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   March 11, 2010  
       
   
 
 

    

  OTHER MUSIC & DIG FOR FIRE'S SXSW LAWN PARTY
We are just a week away from our third annual SXSW Lawn Party, which we'll be presenting with our friends, Dig for Fire and Babelgum. As you can see below, this year's line-up is extraordinary, so if you are in Austin for SXSW, please do join us on the Thursday and Friday afternoon of the music festival. And whether you can stop by or not, Dig For Fire will be filming the performances and you'll be able to see all the highlights on OtherMusic.com and Babelgum.com.

THURSDAY, MARCH 18
HILL STAGE: Califone (1PM), The Antlers (2PM), Real Estate (3PM), YellowFever (4PM), Dum Dum Girls (5PM), The xx (6PM)
VALLEY STAGE: Dylan LeBlanc (1:30PM), Zola Jesus (2:30PM), Sharon Van Etten (3:30PM), Julianna Barwick (4:30PM), Holly Miranda (5:30PM)
ON THE LAWN: Black Prairie (6:30PM)

FRIDAY, MARCH 19
HILL STAGE: Memory Tapes (1PM), Dengue Fever (2PM), Mayer Hawthorne & the County (3PM), Dam-Funk (4PM), Pierced Arrows (5PM), Thurston Moore (6PM)
VALLEY STAGE: First Aid Kit (1:30PM), Anni Rossi (2:30PM), Toro Y Moi (3:30PM), Woods (4:30PM), Talk Normal (5:30PM)
ON THE LAWN: Mariachi Relampago (6:30PM)

FRENCH LEGATION MUSEUM: 802 San Marcos Street Austin, TX
1PM to 7PM both days
Sponsored by:

    


 
   
       
   
     
 
 
FEATURED NEW RELEASES
Gonjasufi
Zola Jesus
Cold Cave / Purient LP (Almost Sold Out)
Eleh
jj
The Knife w/ Mt. Sims & planningtorock
Sounds of Liberation
Nigeria Special 2 (Various)
Liars
Pavement
Pomegranates (B-Music comp.)
Second Hand
Chillum
Ted Leo & the Pharmacists
Broken Bells
Gorillaz
Lou Bond
Bobby Charles
Bill Withers
Elodie Lauten
Bim Sherman Meets Horace Andy & U.Black
 
Cloud Nothings
The Besnard Lakes
Frightened Rabbit
Dana Gillespie
Robert Lester Folsom (LP pressing)


ALSO AVAILABLE
White Hinterland
Ethiopiques 24 (Various)
Ulaan Khol
Lonelady
Georgia Anne Muldrow & Declaime
The Morning Benders
Xiu Xiu
Jason Collett
Titus Andronicus
Wetdog (Now on CD)
Nice Face (Now on CD)

FREE SONG DOWNLOADS
High Places
Tunng


All of this week's new arrivals.

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

 
         
   
   
   
   
   
       
   
 
 
MAR Sun 07 Mon 08 Tues 09 Wed 10 Thurs 11 Fri 12 Sat 13




  ARMS AROUND HAITI BENEFIT CONCERT
Tomorrow night, Friday, March 12, Other Music, Enabler Network and The Crucial Getdown are presenting Arms Around Haiti, a benefit concert for the Haitian relief effort. We've booked a great, eclectic line-up of bands and DJs, listed below, and the proceeds from the door will go to Doctors Without Borders and Lakou Grand Bwa's relief trip to the country. It will be a great night of music for a tremendous cause, we hope you can join us.

LIVE PERFORMANCES IN BOTH ROOMS: Elodie Lauten (8:30PM), Arthur's Landing (9:30PM featuring Arthur Russell collaborators performing his music), ARP (10:30PM), Versus (11PM), Xela (11:30PM), Reggie Watts (12AM), Lakou Grand Bwa (1AM Haitian Rara carnival band)

DJs:Cowboy Mark (Crucial Getdown | Enabler Network),
Gerald Hammill (Other Music), Duane Harriott (Other Music | Bim Marx), Andy Beta (Village Voice), Sal P (Liquid Liquid), Marcos Cabral (Runaway | DFA), Play It Loud DJs: Doug Gomez (Drrtyhaze), Henry Maldonado (Son of Sound), Darshan Jesrani (Metro Area), and a Neurotic Drum Band DJ set feat: John Selway & Ulysses

FRIDAY, MARCH 12
PUBLIC ASSEMBLY: 70 North 6th St. Brooklyn
Doors at 8PM | $10 minimum donation at door to go to Doctors Without Borders & Lakou Grand Bwa's Haitian Relief Effort

 
   
   
 
 
MAR Sun 14 Mon 15 Tues 16 Wed 17 Thurs 18 Fri 19 Sat 20




  WIN TICKETS TO AN ADVANCE SCREENING OF THE RUNAWAYS
Other Music is giving away two pairs of passes for reserved seats to an early screening of director Floria Sigismondi's new film, The Runaways, this Wednesday, March 17 at the AMC Loews Theater on 19th Street at Broadway. The movie is an empowering tale about the first all-girl rock band who broke the ground for the girl bands to come, by taking on the male-dominated world of rock, and ultimately making rock and roll history. The movie stars Kristen Stewart as Joan Jett and Dakota Fanning as Cherie Currie. To enter for a pair of passes, email tickets@othermusic.com and we'll notify the two winners on Monday morning, March 15th. The Runaways opens in NYC on Friday March 19th.

 
   
   
 
 
MAR Sun 21 Mon 22 Tues 23 Wed 24 Thurs 25 Fri 26 Sat 27




  TICKET GIVE AWAY TO BASIA BULAT
Later this month, Canadian folk singer Basia Bulat will be performing in New York City at the Mercury Lounge, supporting her great new album Heart of My Own, out now on Rough Trade. Other Music is giving away one pair of tickets to the show and if you'd like to put your name in the hat, email enter@othermusic.com. We'll notify the winner on Monday, March 15.

SATURDAY, MARCH 27 | Doors at 7:30PM
MERCURY LOUNGE: 217 East Houston Street NYC

 
   
       
   

 

 

     
    Many of our customers have been enjoying the ease of texting their orders with their mobile phone. To take advantage of this option with any of the items listed below, go to subports.com where you can create your free Subports account. Afterwards, just text the corresponding subcode listed underneath each item to 767825.



 
         
   
   
   
   
   
       
   

 

 

     
 

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  GONJASUFI
A Sufi and a Killer
(Warp)

"Made"
"She Gone"

Wow. Newest Warp signing Gonjasufi has managed, with the help of co-producers Gaslamp Killer and Flying Lotus, to create one of the most dense, dizzying, funky, and straight-up impressive debut albums in recent memory from any genre. Hatched from the same dusted, dirty beat scene as Killer and Lotus, Gonjasufi's style serves as a fulcrum between the two extremes of his co-producers; his cracked, parched soul singing comes off somewhere between Jamie Lidell and Tom Waits, and his voice helps reign in the at times excessive bombast of Gaslamp Killer's sample deluge, while emphasizing the grit and raw energy of Lotus's more laidback tracks. He wanders through a kaleidoscopic wonderland like Kane from Kung Fu, a vagabond searching for an oasis in a sun-scorched environment where small sounds grow massive and disorienting in the heat, choirs of Bollywood playback singers serenade him into dreamlike states of lament, and he goes face to face with bustling armies of Middle Eastern psych warriors (is that an Erkin Koray sample I hear early into the album!?), at one point even stating in highlight "Kowboys & Indians," "I'll turn your John Wayne into another John Doe" (nice).

