March 3, 2011

		Click to Enlarge Jamie Woon Anna Calvi   OTHER MUSIC & DIG FOR FIRE'S SXSW LAWN PARTY We are thrilled to announce the line-up for our fourth annual SXSW Lawn Party, which we'll be presenting again with our good friends, Dig For Fire! As you can see below, we've got an extraordinary two-days of music planned, so if you are in Austin for SXSW, please do join us on the Thursday and Friday afternoon of the music festival. 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 youtube.com/sxswlawnparty. And check out this YouTube channel in the coming days, where we'll be posting some of our favorite musical moments from past years' events, including never-before-seen performance footage. See you in Texas!! THURSDAY, MARCH 17 HILL STAGE: Papercuts (1 pm), Cass McCombs (2 pm), Twin Shadow (3 pm), Sharon Van Etten (4 pm), Low (5 pm), Edwyn Collins (6 pm) VALLEY STAGE: Hanni El Khatib (1:30 pm), Olof Arnalds (2:30 pm), Janka Nabay (3:30 pm), Lia Ices (4:30 pm), Ted Leo (5:30 pm) FRIDAY, MARCH 18 HILL STAGE: Anna Calvi (1 pm), Lower Dens (2 pm), Grass Widow (3 pm), Cults (4 pm), James Blake (5 pm), !!! (Chk Chk Chk) (6 pm) VALLEY STAGE: Jamie Woon (1:30 pm), John Vanderslice (2:30 pm), The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger (Sean Lennon & Charlotte Kemp Muhl -- 3:30 pm), Sam Amidon (4:30 pm), Tune-Yards (5:30 pm) FRENCH LEGATION MUSEUM: 802 San Marcos Street Austin, TX 1 pm to 7 pm both days   Free | All Ages (21+ w/ID to drink) Follow Dig For Fire on Facebook

		FEATURED NEW RELEASES Rainbow Arabia Nite Jewel Puro Instinct Anna Calvi Cartagena! (Various) Papercuts La Sera Dum Dum Girls Xex Attention Patterns (Various LP) SMM: Context (Various) Lykke Li Yuck The Cave Singers Mahmoud Ahmed (Ethiopiques 26) Kaleidoscope Spiritualized Tim Hecker Kip Hanrahan     ALSO AVAILABLE Faust Lumerians Lucinda Williams Chain and the Gang Steffi Diplo (Riddimentary Mix) BACK IN STOCK Teo Macero LP Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/othermusicnyc Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/othermusic

		MAR Sun 27 Mon 28 Tues 01 Wed 02 Thurs 03 Fri 04 Sat 05   WIN TICKETS TO THE BERGHAIN & PANORAMA BAR RESIDENCY AT THE BUNKER This Friday, the Bunker brings a taste of Berlin nightlife to Brooklyn again, via another installment of their Berghain and Panorama Bar Residency, and this one is absolutely killer. The backroom will feature one of techno's finest and Berghain resident, Marcel Dettmann, who will be dropping a five-hour closing set(!!), plus Surgeon, who will present the North American debut of his live audio/visual set, and the Bunker's own Spinoza. Up front, Panorama Bar resident Steffi, who's just released Yours and Mine, a great album of modern deep house on Ostgut Ton, will be spinning along with the Bunker's Eric Cloutier. We've got two pairs of tickets up for grabs. Email giveaway@othermusic.com to enter and we'll notify the two winners on Friday morning. FRIDAY, MARCH 4 PUBLIC ASSEMBLY: 70 N. 6th Street, Williamsburg, BKLN

		MAR Sun 27 Mon 28 Tues 01 Wed 02 Thurs 03 Fri 04 Sat 05   WIN TICKETS TO THE PSYCHIC PARAMOUNT The Psychic Paramount have just released II, an epic set of their brain-melting instrumental rock excursions, and will be performing this Saturday night in Brooklyn at Death By Audio, along with Talk Normal and Eleven Twenty-Nine. Other Music has two pairs of tickets to give away, and you can enter by emailing tickets@othermusic.com. We'll notify the two winners this Friday. SATURDAY, MARCH 5 DEATH BY AUDIO: 49 S 2nd Street, Williamsburg, BKLN

