October 14, 2010

		OCT Sun 17 Mon 18 Tues 19 Wed 20 Thurs 21 Fri 22 Sat 23   AVEY TARE LISTENING PARTY & RECORD SIGNING This just in! Next Wednesday, October 20th, Other Music is throwing a listening party for Down There, the new solo album from Animal Collective's Avey Tare, which comes out the following week, Tuesday, October 25th, on Paw Tracks. Not only will we be playing the record in the shop from 5 to 7pm and serving up some refreshments, Avey Tare himself will be here to meet fans and sign vinyl copies of his new album, which we'll have early for sale that night. So come on by after work or on your way to a CMJ showcase, it's going to be a blast! WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20 OTHER MUSIC: 15 East 4th Street NYC 5PM-7PM | Free Admission | Limited Capacity

		FEATURED NEW RELEASES Sufjan Stevens Mark McGuire Antony & the Johnsons Zola Jesus Benoit Pioulard Dustin Wong Jane Birkin The Fresh & Onlys Neil Young Belle & Sebastian Suuns Teen Inc. Dolly Mixture The Corin Tucker Band John Roberts Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra Hauschka Charlemagne Palestine   Major Lazer & La Roux Diplo (Chasing the Dragon Mix CD) Solar Bears ALSO AVAILABLE Zombie Dogs Nurse with Wound & Larsen Eternal Summers Girls at Dawn Cloud Nothings (CD Pressing) Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/othermusicnyc Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/othermusic

		OCT Sun 10 Mon 11 Tues 12 Wed 13 Thurs 14 Fri 15 Sat 16   FORT GREENE PARK CONSERVANCY BENEFIT W/AFRIKA BAMBAATAA, DAPTONE DJS & MORE We had the pleasure of working with the Fort Greene Park Conservancy this summer presenting a couple of free concerts in the park, and as the fall chill sets in, we are already thinking about next summer, and hoping we can help them extend their season of arts programming and reach some of their larger goals for Fort Greene Park and the surrounding community. So we wanted to let you know about a fundraiser dance party happening tonight (Thursday, October 14) at the Brooklyn Masonic Temple. We are thrilled to have on the decks the legendary Afrika Bambaataa, along with the Daptone Family DJs Honeydripper and the Custodian of Soul, and a great selection of food and drink supplied by a number of our favorite Fort Greene/Clinton Hill restaurants and merchants, and a slew of other surprises. With a special discount, the tax-deductible ticket donation is $90 -- we hope you will agree that it is a worthy cause, and it's sure to be a great party too. We hope you'll join us! Click here for more information and to purchase tickets. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 14 (7PM to 11PM) BROOKLYN MASONIC TEMPLE: 317 Clermont Avenue, BKLN

		OCT Sun 24 Mon 25 Tues 26 Wed 27 Thurs 28 Fri 29 Sat 30   WIN TICKETS TO TORCHE This Sunday, October 24th, Miami's Torche will be making a stop at NYC's Webster Hall in support of their brand new album Songs for Singles, along with High on Fire and Kylesa. Fans of all things heavy will not want to miss this one and Other Music has a pair of tickets to give away! Just email enter@othermusic.com and we'll pick a winner this Friday. SUNDAY, OCTOBER 24 WEBSTER HALL: 125 East 11th Street NYC

		OCT Sun 24 Mon 25 Tues 26 Wed 27 Thurs 28 Fri 29 Sat 30   ALL OUR FRIENDS ARE IN NEW YORK: AN EXHIBITION OF STEPHIN MERRITT/THE MAGNETIC FIELDS-RELATED HISTORY, IMAGES AND EPHEMERA An exhibition in conjunction with the theatrical release of the documentary film Strange Powers: Stephin Merritt and the Magnetic Fields, featuring photographs by Gail O'Hara, Emma Straub for M+E and TMF's guitarist-banjoist John Woo, among others. All Magnetic Fields-related items will be on sale. OPENING RECEPTION: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 5-7PM SPECIAL GUEST DJ: STEPHIN MERRITT OTHER MUSIC: 15 East 4th Street NYC WIN TICKETS TO A STRANGE POWERS SCREENING! Ten years in the making, Strange Powers explores Stephin Merritt's songwriting and recording process, and focuses on his relationships with his bandmates and longtime manager Claudia Gonson, revealing an artist who has produced one of the most engaging and confounding bodies of work in the contemporary American songbook. The film opens on Wednesday, October 27 in New York City at the Film Forum (209 W. Houston), with special in-person appearances by Stephin Merritt and Claudia Gonson, as well as Directors Kerthy Fix and Gail O'Hara at the 8:10PM screenings on October 27th and 29th. Tickets will be available on-line starting October 20th. You can also enter to win a pair of passes that are good for almost all of the showings (except the 8:10PM screenings on the 27th and 29th) by emailing giveaway@othermusic.com. We'll notify the 10 winners on Friday, October 22nd.

