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   September 10, 2009  
       
   
     
 
 
FEATURED NEW RELEASES
BLK JKS
Taken By Trees
Vivian Girls
Yo La Tengo
The Feelies
Mayer Hawthorne
Os Mutantes
Jim O'Rourke
HEALTH
Eddy Current Suppression Ring
Johnny Paycheck
Wild Beasts
The Clean
Vladislav Delay
Variant
Tim Buckley
The Entrance Band
 

Barbara Lynn
Zomby
The Heliocentrics
Moose
Echo Expansion (Various)


ALSO AVAILABLE
Polvo
Damon & Naomi
Susanna and the Magical Orchestra
Squarepusher
The Stone Roses (20th Anniversary Set)

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
ATP NY Tickets Available at OM
In-Store Purchase Only


All of this week's new arrivals.

Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/othermusic

 
         
   
   
   
   
   
       
   
 
 
SEP Sun 06 Mon 07 Tues 08 Wed 09 Thurs 10 Fri 11 Sat 12



  WIN TICKETS TO THE GLENN BRANCA ENSEMBLE
This Friday, Glenn Branca and his ensemble will be performing works from their album in progress, The Ascension: The Sequel at (Le) Poisson Rouge. Joining the no wave groundbreaker/symphonist will be post-neo-no wavers the Paranoid Critical Revolution plus a special showing of film excerpts from Ericka Beckman's 135 Grand St. 1979, which includes the only known footage of Theoretical Girls and the Static. To enter for a pair of tickets, email tickets@othermusic.com, and we'll notify the two winners on Friday morning.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11
(LE) POISSON ROUGE: 158 Bleeker Street NYC

 
   
   
 
 
SEP Sun 06 Mon 07 Tues 08 Wed 09 Thurs 10 Fri 11 Sat 12



  LAWRENCE & JUS-ED TICKET GIVE AWAY
One of the city's best techno and house parties, House-n-Home are celebrating their one year anniversary this Saturday! This loft party not to be missed with residents Anthony Parasole and Spinoza welcoming special guests Lawrence (a/k/a Sten - Dial Records) and DJ Jus-Ed. We've got two pairs of passes up for grabs, so email enter@othermusic.com. We'll notify the two winners this Friday.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12
12-TURN-13: 172 Classon Avenue Brooklyn (Clinton Hill)
10pm - 6am / $10 before midnight; $20 after

 
   
   
 
 
SEP Sun 13 Mon 14 Tues 15 Wed 16 Thurs 17 Fri 18 Sat 19



  SUPERSTAR DJ RECORD FAIR THIS SUNDAY
The Brooklyn Flea's Superstar DJ Record Fair returns Sunday, September 13, this time located in DUMBO at the archway underneath the Manhattan Bridge. We're excited to be co-sponsoring this event, along with Time Out NY, Dumbo Improvement District, and Halcyon, and our very own Mikey IQ Jones and Bert Queiroz will be selling gems from their own personal collections along with 30-plus other record dealers that include folks from DFA, Turntable Lab, Self-Titled magazine and former staff of Etherea and EAT Records. And with Fashion Week underway, there'll also be 15-plus vintage clothing vendors, so you can pick up some great threads to go along with your musical finds.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13
The Archway Under the Manhattan Bridge - DUMBO Brooklyn
11AM to 6PM

 
   
   
 
 
SEP Sun 13 Mon 14 Tues 15 Wed 16 Thurs 17 Fri 18 Sat 19



  WIN TICKETS TO THE HORRORS
Next Thursday, the Horrors return to NYC, headlining at the Bowery Ballroom in support of their latest album, Primary Colours, a much-acclaimed record that finds the band swapping out some of their earlier b-movie obsessions with a healthy double-dose of shoegaze, Krautrock and Silver Apples influences. The London group will be joined by another great garage rock act, Crocodiles. Enter to win a pair of tickets by emailing contest@othermusic.com. We'll notify the two winners on Monday.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17
BOWERY BALLROOM: 6 Delancey Street NYC

 
   
   
   
   
   
       
   

 

 

     
 

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  BLK JKS
After Robots
(Secretly Canadian)

"Molalatladi"
"Lakeside"

Though they've been a band for close to a decade now, it's only been over the course of the past few years that the reach of Johannesburg's BLK JKS has begun to extend beyond South Africa. A few shout-outs from Diplo (who likened them to an African TV on the Radio) led to some surprising new American fans, and a recording session with the Secret Machines' Brandon Curtis that begat the Mystery EP. Now backed by the good folks at Secretly Canadian, the quartet returns with After Robots, a debut full-length that brings the dramatic tension and unique perspectives of their earlier work to fruition, at times hitting like a gutsier, more aggressive Eno-era Talking Heads.