Fans of the Finders Keepers label, and their particular brand of funky outre psychedelic orchestration will find just as much to love here as converted fans of Flying Lotus, Gaslamp Killer, and the rest of their already impressive rogues' gallery of beatsmiths. I'm most impressed by how well their productions translate into a full 20 tracks of vocal black magic; the album plays out like a battle between dissonance and melody, noise versus groove, dream versus reality. In the end, no one comes out alive -- they all just follow Sufi through the looking glass and float away like smoke from the Caterpillar's hookah pipe, and you're left wondering if you've followed them as well. This is not only one of the best records that either Killer or Lotus has touched, but also one of the best things Warp has released in years, and one of the most unique and satisfying records of the year. [IQ]

Order CD by Texting "omcdgonjasufia" to 767825
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  ZOLA JESUS
Stridulum EP
(Sacred Bones)

"I Can't Stand"
"Night"

Zola Jesus (a/k/a young buck Nika Roza Danilova) was, up until very recently, one of those phenomena I just didn't 'get'. Her debut LP The Spoils was interesting; the dark, dripping mascara of 1980s goth culture swathed in a 2003 US noise haze. However, it didn't seem focused or catchy enough to hold my attention -- and that's exactly what Danilova has remedied on Stridulum. Gone are the forgettable experimentations (which I like to refer to as 'noise skits') and in their place are gut wrenching SONGS, pitch-black pop music that harks back to a time when dubbing a well-mixed cassette was the only way you'd get laid.

All too many column inches have already been devoted to the EP's opener (and pre-release leak) "Night," but for me the highlight simply has to be "I Can't Stand," a track that possesses the exceedingly rare gift of standing up to repeat plays. In fact, since I got the record a week ago I've probably played that specific track around one-hundred times, and it's still good, no, better than that -- it's still astoundingly good. There are fragments of prime-period 4AD, elements of cold wave and British 80s pop, but what strikes me most is just how current and how fresh Stridulum sounds. It's a near-perfect mini-album, and if Danilova can keep up this momentum for her next full-length then we'll be in for something very, very special indeed. [JT]

Order CD by Texting "omcdzolastridulum" to 767825
Order LP by Texting "omlpzolastridulum" to 767825


Also out this week on Sacred Bones is Daily Void's The Eclipse of 1453 EP.
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  COLD CAVE | PRURIENT
Stars Explode
(Hospital)

Given what we already know about Prurient, Dominick Fernow's long-running and thoroughly intense noise engagement, and Cold Cave, Wesley Eisold's approachable but still grim synth pop project, one would be forgiven for expecting Stars Explode, a collaborative release the pair first hatched for a UK tour, to be some sort of hybridized noise pop. Surprisingly, that's hardly the case. Originally presented as a cassette-only release limited to just 100 copies, the music is presented here again in a lovingly expanded vinyl edition, tacking on an extra track and making the songs available to those who were otherwise engaged during at the time of that initial tour. Over four tracks, Fernow and Eisold explore deep, dark ambient textures, reveling in dronescapes that have heretofore only been heard in the context of the occasional, more contemplative Prurient release. While there are no beats or hooks to be found through tracks like the side-long "Gravity's Victory" and the taut "Presomnal," the distortion is kept at a minimum, too, as the pair take the scenic route to establish a mood that, while reminiscent of each players own work, is cut from almost an entirely different cloth.

This is already OUT OF PRINT, so get it now or while we've still got it on our shelves. [MC]

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  ELEH
Location Momentum
(Touch)

"Circle One: Summer Transcience"
"Observation Wheel"

When writing about Eleh, it seems that writers tend to veer towards the thought that the anonymity of the work is more interesting than the music itself. Yes, there is a chance that this music could possibly be crafted by someone you'd kick yourself for ignoring (is it Burial? Autechre? Keith Fullerton Whitman? Bono?), but chances are it's someone you've never heard of before, or would even care to hear about. Electronic music, in its essence is an anonymous genre -- there are few traditional 'rock stars' prancing about with their laptops in tow, so surely it shouldn't matter what the source is, especially when the music itself is this arresting.

Eleh's Touch debut (and compact disc debut, no less) is possibly his most measured and varied body of work to date, and the fact that he is still unmasked after four years has little bearing on its quality. In the past his releases have tended to explore specific forms, with each track more often than not stretching over an entire side of industrial grade vinyl; here though, his minimalism has been tempered somewhat to allow a slightly more accessible entry-point to his sound. The cold, bass-heavy drones which made up the core of the Eleh sound are still present, but peppered by light modular hiccups and repeating sequences, giving a slightly different focus to the record. Without wanting to reel off hundreds of names (most reviewers have already got that in check), Eleh's music was originally intended to be a 'dedication' to minimalist pioneers LaMonte Young, Pauline Oliveros and Charlamagne Palestine, and those comparisons still hold out above all else. It would be inappropriate, however, to take Eleh's work as a simple re-hash of old ideas; he has somehow injected this very austere musical form with a patience and deep control that is rarely heard in the drone genre. Long single-note meditations might not be everyone's cup of tea (I'm pretty sure my mother would struggle with the 'point' of it) but for me it doesn't get much better than this. Absolutely essential music. [JT]

Order CD by Texting "omcdelehlocation" to 767825
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  JJ
No. 3
(Secretly Canadian)

Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store

Swedish Balearic poppers JJ return with their second album, and first to see domestic release here in the USA (their debut album, No 2, will also be out Stateside in the next few weeks via Secretly Canadian); it continues the trend set on their first single and the debut album, with grand, sweeping cinematic electronic soundscapes punctuated by percolating drum and percussion arrangements, a steady house-inspired pulse, and an overarching European sense of melancholy and ennui infused within the group's keen pop sensibility. Much like their current tour mates the xx, JJ manage to evoke the acute mix of minimalist instrumental sounds with intense emotional statements delivered in a relaxed, almost foreboding recitation. To make another analogy with the xx, where that band's sound reminded me of the Young Marble Giants updated for the post-Timbaland generation, JJ's sound to me evokes the Euro-cosmopolitan laissez-faire of Franco-Belgian popsters Antena, but with the electro-samba saudades infused with acute and affective modern R&B sensibilities.