		MAR Sun 06 Mon 07 Tues 08 Wed 09 Thurs 10 Fri 11 Sat 12   KURT VILE IN-STORE PERFORMANCE In the week leading up to the release of his new full-length, Smoke Ring for My Halo on Matador Records, Kurt Vile will be playing a series of solo acoustic in-stores at a select handful of independent record shops in the northeast. His final stop on this tour will be at Other Music on the night of the record's release, March 8th at 9PM. This Philly rock wonder is as prolific as he is great, and we consider albums like Constant Hitmaker and last year's Childish Prodigy (his first for Matador) to be new classics. Smoke Ring for My Halo is sure to be added to that list as well. TUESDAY, MARCH 8th @ 9PM OTHER MUSIC: 15 East 4th Street, NYC All Ages | Free Admission | Limited Capacity

		Many of our customers have been enjoying the ease of texting their orders with their mobile phone. To take advantage of this option with 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.

		$14.99 CD $15.99 LP $12.99 MP3   RAINBOW ARABIA Boys and Diamonds (Kompakt) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store We've carried a couple of earlier releases from this L.A.-based husband and wife duo, and while I was drawn to their concept -- Indian and Arabic-influenced electronic pop -- those records seemed to be missing the perfect tune and the impeccable production value that would bring it all together. That can no longer be said, as this is a fully realized and truly amazing album, with the production sheen that one would expect from a Kompakt record; yes, the legendary techno label has scooped up Rainbow Arabia, and Boys and Diamonds is the rare pop album that actually makes sense in this context. The duo work with elements of Indian, Arabic and African music, and new wave, disco, and modern electronic production stylings too, but always with a natural organic tone. On paper, it's an eclectic combination, and sure, you could say it's all been done before. Yet with Matthew Preston's spot-on production instinct, and Tiffany Preston's dynamic vocals, shifting from an M.I.A. chant/rap to a Karin Dreijer Andersson howl at the flick of a switch, you have an album that is much more than the sum of its parts. Plus, they have the songs; title track "Boys and Diamonds," with its tribal percussion, highlife guitar line, '80s synth and Tiffany's incredible Thai-pop vocal delivery, is mesmerizing. Then there's the debut single, "Without You," which should be the summer anthem of 2011 -- a perfect '80s-influenced pop gem that is too infectious to slip away. These days, bands' influences come from all over the world, and incorporating traditional instrumentation with electronics isn't anything new, but here Rainbow Arabia have not only raised the bar, they've also created what is easily one of my favorite albums of the year (or maybe the past five, for that matter). An essential purchase for anyone interested in music that pushes the boundaries of pop music and comes out on top! [BC] Order CD by Texting "omcdrainbowboys" to 767825 Order LP by Texting "omlprainbowboys" to 767825

		$14.99 12"+MP3   NITE JEWEL It Goes Through Your Head EP (Mexican Summer) The Oakland-reared/LA-based Ramona Gonzalez has expanded her Nite Jewel project to a three-piece now while continuing to hone her analog R&B-derived sound. With the OG mix of "It Goes Through Your Head," Ramona turns in a nice '80s freestyle-flavored slice of d-i-y- funkiness, and here her vocal delivery is more confident than ever, and the overall production in sharper focus than the gauzy sound of her early bedroom recordings. The B-side, "Natural Causes," however, will appeal to those listeners bowled over by the dreamy aspects of Nite Jewel's Good Evening debut, as Gonzalez's hazy vocals float above Technicolor synth stabs and sizzling kick drums and distortion. It's an intoxicating cut, reminding me of some cosmic collaboration between DNA-era Flock of Seagulls and the recently departed Trish Keenan, with Alan Moulder at the controls. There's also a killer remix of the title track by Nite Jewel colleague Dam-Funk, which finds Dam laying down some nasty keyboard work and his patented, rubbery synth-bass pads behind her strong vocals. It's a good teaser for the forthcoming "NiteFunk" collabo that these two have been threatening to unleash upon the masses in 2012. The EP closes with a great, dubby ethereal remix of the B-side by Mexican Summer labelmates the Samps. 4 for 4 and highly recommended! [DH] Order LP by Texting "omlpniteit" to 767825