		NOV Sun 31 Mon 01 Tues 02 Wed 03 Thurs 04 Fri 05 Sat 06   UPCOMING IN-STORE FEATURING TITLE TK There is not much that we can tell you about this new band, featuring the digital artist Cory Arcangel, curator/New Human Howie Chen, and author/guitar mauler Alan Licht, except that we're pretty sure this rare live performance will be something special. The store will NOT be closed for business during this special event, so please join us for a little shopping, and something else . FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 5 @ 8PM OTHER MUSIC: 15 East 4th Street NYC

		$12.99 CD $9.99 MP3   SUFJAN STEVENS The Age of Adz (Asthmatic Kitty) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store Sufjan Stevens' first proper new album since 2005's Illinoise (discounting the epic The BQE score, the 21-track The Avalanche outtakes album, etc.) finds the poster boy for earnest, ambitious orchestrated folk-pop looking in new directions for inspiration, both lyrically and musically, eschewing his much-ballyhooed series of albums about U.S. states (after only two entries -- don't hold your breath, South Dakota) for far more personal, and intensely emotional subject matter, and trading in his banjo for an flashing computer console. It is a bold move for an artist whose career has been built around a series of them, and the results are startlingly satisfying. Stevens has retained much of what has always made his music intoxicating; the hooky, harmony-laden choruses, the deft, soaring orchestration, the earworm lyric turns are all here, but the sound and the mood are totally new. The album art, and supposedly the thematic inspiration, comes from Creole folk artist Royal Robertson, whose felt-tip nightmares tell sci-fi stories of robots and spaceships mixed with very human fear, loneliness and betrayal. But while Robertson's artwork may encompass the broad themes of The Age of Adz, line by line this is an intensely personal album, with stories that speak to love, loss, confusion, bitterness and ambition in a scary modern world. Musically, the defining sound here may be the Auto-Tuned vocals that Stevens employs for a pulsing breakdown halfway through the epic 25-minute set-closing "Impossible Soul." No, he is not trying to be T-Pain, but this flourish, used in earnest as he hisses and moans, "Stupid man, in the window, I couldn't be at rest / All my delight, all that mattered, I couldn't be at rest," sounds remarkably right in this existential crisis of a love song, as Stevens turns himself inside out. Throughout, the squiggling and squelching production evokes modern R&B as well as some of the "alternative" artists who have employed its tricks, like Radiohead, Bjork or TV on the Radio, with slippery electronics weaving in and out of tight orchestrations that can evoke Steve Reich, Curtis Mayfield or John Williams in equal parts. But at its core, this is pure Sufjan Stevens, always a challenging, genre-pushing artist who continues to blaze his own path through the once-simple jungle that is pop music today. Through and through, a great album, not to be missed. [JM]

		$15.99 CD   MARK MCGUIRE Living with Yourself (Editions Mego) "Brain Storm (For Erin)" "Moving Apart" Parallel to his work with the great neu-kosmiche trio Emeralds, guitarist Mark McGuire has maintained a busy solo career as well, with a number of releases charting his constantly refined approach to the six-string. Sans the synths of his usual bandmates, McGuire's work basks in an almost peculiar cleanliness and stark, earnest emotional resonance, building up layers of clean tones and looped notes into eventual waves of beatific drift. Living with Yourself, his latest (and first for Editions Mego), continues the trajectory he's established across his plethora of cassette and CD-R releases, presenting a series of sweet, genteel ruminations for guitar, electronics, and field recordings that take reflections on familial relationships as their starting point. Though ostensibly at home on a more experimental imprint, McGuire's latest sticks out like a hammered thumb when compared against some of his labelmates, with his instrumental surfaces buffed to an almost New Age-y sheen, and an unabashed melodicism running through the chiming strings of tracks like "Clouds Rolling In" and the poignant, reverberant "Brain Storm (for Eric)." Touching and sincere (even for a cynical jerk like me), McGuire weaves in recordings of his family's interaction to "The Structure of Recollection" and "Brothers (for Matt)" giving the tracks' easygoing builds a distinctly homespun and pensive quality. Later tracks like "Clear the Cobwebs" find the guitarist dealing with emotional and sonic complexity, as guitars lock and cross in intricate patterns. It's definitely a little bit of a switch-up for those expecting that exact same sort of textures that Emeralds tends to explore, but McGuire more than holds his own here as examines some obviously personal territory and leaves behind something truly affecting. [MC]

