July 14, 2011

		FEATURED NEW RELEASES Washed Out Zomby Alva Noto + Ryuichi Sakamoto Olivia Wyatt (Book, CD & DVD) Eleanor Friedberger Kangding Ray Starter LP Candi Staton Sons and Daughters Rail Band LP (Extremely Limited!) Margaret Dygas Futurisk (12" Remixes) WU LYF Cut Hands     ALSO AVAILABLE Animal Collective (Sung Tongs 2LP - OM Exclusive for Month of July) Stephen Colbert & the Black Belles Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/othermusicnyc Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/othermusic

		JUL Sun 17 Mon 18 Tues 19 Wed 20 Thurs 21 Fri 22 Sat 23   WIN TICKETS TO DARKSTAR One of the rising names on Kode9's Hyperdub label, Darkstar's debut full-length, North, was an electronic music stand-out last year, the English producers moving away from the roll-n-tumble mindset of dubstep and towards the cold, emotional longing of John Foxx, early Human League and right on up to the xx. This Monday, Darkstar will be playing at NYC's (Le) Poisson Rouge with Phaseone, and we've got two pairs of tickets to give away. To enter, email tickets@othermusic.com, and we'll notify the two winners this Friday. MONDAY, JULY 18 (LE) POISSON ROUGE: 158 Bleecker Street, NYC

		JUL Sun 17 Mon 18 Tues 19 Wed 20 Thurs 21 Fri 22 Sat 23   OTHER MUSIC WEDNESDAYS AT ACE HOTEL RETURN Back by popular demand, members of the Other Music staff will be DJing the gorgeous lobby of NYC's Ace Hotel every Wednesday this summer, through to the end of August. This coming Wednesday, Amanda Colbenson will be taking over the decks, playing a great mix of rock, soul, psychedelia and international pop sounds. In the meantime, check out some of Amanda's favorite picks on Other Music Digital and see you next Wednesday. WEDNESDAY, JULY 20 (8PM-2AM) ACE HOTEL: 20 West 29th Street NYC

		JUL Sun 24 Mon 25 Tues 26 Wed 27 Thurs 28 Fri 29 Sat 30 Charles Bradley   CHARLES BRADLEY & BEANS AT FORT GREENE PARK Other Music is again teaming up with our friends at the Fort Greene Park Conservancy this summer to present a pair of free shows in Brooklyn's oldest (and coolest) park. Hopefully you caught the first of the two concerts this past Tuesday, with Afro-funkers Antibalas and new Stones Throw signees the Stepkids, who both delivered killer sets. Our next show will be just as great; on Tuesday, July 26, we'll be welcoming the incomparable Daptone soul man Charles Bradley and hip-hop innovator Beans of Anti-Pop Consortium. Please come and join us on the wonderful lawns of Fort Greene Park! ALL SHOWS ARE FREE, ON THE MYRTLE LAWN OF FORT GREENE PARK (enter Myrtle and N. Portland)

		OTHER MUSIC + EYEBEAM BOOKSTORE Summer is always a great time of year to explore NYC's art galleries, and we imagine that many of our readers may find themselves visiting Chelsea's Eyebeam Art & Technology Center. While you're there, make sure to check out Eyebeam's Bookstore Gallery Wall, where we're presenting selections of vinyl and CDs, curated by Eyebeam Honorary Resident Tahir Hemphill and Other Music's best kept secret, avant-garde electronic music producer/performance artist Daniel Givens (Aesthetics recordings). On display through August 6. EYEBEAM ART & TECHNOLOGY CENTER: 540 W. 21st Street, NYC