		$12.99 CD $15.99 LP+MP3   PURO INSTINCT Headbangers in Ecstasy (Mexican Summer) "Everybody's Sick" "Silky Eyes" Last time we saw California's Puro Instinct, the Kaplan sisters were making some easy, breezy, beautiful pop songs under the moniker Pearl Harbor. Young guns Skylar and Piper, aged 16 and 23 respectively, may have a new name as well as a few new members in tow now, but they stay true to form on their full-length debut, Headbangers in Ecstasy, fittingly out on Brooklyn's Mexican Summer, home to the similarly sandy Washed Out and Real Estate. Mining territory akin to recent tourmate and collaborator Ariel Pink, here Puro Instinct fashion their own brand of seriously frothy dream pop. Chock full of ebullient guitar lines that slink and swirl around the girls' glossy, reverb-laden vocals, it's easy to spot the influences the band draws from: the shimmering shoegaze of seminal acts like Lush mix with the softer rock overtones of groups like Fleetwood Mac and traces of Ariel Pink's distinctive variety of pop. What's not to love? Blended together, it's a winning combination, pulled off with an air of giddy ease. With tracks like "Everybody's Sick" and "No Mames" boasting gushing guitar arpeggios and warm, swanky synths, I'll give them a pass for the hokey, faux KDOD radio interludes that pop up every couple of tracks. As they breeze through songs like single "Stilyagi (feat Ariel Pink)" and "Silky Eyes," Puro Instinct are at their best when their music feels effortless, when the rippling instrumentation is sparkling, crystalline and when the atmosphere retains their playful, lighthearted airs. Headbangers in Ecstasy is the soundtrack for your spring and summer reveries. [PG] Order CD by Texting "omcdpuroheadbangers" to 767825 Order LP by Texting "omlppuroheadbangers" to 767825

		$13.99 CD $18.99 LP+MP3 180 Gram $9.99 MP3   ANNA CALVI Anna Calvi (Domino) "Blackout" "Desire" If you're the type who stays on top of the international music press, particularly the UK's hype-heavy gushing, you've surely heard of Britain's Anna Calvi. She caught many ears with a great single last year featuring a cover of "Jezebel," a track that both Frankie Laine and Edith Piaf did way back when; even Brian Eno, whose oeuvre has very little in common with Calvi's, is a fan. Calvi's self-titled debut was just released in the US on Domino Recording Co; produced by PJ Harvey collaborator Rob Ellis, she does indeed have some similarities that recall Polly Jean's emotionally intense, early guitar-based records. Anna cuts a severe, powerful figure, with her chiseled features and bright red lipstick (and a penchant for flamenco shirts), with a beat-up Telecaster playing reverbed guitar chords and spindly leads, singing in that soaring, crystal-clear voice. The album is a haunting affair, with an old-fashioned, unadorned style that shines a bright spotlight on Calvi. It's dark, but not depressing, it's romantic, but not lovey-dovey. Calvi's guitar and voice are at center stage, but there is a band back there, with subtle cymbal and tom-tom rhythms, swelling strings on occasion, and other nice, simple touches that color songs that otherwise live mostly in black, white and cherry-red. From "Rider to the Sea," the chilling instrumental guitar piece that opens the record, through the set-closing mambo of "Love Won't Be Leaving," this is an album that snuck into my consciousness, and won't be leaving any time soon. It's a grower, this one, and so is Calvi -- she has the distinct air of a real artist who has something to say, and this is a great introduction to a woman I think we will be listening to for quite some time. [JM] Order CD by Texting "omcdannacalvi" to 767825 Order LP by Texting "omlpannacalvi" to 767825 Catch Anna Calvi live at Other Music & Dig For Fire's upcoming SXSW Lawn Party. Details here.