Aided once again by Curtis (and with horns supplied the esteemed Hypnotic Brass Ensemble), the nine songs on the proper disc (OM Digital customers take note -- the album download of After Robots features Osborne's three Mystery remixes, now out of print in their original vinyl format) showcase a band that's truly hitting its stride. Gnarled guitars wrap themselves around haunted vocals and stabbing horns on rhythmically intricate tracks like "Banna Ba Modimo," while pieces like "Kwa Nqingetje" showcase BLK JKS flair for the dramatic, delicately winding up an epic of flailing strings and pounding drums until it inevitably explodes. Best of all, though, is album closer "Tselane," a quiet, contemplative number sung in the band's native tongue that makes it abundantly clear that these four have plenty to offer outside of rock bluster. [MC]
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  TAKEN BY TREES
East of Eden
(Rough Trade)

"My Boys"
"Watch the Waves"

Were we surprised to hear that Victoria Bergsman's second solo full-length as Taken By Trees was recorded entirely in Lahore, Pakistan. Intrigued, yes, but by no means shocked. From the first moments we heard her sparse, deeply-affecting debut solo album, Open Field, in the shop -- a far cry from the epic, lush pop of her former group the Concretes -- we've been riveted by Bergsman's unpredictability and versatility, and it is clear that she is a true artist who follows her muse wherever it takes her.

East of Eden finds Bergsman -- one of very few Western women ever to record in this region -- working through her simple, mournful pop songs with local Pakistani musicians, her perfectly fragile, hushed tones sitting inside beautiful arrangements of flittering flute, acoustic guitar, hand drums, chimes, and handclaps. Surprisingly, the result is tight-woven pop, with not so much as a note out of place -- although, no doubt, having traveled so far in order to subvert the sterility of the recording studio, there is a joyousness and liveliness to the tracks, a few of which end in celebratory improvisational jams. To further diversify the record's scope, Bergsman includes two Swedish-language songs, including closer "Bekannelse," a lilting tune accompanied by a droning reed instrument and mystical flute.

Last but not least, if you've followed her career, you're aware of Bergsman's affinity for cover versions, and folks are way excited about her reworking of Animal Collective's "My Girls" into a light, Eastern-style tango version retitled "My Boys" -- no doubt with AC's blessing, as Noah Lennox lends back-up vocals on the song "Anna." East of Eden comes with a bonus short film called Taweel Safar - The Long Journey, which contains dream-like footage shot by Bergsman and others while in Pakistan. [KS]
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  VIVIAN GIRLS
Everything Goes Wrong
(In the Red)

"Double Vision"n
"The End"

As any recipient of "the next big thing" hype knows, when it comes time for the follow-up it seems that there are just as many people ready to tear you down as there were to build you up on the previous record. With that in mind, no doubt, the Vivian Girls set out to make their sophomore album. And while all of the elements that made their debut so fresh are still here in spades -- '60s girl-group harmonies, joyful enthusiasm, tons and tons of reverb and great songs -- there are many noticeable differences. The first and biggest change is new drummer Ali Koehler. She transforms the band into a rock machine giving Cassie Ramone and Kickball Katy a much faster yet more stable base to build on. The second would be their choice to record their album with Mike McHugh at the Distillery. Long a staple of the West Coast punk scene, McHugh helps create a massive wall of sound of incredible buzzing guitar and throbbing low end with the vocals trying to make their way out of the mix. More than anything it reminds me of vintage Hüsker Dü and the more you listen the better it gets. That isn't to say that there aren't some jangle-pop gems here. "Can't Get Over You" would have fit nicely on the first record, but the album's most affecting moments come when they get into some heads-down jams like the four-minute-plus (whoa!) "Out for the Sun" where the group seem much more concerned with playing the shit out the song, and loving it. Overall, Everything Goes Wrong is a much more difficult and dense record but extremely true to who Vivian Girls are as people and as a band and for that I commend them. You should too. [DMa]
 
         
   
   
   
   
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  YO LA TENGO
Popular Songs
(Matador)

"Avalon or Someone Very Similar"
"If It's True"

There was a point in the not-so-distant past where it seemed that Yo La Tengo might have become content to shuffle wistfully into the sunset. Then, apropos of nothing, came 2006's I Am Not Afraid of You..., their most varied, immediately pleasing record in years. They sounded revitalized as a band, venturing down branches and tributaries of their sound I thought long abandoned to swamp. More importantly, it sounded like they were having fun again.

This renewed sense of playfulness continues on Popular Songs, a record that in many ways, is the archetypal Yo La Tengo album. The band's greatest asset has always been its depth of range (expect the unexpected) -- so it comes as a great relief that 25 years down the road, Yo La Tengo still find ways to make us forget we're listening to Yo La Tengo. While Popular Songs is packed with everything we've come to know and love about the Hoboken Three (Kiwi/Velvets worship, extended guitar meltdowns, etc.), there are just as many pleasant surprises that show the group still challenging themselves, synthesizing new moves into their already formidable playbook. To point, the beautiful string stabs (arranged by Richard Evans of Soulful Strings/Cadet Records fame) of the ominous, de-boned faux-funk opener "Here to Fall" approach a youthful immodesty not heard since the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion shocked with similar tactics in "Bellbottoms." Yo La Tengo more often than not succeed in their slippery experiments due to the unwavering generosity expressed in their musical wanderings, presenting their infatuations with such joy and reverence that we can't help but be swayed. They still approach music with an infectious enthusiasm and creative restlessness, refusing to behave like a band that's been together a quarter of a century. Here's hoping they never start acting their age. [JTr]
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 
Crazy Rhythms
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The Good Earth
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  THE FEELIES
Crazy Rhythms
(Bar/None)

"Forces at Work"
"Fa Ce-La"

Finally!! After many years of unavailability, the classic debut album by influential rockers the Feelies is reissued to coincide with the group's recent reformation and resurgence in popularity. I'm not going to get too deep into the history lesson here -- you can look that up elsewhere if you don't already know -- but let's say this: Crazy Rhythms was, and in many ways still is, an album whose influence is on the magnitude of classics like Metal Box, Unknown Pleasures, Damaged, Hatful of Hollow, Zen Arcade, and Power, Corruption & Lies. All of these records in their own ways greatly influenced and changed the landscape of rock and pop music in the 1980s, sewing the seeds for what became the "college" rock/radio-oriented underground scene in America. The Feelies' debut is a taut electric wire, seething with a nervous energy and friction perhaps not so evident on wax since Richard Hell's Blank Generation album -- a connection which was made even more explicit when director Susan Seidelman used many of Crazy Rhythms's songs and had the band score her 1982 film Smithereens, which starred Richard Hell!