Where JJ's debut played out like a day on a sun-soaked island resort and the beginning of a torrid love affair, this one feels like the sunset and inevitable separation -- this album's overarching vibe is much darker and even more intense, the arrangements even more stark, and its grooves play out at a tempo slower than that of the previous album. Its brevity only adds to the intensity; at a stark 28 minutes, they manage to deliver the goods in a concise, fat-free shot through the heart that would feel diluted were it any longer in length. While it may not be as immediately gratifying as its predecessor, and it doesn't have a standout jam like No 2's "Things Will Never Be the Same Again" or the epic "Ecstacy," there's no sophomore slump going on; instead, they've managed to create a worthy follow-up which both evokes and evolves the best moments of its predecessor. If you were a fan of No 2, snatch this up; if you missed out on that gem, grab this post-haste anyway. If you're anything like me, you like a little pain with your pleasure. Pain hasn't felt this sweet in a long time. [IQ]

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  THE KNIFE WITH MT. SIMS AND PLANNINGTOROCK
Tomorrow in a Year
(Mute)

From the Swedish brother/sister duo's dizzying melodies (Karen Dreijer Andersson's voice in particular seemingly influenced by the avant-operatics of Kate Bush and the dark drama of Siouxsie) to their pulsing claustrophobia and digital surrealism, the Knife has never been your typical electro-pop band. Their 90-minute score to this Danish opera loosely based on Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species, however, is tangible proof to an even more experimental side of the Knife that until now we only imagined existed behind their masks. Enlisting similarly minded music/art visionaries Mt. Sims and planningtorock as creative collaborators, with additional vocals from Danish mezzo soprano Kristina Wahlin Momme, actress Laerke Winther and Swedish pop singer Jonathan Johansson, haunting operatic melodies mingle with clanking tribal rhythms, strings and otherworldly drones. Definitely not for the casual fan looking for a follow-up to "Heartbeats" or a new Fever Ray record for that matter, but adventurous listeners with the gift of an attention span will find this pretty damn enthralling. [GH]

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  SOUNDS OF LIBERATION
Sounds of Liberation
(Porter)

Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store

Hot Damn! Originally released in 1972 in an edition of 300, one of the rarest and most rewarding cosmic jazz albums of all time is finally available again. When I saw this coming through the Porter Records pipes, I couldn't contain my excitement. Take everything major happening on the Philadelphia scene in the early seventies -- Philadelphia International, John Coltrane, Sun Ra and his Intergalactic Arkestra -- and filter it through a funky and futuristic jazz ensemble and you get Sounds of Liberation. SoL drive home their explorative jams on the hinges of deep and heavy percussive rhythms and grooves with African and Eastern influences. This record belongs in the same pantheon as Archie Shepp's Blasé, Charlie Haden's Liberation Music Orchestra, and Sun Ra's Disco 3000. Bold statements indeed, but the ensemble behind Sounds of Liberation deserves such esteemed recognition; Byard Lancastar, who is on a number of phenomenal record collector LPs, takes his alto to 'Trane-like heights while the rest of the ensemble lays down the funk, including Khan Jamal on vibes, Omar Hill on percussion, Monette Sudler on guitar, Dwight James on drums, Rashid Salim on congas, and Billy Mills on bass. Apparently these guys even shared a stage with Kool and the Gang to play for the Miss Black America pageant. Funky, yet spaced-out, psychedelic jazz of the highest order, grab one before they disappear for the next forty years! [BCa]

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  VARIOUS ARTISTS
Nigeria Special 2
(Soundway)

Many of my favorite moments from the deep trove of amazing '60s/'70s African music that has been unearthed in the past ten years feature odd fusions of styles; those moments when you feel you've never really heard anything quite like this before. It certainly applies to many of my favorite moments on this collection, the second in Soundway's Nigeria Special series. As usual, label honcho Miles Cleret has done his homework and uncovered songs which have been forgotten or out of print for nearly 35 years. And as before, these songs combine so many different styles -- Highlife, Juju, Rhumba, Yoruba, Igbo, Bini, Ijaw, Soul, Jazz, African Funk, and Cuban rhythms -- in effortless and inventive amalgamations. It's the musician's sense of freedom, irreverence and sheer joy in music that makes these songs so palpably enjoyable. And it's those unlikely and truly global combinations of style, rather than the staid clichés of so-called World Music, that strike me as being so fantastic.

Joy Nwosu and Dan Satch's "Egwo Umu Agbohgho" may be my favorite example. With it's tranced-out bass line and vocal incantations, it will appeal to fans of Future Days-era Can and Eno-era Talking Heads. And while songs like Emporer Dele Ojo & His African Internationals' "Jekoyewa," the Professional Seagulls Dance Band of Port Harcourt's "Ibi Awo Iyi" and the People Star's "Onwu Dinjo" promise to soundtrack the summer to come, their laidback, sun-kissed joy may provide even more delicious longing in these nascent days of spring. Many of the songs featured here were intended for radio play, and are therefore in the three- to four-minute range, but a few tracks stretch out; Opotopo's "Agboho" (featuring Easy Kabaka Brown) is one of these and it's a cruiser of epic proportions. Mind you, I could go off, describing each and every song here in vivid detail, but suffice it to say, anyone with a remote interest in this music will find much here to enjoy. Indeed, like all the Soundway collections that have preceded it, you'll find it hard to believe so much of this wonderful music has languished in obscurity for so long. If this is, as the liner notes profess, the final chapter in Soundway's survey of Nigeria's forgotten music, I can only hope Cleret will focus his astute attentions on another musical history as equally rich. And I have a feeling he will. [AG]

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  LIARS
Sisterworld
(Mute)

"No Barrier Fun"
"Drop Dead"

Sisterworld is a return to form for Liars, after the somewhat lackluster, straight-forward exercise that was 2007's self-titled LP. Gone are the alarming Psychocandy-isms, and what feels more like a worthy follow-up to 2005's excellent Drum's Not Dead has emerged. Liars have always proven most successful when they indulge their tendencies toward sonic experimentation. In the opener "Scissor" we are treated to the dichotomy of unsettling 1960s harmony vocals juxtaposed with some of the more punkoid moments they've yet displayed on record. Several tracks are peppered with subtle touches of strings, reeds and otherworldly keyboards, just enough to add a slight sense of disorientation. Having long since abandoned the funkier approach of their formative years, the trio no longer uses rhythm as an overt crutch. They now apply the percussion-heavy style of Drum's Not Dead in a more sporadic fashion, rather than relying on it as a motif throughout. Angus Andrew's singsong nursery rhyme cadence on several tracks does betray Syd Barrett's influence, though it never sounds like mere pastiche. "Scarecrows on a Killer Slant" is a steady thrash which is beautiful in its simplicity. Andrew's persistent shouted vocals coast over waves of buzzsaw guitar and steady drumming in a fine slab of dumb rock that is well placed at the program's center. What makes Liars so relevant is their understanding that direct and abstract approaches can co-exist, and they never get pulled too far in either direction. A reference to Wire's "Practice Makes Perfect" can be detected in the closing "Too Much, Too Much," but it's veiled in enough layers of Liars' warped personal language that it comes across as a valid nod and not a rip-off.

While the bonus remix CD is a predictably patchy affair, given the odd and wide-reaching list of collaborators, it's worth a listen to hear Atlas Sound's Bradford Cox dump all the parts of "Here Comes All the People" into a kaleidoscope. Also welcome are the psychedelic tilt given to "I Still Can See An Outside World" by label mate Boyd Rice and Thom Yorke's sputtering electronic pitter-patter deconstruction of "Proud Evolution." Plus, the accordion-fold photo book presentation is nothing short of stunning. It's a relief to report that Sisterworld finds this gang back on track. [MM]

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Order Limited CD with Bonus Remix Disc by Texting "omcdliarssisterworldlimited" to 767825
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  PAVEMENT
Quarantine the Past: The Best of Pavement
(Matador)

"Frontwards"
"Unfair"