		$15.99 CD $9.99 MP3   VARIOUS ARTISTS Cartagena! (Soundway) "Oye Negra" Homero y su Combo Con Pacho Galan y la Sonora Curro "Patuleco" Orquesta Sonora Curro The Soundway label first caught my attention, as well as that of many others, with their excellent collection, Colombia! The Golden Age of Discos Fuentes. That compilation documented the sounds of what was arguably Colombian music's most dominant and prominent record label; it was a huge hit here at Other Music, and since its release back in 2007, there has been a steady stream of quality reissues and collections of vintage cumbia and guaguanco tracks that shine light on the vibrant music which has opened up new doors across dancefloors worldwide. The Fuentes label was a family-run business and the aforementioned Colombia! collection highlighted the sounds spearheaded by eldest brother Antonio. Now comes Cartagena!, which sets its sights on the output of the youngest, wildest, and flashiest sibling, Jose Maria "Curro" Fuentes, whose productions tended to emphasize bass grooves and a true, raw "live" feel. This compilation focuses on Curro's studio work for Philips Records from 1962-72, a period in which Curro was the artistic director of the label's Colombian operations, and which birthed some of his most fiery productions of many of the region's hottest, most talented new artists. He was fond of recording bands on the spot, and not letting groups refine or distill their sound in the studio; he wanted to capture things in the moment -- you're either hot, or you're not. Curro's productions fuse cumbia ingredients with salsa and descargas, often pumping huge swathes of electric bass into the mix, which at the time was a new innovation. There's no fighting the pure kinetic power of these grooves; they itch, they twitch, they throb with a sweaty heat that is entirely infectious and devastatingly catchy. If you've enjoyed many of the recent cumbia-related releases like the aforementioned Colombia! collections, VampiSoul's Cumbia Beat, or the Roots of Chicha sets we've raved about in Updates past, you owe it to yourself to check this one, stat. Fans of Damaso Perez Prado's stellar Philips years also need to hear these tunes ASAP; on the whole, I think tune for tune Cartagena! may actually eclipse other cumbia volumes that Soundway have released in the past, and that they've raised the bar insanely high. As is customary with the label, the set is complete with informative liner notes outlining Curro Fuentes' career in depth, and the thick booklet is stuffed with repros of the vibrant picture sleeves that housed the original tracks. If you're looking for top-shelf tropical grooves, Cartagena! is a dead-on bulls eye. It's a moving tribute to the recently departed Curro Fuentes, which proves that he was a producer with a vibrant energy and deep, unique sound. [IQ] Order CD by Texting "omcdvariouscartagena" to 767825

		$13.99 CD $15.99 LP+MP3   PAPERCUTS Fading Parade (Sub Pop) "Do You Really Wanna Know" "White Are the Waves" Fading Parade is the fourth album from Jason Quever's Papercuts, and at first glance it is business as usual; yet even beyond the jump to the Sub Pop label, there are significant changes that set this record apart from its predecessors. What was once essentially a Quever pseudonym, lately Papercuts has been functioning more like a group, with a stable lineup behind the singer/songwriter, touring together and recording as a unit. This is no longer Quever pretending to be a band, or bringing in his friends to play his parts; when you have a group of people traveling together for an extended period of time, often in close quarters, they undoubtedly develop a give and take, musically, that hired hands can never mimic, and you can hear that on this new record. And the songs? Mr. Quever has perfected a strain of melancholy indie pop, with lyrics delivered like secrets whispered in the dark. Produced by Thom Monahan (Vetiver, Pernice Brothers, Devendra Banhart), the sound is wispy, dreamy, light as a feather and often hard to grasp on to, but Quever's nuanced songwriting and the band's subtle interplay give the album the ballast it needs. While there is a certain sameness to Fading Parade, like there is a sameness to a Galaxie 500 record, it's one that I've found incredibly comfortable, addictive and rewarding over the last few weeks. It's a great new record from Quever and company, and my first album obsession of 2011. [DMa] Order CD by Texting "omcdpaercutsfading" to 767825 Order LP by Texting "omlppaercutsfading" to 767825 Catch Papercuts live at Other Music & Dig For Fire's upcoming SXSW Lawn Party. Details here.