The songs on Crazy Rhythms are prime examples of the itchy, twitchy anxiety felt by most residents of the Tri-State area (or was that all of America?) at the turn of that decade, personified in titles like "The Boy with the Perpetual Nervousness." The guitar interplay between Bill Million and Glenn Mercer, dry as a bone and just as tough, updates Marquee Moon's pyrotechnics for the no-frills post-punk mentality, and the bass and drum interplay between Keith De Nunzio and Anton Fier is the glue that holds the record together and moves its kinetic frenzy forward. It's not funky at all, but damn, it MOVES. For a debut album, the dynamism on display, not to mention the overall quality of the songs, is astonishing; the band's lineup would change shortly thereafter, and the unique magic conjured on this record would evolve six years later into the droning, jangly hex of The Good Earth (which we'll feature in next week's update). Crazy Rhythms is an essential cornerstone in the history of independent rock, and is pretty much what one would consider prerequisite listening. Essential. [IQ]

Rather than load the reissue with bonus tracks, to maintain the integrity of the original vision, the CD version comes with download card for bonus tracks which include the single version of "Fa cé-La" originally released on Rough Trade; Carla Bley demo versions of "The Boy with the Perpetual Nervousness" and "Moscow Nights;" plus a live version of "Crazy Rhythms" and a live cover of Modern Lovers' "I Wanna Sleep in Your Arms," both recorded earlier this year at Washington D.C.'s 9:30 Club.
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  MAYER HAWTHORNE
A Strange Arrangement
(Stones Throw)

"Just Ain't Gonna Work Out"
"Shiny & New"

The Ann Arbor-raised, LA-based Mayer Hawthorne is the current nom de plume of Andrew Cohen, a/k/a DJ Haircut, a respected underground hip-hop producer who has made beats for the likes of Guilty Simpson and Slum Village. A year ago, Haircut put together a throwback doo-wop song that featured him singing all of the falsetto vocals and playing all of the instruments, labeled it Mayer Hawthorne and gave it away to his friends -- one of them being Stones Throw mogul Peanut Butter Wolf, who loved "Just Ain't Gonna Work Out" and released the single on an unsuspecting market. The likes of Gilles Peterson, Mark Ronson and even John Mayer began championing the song, and the next thing you know, "Just Ain't Gonna Work Out" was an underground hit, even sneaking into the bottom of the pop charts in New Zealand.

Not bad for a guy who never sang in a group or had real songwriting experience prior to this project, and it speaks volumes about the man's talent. With all eyes on him, Cohen fully embraces the Mayer Hawthorne persona and delivers a confident debut album of throwback blue-eyed Motor City soul. All 12 songs touch upon all the classic sounds of the past, ranging from the lush Delphonics-styled balladry of the title track and "I Wish It Would Rain," to the northern soul horn-fueled strut of "Your Easy Lovin' Ain't Pleasin' Nothin." Through it all, Cohen never overreaches, each tune reveling in that sweet rush of two-minute R&B bliss. He has an incredible ear for that sound, but he's not overly reverential, and sprinkles touches of hip-hop throughout. You can hear it in the boom-bap kick of the early singles, and they are all the better for it. All in all, it's a very solid debut album and I wouldn't be surprised to see this one crossing over into the mainstream, and for all the right reasons -- great songs! [DH]
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  OS MUTANTES
Haih or Amortecedor
(Anti-)

"2000 e Agarrum"
"O Careca"

Given the ongoing internal intrigue between the members of its classic lineup, the last thing one would have expected was a new Mutantes record. Well, an original-lineup reunion won't be happening anytime soon, but founding member Sergio Dias, along with original drummer Dinho Leme, have recruited a like-minded crew of collaborators, including female vocalist Bia Mendes standing in for Rita Lee, and sought to resurrect the band's legendary anarchic spirit. And....it works! Of course, nothing can replace those early albums, but this is way better than skeptics had every right expect. With heavyweight songwriting assistance from Tom Zé and even Jorge Ben, these immediate, winning songs careen all over the place in vintage Mutant style, with psych flourishes, circus-music digressions, sardonic lyrics delivered in playful little-kid-cum-lounge-crooner fashion. "O Careca," the Ben contribution, is a standout, as is the REM-Posies jangle-pop (!) of "O Mensageiro." "Samba Do Fidel" recalls 1972's "Cantor De Mambo" in form and content, and they could never have gotten away with its ironic/irreverent lyrics in the old days. "Baghdad Blues" does in fact mention Saddam Hussein's name, and "Neurociência Do Amor" is another one that resurrects everything you've ever loved about this group. This album is much better than I ever expected, and it is far from a disgrace to this mythical band's considerable legacy. Yes, it's worth getting! Yippee! [GC]
 
