturned at this point in time, but you'd be wrong. This expansive disc digs into a genre I've rarely chanced upon before, the shadowy world of Thai funk. As with most successful movements, funk seemed to dribble its way across the Far East (and no doubt further), and this collection, spanning from the late 60s to the early 80s, shows the extent of influence funk and disco had on Thailand. Dedicated world music followers among you will no doubt already know that it's never really a simple blend -- when styles like this are re-appropriated they are absorbed into the traditions and musical styles of the country in question. The resulting hodgepodge of sound is why the best of these sort of comps are so appealing, and Thai Funk, is no different, blending the deep funk bass-lines and 4/4 beats with melodies and scales straight out of Bangkok. You could almost imagine being in a sweaty Thai dancehall listening to Chairai Chaiyata & Sawanee Pattana's "Khown Tai Doey Loak Puin," or sipping on cocktails sitting on the beach as The Impossible's "Do It (Til You're Satisfied)" plays from a busted up ghetto blaster. As per usual, there are plenty of skewed covers on here (including two versions of Boney M's wedding-dance classic "Rasputin"), but the finest moments come when the funk and disco sounds are merely used as a template for something else entirely. The best example of this would be the near-gamelan of Sroeng Santi's "Nam Man Pang," which uses the pots 'n pans rhythms to propel Hendrix-esque electric licks and a throaty Thai vocal. Who knew? [JT]

		$12.99 CD   MARK KOZELEK Lost Verses Live (Caldo Verde) A beautiful long-player that collects 14 of the best tracks from several solo shows that Kozelek performed in 2007 and 2008 (including a Music Hall of Williamsburg appearance) -- just his careful acoustic guitar, haunting vocals, and an occasional second acoustic from former Red House Painter Phil Carney. The track listing spans Kozelek's catalog, leaning more heavily on Sun Kil Moon titles, and includes a couple of his famous live covers. Fans of this melancholy crooner will find much to enjoy.

		$13.99 CD $15.99 LP w/MP3 $9.99 MP3   THE WOODEN BIRDS Magnolia (Barsuk) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store The Wooden Birds is the new project of Andrew Kenny of American Analog Set, and also features members of Lymbic System and Ola Podrida. After a six-year stint in Brooklyn, Kenny has returned to Austin, TX and has likewise re-adopted his original style of country-tinged, gently produced songwriting. Magnolia is hypnotic and mellow as anything he released as AAS, but strips away the hazy keyboard wash and Autobahn-friendly rhythms of that band, for something more rootsy and pure. A lovely new album from a favorite son.

		$13.99 CD $13.99 LP w/MP3 $9.99 MP3   DOUBLE DAGGER More (Thrill Jockey) "No Allies" "Camouflage" Featuring former members of Baltimore's League of Death and Economist, Double Dagger aren't one of those bands who gain fans just because they're from Charm City and are entrenched in its art rock community; the breed of charged, minimalist punk they produce is thoughtful and subtle, attentive to a sense of aesthetic that transcends boundaries of genre, and even medium. On the band's third full-length, the music may shriek and thrash, but the mood is decidedly minimalist, from the relentless bass/drums/vocals setup to the simple repetition and slowly evolving structures of their unbelievably intense hardcore. Fans of No Age, Fucked Up, Pissed Jeans, etc. should give a listen.

		$17.99 CD $9.99 MP3   FLORIAN HECKER Acid in the Style of David Tudor (Editions Mego) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store Neither precisely "acid" nor exactly "in the style of David Tudor," nonetheless, Florian Hecker's first proper solo studio album since 2003 takes both the analog synth tools and forms of the preeminent hedonistic rave culture staple, and the rigorously free-thinking experimentalism of 20th century composition as spiritual inspiration. The results are twisted, hallucinogenic and often shocking, in the best possible way, with pulsing, swooping, squelching sounds dissolving into shadows of themselves and reappearing with precisely choreographed chaos.

		$12.99 CD   CHILDREN Hard Times Hanging at the End of the World (Kemado) "Power Spirit" "Advanced Mind Control" New York City blazing metal here, shredding dual guitars, wailing vox, and drummer Adam Bennati of Early Man bringing a blend of straight-up speedy thrash and meter-shifting precision. Nothing new, and gloriously so, with an old-school bullshit-free sound and production to match from Joe Blaney, who has worked with the Ramones, the Clash, etc.

		$14.99 CD $19.99 LP $9.99 MP3   MAXIMO PARK Quicken the Heart (Warp) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store Maximo Park have not fiddled mush with the formula that sent them high up the UK pop charts with 2007's Our Earthly Pleasures -- taut Wire-inspired basslines, pounding Gang of Four drums, wry new-wave keyboards, angular guitar melodies, and singer Paul Smith's tireless focus and knack for a big old chorus to get the kids to jump around.

		$21.99 CDx2   JIM O'ROURKE I'm Happy and I'm Singing and a 1, 2, 3, 4 (Editions Mego) Editions Mego has finally reissued Jim O'Rourke's first solo computer album from 2002. The three -- dare we say -- elegant tracks are equal parts schizoid pop, cracked minimalism, concrete drama, and melancholic contemplation. It really is one of those records that appeals across the board -- electronic nuts, indie rock kids and yes, even the good folk of the established experimental world can take pleasure in the nuances of Jim's hard drive. Comes with a bonus disc of rare and unreleased archival material from the same time period. [SMa]

		$14.99 LP   VARIOUS ARTISTS The World's Lousy with Ideas Volume 8 (Almost Ready) The eighth installment in the World's Lousy compilation series abandons the 7"-format in favor of the full twelve. Pretty much everyone worth talking about in '09 is on here, as the LP collects exclusive tracks by Blank Dogs, Vivian Girls, Tyvek, Oh Sees, Sic Alps, Times New Viking, Intelligence, Pink Reason and Guinea Worms. I think you already know if you need this or not. Beautiful, silkscreened covers with art by Cassie of the Vivian Girls, as well. The first six volumes are gone, so you'd do well to snap this one up, and check out Volume 7 while you're at it (all-Aussie 45 with Eddy Current Suppression Ring + three more). No brainer of the week. [AK]

		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 [MC] Michael Crumsho [GH] Gerald Hammill [DH] Duane Harriott [IQ] Mikey IQ Jones [MK] Michael Klausman [AK] Andreas Knutsen [JM] Josh Madell [SMa] Sara Magenheimer [DMa] Dave Martin [JS] Jeremy Sponder [JTr] Jonathan Treneff [JT] John Twells THANKS FOR READING - all of us at Other Music

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