		$11.99 CD $12.99 LP+MP3   LA SERA La Sera (Hardly Art) "Beating Heart" "Devil's Hearts Grow Gold" When "Never Comes Around," the first single from La Sera's eponymous debut, premiered, I was totally floored. It was dreamy, effortless, and refreshingly hi-fi. The end of the verses feature a fantastic ascending vocal melody, achieved by layers and layers of Katy Goodman's '60s dream-girl voice. A crunchy nugget of a guitar solo gives the song some attitude to balance out the punch-drunk sweetness, and it all comes in at just a shake over two minutes. It's a fantastic track, and the only worry I had was that Goodman, who is best known for playing bass and singing in Vivian Girls, would not be able to sustain that wistful, summery mood over the course of twelve songs. I should not have worried! La Sera is a surprising and charming record that comes alive thanks to Goodman's great voice and the understated throwback production of Brady Hall. In Vivian Girls, Goodman is the sugar to frontwoman Cassie Ramone's spice; where Ramone's voice is spiky and unpredictable, her bandmate's harmonies play the part of the good angel on Ramone's shoulder, and coax the '60s girl-group atmosphere out of the distortion. On her own, Goodman channels the noise and angst of her main band into her lyrics, which revolve around death, melancholy, and loneliness. The sentiments and the structures are simple, and the music maintains an unhurried, slightly surfy tone that never overshadows the song's chirpy vocal melodies. Opener "Beating Heart" churns beautifully, the bass drum mimicking a mellowed heartbeat while what sounds like a few dozen Goodman's beam down from the sky. "You're Going to Cry," with its lilting acoustic guitar intro, sounds like Out of Our Heads-era Rolling Stones dressed up in their Sunday best. The standout, though, is "Devil's Heart Grows Cold," a song that wouldn't be out of place on Mazzy Star's She Hangs Brightly. As a whole, La Sera comes on like a lost classic from Jackie DeShannon or Marianne Faithfull, young '60s singers who could turn any song into one of their own simply by singing it, because the way they sang it was so engaging and filled with personality. These songs are loose enough to sneak into your brain, and too catchy to leave. [MS] Order CD by Texting "omcdlasera" to 767825 Order LP by Texting "omlplasera" to 767825

		$5.99 CD $9.99 12"+ MP3   DUM DUM GIRLS He Gets Me High EP (Sub Pop) "He Gets Me High" "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" The Dum Dum Girls follow up on the promise of their solid debut LP with three excellent new originals and a cover of the Smiths' classic "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out." Dum Dum Girls are one of the best contemporary examples of simple-but-effective songwriting that harkens back to the classic girl-group sound while remaining modern. Maybe it's the reverb-laden tambourine in "Take Care of My Baby," maybe it's the fuzz bass in the title track, or perhaps I can relate to the timeless pop lyric of "it happened overnight, it's wrong but it feels right" from "Wrong Feels Right;" whatever it is, this EP has just the right combination of classic and "now" moves to prove highly enjoyable. And the Smiths cover rules. Produced by the legendary Richard Gottehrer (as was their debut), along with Dee Dee Dum Dum and Gottehrer sidekick Sune Rose Wagner of the Raveonettes. [NN] Order CD by Texting "omcddumhe" to 767825 Order LP by Texting "omlpdumhe" to 767825

		$17.99 LP   XEX Group: Xex (Dark Entries) Released in 1980 to little fanfare, Xex's sole album, Group: Xex, has become something of a Holy Grail item for collectors of US minimal synth since its (re)discovery in the late '90s. Destined to reach higher and higher prices on the collector's market, Dark Entries Records has remedied the situation by rescuing and re-mastering this lost gem for synth lovers everywhere. Comprised of five friends from Rutgers College, these New Jersey weirdoes constructed ultra-minimal pop songs with nothing but electronic instruments and a cynical sense of Cold War-era humor (on "SNGA" for example: "Soviet nerve gas is fun/ If your pleasure is killing everyone"). Obvious nods to Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! abound throughout Group: Xex, as the band takes the general feel of Devo tracks like "Jocko Homo" or "Shrivel Up" and strips the sound down even further to its most basic elements. Yet, Xex are hardly some cheap Devo rip-off; there are few records of the era that sound quite so charmingly strange and perfectly art-damaged (though Der Plan and the Residents' early discography certainly comes to mind -- this album at hand even features some cool moments of tape loop noise and odd sound manipulations that will certainly please fans of both bands). Group: Xex ultimately plays out like some strange cry from the distant past, or alternately, a document sent back to us from some very bizarre future. Alternating male and female vocals chant some of the most strangely humorous lyrics over the 12 tracks, as synthesizers buzz and twinkle over metronomic drumbeats. This is some of the most minimal of all minimal synth records (there's no dancefloor fillers here), yet fans of bands like Crash Course in Science, Ceramic Hello, Experimental Products' Prototype, or even Devo enthusiasts wondering what all this minimal synth hubbub is about will find a lot to love here. I also have to take this moment to congratulate Dark Entries on another really beautiful reissue. The design is a fantastic reproduction of the original LP, and the album comes with an awesome 'zine packed full of photos and information about Xex. A really stellar reissue! [CPa] Order LP by Texting "omlpxexgroup" to 767825