         
   
   
   
   
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  JIM O'ROURKE
The Visitor
(Drag City)

"The Visitor"
"The Visitor 2"

Just a few years ago, musical polymath Jim O'Rourke was seemingly everywhere. After all, when the then New Yorker wasn't busy as a full-on member of Sonic Youth, he was collaborating with members of Wilco, exploring improvised laptop performance with Christian Fennez and Peter Rehberg, recording and producing the work of countless other bands, or, last but not least, putting the finishing touches on a series of song-oriented releases for the Drag City label. A move to Japan a couple years back also brought with it a shift in focus, and O'Rourke's prodigious flurry of activity slowed to a crawl as he began to concentrate on film. In truth, it's not as though O'Rourke has been inactive in the years since Insignificance, the last of his more user-friendly (and Nicholas Roeg inspired, in name at least) rock albums. The past year or so has even seen the man putting his house in order, reissuing some older, more experimental work alongside a few collaborative sessions and a surprising disc of Toru Takemitsu interpretations.

Now, however, he's turned the focus once more on his softer side with The Visitor, an unabashedly baroque, album-length piece that showcases a further refinement of his long-standing ability to integrate composition skills and pop moves. Lush and ornate in ways hardly seen by the man in the past eight years, these thirty-eight minutes present a sort of ideological travelogue, pulling folk finger-picking, genteel piano and sleepy organs into the same pot as a few well-placed banjo plucks and pedal steel lines, all occasionally contrasted with carefully deployed brass and strings. Mostly delicate and yet completely confident and self-assured, The Visitor manages to tip its hat to a number of O'Rourke's professed influences without ever going overboard or sound pastiche, creating what might be the most pure and undiluted document of the man's skills as a writer and multi-instrumentalist to date. [MC]
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  HEALTH
Get Color
(Lovepump United)

"Die Slow"
"We Are Water"

As they did on their self-titled debut, HEALTH continues to explore the percussive personalities of their instruments on the excellent Get Color, approaching raw noise with the soul and precision of James Brown's Famous Flames, albeit sounding closer to This Heat than the Dap-Kings. Guitars rarely emit notes, instead discharging feedback heartbeats and pulsing squalls of agony. The bass serves mainly to wrap layers of fuzz around the unremitting tribal gore of BJ Miller's drumset. Synthesizers stab, and effects pedals burn hotter than the inside of LA's The Smell, the now-legendary all-ages DIY space that is HEALTH's home base. Tracks like "Die Slow," with a bruising four-on-the-floor dance beat and a hellish three-note synthesizer melody, remind you that this band held their own opening for Nine Inch Nails last year. Like Liars, HEALTH is a deceptively tight band, informed by rhythm and reverent to the percussive aspects of screams, rattles, and effects loops. This is anti-pop at its most explosive, and cannot be underestimated in its importance or its impact on contemporary ideas of what a song can or must be. [MS]
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  EDDY CURRENT SUPPRESSION RING
Eddy Current Suppression Ring
(Goner)

"Cool Ice Cream"
"Insufficient Funds"

Goner's release last year of the Eddy Current Suppression Ring's excellent Primary Colours album was a revelation. While Australia has a long and rich history of crazed Stooge-inspired rock'n'roll it seems like there has been a long, long gap in any new rockage. Then along came ECSR with bridge for that gap as long as their name and now the folks at Goner have kindly reissued the self-titled ECSR debut album as well. True to their Aussie heritage the band comes on like a cross between early Rose Tattoo and feedtime, the low end throbs and the guitars slash their way right to your pleasure centers while vocalist Brendan Suppression spouts tales mostly of daily drudgery and/or simple pleasures. It all adds up to one of the best, brain halting rock experiences in ages. Don't you want to halt your brain? [DMa]
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  JOHNNY PAYCHECK
Nowhere to Run
(Omni)

"It's a Mighty Thin Line"
"Don't Monkey Around with Another Monkey's Monkey"

Some of the best advice I ever received came from an old boss of mine, a country music aficionado who told me to buy any Johnny Paycheck album where he's "not wearing a beard." I've since bought most of the ones where he's wearing a beard as well, but I did take his advice first, which led me to some of the most staggeringly incredible country music I've ever been privy to, the Little Darlin' recordings of Johnny Paycheck.

There's a strain of soul music collectors refer to as "deep soul," a particularly pathos-laden genre that seems to explore the utmost limits of heartache, despair, and personal adversity. The songs Johnny Paycheck recorded for the independent Nashville label Little Darlin' between 1966 and 1970 are pretty much the country-music equivalent; it simply doesn't get any deeper than this. Born Donald Lytle, Paycheck had toiled in near anonymity throughout the late fifties and early sixties, releasing a handful of singles as Donny Young that failed to chart while working as a sidemen for such country music royalty as Porter Wagoner, Ray Price, and George Jones. He was a boozer and born hell raiser, and by 1962 had pretty much reached the first of many trips to the bottom when he was discovered by producer Aubrey Mayhew sleeping off a bender beneath the Shelby St. Bridge in Nashville during a country music deejay convention.