		$12.99 CD   WASHED OUT Within and Without (Sub Pop) "Eyes Be Closed" "Before" Just in last week's Update we were pronouncing the death of chillwave, with artists like Toro Y Moi and Memory Tapes replacing much of the gauzy lo-fi sheen of their earlier releases with a more polished and even streamlined sound on their latest albums. Washed Out, the one-man project of Ernest Greene, however, is proudly keeping the icy torch aglow, and his new record is, in fact, everything that was so right with the genre to begin with. Greene must be a literal guy, as his band name so accurately reflects the sound of his music, and so does this album title, Within and Without. It is music for both the head and the body, delivering both intimacy and grandiosity; Greene creates a blissed-out, hazy dancefloor filled with swinging arms and gyrating hips coupled with an after-party intimate encounter, as well as the warm summer morning feelings the following day. This is sexual stuff, or shall I say sensual, a soft boy cooing on top of a bed of slightly swaying and lightly bouncing electronic beats made in a home studio, and at times the closeness is inescapable. Song titles like "Eyes Be Closed," "Soft" or "You and I" reflect the framing, and along with the up close and personal album artwork, they paint a picture of physical contact and personal relationships. What sets Greene apart from his time capsule-inspired contemporaries like Nite Jewel, the aforementioned Toro Y Moi, Ford & Lopatin, or elder-statesman Panda Bear, is the pure sense of control he exerts in his electronic songwriting, as he shapes and sculpts layers of small intricate sounds. He also differs by sticking with the mostly digital instruments, not shifting to analog for the sake of proving something, and the subtleness of the chill-out vibe of the songs is refreshing. It's another ode to the '80s, yet Washed Out's brand of mid-tempo white funk isn't afraid to sonically sound good and be danceable. Greene shows a true sense for dance music that much of the scene is missing, though it's never tough and hard-hitting; his palette is filled with pastels more so than neon. It also references shoegaze, but I actually hear more of the dance-influenced sounds of the second half of the '80s -- think Talk Talk's late output, but also the (then) younger generation fusion of bands like Chapterhouse or even dance-pop acts the Beloved, or the Balearic side of Saint Etienne, yet devoid of guitars so this purely embraces the electric dream. Indie for dance fans, dance for indie fans, if you've flipped out over James Blake, Bon Iver, or Memory Tapes, be ready to have your body melt; here is the record that you'll play all summer. I'm not saying it's better than sliced bread, but for what it's worth, I'm impressed. Reminds me of Person Pitch for the next generation. [DG]

		$12.99 CD $19.99 LPx2+MP3 $9.99 MP3   ZOMBY Dedication (4AD) "Riding with Death" "Digital Rain" Finally, a dubstep album that reaffirms our faith in music as a whole. The enigmatic, camera shy, psychedelic-dubstep producer known as Zomby has made a name for himself with his utterly distinct, obsessively unique bass music. With Dedication, his 4AD debut, we are treated to an album that invites us into a very detailed interior space that demonstrates the power of music made from the inside out. It is a record so eerily personal -- the album's title is in reference to the sudden and recent passing of the artist's father -- with a mysterious allure just shy of alienating, which manages the tightrope walk of giving so much without giving away anything at all. On his 2008 debut album, Where Were U in '92, Zomby created an all-encompassing, dream-like retrospective of a hardcore warehouse rave, equal parts Caustic Window-era Aphex Twin and visceral coming-of-age, face-melt experience. Many of the sounds of his past recordings have remained; the cosmic video game palette is still here, the woozy drugginess is still here, even that air horn reappears, but what truly sets this album apart is how intensely focused and pulled back it is. The sounds create a backwards-turning vortex from the depths of the heart, through the stomach and back again. It is an intensely internal space that he seems to be inviting us into but at the same time, warning us not to get too close. Imagine a track of gently steppy dancehall rhythms, pixilated bass tone melodies, bits of cascading synth wash, snippets of handclaps and a simple "yeah" voice sample. Though these may be ingredients for a floor-filler to some, the song "Riding with Death" takes these elements and creates a micro-dancehall meditation made for an absolutely solitary moment, where the vocal sample sounds much less like a party chant and more like a personal vow to press on and not give up hope. Then there are tracks like "Digital Rain" which are so clonky and synthetic but with that otherworldly familiarity and comfort reminiscent of a scene from Fantasia. Other pinnacle moments are found in "Things Fall Apart" (with perfectly epic vocal assistance by Panda Bear), taking Zomby's Robotron sound effect to its most sweeping potential. The melancholic chords and synth-brass of the merely 57-second "Lucifer" seem to tug at the tear ducts by hand. The most obviously mournful tracks on this album also rank among the most beautiful: the piano/strings driven "Haunted" and the procession-like piano dirge of "Basquiat." This is an album of music that is audacious at heart but whose soul is mysteriously receded and isolated. It is both mournful and steadfast with a deep sense of determination. It adds a substantial piece to the puzzle we know as Zomby, yet we are still not much closer to seeing the whole. And that's just fine by me. [SM]