		$12.99 CD $16.99 LP+MP3 180 Gram $9.99 MP3   ANTONY AND THE JOHNSONS Swanlights (Secretly Canadian) "I'm in Love" "Flétta" Antony Hegarty's journey from outsider to toast of the in-crowd has been a beautiful thing to witness, as his singular music has seeped into popular culture. In the wake of Antony and the Johnsons' 2005 Mercury Prize-winning second album, I Am a Bird Now, the genre of chamber-pop has resurfaced with a vengeance, from Owen Pallette and Jonsi to Dirty Projectors. However, Hegarty stands apart from many of his comparable contemporaries, more chamber than pop, and able to craft music that is so pure and so achingly beautiful, it defies categorization. For his fourth studio album, Swanlights, Hegarty has spun another collection of torch song tragedies. Like Greek dramas or Italian operas, he creates passion plays of conflict, hurt, and desire. Set to a sparse backing of mainly piano and orchestration, with the occasional use of bass, guitar and drums, this music has a timeless sound that is still modern and new. Stark and startling, like a star-filled night sky, Hegarty wishes upon celestial beings for acceptance, affection, love, and understanding. And regardless of his nuanced and complex songwriting and arrangements, Hegarty's secret weapon is his pure, often arresting voice, and he sings with a rare intensity, passion and drama. He can conjure multiple emotions by simply repeating a few words, as in the last two minutes of the seven-minute "Christina's Farm;" beginning with sparse piano, his voice enters the scene accompanied by bowed cello, and as the song progresses he slowly unwinds and fragments the lyrics, creating a swirling cycle of melody and phrasing -- "Tenderly renewed, everything is new, my face and your face." Or on the exquisite title track that starts with his voice reversed and static guitar, and eventually opens into a soulful vamp of multi-tracked vocals. As with David Sylvian and Arthur Russell, Hegarty works in a world devoid of clutter and excess, reducing composition to its bare roots, voice being the centerpiece. Swanlights finds him again in the company of a close knit group of talents, with Nico Muhly handling orchestral arrangements, and in duet with Bjork on the otherworldly "Flétta." The album is less over-the-top than you might expect, yet still deeply passionate, moving, and engaging. When you want to tear your heart out, play this instead. [DG]

		$10.99 CD $12.99 12" $3.99 MP3   ZOLA JESUS Valusia EP (Sacred Bones) "Poor Animal" "Sea Talk" Zola Jesus (a/k/a Nika Danilova) is a slight, pallid twenty-one-year-old with stunning vocal capabilities. If you have seen her live, as this reviewer did back in July (in-store at OM, no less!) you already know: hers is a voice that fills a room completely. It is deep and unfettered; it inspires fear, longing, euphoria; it is transformative and shiver inducing. And, fortunately, none of its splendor is lost during the recording process. She will haunt your speakers thoroughly. Valusia is in many ways a sequel to the starkly beautiful Stridulum from earlier this year, but it is a more refined and accomplished take on the Zola Jesus sound that makes clear what was hinted at before -- Danilove is destined for big things. Once again, the basic sound marries soaring vocal melodies with dark, tautly arranged synth and pulsing rhythm. But this time around, things are bigger, more operatic. Album-opener "Poor Animal" features giant drums, lush, winding strings, and a hook equal parts epic and catchy. And despite the vastness of the arrangements, it never sounds gaudy or overdone; Zola Jesus' genius lies in her ability to render the simple breathtaking, and the breathtaking tasteful, elegant. It's no small feat. The EP continues with the evil, swampy "Tower," an aptly named (read: towering) synth-heavy gem, then moves on to the triumphant-yet-somehow-also-heartbreaking "Sea Talk," the EP's hook-heavy standout. Echoey, driving, airy, and, most of all, criminally pretty, it is reason enough to get your hands on this one. Or maybe said "reason enough" is that last track, "Lightsick," which is essentially Danilova-unplugged: the song features vocals, piano, and not much else. It's a jarring distillation of Danilova's incredible talents, and, as such, a perfect conclusion to this woefully brief masterwork. I would say this girl is going places had she not already arrived. Did I mention I'm a really, really big fan? Highest recommendation. Can't wait for the full-length. [JK]

		$13.99 CD $9.99 MP3   BENOIT PIOULARD Lasted (Kranky) "Ailleurs" "Tie" Now three albums in, Thomas Meluch's work as Benoit Pioulard has benefited not so much from constant change, but rather a steadfast devotion to a particular set of recurring themes. Splitting the difference between ethereal, ambient mood pieces and delicately composed pop songs, each go-round as Pioulard has seen Meluch widen the expanses that his instrumentals conjure, all while sharpening the hooks his more conventional pieces manage to anchor in. On Lasted, his latest for the Kranky label, Pioulard's impulses work in tandem, with the shorter interludes setting the stage and extending the tone for what his easily his most accomplished and satisfying set of songs yet. While again (mostly) drenched in reverb and set atop gently distant percussion, Pioulard's voice, though still barely more than a whisper, sounds more confident than ever before, as he intricately plucks his way through to accompany songs like "Tie" and the piano-assisted "RTO." And while tracks like these represent the latest iteration of Pioulard's lithe, downbeat pop, "Shouting Distance" just might be the jauntiest, a rain-soaked number that sounds as if its author is skipping off into the distance, accompanied only by the jangle of his guitar. Great stuff all around, especially as tracks like "Tack & Tower" and "A Coin on the Tongue" emerge in the disc's second half help conclude Lasted and Benoit Pioulard's latest batch of insouciant dream folk with an almost effortless sway. [MC]