Mayhew re-christened him Johnny Paycheck and began laying the groundwork for a new independent label to feature what the seasoned producer considered to be one of the greatest talents in Nashville. It took a minute to get the plan in order though, and in the interim Paycheck did some serious partying on Mayhew's dime, traveling around doing odd gigs and raising a ruckus with pal Merle Haggard. 1966 finally saw the start of their artistic if not commercial triumphs, and over the next four years Paycheck would deliver some of the most original vocal stylings to ever grace a country song. He was on a song-writing tear in those years as well, penning dark-edged and nuanced material the likes of which have rarely been heard before or since. Mayhew's production is simply genius, everything recorded in one take with levels all pushed up to the max so the songs just pop out of the stereo and the pedal steel simply sears your ears.

This compilation is programmed beautifully, and even at 29 songs never ceases to slay, with an excellent booklet of liner-notes and photos. The mid-seventies would find Paycheck embracing the outlaw country music movement of Nelson, Jennings, Glaser, Coe, et al., and in 1977 he'd finally have the gigantic smash he'd always longed for in "Take This Job and Shove It." Personally he was still a mess off and on till his death from emphysema in 2003 -- struggling with drugs, accusations of statutory rape, and a two-year prison sentence for nearly shooting to death a man during a brawl. But Nowhere to Run sees the man at his very best, and this is hands down one of the reissues of the year and simply indispensable for fans of American roots music. [MK]
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  WILD BEASTS
Two Dancers
(Domino)

"All the King's Men"
"We Still Got the Taste Dancin' on Our Tongues"

Two Dancers is an album that owes a lot of its charms to two Davids: Bowie and Byrne. Bowie, for his deft, theatrical delivery of lyrics that from anyone else's mouth would sound downright silly (just try singing "Ground control to Major Tom, take your protein pills and put your helmet on" with a straight face). Wild Beasts' Hayden Thorpe, like Bowie, has a knack for voice manipulation and transcendental crooning that crests over the top of a song, while bassist Tom Fleming rounds out the lower registers with an earnest and disarming tenor that steals the show on tracks like "Two Dancers (i)." The band even throws Bowie a lyrical homage with the phrase "All you pretty things" on "All the King's Men." As for the other David, Wild Beasts's rhythm section is informed by Byrne's ingenious sense of funky, international and unconventional pop. Chris Talbot's Africa-influenced grooves never overpower the melodic pillars of the band, but are infectiously light and deliciously tight. He hits the woodblocks as often as he hits the snare drum, while the dueling electric guitars jangle and chick-a-chack right alongside.

What is most striking about this record is how wide open its sonic vistas are. Through a combination of Talbot's perfect sense of rhythmic placement and production restraint, the drums groove from the back of your head, with the bass a little to the left, the guitars panned hard to the left and right, and then Thorpe's voice throws the curtains wide open. Two Dancers sounds as richly organic as Fleet Foxes and Grizzly Bear, but simpler, less agonized over and less meticulously layered. There are empty spaces that range all over the album, where the residue of a sound prevails, particularly on the brilliant opening track "The Fun Powder Plot." Comparisons will inevitably be drawn to that other European Union dance band, Phoenix, but Wild Beasts operate with looser songs that tease and titillate, especially as you develop a taste for Thorpe's ingenious wordplay. Highly recommended. [MS]
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  THE CLEAN
Mister Pop
(Merge)

"In the Dreamlife U Need a Rubber Soul"
"Simple Fix"

The Clean are now into their third decade as a band and while there has been a lot of downtime in that span, they still managed to draft the blueprint for the sound that came be known as indie rock, and what I would consider some of the best music ever made, ever. The on-again, off-again status that the Kilgour brothers and Robert Scott have maintained over the last two decades seems to suit them very well. These days it appears that their strength is in their lack of ambition beyond self-satisfaction. They don't expect to unveil another "Tally Ho" and you shouldn't either, but they do make music that hits the perfect balance of familiar and new, and if that doesn't sound like a ringing endorsement then you are reading it wrong. On the whole Mister Pop drifts by in a wonderful psychedelic haze but the more you listen the better it gets. [DMa]
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  VLADISLAV DELAY
Tummaa
(Leaf)

"Mustelmia"
"Tummaa"

To say that the tenth album by Finland's Sasu Ripatti (a/k/a Vladislav Delay, Luomo, Uusitalo, etc.) is a turn of the page for the groundbreaking minimal techno / eerie ambient master is an understatement. After a decade spent at techno's epicenter, Berlin, Ripatti returned to his native land with wife and family, and signed to a new label (Leaf). To make such a life change sonically evident, this newest album is almost entirely analog and largely acoustic (which is in line with Delay's recent work with the Moritz von Oswald Trio). Teaming up with fellow Dolls' member Craig Armstrong, the two engage in a slowly-evolving sort of duo interplay, Armstrong providing gravity-free electric and acoustic piano melodies while Delay crafts drum hits, chirps, and other unclassifiable noises about it all. Electronic or acoustic though, the man's sound is recognizable but a few moments in; Vladislav Delay is an original, and still far ahead of the game in every respect. [AB]
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  VARIANT
The Setting Sun
(Echospace)

"Someplace Else"
"Adrift"