While we're sure that most of our Update readers are well aware of Pavement and chances are have at least one or two of the band's albums in their collection, it would simply be wrong for us not to devote a little space to this best-of collection that has just been released. Stephen "S.M." Malkmus, Scott "Spiral Stairs" Kannberg and Co. were THE FACE of '90s indie rock, and to this day their influence can still be heard in so many young bands coming up, whether or not they acknowledge it, let alone even know it. Now with Pavement's much-anticipated reunion tour already underway, it really does seem to be a good time for this primer to be released -- surely there's a whole new generation of listeners who only know of the group by name and need their lives to be changed, and this is still life-changing music, or still great at least. While we'll happily endorse any Pavement album (which have all been reissued as budget-priced vinyl this week as well), Quarantine the Past is the perfect mixtape for the uninitiated, mainly pulling from the group's Matador releases and a handful of earlier, Drag City cuts. Aptly kicking off with "Gold Soundz," the re-mastered non-chronological track order sounds surprisingly fresh even for us diehards, the 23-song comp featuring Pavement's alt-rock hits of the day ("In the Mouth of a Desert," "Summer Babe," "Cut Your Hair," "Stereo," "Shady Lane") and fan faves ("Frontwards," "Shoot the Singer," "Box Elder," "Two States," "Trigger Cut / Wounded-Kite at :17") with some of the group's noisier and oddball moments thrown in for good measure ("Debris Slide," "Power of the Picket Fence"). Enough said, you know somebody who needs this -- maybe it's even you. Perfect sound forever, indeed. [GH]

Order CD by Texting "omcdpavementquarantine" to 767825
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  VARIOUS ARTISTS
Pomegranates
(B-Music)

"Helelyos" Zia
"Mosem-e Gol" Parva

The superlative Finders Keepers label expands its vision of a vintage psychedelic Earth with this excellent collection of Iranian/Persian 1960s and '70s psych-pop, folk, and funk jams, compiled by Other Music alumnus Mahssa Taghinia. This comp was a long time in the making and well worth the wait, and Mahssa's liner notes do a wonderful job laying out the history of not only the social and cultural turbulence of the era in her homeland, but also adequately give context to the dreamlike sounds which are compiled within. These are songs of both revolution and evolution, from an era that combined nostalgia for the antiquities of old Iran with a fascination and joy at the arrival of the modern age. An age whose psychedelic and space-age fashions and furnishings created an environment that is both of its time and beyond it -- a concept aptly described in the liner notes as being "neither East nor West," but rather inhabiting an environment all its own.

The 16 tracks compiled are overflowing with percolating percussion grooves, punchy horns and sweeping string arrangements; fuzz guitars rub up provocatively against singers who both croon and grunt with rebellion and abandon. The hybrid sounds created here echo at times the off-kilter grooves of Ethiopian funk by the likes of Mahmoud Ahmed as well as the inevitable Bollywood comparisons -- no matter how "far out" the tracks get, it's that anchor of funk that keeps everything on a level of Earthly delight. Highlights are aplenty, but Zia's post-James Brown swagger is a sure delight, and special mention must be made of the three outstanding tracks by Googoosh, one of my favorite Iranian singers whose dizzying psych siren vocals beg for further reissue exploration. Finders Keepers have been on a roll this year with some of the strongest collections in their discography thus far; Pomegranates is yet another crown jewel in the collection. If you've been a fan of the label already, you know what to do; if you've enjoyed the sounds of vintage Bollywood but want something a bit more sedate and seductive, or if you're simply looking for inspiration and enjoyment from a seldom-visited musical landscape, take a listen to the sound samples and decide if these seeds are ripe for your discovery. I cannot recommend this set more highly. [IQ]

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  SECOND HAND
Death May Be Your Santa Claus
(Sunbeam)

CHILLUM
Chillum + Bonus Tracks
(Sunbeam)

The story of Second Hand and Chillum connects names, bands, and places in the Other Music omniverse as if someone had made it up out of the sake of convenience. What other unknown bands would you encounter that link mind-bending progressive rock, bleeding edge psych folkie Simon Finn, proto hip-hop madman Frankie Dymon Jr., and the NWW List? Just these two, my friends, just these two -- an amazing collection of circumstances dug from beneath the floorboards of British underground rock. Following the means enforced by necessity -- independent labels, hand-stenciled record sleeves, miniscule pressings -- these releases predate a movement in DIY music that could barely be fathomed back in the early '70s, when these records were first available.

Second Hand got its start out of school kids quickly learning how to play rock 'n' roll during the cultural explosion of the mid 1960s. Originally known as the Moving Finger, the South London group won a contest that granted them studio time with now-legendary producer Vic Keary. So impressed by their songwriting and instrumental prowess, not to mention their age (each member was around 15 or 16 at the time of their introduction) that Keary took the band under his wing, shooting for a deal with Apple. When that failed, Polydor stepped up -- barely -- and released the group's first album, Reality, in 1969. Despite making what is now known as one of the best hard-psych records of the '60s, and a harbinger of prog to come, its availability was meager at best, the band receiving little to no support from their label, and a constant stream of lineup changes and tragedies kept them from playing too many live shows. Nevertheless, the band was asked to star in and contribute music to an experimental film, entitled Death May Be Your Santa Claus, directed by Frankie Dymon Jr., that same year. Outside of festival screenings, the film was barely seen, though Keary stayed on board, and thought enough of the bonkers prog hustle and ingenious arrangements that he formed the Mushroom label to release the album. Aside from a folk sampler, a Lol Coxhill session, and Simon Finn's deranged Pass the Distance, the second Second Hand record, and its follow-up as Chillum, were among the only titles on the label.

Death May Be Your Santa Claus fully belongs in the pantheon of the most revered progressive rock records of the early '70s, with an inventive streak several miles wide, a bag full of instruments, and the ability to use them to dramatic heights. Breakneck carnival organ, a rhythm section that's beyond tight (the percussion breaks on "Somethin' You Got" give any discoveries on the B-Music/Andy Votel/Cherrystones axis a serious run for their money), and a dizzying instrumental suite that took up the entire second side of the album show a band so pent up with great ideas -- and so obviously frustrated that the rest of the world couldn't take notice. It's so inventive, you'll barely notice the complete absence of electric guitar, though the band surely didn't -- their original guitarist, Bob Gibbons, was forced to quit the band before these sessions due to the death of his father. Only 3000 copies were pressed, over a year after the film was released, and the band collapsed into obscurity.

Unfazed, despite poverty and an inclination to smoke massive amounts of grass, the core Second Hand trio held auditions for a guitarist in an effort to continue on. As Chillum, only one release was realized, before the band broke up altogether. But what a record! Recorded at guitarist Tony McGill's audition with the band, the Chillum album is a nonstop headtrip of improvised, art-damaged, manic instrumental rock. Anchored by two epic-length tracks (opener "Brain Strain" running a full 22 minutes), it's a journey into the psyches of some incredibly talented individuals, who'd never really be heard from in such a capacity again. "Brain Strain" weaves and bobs through descending scales and a full rhythmic assault, a newcomer to bands altogether meeting up with a seasoned combo and conversing, first with hesitation, then with full-on vocabulary, like the four of them had been playing together for years. If the record seems like a patchwork of whatever could be cobbled together (right down to its spray-painted sleeve and anonymous insert photo of the band members at a urinal), the truth is that it was, but its grime belies incredible focus. That one of the 1000 copies of the Chillum LP made its way to the Nurse w/ Wound list isn't much of a surprise once you hear it -- hardly anything could match it, home or abroad, then or now. Bonus tracks and well-researched liner notes fill out both releases as must-have rediscoveries for your next galactic ramble. [DM]