		$32.99 LP   ELIANE RADIGUE | PAULINE OLIVEROS | YOSHI WADA | SUN CIRCLE Attention Patterns (Black Pollen) Important Records have really outdone themselves with this lavish split LP. An elegant letter-pressed sleeve holds two LPs plus a large 48-page booklet, including many photos and interviews, that's so nice that it could easily be sold on its own. Pauline Oliveros kicks off the set with a stately accordion drone recorded live in Paris in 1977. She sings along with extended tones in a meditative fashion for the duration of the side. Eliane Radigue next offers up an archival side of electronic humming and pulsing, the likes of which she is a master at. The stasis is all part of the appeal, the low-level activity bearing an immense amount of detail when close listening is possible. An interweaving of buzzing tones and almost-rhythmic clunks develops gradually over the duration. This is an excellent introduction to her often hard-to-find work. The contemporary work found on sides C and D is far less subdued, though thematically both pieces complement Oliveros and Radigue's palette nicely. Yoshi Wada's "Reed Modulations" was recorded in San Francisco in 2010 and features the composer on reed organ and harmonium, joined by his son Tashi on audio generators and bagpipe; any meditative state one might have been beginning to achieve during the first few minutes is abruptly interrupted once the bagpipe enters. The interplay between the instruments is what makes this piece special. Once the audio generator begins to send rippling electronic tones across the straight line formed by the organ, harmonium and bagpipe, there's a really nice sense of tension at play. Sun Circle's "For Yoshi Wada," also from 2010, is a fitting tribute. Greg Davis and Zach Wallace employ harmonized mizmars, khaen and percussion to achieve a dense wall of Eastern-sounding drone clouds. The persistent thud of a quarter note on a large drum gives the piece a ritualistic air. Their triumphant and ecstatic din is a perfect ending to a well-curated project. [MM]

		$12.99 CD $9.99 MP3   VARIOUS ARTISTS SMM: Context (Ghostly International) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store When a label that specializes in musical architecture and landscapes releases a new compilation highlighting what they think represents the best in genre-less audio composition, it's worth taking note. There's warmth in the innocent nostalgia of Goldmund's treated piano and the sunset of fading memories in Leyland Kirby's acoustic guitar; there's a cold touch on your shoulder of more sinister, haunted sounds in Svarte Greiner's "Knives," and fat raindrops on your black umbrella as you walk away from a funeral, lost in thoughts and memories, as described in Christina Vantzou's "11 Generations of My Fathers." And that's just the first four of the ten tracks on offer here; the remaining six are no less cinematic and moving. If you are a fan of this stuff, artists such as Aidan Baker (Nadja), Svarte Greiner (Deaf Center) and Peter Broderick will already have piqued your interest in this excellent collection, but every track on SMM: Context is worthwhile, and it works wonderfully as an album. This is music that is not rushed, a series of textured tales to weave your own memories into, or the soundtrack to the best movie never made -- one to be re-imagined with each listen. [DMh] Order CD by Texting "omcdvarioussmm" to 767825