		$17.99 CDx2+DVD $19.99 LPx2+DVD+MP3 $15.99 MP3   DUSTIN WONG Infinite Love (Thrill Jockey) "Brother" "Sister" Last time we reviewed one of Dustin Wong's limited cassette releases, we deemed him "one of America's most promising young music-makers." The release of Infinite Love, Wong's triple-disc set for Thrill Jockey, verifies our expectations and then some. Responsible for half of the intricate guitar melodies propelling Baltimore art-pop quartet Ponytail and art-punk guitar duo Ecstatic Sunshine, Wong has established himself as one of the most creative minds working in and re-defining underground and outsider music today. And we get the sense that he's only just begun. With all this praise, you may not have expected to learn that Infinite Love is made up of entirely instrumental guitar compositions. Wong -- born in Hawaii, with formative years spent in Japan and his most recent history firmly rooted in the progressive, d.i.y. music community of Baltimore -- has painstakingly developed a sound palette all his own. This would be deep listening if it wasn't so inherently fun -- deeply rhythmic, contagiously melodic, and organically and subtly positive and inspirational. Wong has an inarguable knack for building a song block by block, or more literally loop by loop, until it blooms into an intricate, pulsing ecosystem; then he isolates an element from the pack and flips it on its head. Nothing is square here, everything can be touched, opened, and yes, loved -- from conventionally pretty trills to a goofy full-string slide that recreates the repellent gulp of a frog. Wong's music is highly inspired by nature, as is richly illustrated in the ambitious full-album-length music video he filmed and edited for the DVD portion of Infinite Love. Each facet of this release is so exciting and clearly designed as a treat for music lovers. Amazingly, each of Wong's albums starts and ends the same, but with completely different paths (tracklistings) to get from one point to the other. Listening to Infinite Love, you are able to clearly hear Dustin Wong think. The result of its ingredients are unique, but its appeal is universal, in the manner of recent acts like Dirty Projectors or timeless ones like Silver Apples. Honestly, there's something for everyone here, and it's hard to recall the last time I've seen so many young people come into the shop and point to a record with such personal reverence, a true testament to how many people Dustin Wong's music has already touched in such deeply meaningful ways. A remarkably powerful, optimistic, healing, transformative collection of music. In addition, we're thrilled to announce that Dustin will be performing ten private concerts, via Skype, for ten lucky record-buyers (and their friends) around the world! We have been guaranteed that one CD or LP from our current stock contains a golden ticket that will bring Dustin direct to you, humbly seated with his guitar and numerous pedals before him, a prize which, as a devout attendee of Wong's riveting live performances, I can vouch for as unforgettable. If you are the ticket-holder, the details will be explained. And no matter who scores a ticket to this once-in-a lifetime concert, we can say with assurance that anyone who buys this essential album is a winner! [KS]

		$16.99 CD   JANE BIRKIN Di Doo Dah (Lignt in the Attic) "Di Doo Dah" "La Cible Qui Bouge" Light in the Attic continues its excellent campaign of Gainsbourg reissues with an unexpected but hugely welcome curveball, Jane Birkin's first solo album, 1973's Di Doo Dah. The album was written entirely by Gainsbourg, with arrangements by Jean-Claude Vannier, but don't come here looking for Melody Nelson Pt 2, or even anything as remotely warped as Vannier's L'Enfant Assassin Des Mouches LP. Di Doo Dah is instead one of the most subtle records made by either party; Gainsbourg's lyrics are wildly smutty, even for '70s Serge, placing Birkin in a series of compromising positions and situations (and yes, there are translations included) overtop a bed of gorgeous Vannier strings and a wonderful, steel guitar-led countrified funk bounce, not wholly dissimilar to records by OM faves like Jim Ford. Birkin's vocals are in great form here; she's not straining to hit notes she can't reach as Gainsbourg loved to make her do, but rather delivers these sordid tales in a cool, confident tone that matches the soft focus of the folky funk perfectly. Also included in this set are two Vannier-related bonus tracks from a few years prior, taken from the "La Decadanse" 45 single which gave this store a name for its international pop section, alongside new liner notes, archival photos, and the aforementioned lyrics in both French and English. On the whole, this record is an oft-overlooked chapter in the careers of all three creative parties, and deserves to be heard by all who have enjoyed Light in the Attic's other Serge-related reissues. [IQ]

		$12.99 CD $13.99 LP+MP3 $9.99 MP3   THE FRESH & ONLYS Play It Strange (In the Red) "Fascinated" "Waterfall" Another month, another release, another label -- and the Fresh & Onlys hit machine rolls on undeterred. At this point, even the heartiest of fans would be forgiven for having lost track of Fresh & Onlys-related releases. There's been a lot of material infiltrating the market in the scant year-and-a-half since they showed up on the tastemaker radar, and I'll admit to muttering a few exhausted sighs and curses upon seeing this on the release schedule. But people, I'm here to tell that if you'd checked out, or have yet to check in... well, this is the one to pick up on. On the surface level, the F&O recipe for success hasn't been tampered with -- Spector's Wall of Sound production values pulls the strings of the Ventures-esque Surfcaster holding sway over bouncy, buoyant melodies -- but there are some really nice, subtle touches here that drew me back to the fold. A couple of tracks have an unmistakable Paisley Underground vibe, suggesting a modern take on the Rain Parade or True West -- a sound the group has certainly hinted at before, but never fully embraced until now. The introduction of more prominent organ on tracks like "Plague of Frogs" brings thoughts of Felt's "Forever Breathes the Lonely Word," cut with the maudlin baritone and manic jangle-ology of Josef K. Frankly, any group that can bring all of the aforementioned influences to their sound while still remaining very much their own band is a group that I will go to bat for, any day of the week. In retrospect, their buxom catalog, while a lot to imbibe, seems to actually suggest a band just hitting their stride. Do yourself a favor and stay with them. [JTr]