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  TED LEO AND THE PHARMACISTS
The Brutalist Bricks
(Matador)

"Last Days"
"Ativan Eyes"

"When the café doors exploded / I reacted to, reacted to you," Ted Leo cries on "The Mighty Sparrow" to kick start a heady fusion of politics and amour, its provenance seemingly derived from the Clash school of sonic polemics. If that one hits you from jump like a Molotov cocktail, the restless, on-verge-of-anarchic energy never relents straight through "Ativan Eyes" -- points for its optimistic declaration that the "means of production are now in the hands of the workers" (yes, but...). Yet just as much will be made of the disc title's reference to postwar architectural movement Brutalism, the fourth cut first signals sharper scrutiny, when the mood shifts behind the uproar on "Even Heroes Have to Die." This is the rare song about aging with grace rather than denial and horror amidst indie's nonstop Adventureland, deftly deploying Brutalism's revelation of interior structure and function via raw exteriors. Far too many of Leo's peers ought to be made to heed his lyric, "Even heroes have to die / No one lives forever / No one's wise to try," and adopt it as personal mantra. [KCH]

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  BROKEN BELLS
Broken Bells
(Sony)

"Your Head Is on Fire"
"October"

This Broken Bells collaboration might have been seen as an odd paring had this record been released back in 2004. That was a breakthrough year of sorts for both Brian Burton (a/k/a Danger Mouse), a hip-hop producer on the rise who was turning heads and pissing off record companies with his Grey Album mash-up of Jay-Z and the Beatles, and James Mercer and his indie darlings the Shins, who must have gained a million new fans thanks to a wide-eyed endorsement -- "You gotta hear this one song, it'll change your life; I swear!" -- made by Natalie Portman's character in Garden State over the band's "New Slang." But fast-forward a half-a-dozen years and it doesn't seem so strange to find these two musicians working together; both halves of Broken Bells are bona fide rock stars -- Danger Mouse, an in-demand producer (Gorillaz, Beck, Black Keys) not to mention his very own star turn with Cee-Lo in Gnarls Barkely, and James Mercer leading his band to multiple gold records and the upper reaches of Billboard's album charts. Both had first worked together back in 2008 on Dark Night of the Soul, the Shin-man contributing vocals to a track on this still-unreleased musical collaboration between Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse (a/k/a Mark Linkous), which after months of legal wrangling will reportedly see the light of day this summer -- sadly though, it will now be a posthumous release for Linkous, who tragically took his own life last week.

As Broken Bells' album opener "The High Road" plays it's immediately apparent how natural the two sound working together. Though Mercer's high falsetto is instantly recognizable, it doesn't seem out of place over Burton's keyboard swirls and the song's slow-burn beat. In fact, the intro to the following track, "Vaporize," could easily be the first 30 seconds of a Shins song with Mercer singing over the double-time strum of an acoustic guitar before the bouncy rhythm and whirling organ kick in. Unsurprisingly, Broken Bells seamlessly merge Beatles-esque, psychedelic pop sensibilities with lush, spacey production and light funky beats -- it's no wonder that the gauzy "Your Head Is on Fire" playfully twists and turns like Air on a handful of mushrooms. There's still plenty of Danger Mouse's genre-hopping taking place, however; from Mercer's soulful croon right down to the compressed drums and handclaps, "The Ghost Inside" would sound perfectly at home on a Gnarls Barkley record while in contrast, "October" is a gorgeous downbeat ballad that effortlessly ebbs and flows between the verses' light piano push and guitar strums and soaring layers of Mercer's vocals during the chorus. Really, the only thing that Broken Bells may have going against them for some fans is how non-groundbreaking this record really is. With nary a sample to be heard, there's nothing too oddball about Burton's production and arrangements, and with Mercer's melodies fitting so well on top, you really don't ever think about either of the two's pedigrees. Simply put, this is a solid, thoughtful and enjoyable pop record, and there ain't nothing wrong with that. [GH]

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  GORILLAZ
Plastic Beach
(Virgin)

"Empire Ants"
"Broken"

Gorillaz have been a guilty pleasure of mine since their frighteningly accessible (and inescapably ubiquitous) pop/rap fusion crept into our popular consciousness close to ten years ago. In the past, Damon Albarn and his merry gang of cartoon cohorts have allowed their ship to be helmed by a name-brand producer with a distinctive sound: Dan the Automator on the 2001 debut, and Danger Mouse for 2005's Demon Days. Now some five years later, it seems like Albarn has filled his time not with scouring the clubs for a new producer-of-the-moment, but rather watching a lot of Pirates of the Carribean, or maybe even Lost, hence the island life/castaways/boats and guns theme that dominates Plastic Beach. On this new one, Gorillaz forgo outside producers altogether and handle things in-house, resulting in a less immediate mix of electronic beats, summer grooves and varied voices, with a pop sheen that's part cruise liner disco, part swaying soul, and part "Tide Is High" gone hip-hop.

Along with 2-D, Murdoc and the rest, the cast of characters this time around includes (in order of appearance): Snoop Dogg, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Bashy, Kano, The National Orchestra for Arabic Music, Mos Def, Bobby Womack, De La Soul, Gruff Rhys, Yukimi Nagano (Little Dragon), Mark E. Smith, Lou Reed, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, and sinfonia ViVA (an orchestra from East Midlands, England). Whoa!!! But that's the Gorillaz concept, to blend worlds and genres in the name of fun. They incorporate everything this time around -- think Diplo meets Blakroc hanging out on the gentrified block where CBGB used to be -- and what results is very synth heavy, yet with diverse influences ranging from prog to wonky, and electro to Krautrock, while the songs themselves have a very "2010 is the new 1980s" aesthetic. We are STILL the world it seems, and Gorillaz always bring not only an international lineup of talent, but also an ongoing world-in-crisis theme in pop-sized, easy-to-digest tidbits. On "Broken," which sounds like an early Pet Shop Boys track, Albarn sings, "It's by the light of the plasma screens we keep switched on all through the night while we sleep," while the title track includes lyrics like, "It's a Casio on a plastic beach. It's Styrofoam deep sea landfill."

There are some nice moments throughout, and most of the time it works well enough, with a few standout tracks, including the two songs featuring Nagano, the two solo vocal outings by Albarn, and Lou Reed's surprising and irresistible "Some Kind of Nature." Plastic Beach is a digital boogie wonderland, laidback and fun-in-the-sun, but with an underlying consciousness that is head-scratching at times, but nonetheless admirable, and obviously sincere. Perfect for when you need your next smart pop fix. [DG]

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  LOU BOND
Lou Bond
(Light in the Attic)

"Why Must Our Eyes Always Be Turned Backwards"
"That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be"

Awesome reissue of a heavily atmospheric and fairly weird obscure soul LP originally issued in 1974 by Stax subsidiary We Produce. It's picked up a bit of a cult following over the years, but it's still not nearly as known as it ought to be, hopefully this Light in the Attic release will change that. String-laden, yet still strangely sparse sounding, with long, slow-burning tracks that gain in heaviness and momentum, you'll hear shades of Terry Callier and Isaac Hayes, but with a more string-of-consciousness bent. Definitely one of the more idiosyncratic soul LPs that I can think of, with a lovely soft folk edge to it considering the nice finger-picked guitar and mellow flute and string arrangements. Late night vibes for days on here people, pretty sure you'll love it. [MK]