At long last available on CD, Steve Hitchell's brilliant The Setting Sun takes a leftfield path into the chilly mine of ambient dub techno, evoking Christian Fennesz reworking Basic Channel. Hailed as a hero of the genre after his work on Echospace's The Coldest Season 12" series, released in 2007, Hitchell flexes his composer skills with the epic scope of The Setting Sun. As Variant, Hitchell melds stark field recordings and heavy sub bass with his trademark dub chords, while upping his game with interesting piano work, disintegrating loops, and slowly building low-end patterns. The subtle rise and fall of sounds in the mix creates a topographic sensation, betraying the supposedly sparse music by showing the tactile, graphic mold beneath the dark and hazy atmosphere. While the first two tracks are remarkable in their own right, they provide a context vital in the emergence of the stunning closer "The Setting Sun." Gradually and subtly the music builds towards climax as the undulating piano resonance transcends the austere ambience. Definitely worth checking out for fans of Tim Hecker, Basic Channel, William Basinski, Murcof, or even Sylvain Chevaeu. [BCa]
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

$16.99
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  TIM BUCKLEY
Live at the Folklore Center, NYC - March 6, 1967
(Tompkins Square)

"Song for Jainie"
"If the Rain Comes"

A major excavation here, an intimate performance from folk-legend Tim Buckley recorded near the beginning of his career when he was a mere 20-years old. Recorded in 1967 in front of an audience of around thirty at the new digs of Izzie Young's Folklore Center on 6th Avenue, an instrument-cum-record shop that was a major hipster nexus in its day, Young presciently supplied a mic and Nagra field recorder to capture the proceeds for eternity, though it has unfortunately taken more than forty years for these performances to see the light of day. It's totally worth the wait, however, as the set finds Buckley's astoundingly beautiful voice belting a number of songs from his self-titled debut, totally shorn of arrangements, along with four (!) tunes that have never been heard in any form before. The sound fidelity is surprisingly high considering the set-up, and Buckley comes through crystal clear throughout. Though the music is not as exploratory as he'd get it to be in the years ahead, there is still an extremely engaging urgency running throughout the proceedings, with Buckley more than ably demonstrating to this small, hip crowd that he was bound to be a major and original artist. [MK]
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  THE ENTRANCE BAND
The Entrance Band
(Ecstatic Peace)

"M.L.K."
"Lives"

And then there were three... B-Mo' born Guy Blakeslee originally recorded under the moniker Entrance yet now, with the addition of Derek W. James (drums) and Paz Lenchantin (bass), his prior solo vision has expanded into the full-blown Entrance Band. When picker Blakeslee and his eurhythmic companions undertake unpacking stoner rock and marshalling classic flourishes, this debut works well -- see particularly opener "Lookout!"(resurrected and reframed from Blakeslee's 2003 Honey Moan) and highlands metallica of "Sing for the One." Even "M.L.K." goes over tolerably -- although it's unclear whether it's a tribute purely to Dr. King or to U2 (and a certain fledgling band's U2-ish sonic/messianic ambition) -- since in these new-ish Obama days ain't we all still feeling the Kumbaya?

We can always use more young players with Mark Bolan as Muse, and the high-voltage, retro-leaning power trio is an idea whose time has come and come and come again -- so where does that leave the mid-metamorphosis Entrance Band? After the attendant hype stemming from their feature on Rolling Stone's hot list as Young Turks of Laurel Canyon and their recent opening slot on Sonic Youth's roadshow, one expects a bit more change to the game. Sprawl and '80s nostalgia alone do not make freshness; burrowing deeper for creative individuality and isolating a genuine voice behind being sly and noncommittal do. Still, the recording's unvarnished polemical air and folksy earnestness IS right on time. Maybe this is Guy Blakeslee's Where I'm Comin' From? It was 40 years ago when Motown's dominance as "The Sound of Young America" (helping to stoke the fierce fires of Dr. King's Dream) was unraveling under the weight of exogamous violence, despair, and internal/creative dissension -- this unlikely Motown release (filtered through Thurston Moore et al.) may be its post-corporate chance to contribute to Afrofuturist discourse again, if (white) black urban son Blakeslee grows into the blues in a manner rivaling those spawn of late '60s Motor City dystopia, Jack White and Kid Rock.

He'p me, brer, for the Grim Reaper's also on my shoulder -- remember it was also four decades ago this season that Manson's rock star angst swept over the canyons like a dark tidal wave (so leave the freak-folk Pied Piper behind)...that was when the dream of universal love King was at the vanguard of espousing enjoyed some of its highest triumphs (including the chimera of a Woodstock Nation) and greatest defeats (see Gimme Shelter), so y'all could begin by further internalizing the lyrics' urgency to "find peace and love in our hearts because that's where revolution starts." Rock renaissance is hard work, but perhaps with surer focus and less fetters the Entrance Band could enchant, too. [KCH]
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  BARBARA LYNN
Here Is Barbara Lynn
(Water)

"Take Your Love and Run"
"Only You Know How to Love Me"

Barbara Lynn has a storied career, not just as a powerful, soulful singer, but maybe more importantly a blazing (left-handed) guitarist and a talented songwriter from an era when few female musicians filled those shoes. Lynn penned most of her own best material, including many nationally charting hits, and saw her tunes covered by a variety of artists including Otis Redding and the Rolling Stones. She carries a distinctive, contagious voice, the kind that causes you to wear out both sides of your favorite 45. Here Is Barbara Lynn is simply a gem among gems in the Atlantic Records 1960s soul output.