		$15.99 CD   NEIL YOUNG Le Noise (Reprise) "Someon's Gonna Rescure You" "Peaceful Valley Boulevard" Neil Young has always been beautiful -- even when he was acting ugly or carrying on like a bad boy. And his new recording, Le Noise, a stark album of Young alone with his guitar with quite a bit of after-the-fact looping and processing from super-producer Daniel Lanois, is beautiful. Especially when Young is unafraid to represent as ugly for still asking the questions he articulated variously on my beloved "Out on the Weekend" (unbecomingly pillaged by Lady GaGa), or "Rockin' in the Free World," (and even Greendale) -- as if he's never been blessed with folks, wealth, and glories that should have countered the personal darkness or society's horrors. Does "Sign of Love" intentionally sound like an answer song to "The Loner?" Le Noise is not quite like anything he's produced before, although he apparently played to the film (in real time) when he scored Jim Jarmusch's masterpiece, the underrated horse opera Dead Man. This one either gets you, awash in the ragged stack of "Walk with Me," or you simply still haven't been spirited by the Thang that Ole Neil does... yet? For one, I am simply glad to be gifted with more evidence of an unrelenting, game-changing artist -- well beyond much-celebrated/fetishized instances of career highs that could be interior utopias from which he never surfaces -- virtually alone and steadfast out of an enduringly puerile and smug generation long in unbecoming freefall. He need not seek a "beacon in the night," for he himself is it. Yes, Young's solo debut is my favorite and Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, his long-player likely most essential to my existence, but Le Noise, theme for the western that is Young's life, is indispensable, too. And it is the rare thing that makes me happy as it should make you (L.A. Johnson must be giddy in the Upper Room). Cowboy's got songs. [KCH]

		$13.99 CD $15.99 LP+MP3 $9.99 MP3   BELLE & SEBASTIAN Write About Love (Matador) "I Want the World to Stop" "Write About Love" Belle & Sebastian have come quite a long way from the fey, precocious indie pop of early albums like If You're Feeling Sinister and The Boy with the Arab Strap. With their excellent new album Write About Love, a set of solid groovers and deep, melancholic ballads overflowing with hooks and confidence, they hold on to the wit and world-weariness of those early character studies while gaining a muscular display of the sturdy musicianship and tight rapport that comes from playing together for 15 years. The songs here are fantastic; the group often harmonize together on choruses and trade verse/chorus leads with one another mid-song, delivering perhaps their most structurally complex, mature, and yes, catchy album of their career. Watching the band's excellent live show at the Williamsburg Waterfront a few weeks back, I was struck by how my favorite moments came from the new record and from Dear Catastrophe Waitress, perhaps their most underrated and "rocking" album -- that release was also the first to truly display the maturity, diversity, and complexity perfected here. There are guest spots from Norah Jones(!) and actress Carey Mulligan, and not even they can distract from the efficient brilliance on display. The group has finally become a true working unit with all members actively contributing to the quality of the songs, rather than just letting the band back up what has often seemed like The Stuart Murdoch Show -- everyone's songwriting contributions are up to snuff here, with Stevie Jackson and Sarah Martin delivering some of the record's definitive highlights. It's true people, with Write About Love, Belle & Sebastian have made one of, if not THE, best albums of their career. [IQ]

		Zeroes QC $12.99 CD $15.99 LP+MP3 $9.99 MP3 Zeroes EP $7.99 CD $5.99 MP3   SUUNS Zeroes QC (Secretly Canadian) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store This Montreal band's self-released EP was a top seller on Other Music's download store earlier this year when they were still known as Zeroes; a potent mix of art-rock precision, electro cool and Krautrock minimalist psychedelia all filtered through a raw indie brashness (think Clinic covering Joy Division and Can), the group caught the ears of Secretly Canadian, who have just released their debut full-length. Now known as Suuns, Zeroes QC touches on similar themes as the EP, but there's an added refinement and restraint that is positively hypnotic. Co-produced with Besnard Lake's Jace Lacek, pulsing synths, motorik rhythms and snaky guitars set the stage for Ben Shemie's focused vocal delivery which can swing from Alan Vega venom to a much sweeter, breathy pop melancholy -- all delivered with an intensity that is as understated as it is menacing. But despite simmering angst, it is the subtleties of Zeroes QC that make the album work so well, from the slinky, nocturnal disco of "Arena" which unexpectedly gets ripped to shreds by a storm of razor-sharp guitars to the Silver Apples-like oscillations of "Sweet Nothing," to catchy, taut and tense rockers like "Gaze" and "PVC." Lots of ground is covered over the course of these 10 tracks, and while you can certainly pick up on the influences it all comes together into something that's unmistakably their own, showing Suuns to be a band to bask in. You can also purchase the band's self-released six-track CD-EP, which features four songs not on the album, packaged in a nice screen-painted sleeve. Very limited, while supplies last. [JM]