		$17.99 CD $9.99 MP3   ALVA NOTO + RYUICHI SAKAMOTO summvs (Raster-Noton) "microon I" "ionoscan" The long-running collaboration between Raster-Noton founder and digital sound pioneer Carsten Nicolai (a/k/a Alva Noto) and pianist/composer Ryuichi Sakamoto reaches its apex with Summvs, the fifth and allegedly final release by the pair, and without question the finest album from the duo. Sakamoto performs on one of only fifteen pianos in the world tuned to 16th intervals, and there's a higher focus and emphasis on his melodies here. Nicolai, meanwhile, displays the same focus on rhythm within his textural processing that he began with his Anbb project with Blixa Bargeld. The results here are always engrossing and never less than beautiful, as Sakamoto's piano solos overflow with both intense emotion and skilled restraint; Nicolai fleshes out those melodies with skittering percussive pulses and thick swathes of bass, creating epic tone poems that evoke the classicist melodicism of Debussy, the epic urban chill Vangelis' Blade Runner, and even the regal ambient tapestries of Cluster + Eno, often all at once, yet never sounding like anyone but themselves. The Cluster + Eno nod is given further exploration via two evocative cover versions of the trio's "By This River," from Eno's 1977 Before and After Science album, and like that groundbreaking collaboration, this record gives final evidence that Sakamoto and Nikolai have spent the past ten years using their collaboration to not only open new doors, but to explore seldom-tread paths which have bore deeply meaningful, sonically delicious fruits. This is a high-water mark for both parties, and Summvs stands as a beacon in both of their discographies. Absolute highest recommendation on this one, people. [IQ]

		$28.99 CD+DVD+BK   OLIVIA WYATT Staring into the Sun (Sublime Frequencies) Olivia Wyatt's Staring into the Sun, a photo-book/DVD/audio CD document of the filmmaker's 2009 trip to Ethiopia, is the latest entry into the increasingly expansive Sublime Frequencies catalogue. Ostensibly an ethnographic study, the video, book and CD work in tandem to create more of a picture of a particularly pointed voyage than the more typically dry, impersonal anthropological account you might be subjected to in countless academic tomes. Wyatt traveled around the varied high and lowlands of Ethiopia in her month and a half there, visiting different tribes and recording the activities she told people she wanted to see: music, rituals and zar possession ceremonies. With the footage she brought back, she assembled a collage of her time there, part documentary, part travelogue, part performance footage. There is a certain endearing naivete to her approach -- no overly romanticized shots of lions bounding through the savannah, no heavy-handed voiceovers, no negotiating the complexity of the viewer-subject relationship. What the film does allow is for the people themselves to shine, and for their humble nobility to become the conduit through which you can sense the filmmaker's excitement. Of course, this being a Sublime Frequencies release, music is at the forefront of the proceedings, and some of the tribes and musicians Wyatt met are truly remarkable. Polyphonic singing, fractal rhythms, shrill horns made from animal parts, and primitive lutes and zithers abound. If you're into this kind of thing, there's a lot to love both on the DVD and CD. The book gives short accounts of each tribal group covered, as well as explication of instruments and folk song contexts, along with Wyatt's casually composed and alluring Polaroid images taken along her road. All in all, an excellent document, and another branch of the Sublime Frequencies tree worthy of investigation and expansion. [SG]