Huey P. Meaux, who produced a number of Jetstream singles, as well as Screamin' Jay Hawkins on Phillips, recorded the album in Clinton, Mississippi, and brings a rather distinctive sound to the arrangements and production, funky, with organ and keys reminiscent of the Cajun tunes of the area, and a hint of an early Ronn Records vibe. It's a toss-up if Lynn's earlier Jamie Records material or this Atlantic debut is more essential, but for my money Here Is Barbara Lynn is as good a place as any to be introduced to the perennial soul favorite, and this reissue is an excellent opportunity to hear "This Is the Thanks I Get" and "You'll Lose a Good Thing" in clean and clear quality for the first time in years. Must listen for fans of Irma Thomas, Carla Thomas, and Aretha Franklin. [BCa]
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  ZOMBY
One Foot Ahead of the Other EP
(Ramp)

"One Foot Ahead of the Other"
"Godzilla"

Much-buzzed UK producer and OM favorite Zomby returns with a new EP containing nine tracks of rolling, spliffed-out jams made predominantly with the use of an old Atari synthesizer. One Foot Ahead of the Other cools things down after the virtual insanity of his brain-melting rave-up, Where Were U in 92?, which saw him juggling UK acid, Baltimore breaks, and even a bit of dirty-South hip-hop into one of the most promising debut albums in our electronic section in some time. On the new one, he trades the spastic hardcore rave vibes for an R&B/2-step/garage-influenced sound, with more booty bounce and a tighter focus on intricate layers of small overlapping melodic sequences which curl and unfurl around deep basslines and 2-step beats. The melodies are lovely, and often evoke the keyboard-based works of Terry Riley circa A Rainbow in Curved Air or the catchy, punchy tunes from old videogames -- games which Zomby himself was most likely raised on. My only complaint is that I wish the songs were longer; Zomby has a tendency to let some of these tracks fade out just as they're starting to amp themselves up. These songs are cut from a cloth more similar to his recent 12"s for Hyperdub and Ramp -- if you dug any of those, you'd be wise to scope this one out, and if the Ritalin-deprived intensity of the debut was perhaps too intimidating or unappealing, you might give this a shot. Keep an eye on this guy; he's molding himself into the same sort of gifted, mysterious, challenging, and sometimes frustrating producer that Aphex Twin became throughout the 1990s. [IQ]
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  THE HELIOCENTRICS
Fallen Angels
(Now-Again)

"Distant Star"
"The Gorn"

Lead by funk historian and UK underground drum god Malcom Catto, the Heliocentrics are one of the top neo psych-funk bands operating right now. Their Stones Throw debut from '07, Out There, was a fantastic (if little-heard) hip-hop infused psychedelic record that successfully incorporated the cosmic jazz of Axelrod and Sun Ra with funky, exotic world beat sounds of the Middle East and North Africa. Fallen Angels is a collection of their sought after vinyl-only releases. Here, the Heliocentrics embrace the hip-hop wholeheartedly, incorporating guest verse from underground hip-hop royalty like Percee P, MF Doom and Guilty Simpson. The results are quite satisfying on the whole, the highlights being the Indo-jazz meets Premo bounce of "Distant Star" which features tight verses from the aforementioned Doom and Percee P and the polyrhythmic collabo with Vast Aire. Fans of Edan, DJ Shadow, B-Music and the like take note. [DH]
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  MOOSE
...XYZ
(Cherry Red)

"Polly"
"This River Will Never Run Dry"

Emerging from the alterna-boom of the early '90s, Moose were one of the many fledgling bands swooped up in the major label land grab that gave so many unlikely groups their 15 minutes -- and precipitated the premature disillusion of many more. Coming of age as a band at the height of the shoegaze movement in their native England, Moose were inevitably lumped in with a scene they had little in common with beyond proximity. While the country-psych bounce of late Ride or Teenage Fanclub may be a close cousin, Moose were always a songs-over-atmosphere proposition, taking tips from the classic American folk-inspired songwriting of Tim Buckley and the Byrds. The band even take a jangly swipe at Fred Neil's "Everybody's Talking," at a time when both Neil and Nilsson must have been perilously unfashionable amongst their pedal-stomping contemporaries. In fact, this could almost be a UK answer to the Feelies' The Good Earth, another recent must-have reissue. Even more overlooked than the aforementioned, ...XYZ is a gorgeous and stunning record, going beyond shoegaze, Britpop, and every other vague compartmentalization to stand on the strength of its songs alone. Absolutely essential! [JTr]
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  VARIOUS ARTISTS
Dublab Presents: Echo Expansion
(Porter)

Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store

Cali's Dublab collective continues to support their homegrown talent with this new compilation released on Porter Records. Several of these tracks first came out in 2007 on a limited (and sold out) twelve-inch that commemorated the two-week Echo Expansion tour through Europe, featuring names like Flying Lotus, Blank Blue and Dntel. Here those cuts are fleshed out with eight new songs, a total of 16 tracks from the likes of Daedelus, Adventure Time and Andrew Pekler, as well as a new generation of beat maestros, including the Gaslamp Killer, Dimlite and Ras G. The mood shifts from light and fluttery beat science to a more electronic-acoustic hybrid, but the end result is a solid cross-section of music from an eccentrically diverse yet still like-minded crew of producers and artists. A good cap on the summer of 2009. [DG]
 
         
   