		$7.99 45   TEEN INC. Fountains (Teen Inc.) Maybe it's all that sunshine and haze, but it seems like there is a musical movement in Southern California that is consciously embracing and recapturing the soft and soulful pop atmosphere of the '80s. If you were blown away by Ariel Pink's "Round and Round" single from earlier this year, then I have another 45 from la-la land that will incite a flashback to the days of Ocean Pacific day-glo t-shirts and Calvin Klein jeans. The (nice to see) multi-racial Teen Inc. are the latest of a stream of young indie bands from the Pacific Coast that are painting a contemporary picture of tender and hazy soulful pop. After pricking our ears backing up Nite Jewel on the recent Am I Real? 12", the group's own debut 7" shows a lo-fi aesthetic at work with the use of old school drum sounds, R&B bass, rhythm guitar and no longer outdated synths that give them a unique sound that's hard pin down. They have a formula for finding the common thread in all those forgotten favorites and creating something new. Like a lost Prince demo or a Dam-Funk obscurity, "Fountains" features an infectious, funky groove with breathy vocals that practically caress while the b-side, "Friend of the Night," is a fuzzier piece of nostalgia conjuring images of Tear for Fears or OMD. A fresh debut that longs for repeated plays, from a band to watch in months to come. Recommended. [DG]

		$48.99 CDx3   DOLLY MIXTURE Everything and More (Dolly Mixture) Oh man, wow. I have literally waited YEARS for this band's recordings to finally see proper reissue. Dolly Mixture were one of the best, most influential yet under-recognized groups of the post-punk era, largely unnoticed in Cliffs Notes overviews of the period because of their sonic oddity; these three UK teenage girls took the DIY aesthetics of punk and fused them to the sounds of 1960s girl-group pop and Northern soul. They self-released a handful of singles and a private press LP of demo recordings during their lifetime, and in the process predated the whole C86 movement by a few years, sowed the seeds for bands like Vivian Girls and Best Coast to get record deals today, and went on to influence a wide swath of indie heavyweights from Saint Etienne, who went on to record with bassist/singer Debsey Wykes, to Fucked Up, who released a single of Dolly Mixture covers in 2006. Everything and More compiles just that on three CDs and a thick, lovely booklet stuffed with photos, a history lesson, and informative liner notes from Saint Etienne's Bob Stanley. CD1 presents the Demonstration Tapes LP in its entirety, CD2 compiles all of the group's singles and B-sides in sequence, and CD3 collects studio demos posthumously released on a Japanese-only CD single along with a few rarities and live cuts. This is an overdue and absolutely ESSENTIAL part of indie pop/DIY/post-punk history, and if you need any further persuasion, consider this -- this box set goes with me to the desert island, right alongside the Serge Gainsbourg, Felt, Vandellas, and Buzzcocks records. Absolute highest recommendation! [IQ]

		$14.99 CD $15.99 LP+MP3 $9.99 MP3   THE CORIN BAND TUCKER 1,000 YEARS (Kill Rock Stars) "Big Goodbye" "It's Always Summer" I grew up in a house not far from the Sleater-Kinney Road that Carrie Brownstein, Janet Weiss, and Corin Tucker took their band name from, so S-K have always been one of the big rock and roll touchstones for my own musical development. Besides their intense and exhilarating music, what most struck me and set Sleater-Kinney apart from the other all-girl rock bands was the fact that they weren't coquettish or flirty -- in fact, they were probably the first truly confrontational girls that I'd ever encountered, in real life or in pop music. So even after they "went on hiatus" in 2006 after their incredible final record, The Woods, I had the feeling it was only a matter of time before I'd be hearing from all three of the members again. But I didn't expect Corin Tucker to bring up the rear. Weiss took off to be one of Stephen Malkmus' Jicks, Brownstein was busy blogging and writing comedy for NPR, IFC and more, but Tucker was arguably the frontwoman for S-K, and it was strange that the fire-tongued, fire-headed guitarist turned out to be the quiet one. After some down time raising her young family, Tucker delivers her debut solo album for Kill Rock Stars, which runs the gamut of styles, but whether it's a country-inflected ballad like "It's Always Summer" or a dabbling in fritzy electronics and seventies druggy haze as on "Handed Love," Tucker (helped by members of Circus Lupus and Unwound) successfully makes a record that sounds as engagingly like herself as always, but markedly more restrained than her S-K output. It isn't even until the rocker "Doubt" in the middle of the album that we hear Tucker's trademarked, teeth-baring howl, and we find out that we didn't even necessarily miss that little vocal trick that always upped the ante on a S-K song. We've just plain missed Corin Tucker, and it's great to hear her again, in any form. [MS]

		$15.99 CD   JOHN ROBERTS Glass Eights (Dial) The much-anticipated debut album from German-American producer John Roberts on Dial has finally arrived. His first two excellent EPs (also on Dial) had already given us a good idea of what to expect: deep yet snappy, funky yet elegant minimal house. Now comes Glass Eights, which is full of the languid atmospheres and chime-y, pixie-dust piano melodies a la Lawrence (see "Ever Or Not"), plus the laidback yet driving house sound of Efdemin. But Roberts really starts to shine when he gets thumpin' and bringing in the handclaps, like the way he does during tracks like "Dedicated." A similar snappy thump also appears in "Porcelain," but this time there’s what sounds like reversed, syncopated steel drums and a nice squiggly "Squirrelbait"-style synth line snaking its way through the cut. The little burst of drama in "August" gives the track a great lazer-inflected minimal disco feel but he also manages to break up all the house exploration with the slow, Theo "Orchestra Hall" Parrish dramatics of "Pruned" and the Naujoks-esque piano of "Went." A great album by a great artist whose sound benefits from his dual heritage: Bringing the funk to the artful house of Dial without sacrificing sophistication in a way that no other could. Highly recommended!! [SM]