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  BOBBY CHARLES
Bobby Charles
(Rhino)

"Let Yourself Go"
"Street People"

The recently departed Bobby Charles is the oft-forgotten middleman in the 1970s white-boy blues game. Charles' 1972 self-titled debut was preceded by Boz Scaggs' 1969 sophomore album, which had the distinction of being recorded at Muscle Shoals in Alabama, distributed by Atlantic, and quickly forgotten about by the public at large. After Charles, there was Dennis Wilson's more commercially successful Pacific Ocean Blue from '77, a remarkable record that successfully molded Wilson's chief concerns (love, the ocean, rock and roll) with the sounds of black America: blues, funk, and soul. But Charles was a more natural fit in the world of black music than either of them, being an ethnic Cajun born in Louisiana; despite his whiteness, Charles retained enough swamp in his blood and tackle in his voice to convince the casual listener that they were hearing a black man (he was famously signed to Chess records after a "phone audition" for Leonard Chess, who supposedly didn't realize he was white). He cut a string of singles for Chess and various other Southern regional labels throughout the '50s, none of which were met with much success, though several of his tracks subsequently stormed the charts for other artists, including Bill Haley's version of "See You Later, Alligator," and Fats Domino's classic take on "Walking to New Orleans."

But all racial distinctions disappear when "Street People" kicks in, all snaky electric guitars and boggy bass line, while Charles celebrates his "hangin' out, got a little change buddy" street philosophy. Co-produced by Rick Danko and featuring much of the Band as well as Dr. John and David Sanborn, the musicianship throughout the record is beyond reproach, especially on the honky-tonking "I'm That Way," and the slippery, sedate swing of "Tennessee Blues," smoothing out a lot of the rawness of 1960s American soul with washed-out organs and gorgeous piano, and adding some of the typical country adornments like pedal steel and slide guitar as frosting for songs about wanting "to be in a good place now." A lot of Charles' songs grasp for a future of idyll and idleness -- he just can't wait to sit on his stoop and watch the pretty girls go by, and consequently, the record feels a little out of time considering the fact that the Vietnam War was raging in the background. Charles' desire for peace, not change, kept his music from seeming consequential, but his earnest and honest songs continue to be a balm for blistery times. [MS]

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  BILL WITHERS
+ 'Justments
(Reel Music)

"You"
"Ruby Lee"

Once upon a time in Black Bohemia, it was a measure of your depth and "relevance" that you owned Bill Withers' 'Justments (1974) -- not just resting on the one-two solar plexus punch of his 1971 debut Just As I Am and the iconic Still Bill. The reissue of Withers' self-produced fourth LP still shows it to be a bit of an odd duck, darker than the aforementioned, and devoid of out-and-out hits ("Ain't No Sunshine") or classics ("Harlem") -- although a segment of the stunning recent doc on the great man, Still Bill, puts a deserving frame around second track, "The Same Love That Made Me Laugh." Even back then, in the early '70s, 'Justments was an album owned for sure in the Circle but seldom played, certainly not in company -- doubtless "Lean on Me" was deemed better message/motivator for our young, embryonic spirits than opener "You" with its murky arrangement and cryptic talk of smoking "funny-smelling" cigarettes and sniffing white powders at people's parties (or the grown-ups just preferred to gossip about their friend/colleague Denise Nicholas' involvement with Withers out of earshot). Indeed, the song kicks off with the lyric: "You oughta take me to a doctor / To talk to me about my mind" -- suggesting Withers' mulling whether he's manic depressive in the film is not far off the mark.

Nevertheless, 'Justments is as vital as the rest of his early work, its decades long unavailability on disc eerily dovetailing with an era wherein the R&B genre that both sheltered and spurned Withers' soul-folk art contracted into robotic rhythms and shallow sentiments, even as labels appeared to straitjacket and run amok dark magi, who would extend and re-imagine the genre's boundaries. And there's no end in sight, for one can scarce summon recent soul works with the depth and scope of 'Justments (does Kanye's 808s and Heartbreak even count?), even as yet another disc is trotted out to acclaim courtesy of some callow, bearded youth who's sequestered himself on a remote ice floe to flee the willowy hipster girl-woman with vagina dentate who consigned him there and he's just gotta sing to us all about it. These ears will just stick with the gorgeous delicacy of the one tune Withers didn't pen here, former wife Nicholas' ballad of emotional tabula rasa "Can We Pretend," featuring our barrio hero José Feliciano guesting on guitar. And sublime suhthuhn story-song, "Railroad Man"...If the soul is truly for the folks, it will deservedly transcend its times. [KCH]

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  ELODIE LAUTEN
Piano Works Revisited
(Unssen Worlds)

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Captivating and utterly compelling two-CD set of post-minimal works from composer Elodie Lauten, who was one of the central figures in the downtown music scene of the early eighties -- and still is today, for that matter. The first disc is a reissue of two albums that have never been on CD before, with the first being Piano Works from 1983, featuring mostly brief minimal piano workouts inter-laden with subtle found-sound textures. Some are fairly jaunty, others more reflective, but they're always at a digestible length and don't even come close to wearing out their welcome. On the second half of the first disc we get a re-mastered version of her "Concerto for Piano and Orchestral Memory," featuring the wonderful playing of Arthur Russell and Peter Zummo. It's a tad denser than the earlier pieces, slightly baroque at times, with each instrumental and prerecorded sound element seamlessly incorporated into an interlocking whole. The movement entitled "Con Spirito" in particular has a stellar forward velocity, with the drawn-out pull of the strings in counterpoint to the sweeping, arrhythmic virtuosity of Lauten's piano playing. Disc two features two 25-minute-plus piano pieces, the first solo piano only, the second piano with prerecorded sound. There's less a focus on pattern in these two works, they're slightly more post-romantic and searching, rather quite melancholy, and ravishingly beautiful. Highly recommended, and a great deal at this price for so much excellent music. [MK]

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  BIM SHERMAN MEETS HORACE ANDY & U.BLACK
In a Rub-a-Dub Style
(Original Music)

"Dread Pan Some"
"If I Can Make It"

Another fine cut of Channel One roots from the Yard International archives, In a Rub a Dub Style has been deserving of the reissue treatment for some time. Recorded in 1982 by many of Jamaica's finest studio musicians -- Sly Dunbar, Errol "Flabba" Holt, Ansel Collins, Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace to name a few -- it is a classic of the era. In a Rub a Dub Style, a Neville "Jah Woosh" Beckford production, pairs vocal renditions with its accompanying dub version, provided by none other than Prince Jammy. Not a bad crew, innit? Horace Andy's version of Keith & Tex's "Tonight Dub" is in a particular fine style, his instantly recognizable vocals floating above Ansel Collins' very Jackie Mittoo-esque organ work. Though the title of this record may suggest otherwise, that's Andy's only vocal; deejay U.Black provides vocals on all other tracks. Still, the results leave little to complain about -- "Judah Dub" and "Chant Dub" show Jammy in as good a form as he ever was. Essential for heads and burners. [AG]

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  CLOUD NOTHINGS
Turning On
(Speakertree)

"Whaddya Wanna Know"
"Can't Stay Awake"