		$13.99 CD $19.99 LP+MP3 $9.99 MP3   ELEANOR FRIEDBERGER Last Summer (Merge) "My Mistakes" "I Won't Fall Apart on You Tonight" The great thing about Eleanor Friedberger's debut solo album, Last Summer, is the way it neatly unhooks itself from her brother, Matthew, and their band, the Fiery Furnaces. In the early '00s, the Furnaces represented the arty, Beefheart side of the garage pop explosion -- Matthew's songwriting chops and Eleanor's soulful, belting voice could have easily manufactured pop hit after pop hit but they willfully melted and welded their songs together, released heady, thoughtful albums, and gained a devoted following (myself included) with their freaky, acid-fried indie rock. But over time, with the band's ceaseless release schedule coupled with their inclination to radically reinterpret their own catalog, I started to wonder if anything the group did was real; the malleability of their songs made me feel like they weren't committed to anything they put to tape, and how could I trust a pop band that couldn't decide on what constituted a "finished" song? With Last Summer, I feel like I can trust at least one Friedberger again. The ten-song record is full of tight, well-produced pop tunes with catchy piano and synth riffs, strummed guitars and straightforward, lilting rhythms. There are also psychedelic elements scattered throughout the songs, a holdover of what made early Furnaces records so engaging: strange sound effects, strong and varied percussion flourishes, and the odd inflections and cadences of Eleanor's voice. On songs like "I Won't Fall Apart on You Tonight," the woozy effect of Eleanor's double-tracked vocals and backwards drum hits keeps me from getting too comfortable, and I mean that as a compliment. She channels the assured power pop of the New Pornographers, especially during the choruses of the opener "My Mistakes." She sounds like Laurie Anderson, with a dash of Debbie Harry 'tude, but with the Rentals as a backing band. Eleanor's lyrics are a little more comprehensible than her brother's, and we start to feel a story as the record progresses: a woman, reliving painful memories of a former love that is now out of the picture, told with a writer's precise detailing that is utterly engaging; "Meet at the bar where the floor lights up/and every other square turns red and green" is one of my favorite lines, from "Roosevelt Island." Ultimately, the best thing about Eleanor's big solo debut is the return to the playfulness that defined the early Furnaces sound. These are pleasurable pop songs, sprinkled with noir saxophones, burbling synths, and finally, a reliable narrator. [MS]

		$17.99 CD $9.99 MP3   KANGDING RAY OR (Raster-Noton) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store One of my favorite artists on the Raster-Noton label returns with his best record yet, and boy, is it a stunner. Kangding Ray's OR, his third album, ably combines the detailed sonic architecture of his fellow Raster labelmates and the likes of Monolake with dark, brooding synth melodies, spectral female voices, and plenty of microscopic digital flora. What sets his work apart from the rest of the Raster pack (not to mention most of his contemporaries), though, is his expert usage of visceral, seriously weighty beats. These tracks work in the same cyclical rhythm mathematics as prime Autechre circa Tri Repetae or Chiastic Slide, with each kick drum literally feeling like just that, a kick straight in the gut. He's also a master arranger, with every track displaying a density that always feels uncluttered; each sonic element is given equal opportunity to breathe and pulsate, giving the album a vibrancy and vitality despite the heavy usage of cold, stark sounds, which are often tempered by rich diversities of texture in the many layers of rhythm. I'm also impressed with the way the album plays like a suite, with each track complementing the rest; there are individual highlights, but the record is best enjoyed as an extended whole. Icelandic composer (and OM fave) Ben Frost adds keyboard textures to OR, and the artists share a similar love for dark, sensual soundscapes. There are also similarities to Andy Stott and T++'s recent albums of heavyweight bass hypnotism, and if you enjoyed those efforts, you'll find much to love here. I get people approaching the counter every time we play this in the shop, and I'm hesitant to say much more about the record because its power and magic really just speaks for itself. This is one of the best albums of 2011 in any genre, and it's sitting at the top of my current personal list of in-store staff recommendations. [IQ]