       
   

 

 

     
 

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  POLVO
In Prism
(Merge)

"Dream Residue/Work"
"Beggar's Bowl"

North Carolina indie-skronkers Polvo took 12 years to get around to making a new album, but in many ways it sounds as if time stood still, in the best possible way. Back in the day these guys were the heirs apparent to Sonic Youth's thorny guitar crown, and they wear it proudly on In Prism, which rocks hard, rocks weird, and has too many hooks to worry about vocal melodies. (Look for a full review in next week's Update.)
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  DAMON & NAOMI
The Sub Pop Years
(20/20/20)

Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store

Damon and Naomi are not really a "greatest hits" sort of an outfit; after originally coming to prominence as the rhythm section of Galaxie 500, the couple have remained low-key cultural icons, releasing numerous haze-filled albums as a duo as well as in several permutations collaborating with a variety of underground psychedelic legends, running a great underground press, and generally being interesting people. And while this collection from their first four duo releases may not have any top ten moments, it comprises the best of some of their best stuff, including their essential work with Japanese psych heroes Ghost.
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  SUSANNA AND THE MAGICAL ORCHESTRA
3
(Rune Grammofon)

"Recall"
"Deer Eyed Lady"

Melody Mountain was pretty easy to enjoy; deconstructing a batch of classic rock and roll songs (like AC/DC's "It's a Long Way to the Top"), Susanna Wallumrød's haunting vocals could shine with great material to back up her great delivery. On the new one, Wallumrød and partner Morten Qvenild have a tougher challenge, with a set list of mostly originals. And while the tunes are not quite as memorable, the duo has a great sound, airy and beautiful, and have crafted a fine album.
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  SQUAREPUSHER
Solo Electric Bass 1
(Warp)

Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store

This is nothing like we've ever heard from Tom "Squarepusher" Jenkinson. Recorded live back in 2007 at Cité De La Musique in Paris, it's just Jenkinson and his electric bass, playing a lovely, intricate set of music that ebbs and flows through quiet, deep swells of tone to virtuosic, fluttering scales that at times conjures a Spanish guitar, and even some flourishes of jazz fusion.
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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$22.99 LP (180 Gram) w/45

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$28.99 CDx2 w/DVD

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$119.99 CDx3 w/DVD & LPx3

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  STONE ROSES
Stone Roses - 20th Anniversary Edition
(Silvertone)

Say what you will about the Stone Roses, but 20 years on this debut album still sounds great, and undoubtedly cast a long shadow over popular music, fusing 60s pop with more modern dancefloor sounds. There are four versions of this elaborate re-release; the first is simply the album remastered, plus a full-length (ten-minute) version of "Fool's Gold." The second is a 180 gram vinyl pressing of the album with a bonus one-sided 7" of "Pearl Bastard." The third version packages the remastered CD of the original album with a second disc of demos as well as a live DVD, while the super-fan fourth version has the album, the demos and a b-sides disc, the DVD, three LPs containing the original album and the b-sides, a USB drive with all the music, art prints of the singles, photos and more.
 
         
   
       
   
 
 


  ATP NY 2009 TICKETS ON SALE AT OTHER MUSIC
Other Music is selling tickets at the shop (sorry, no web orders) to this weekend's ATP NY festival, curated by the Flaming Lips & ATP. Tickets are cash only and DO NOT include lodging or transportation. Check out the amazing three-day line-up:

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11 / $80 Single Day Pass
The Jesus Lizard, Iron & Wine, Panda Bear (moved from Saturday), The Feelies (performing Crazy Rhythms), Dirty Three (performing Ocean Songs), Suicide (performing Suicide --1st LP), The Drones (performing Wait Long by the River and the Bodies of Your Enemies Will Float By)

FRIDAY COMEDY STAGE - CURATED BY DAVID CROSS
David Cross, Eugene Mirman, Jon Benjamin & Jon Glaser (The Fuggedabuddies) Derrick Brown and the Navy Gravy

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 / $100 Single Day Pass
Animal Collective, Sufjan Stevens, Deerhunter, Melvins, Boss Hog, El-P, Dead Meadow, Akron/Family, Sleepy Sun, Black Dice, Antipop Consortium, Autolux, Atlas Sound, Shellac, Circulatory System, Bridezilla, Grouper

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13 / $100 Single Day Pass
The Flaming Lips, Boredoms (performing 9 drummer BOADRUM), No Age with Bob Mould (performing Hüsker Dü), Caribou Vibration Ensemble, Deerhoof with Martha Colburn, Crystal Castles, Super Furry Animals, Boris (performing Feedbacker), The Low Lows, Oneida presents The Ocropolis, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Menomena, Hopewell, Birds of Avalon

WEEKEND PASSES ALSO AVAILABLE FOR $240



 
   
   
   
   
 
   
       
   
         
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THIS WEEK'S CONTRIBUTORS


[AB] Adrian Burkholder
[BCa] Brian Cassidy
[GC] Greg Caz
[MC] Michael Crumsho
[DG] Daniel Givens
[DH] Duane Harriott
[KCH] Kandia Crazy Horse
[IQ] Mikey IQ Jones
[MK] Michael Klausman
[DMa] Dave Martin
[KS] Karen Soskin
[MS] Michael Stasiak
[JTr] Jonathan Treneff










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- all of us at Other Music

 
         
   
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