Turning On is a home-run debut long player from Cleveland's Cloud Nothings, the product of eighteen-year-old Dylan Baldi. As this was originally released in a small pressing in December, do not let the blog hype that has ensued scare you away. Having only encountered references to Cloud Nothings through certain somewhat dubious avenues, I approached the album skeptically, but my attitude melted as the songs, real and genuine as they are, elicited real and genuine toe tapping and head bobbing. The catchy jangle pop of these tunes transcends any hype; the lyrics and sing-song vocals are flippantly detached, interspersed between harmonies or even whistling. Cloud Nothings pack the inescapable swagger of the Clean and the roaring adolescent guitar of the Replacements into a new sound for a new generation. "Hey Cool Kid" and "Old Street" are anthemic sing-alongs for the disenchanted existentialist teenager, passionately anti-passion. [BCa]

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  THE BESNARD LAKES
The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring Night
(Jagjaguwar)

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Like an Arcade Fire tuned to AM radio in 1973, Montreal outfit the Besnard Lakes return with their second album, awash in Jace Lasek's glass-cutting falsetto, a wall of mournful reverb, and the doleful memory of forty years or so of pop music, cut and pasted into challenging, instantly memorable slices. Jams like "Glass Printer" and "Albatross" hearken back to that Slowdive record you heard in your dreams -- you know the one, where Brian Wilson sings all the lead vocals, and stars in the sky spell out awesome Tweets to you and you alone -- while two-part openers "Like the Ocean, Like the Innocent" and "Land of Living Skies" stretch out from ambient soundscapes into crushing, massive slabs of Spector's manse falling down upon you. It's not like anyone can innovate these days, what with a wealth of music both loved and unheard available to us every day. It takes true innovators like this bunch to make something memorable out of it all, and with Are the Roaring Night, that is precisely what has been done. Moody, fragile, and dark, not afraid to bare its teeth, this is the sound that chases your winter away. [DM]

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  FRIGHTENED RABBIT
The Winter of Mixed Drinks
(FatCat)

"Swim Until You Can't See Land"
"Living in Colour"

Frightened Rabbit's breakthrough 2008 album, a scruffy, soaring batch of heartbreak anthems called Midnight Organ Fight, brought the Scottish group to an international stage, and with the raw emotion of that album smoothed over a bit on The Winter of Mixed Drinks, it seems clear that this one will launch the band into an even brighter spotlight. Their evolution has been an organic one, with each album successively expanding their sound until it has become a wave of melancholy and triumphant release. Built on a circular, almost mechanized bass and drum attack, the band layers on church organ and bell-chime guitars, all in support of Scott Hutchison's sad and swaggering Scottish brogue. An emo U2 served with a side order of shoegazing Britpop, their precise arrangements are matched by heartfelt, smart songwriting and an impassioned delivery that can't be faked. [JM]

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  DANA GILLESPIE
Andy Warhol
(Lemon / Cherry Red)

"Andy Warhol"
"Dizzy Heights"

While Dana Gillespie started her career out as a fine British folk singer, these days she splits her time between performing at blues clubs and making albums of Indian devotional music. There was a period in the mid-seventies though when she was really living the high life, a star in West End rock operas like Tommy and Jesus Christ Superstar, an actress in Ken Russell films and various b-movies, and, most pertinent to our interests, a member of David Bowie's production stable, Mainman. This excellent comp from Cherry Red culls the best tracks from those years, when she was working hand in hand with Bowie collaborator Mick Ronson and creating glam-influenced studio rock that constantly walks the razor's edge between superficiality and sincerity. A very '70s pro-sounding gloss, combined with Gillespie's strong female vocals, definitely brings to mind her contemporaries Fleetwood Mac in general, but on tracks like "Dizzy Heights" there's a killer junkshop glam vibe that F.M. never really approached. Her take on Bowie's "Andy Warhol" manages to be both soaring and claustrophobic, while she transforms the British proto-punk band Third World War's song "Stardom Road" into a seven-minute-long, slow-burning and baroque masterpiece. It's probably the best track on the album, but there's a bunch more to love here as well. [MK]

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  ROBERT LESTER FOLSOM
Music and Dreams
(Mexican Summer / Yoga)

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Recorded in '76, this private press LP came to be after Robert Lester Folsom went into a studio in Atlanta to record a demo for one song. The producer was so impressed with Folsom's tune that he encouraged him to come back and record more tracks, which resulted in Music and Dreams. Stylistically, it's straight outta the mellow gold school of '70s folk rock. CS&N, Todd Rundgren and Steve Miller are all good references, but there's also a mysterious vibe to the tunes (a la Merrell Fankhauser) and a healthy dose of yacht rock thrown in as well. Highlights include the lovely title track and the earnest ballad "Please Don't Forget Me." There's a lot of stylistic variety here, including a couple of jazzy instrumentals and a full on blast of Tom Petty-esque power pop ("Blues Stay Away"). All in all, Music and Dreams is a pretty solid and lovely album that'll appeal to fans of the aforementioned. It ain't avant/savant rock by any means, it's simply a great record that is "outside" simply by default...and that's just fine with us. [DH]

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  WHITE HINTERLAND
Kairos
(Dead Oceans)

"Icarus"
"Bow and Arrow"

Eschewing the '70s-influenced jazz-folk leanings of her previous record, Casey Dienel's gorgeous, lulling melodies are still the center of focus on her new White Hinterland album, but here they float above aquatic electronic production and bits of live instrumentation. What results is all at once warm, organic and spacious -- an album that fans of Nite Jewel and the xx will love. We'll be giving this one a full review in the next Update.

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  VARIOUS ARTISTS
Ethiopiques 24
(Buda Musique)

"Hametegnaw" Seyoum Gebreyes & Alem-Girma Band
"Hedetch Gara Zura" Ayalew Mesfin

The 24th volume of this much-celebrated Ethiopian music series highlights Amha Records, with selections spanning the label's existence from 1969 to '75. For many, the initial draw will be two songs from a young Mulatu Astatqé (perhaps the country's best known performer here in the West, with songs featured in Jim Jarmusch's Broken Flowers soundtrack as well as his recent collaboration with the Heliocentrics on Stones Throw). But we also find previous Ethiopiques-showcased names like Ayaléw Mèsfin, Gétatchèw Kassa, Sèyfou Yohannes sitting alongside more unknown performers like Menelik Wèsnatchèw, Seyoum Gèbrèyès, Tamrat Molla, Wubshèt Fisseha, and two tracks by the Ashantis from Kenya. No surprise that this is another exotic, soulful swinging set, with detailed liners and plenty of photographs.

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  ULAAN KHOL
III
(Soft Abuse)

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The final installment to the Ceremony trilogy from Ulaan Khol, the enigmatic moniker of Steven R. Smith, III unites his first two chapters' feedback-drenched psychedelic drones, conjuring images of nomadic journeys across windswept North African deserts, pyramid climbing and floating through the kosmische together into a thrilling climax. Smith's crackling guitar work will grab the ear of pretty much anyone into the drone/prog of Agitation Free, the lo-fi bliss of Flying Saucer Attack, and bedroom psychedelia as a whole.

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LONELADY
Nerve Up
(Warp)

"Cattle Tears"
"Early the Haste Comes"

Produced by Guy Fixsen (Stereolab, My Bloody Valentine, Laika), Nerve Up is the full-length debut from Lonelady, the nom de plume of Julie Campbell, whose taut and terse songs pull from a wide scope of influences, including the raw emotion of PJ Harvey's early work and the cold bleak world of Joy Division, as well as a variety of other classic alternative and post-punk inspirations. All in all, a great entry in the burgeoning scene of female-led art-rock.