		$14.99 LP   STARTER Starter (Dark Entries) Originally released in 1981, the first and only LP from Switzerland's Starter gets the reissue treatment from the Dark Entries imprint, and its a great slice of energetic new wave that touches on elements of minimal synth, angular post-punk, and even the burgeoning Italo/ Euro-disco sound in its constant bounce. Unlike many Swiss synth bands of the time -- most notably Grauzone, of which Starter shares a member -- the group relied less on Cold War-era or industrial intensity, and aimed straight for the new wave pop sound championed by UK bands like Depeche Mode, Tubeway Army, Blancmange, and the Human League. These references definitely ring true, but Starter has a more defined European sound (French wave acts Moderne or Mathématiques Modernes come to mind), in that it's just off-kilter enough to keep things interesting and unique. Like any true new wave band, Starter includes a few slow, lovelorn numbers, yet the group really shines when they're having fun, as on the dark Italo burner "Victim," or the synth funk of the very excellent "Part of You" and "Lunapark" -- tracks I can guarantee you will be hearing out now that this LP is available again. While Starter detractors may criticize the band's fashionista brand of new wave or singer Francis Foss' dramatic vocal stylings (he sounds like an untrained Klaus Nomi -- not a problem in my book), the synth work here is truly top notch and it's really just a fun record. Another great release from Dark Entries, recommended for fans of the aforementioned bands and those who like a little neon mixed in with their black attire. [CPa]

		$28.99 CDx2   CANDI STATON Evidence: The Complete Fame Records Masters (Kent) "Someone You Use" "Trouble, Heartaches and Sadness" "I'll Drop Everything and Come Running" Most people these days probably know Candi Staton as the original singer of the hands-in-the-air dance anthem "You Got the Love," a song that recently found its way back on the charts again thanks to a career-launching cover by Florence and the Machine. To deep soul connoisseurs, however, Ms. Staton is an icon, one of THE definitive voices of '70s southern soul. This great collection focuses on the stellar output which the Hanceville, Alabama native recorded for the Muscle Shoals-based Fame Records, circa '69-'74. Staton spent her early years developing her vocal chops in the Jewell Gospel Trio, which she left after a chance meeting in the late '60s with Clarence Carter. The soul legend (and her future husband) offered her a job as a back-up singer in his touring band, which soon led to a meeting with Fame label head Rick Hall, who immediately signed her after hearing her stunning voice. Staton had plenty of emotional wells to draw from -- then 30-years old, she had recently ended a tumultuous 10-year marriage with an abusive minister and was broke, raising four young children on her own. And you can feel it in the raw vocal performances of cheating anthems "Mr. and Mrs. Untrue," "Never in Public" and "Another Woman's Man." Like male counterpart James Carr, she was able to capture the shame and confusion of infidelity in ways that their better-known contemporaries couldn't. Staton was also one of the finest soul interpreters of country music of the time and if her delicate physical traits and photogenic beauty belied her poverty stricken roots, her husky, emotive and gritty vocals put all those doubts to rest. Included here are stunning renditions of "Jolene," her Grammy-nominated run at Tammy Wynette's standard "Stand by Your Man," and Merle Haggard's ode to rebound relationships, "It's Not Love (But It's Not Bad)." After her Fame Records era, Staton would find her biggest chart successes with the disco anthems "Young Hearts Run Free," "When You Wake Up Tomorrow" and the aforementioned "You Got the Love." Still, as great as those staples are, the early-'70s songs highlighted in this collection are the definitive Staton. All fans of Tina Turner, Mavis Staples, Otis, Al and Syl should step right up, but BYOB for your tears! [DH]

		$13.99 CD $19.99 LP+MP3+45 180 Gram $9.99 MP3   SONS AND DAUGHTERS Mirror Mirror (Domino) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store If Sons and Daughters' last album, the Bernard Butler-produced This Gift, was their push for pop perfection, Mirror Mirror finds the Scottish quartet scuffing off a bit of the shine without losing the precision of that record, while adding some of post-punk's angularity and tension to the mix. Despite a restless nature, Sons and Daughters have always built their songs around the same core, a wonderful male/female vocal interplay that draws on both British folk traditions and primal first-wave punk. But with a bit of help here from fellow Glaswegian JD Twitch (Optimo), this time around they have added some pulsing synths and even a touch of drum programming, and the rhythm section plays with a lockstep precision that evokes mid-period Gang of Four's minimalist funk. The sound is cool -- almost icy -- which can at times leave the listener a bit cold, but overall the record is a return to form for a band whose pop-chart flirtations seem to have been just a passing fancy. [JM]