		$14.99 CD $9.99 MP3   PETER GORDON Love of Life Orchestra (DFA) "Beautiful Dreamer" Justine & the Beautiful Punks "Extended Niceties" Thanks no doubt to diligent crate-digging, LCD Soundsystem mainman James Murphy and his DJ partner/drummer Pat Mahoney unearthed an uncanny disco hybrid crafted by downtown minimalist composer Peter Gordon, and bookended their 2007 Fabric mix with it. Gordon's "Beginning of the Heartbreak" is a singular track: epic, pounding, jazzy, playful, skronky, moving, highly danceable. And with this handy overview released by DFA, we learn that there was plenty more where that came from. Gordon studied under luminaries like Terry Riley and Robert Ashley and has collaborated with everyone from Laurie Anderson to Suzanne Vega, David Johansen to the Flying Lizards. Of course the most telling interaction occurred between Gordon and Arthur Russell, two gifted composers of the mid-'70s who realized the most dynamic music being made in New York City was for the dancefloor and set about putting their chops to disco. Russell collaborated with Larry Levan and Walter Gibbons while Gordon set about making a disco big band, the Love of Life Orchestra. Russell (along with former New York Doll Johansen), appears on "That Hat" and the tracks that Gordon produced for Justine & the Victorian Punks would make new acts like Glass Candy blush at their prescience. Throughout the set, LOLO serve as nexus for any number of NYC strands: free jazz, minimal composition, disco, no wave, rock and funk, yet beholden to none. Recommended. [AB]

		$14.99 CD $9.99 MP3   HAUSCHKA Foreign Landscapes (Fat Cat Records) "Alexanderplatz" "Sunny Mission" Volker Bertelmann's fourth full-length as Hauschka is his most fully realized and extravagantly adorned album to date. In fact, with each release Hauschka brushes on a new swab of instrumentation, almost as if constructing a lyrical narrative through the course of his releases, the same way he constructs the songs themselves. After The Prepared Piano and Room to Expand brought deceptively exquisite plucked piano into contact with subtle electronic and percussive overtones, last year's Ferndorf added a string duo. Now, with Foreign Landscapes, we get to hear Hauschka's evocative scores performed by a full 12-piece string and wind ensemble. This gives the pieces a more direct reading as "chamber" or soundtrack music, what with the careful plodding of oboe and lush, languorous cellos everywhere. If you've heard Hauschka's other records, however, it reads not as a conscious choice toward addition. The skeleton was already gorgeous, and now it has been grafted with rich patches of smooth skin. All Hauschka's same miniature sensory worlds are in place, the sounds are still spindly with tin foil and ping pong balls impaled on piano strings, rhythmic textures and harmonic structures bleeding into one another. It does, however, feel like Hauschka's moved into a house, with fresh paint and new carpet and huge windows. He'll still bring out the same ashtray you remember, but now you don't have to sit on the floor. He's always envisioned the space, and now he has the means to fill it up. And even his parents would admire the new couch. [SG]

		$21.99 CDx3   CHARLEMAGNE PALESTINE Strumming Music for Piano, Harpsichord and Strings Ensemble (Sub Rosa) Charlemagne Palestine's brand of minimalism differed from that of his NYC brethren in one crucial aspect. While duration is always a primary concern of folks like LaMonte Young and Steve Reich, Palestine's music also emphasized physical endurance, the sheer act of playing such music for extended lengths of time. And thanks to this three-CD edition of Palestine's Strumming Music, we can soak in it all the longer. In and out of print for a few years now, the first disc is given to the majestic "Strumming Music for Bösendorfer Piano," a transportive fifty minutes of music that find the composer hunched over his piano of choice, surrounded by stuffed animals and a glass of brandy, taking himself and his audience to other planes of overtones. Along with his Four Manifestations on Six Elements album, this is unparalleled minimal music of the highest echelon. What makes the set even more crucial is this music as scored for harpsichord and strings. The former is a frantic, dizzying work performed in 1977 by Betsy Freeman while the latter was scored by composer John Adams and is a meditative, serene take on the piece. Truly music for the spheres. [AB]

		$10.99 CD   MAJOR LAZER Lazerproof (Mad Decent) Diplo's at it again -- following his mix CDs with M.I.A. and Santigold, you can now add La Roux to the party. Under his Major Lazer moniker, he's created Lazerproof, a hyper, synthy collection of exclusive and overtly popular dancehall, pop, crunk, reggae, and hip-hop instrumentals that La Roux and guests like Amanda Blank, Gucci Mane, Gyptian, and Opal toast, sing and rap over. Not every mash-up works but when it does, there's no stopping the multiple rewinds (e.g. La Roux's "Tigerlily" a cappella over a Rusko beat, the dub-plate of Demarco's "Falling Soldiers" paired with her track "As If By Magic," or "Growing Pains" over Drake's "Houstatlantavegas"). Another inspired and timely creation from the man that made the Baltimore break a household phrase, and the young Brit with the bright red faux-hawk. When you need something to get the party started this will no doubt get even those wallflowers moving. [DG]