Order CD by Texting "omcdloneladynerve" to 767825

 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  GEORGIA ANNE MULDROW & DECLAIME
SomeOthaShip
(Mello Music)

"Shine On"
"Endure"

Wonder-woman Georgia Anne Muldrow and partner Declaime (Dudley Perkins in rapper mode) finally make a solid hip-hop album. No interludes this time around, just thick beats and melodic synths with production from mostly Muldrow, but also Flying Lotus, Oddissee, Oh No, and Black Milk. Vocal contributions include Kool G. Rap, LMNO, and M.E.D. Deep and funky, intergalactic, political, and urban, this is some the best California underground hip-hop around.

Order CD by Texting "omcdgeorgiasomeothaship" to 767825
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  THE MORNING BENDERS
Big Echo
(Rough Trade)

"Excuses"
"All Day Day Light"

This Bay Area band's sophomore release is a pitch-perfect refinement of their retro-pop sound: gorgeous, fragile and truly a joy. Mixed by Chris Taylor of Grizzly Bear, that band's imprint -- or at least a similar mix of influences -- is evident here, with heart-tugging harmonies and intricate arrangements. But the Morning Benders have a looser approach that draws more on a live band sound -- as evidenced by the utterly compelling video of the debut single "Excuses," filmed live-in-the-studio with a huge group of singers and players, and well worth tracking down.

Order CD by Texting "omcdmorningbig" to 767825
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  XIU XIU
Dear God, I Hate Myself
(Kill Rock Stars)

Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store

Marking the debut of new full-time band member Angela Seo (piano, synths and drum programming), and co-produced by Deerhoof's Greg Saunier, on Xiu Xiu's latest album, Dear God, I Hate Myself, Jamie Stewart's pained croon is more introspective than ever before as he delves into matters of faith and despondency over a wide and often bizarre range of instrumentation, including four songs mostly arranged on a Nintendo DS.

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JASON COLLETT
Rat a Tat Tat
(Arts & Crafts)

Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store

The newest solo effort from Broken Social Scene's Jason Collett is his mellowest, most laid-back record to date, with a huge debt to '70s-era Dylan, Stones and the like. Tough shoes to fill, but Collett, with his pals from the band Zeus backing him up, manages to pull it off with top-notch musicianship, solid songs, a bit of strut, and a peculiar Canadian take on a southern rock & roll drawl.

Order CD by Texting "omcdjasonrat" to 767825

 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  TITUS ANDRONICUS
The Monitor
(XL)

"Titus Andronicus Forever"
"Theme from 'Cheers'"

These New Jersey rockers have an unusual pairing in their music, of fierce, pogo-worthy punk rock, and dense, brainy lyrics -- The Monitor being largely based around the American Civil War. Tense and righteous and full of sing-along choruses, Social Distortion or the Exploited come to mind, as do fellow Jersey boys Ted Leo and Bruce Springsteen.


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  WETDOG
Frauhaus!
(Captured Tracks)

"Lower Leg"
"Tidy Up Your Bathroom"

Originally released in the UK late last year on Angular (These New Puritans, Long Blondes), London's Wetdog are fittingly brought to the States via Brooklyn's Captured Tracks. A trio of females who must have discovered Kleenex/LiLiPUT, early Slits, the Raincoats and the Fall during their formative years, Wetdog's second full-length, Frauhaus!, is a concise take on post-punk/no/new wave revivalism. Full of simple melodies, heady, upfront bass lines and the spry, acerbic yips and curiously pleasant harmonies of guitarist and lead singer Rivka Gillieron, Frauhaus! zips through 14 jaunty tracks in 30 minutes. Leading off is the single "Lower Leg," a catchy, yet charmingly rickety pop song that will be stuck in your head for days. Followed up by the ooh-aah heavy "Tidy Up Your Bedroom," and the slower "Long Long Time to Go," Frauhaus is nothing if not spiky and varied. Sure, there is a stigma of tedium that always follows music that has no qualms about being flippant, strident and off-key, but Wetdog aren't trying to be pioneers nor do they care how they are labeled. They're just breathing fresh life into a genre full of re-treads. [PG]

Order CD by Texting "omcdwetdogfrauhaus" to 767825
Order LP by Texting "omlpwetdogfrauhaus" to 767825
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  NICE FACE
Immer Etwas
(Sacred Bones)

"Invective"
"I Want Your Damage"

New York's Nice Face, the one-man bedroom-recording project of Ian McGee, has been constantly churning out singles and cassettes over the past couple of years. Now, on his first ever full-length, McGee has created 13 tracks of fuzzed-out, drum machine-laden punk rock. And the format suits him well, allowing him the breadth to funnel his old-school influences -- Factory Records, Chrome, Suicide, etc. -- into a well-suited marriage of the distorted vocals, unwavering synth and effects-heavy guitar sound of Blank Dogs with the succinct and hook-heavy pop songwriting of the late, great Jay Reatard. Immer Etwas has everything, from straight up guitar-driven tracks like "Invective" to the quirky synth opener "Decipher" and "I Want Your Damage," where sounds battle against, and blend into, one another, creating an almost palpable sonic texture. Another great release with beautiful silk-screened packaging by Brooklyn's Sacred Bones Records, a local favorite to watch. [PG]


Order CD by Texting "omcdniceimmer" to 767825
Order LP by Texting "omlpniceimmer" to 767825


 
         
   
       
   

 

 

     
 

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  HIGH PLACES
FREE SONG: On Giving Up
(Thrill Jockey)

Free Song Download of "On Giving Up," off of High Places' second full-length, High Places Vs. Mankind, out next Tuesday, March 16 on Thrill Jockey. It's an outstanding follow-up to the band's eponymous debut album from '08, and finds the duo placing more emphasis on real instrumentation like guitars with Mary's ethereal melodies sitting more prominently in the mix. There are still plenty of layers of found-sounds, spacious ambience and stereo-panned percussion percolating throughout, only here it's a little more reigned in allowing for a more deliberate, cohesive path for the songs to take.

 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  TUNNG
FREE SONG: Don't Look Down or Back
(Thrill Jockey)

Having completely shed the folktronica tag of their earlier records, England's Tunng really hone in on their songcraft with their fourth album, ...And Then We Saw Land, the 11 tracks placing greater emphasis on melody over atmosphere. Great male/female harmonies float over richly textured arrangements that pull from a wide array of influences, from British folk to bits of modern classical and post-rock with subtle electronic accents. Check out this free song download of "Don't Look Down or Back," and you can also purchase the entire album on Other Music Digital.
 
         
   
   
   
      
   
         
  All of this week's new arrivals.

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THIS WEEK'S CONTRIBUTORS

[BCa] Brian Cassidy
[MC] Michael Crumsho
[PG] Pamela Garavano-Coolbaugh
[AG] Alexis Georgopoulos
[DG] Daniel Givens
[GH] Gerald Hammill
[DH] Duane Harriott
[KCH] Kandia Crazy Horse
[IQ] Mikey IQ Jones
[MK] Michael Klausman
[JM] Josh Madell
[MM] Marc Moeller
[DM] Doug Mosurock
[MS] Michael Stasiak
[JT] John Twells







THANKS FOR READING
- all of us at Other Music

 
         
   
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