		$31.99 LP   RAIL BAND Rail Band (Superfly) This long overdue reissue of one of the greatest records by Mali's mythical Rail Band is not only amongst the group's greatest achievements, it is one of the most brilliant of all West African LPs of the '70s. Released in 1973, at the height of the guitar band craze in the region, this LP finds Mory Kante on lead vocals, in the wake of the departure of original singer Salif Keita, who left one year earlier to form his own group, Les Ambassadeurs Internationaux. The heated rivalry between the two bands for dominance of Bamako's rousing nightclub scene pushed each group to higher and higher plateaus of creativity, and on this LP in particular, there is a certain passion and burning, especially in the lethal guitar lines of the legendary Djelimady Tounkara. Each song on the LP is an interpretation of a Malian epic folk tale, and the reverence displayed, along with eyes toward adaptation and progression, are the main tenets on which this revolutionary music was based. One can hear echoes of many kinds of music popular in Mali at the time, but unlike the reliance on Cuban-style rhythms of many of their peers, the Rail Band staked their reputation on experimentation, tinkering with Nigerian Afrobeat, American soul and even Ethiopian pop-instrumental forms. A song like "Duga," with its ghostly guitar figure and whispered sax, is the kind of track that makes listeners into converts. Every single song on this record is an absolute treasure, a true benchmark for music of this particular time and place. The reissue itself is impeccably done, with gorgeously reproduced cover art and labels, and none of the superfluous branding that can plague many re-releases of this type. Top notch all-around, this limited LP-only release will not last long. [SG]

		$17.99 CD   MARGARET DYGAS Margaret Dygas (Perlon) "Pressed for Time" "41" Producer and DJ Margaret Dygas first caught my attention with a stunning experimental house 12" on Perlon back in 2009 called Invisible Circles; it singlehandedly renewed my faith in one of my favorite electronic labels. Following some wicked contributions to the recent Funf compilation and Perlon's Superlongevity Five collection, not to mention a great record for Powershovel Audio, Dygas is back on Perlon with a fantastic new album that blends sensual, jacking deep house vibes with more outré experimental textures, all with stunning success and wicked kinetic power. She takes dub ambience, the muffled, clattering polyrhythmic textures of classic Ricardo Villalobos, and even elements of early industrial's flirtations with dancefloor schematics, and blends them into one of the best collusions of ass-shaking weight and headphone exploration I've heard all year. She has a brilliant ear for arrangement, making her tracks linear and kinetic enough for the 4/4-conscious, but simultaneously leftfield enough for the more abstract heads out there. Anyone who has been grooving to the sounds of the recent Laid comp should check this; it's a nice cousin to that same aesthetic, but takes the vibe further out to sea with stunning results. [IQ]

		$19.99 12"   FUTURISK Lonely Streets Remixes EP (Cititrax) Featuring remixes from Chris Carter (Throbbing Gristle/ Chris & Cosey), Prince Language (DFA/ Editions Disco), Tom Furse (the Horrors), and Complexxion, the new remix 12" of Futurisk's "Lonely Streets" bridges the gap between Veronica Vasicka's Minimal Wave label and her other venture Cititrax, which focuses on dance-oriented synth material new and old. Florida synth punk stalwarts Futurisk's releases were destined for obscurity and insane collector's prices until Vasicka reissued the band's discography on the Player Piano LP last year, and now she moves Futurisk on over to her Cititrax label for a bit of welcomed updating. First released in 1982, the original version of "Lonely Streets" (and the rest of Futurisk's output) is straight up lo-fi synth punk, yet, in the hands of the producers here, "Lonely Streets" becomes an early techno experiment (Chris Carter), a Kraftwerk-inspired electro instrumental (Complexxion), and a heavily arpeggiated electroclash throwback (Tom Furse). Each remix is a fresh take but Prince Language's remix is definitely the go-to track here. I've been a fan of his edits for the Editions Disco series for a while now, and those familiar with his brand of updated, DJ-friendly disco remixes will know what to expect: synthed-out, repetitive nu-disco that's a guaranteed after-hours floor filler. Very nice! [CPa]