		$10.99 CD   DIPLO Chasing the Dragon (Mad Decent) "For Shayne" "The Poor Hippies" And now for something completely different from the self-proclaimed "Crunkest DJ in the world," Diplo gets his '60s psych groove on for this mix. I first met him back in '98 and around that time he was a big psych rock and soul jazz vinyl collector who was obsessed with Sun Ra, so to these ears, this sounds like a slight return to his diggin' roots. With nary an 808 boom, Diplo deftly slices and dices tunes from classic heavy hitters like Funkadelic, Silver Apples, Sonics and United States of America, thankfully keeping the sirens and drop effects to a bare minimum so these stellar tunes can speak for themselves. Fans of Andy Votel, David Holmes mixes and Edan take note. [DH]

		$14.99 CD $9.99 MP3   SOLAR BEARS She Was Coloured In (Planet Mu) "Dolls" "Children of the Times" Dublin-based duo Solar Bears' debut, She Was Colored In, is a blissful excursion in pastoral, melodic electro-acoustic post-post-rock. With a soundtrack-like depth crossed with the group's young brand of synthy Krautrock, they come off like Neu! and Vangelis delivered with the modernist twist of Arp or Mount Kimbie. Like many of the European synth bands of the '70s, Solar Bears float between ambient and disco, with an emphasis on the ambient stuff. Their judicious use of few instruments (guitar, drum machine, bass, strings and various synthesizers), allows them to generate a chilled-out yet rich tapestry of emotive sound. Possessing a clean and clear aesthetic reminiscent of classical or film music, the sense of space and mood are defined in melodic passages that swell and recede effortlessly. A nice debut from Solar Bears and a soft diversion from Planet Mu's usual forays into the edgier side of electronic music. [DG]

		$12.99 LP $5.99 MP3   ZOMBIE DOGS Zombie Dogs (Strength in Numbers) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store Strength in Numbers' inaugural release! Zombie Dogs were born from the now defunct Carnal Knowledge, whose Krista Ciminera and Diane Anastasio decided to take a fun, more light-hearted approach than their previous group, while still adhering to their feminist ideas and radical politics. The all-female band has quickly become a stand-out in Brooklyn's d.i.y. scene, no doubt due to their tough, uncompromising approach to socially conscious hardcore punk. Full review next week.

		$14.99 CD   NURSE WITH WOUND & LARSEN Erroneous: A Selection of Errors (Important) Nurse with Wound's latest collaboration was born out of two years of file-swapping between Steve Stapleton and Italian experimentalists Larsen, both artists re-sculpting each other's pieces (one long NWW track and two Larsen tracks) written specifically for this album. Eberhard Kranemann (Neu!/Kraftwerk) is also on board adding, some guitar, synth and sax to the post-apocalyptic drones and alien soundscapes.

		$11.99 CD $14.99 LP $9.99 MP3   ETERNAL SUMMERS Silver (Kanine) "Running High" "World's Away" The debut album from this low-key Virginia duo is a sweet pop confection that owes more than a little to those titans of sweet, low-key Virginia pop, Unrest. Clear, jangly guitars, crisp, hypnotic drumming, and just enough weirdness and originality in the songwriting and Nicole Yun's lyrics and nuanced singing to keep things from getting too Saccharin. Simple, sweet, but full of surprises.

		$13.99 CD $13.99 LP   GIRLS AT DAWN Call the Doctor (Norton) Following a couple of short-players for Hozac and Captured Tracks, Norton serves up the debut full-length from this Brooklyn-based all-female trio, who nicely balance jangly, minor-key garage-pop with reverb-drenched girl-group harmonies and hooks, and a little bit of psychedelia. Fans of Best Coast, Dum Dum Girls and Best Coast won't want to miss this.

		$13.99 CD   CLOUD NOTHINGS Turning On (Carpark) "Whaddya Wanna Know" "Can't Stay Awake" Cloud Nothings has just found a new home on Carpark Records who are re-releasing the Turning On EP on CD, with bonus tracks compiled from a 7" on Group Tightener and a super-rare split cassette on Bathetic. Here's what we wrote earlier this year when we first covered the Speakertree issued vinyl release: 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]

		PHONE ORDERS Phone orders are accepted at (212) 477-8150 (ext. #2, mailorder) Mon-Fri, Noon - 7pm EST EMAIL For general inquiries or other information please email sales@othermusic.com. Do not reply to this message. REMOVE This is an automated list. If you would like to be removed for any reason, please visit: digital.othermusic.com/subscribe.php   THIS WEEK'S CONTRIBUTORS [AB] Adrian Burkeholder [BCa] Brian Cassidy [MC] Michael Crumsho [SG] Simon Gabriel [DG] Daniel Givens [DH] Duane Harriot [KCH] Kandia Crazy Horse [[IQ] Mikey IQ Jones [JK] Jacob Kaplan [JM] Josh Madell [SM] Scott Mou [KS] Karen Soskin [MS] Michael Stasiak [JTr] Jon Treneff THANKS FOR READING - all of us at Other Music

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