		$14.99 CD $9.99 MP3   WU LYF Go Tell Fire to the Mountain (Lucifer Youth Foundation) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store This Manchester group has shrouded itself in mystery, and while there is nothing inherently cryptic or strange about their cinematic brand of rock music, their sound is steeped in the shadows, and somehow lends itself to anonymity. The drumming has the proggy preciseness of post-pop bands like Aloha, but the unhinged feeling of one of those Civil War drummer boys leading the charge into certain death; the hazy electric guitar and organ playing are dreamy and apparently recorded in a church a la Arcade Fire, Neon Bible epic. The most idiosyncratic thing about WU LYF is Ellery Roberts' vocal delivery, a raw guttural howl -- think a pre-teen Tom Waits. Songs like "Dirt" and "Spitting Blood" are tightly wound in the verses, but the explosions in the choruses are tailor-made for big festivals and getting masses of people moving. This record is definitely for fans of angular post-punk, who are also interested in hearing elements of large-scale Britpop and arena-filling hugeness. [MS]

		$16.99 CD   CUT HANDS Afro Noise (Very Friendly) "Stabbers Conspiracy" "Impassion" William Bennett is an influential yet controversial figure in the world of post-industrial noise music. Via his project Whitehouse, he has drawn as much criticism over the years as he has praise (if not more), essentially creating the power electronics style and inspiring acts from Wolf Eyes to Mego founder Peter Rehberg, among many others, with a fierce, pummeling blend of massive bass and piercing high-register electronic tones. Whitehouse's work of recent vintage has incorporated Bennett's growing interest in African music and folklore, particularly of Ghanaian ritual music and Voudou culture, and he manifests that interest to its extreme with the first album under his new moniker, Cut Hands. The music of Cut Hands is rooted in dense, high-octane polyrhythms performed on assorted African hand drums, shakers, and metals; he combines those rhythmic trance grooves with massive washes of the grimy electronics he's mastered for decades now, only here those tones provide disorienting drones, atmospheric moodiness and pure needling texture. The whole thing is brutal yet propulsive, not necessarily aping the sounds of its influences but successfully (and respectfully) processing them in unique ways; I'm reminded of everything from 23 Skidoo's fusions of indigenous polyrhythm and industrial soundscapes (minus the funk) to Kevin Martin's bass bin-busting work as the Bug (minus the dancehall influences) to the nightmarish nightclub scene in Jacob's Ladder. It's definitely NOT for everyone, but it's surprisingly more listenable than anything else to which Bennett has ever put his name, and is most highly recommended for anyone who likes their beats visceral, dirty, and straight-up HEAVY. [IQ]

		$18.99 LPx2+MP3   ANIMAL COLLECTIVE Sung Tongs (Fat Cat) Fat Cat Records have made Animal Collective's now-classic Sung Tongs available on vinyl again. Originally released in 2004, this album remains a high-water mark in the band's discography, and for the month of July Other Music is the exclusive seller in the States for this double-LP pressing!

		$6.99 45   STEPHEN COLBERT AND THE BLACK BELLES Charlene II (I'm Over You) (Third Man) Jack White welcomes the one and only Stephen Colbert to his Third Man Records roster, pairing the Comedy Central star, onetime presidential candidate and champion of truthiness with another of the label's new signings, garage-goth vixens the Black Belles. The A-side features new song "Charlene II (I'm Over You)" while the flip finds the Belles playing "Charlene (I'm Right Behind You)," a cover of a tune that fans of The Colbert Show will probably recognize that may or may (probably) not have been recorded in the '80s by the comedian's band Stephen and the Colberts.

		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 [SG] Simon Gabriel [DG] Daniel Givens [DH] Duane Harriott [IQ] Mikey IQ Jones [JM] Josh Madell [SM] Scott Mou [CPa] Chris Pappas [MS] Michael Stasiak THANKS FOR READING - all of us at Other Music

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