		$13.99 CD   LYKKE LI Wounded Rhymes (Atlantic) "Rich Kids Blues" "Jerome" Swedish pop phenom Lykke Li returns with her eagerly awaited second album, and anyone with worries of a sophomore slump can wipe their brow and exhale, because damn, this record is GREAT. Li's debut, Youth Novels, was an endearing mix of breathy, quiet whispers set to dreamy atmospheres and loping indie-pop beatscapes produced by members of Peter Bjorn and John. It was filled with catchy songs, but occasionally the record let its preciousness overtake its delicate intimacy. While the album often left you wanting more (in a good way), it was at times hard to imagine where she'd go next. Would she simply repeat past glories and whisper softly to herself of more heartbreaks and unrequited loves? The answer is a big "hell no." Again produced by Bjorn Yttling, on Wounded Rhymes Li speaks up, her voice sounding full and yes, wounded, but it's clear in these ten songs that she's exorcising her demons with ringing, chiming guitars, thumping, primal beats, and an eerie early 4AD ambience. She's spoken in recent interviews of her experiences writing this album in Los Angeles, trying to romanticize the city's evil mystery and scouring the hills for the likes of Leonard Cohen and David Lynch -- no surprise then that Lynch's atmospheres and landscapes are definitely audible in these tracks, notably in the guitar sounds and the stark reverberations of the drums. It's also astounding to hear how much more confident Li's singing is compared to her debut; she almost sounds like another woman altogether, channeling the likes of Dusty Springfield, Peter Gabriel (so much of this record's ambience reminds me of Peter Gabriel 3), Kate Bush, and yes, even a bit of Julee Cruise, but holding on to the aspects of the debut that made her such a promising new talent. Honestly, it seems like artists seldom create albums like this anymore, where games are changed but songs remain the same; as surprising as this record can be at times, it also makes perfect sense. It's not often that an album manages to be both a grower AND a shower, but that's precisely what Li has accomplished with Wounded Rhymes; it's a bold statement filled with immediately gratifying moments and catchy songs, but is also brimming with subtleties and textures which reward multiple listens. Another album which comes to mind that managed similar feats was Dirty Projectors' Bitte Orca, a bold artistic statement that grabbed attentions and bewitched listeners (and this is coming from someone who wasn't a fan)... with Wounded Rhymes, Lykke Li deserves those accolades in 2011. This is bound to be one of my favorite albums of the year, and if there's justice in the music world, this record will top not only the critics' lists, but the charts as well. Highest possible recommendation, folks -- this is pop done right. [IQ] Order CD by Texting "omcdlykkewounded" to 767825

		$12.99 CD   YUCK Yuck (Fat Possum) "Get Away" "Stutter" It was probably inevitable that eventually a band would emerge who could successfully reproduce the essence of '90s indie-rock, not just from the point of view of one or two great groups we all loved (and still do), but all of them. Enter Yuck, a British band of shaggy young kids out to don that mantle and show us how it's done. Throughout the length of their self-titled debut album, the five-piece ensemble runs rampant throughout a history of mixtape staples and stolen moments, ranging from songs reminiscent of classic Superchunk, Dinosaur, Jr. and Small Factory to the Wedding Present, Yo La Tengo and Mogwai. Shameless as that may be, they've got the chops, and moreover the sincerity to make it all come together into a big happy hypodermic headed straight for your graying cerebral cortex. Not that we're accusing Yuck of plagiarism, but maybe a heightened ability to modulate the moods and wants of a listening public that for too long has been deprived of new bands tackling old problems with professional solutions. [DM] Order CD by Texting "omcdyuckyuck" to 767825

		$14.99 CD $15.99 LP+MP3 $9.99 MP3   THE CAVE SINGERS No Witch (Jagjaguwar) "Swim Club" "Falls" The Cave Singers have switched labels (from Matador to Jagjaguwar), but their third full-length is no radical change-up, just more beautiful, haunting, sometimes-uncomfortable folk-blues, and it's probably their best, most consistent album to date. In ways, this band can be seen as the Stones to fellow Seattle folk revivalists Fleet Foxes' Beatles. They have the beautifully finger-picked guitar lines, the lush vocal harmonies, and the warm natural recording sound of the Foxes, but their music can be dark and foreboding as well as light and sweet, with more of a blues stomp to it than the other group can muster. On No Witch, Pete Quirk's raw, expressive singing has mellowed a bit, giving him more range and dynamics, and the band has similarly fleshed out their sound a little, with some nice production touches, like the bongo groove that skips behind "Outer Realms," or the swirl of violin and punch of flute that buoys the chorus of "Swim Club." True to these musicians' backgrounds, they approach this music like punk rockers, not like folk fanatics, and the result is a dark, intense undertone to warm, gentle sounds -- it's a nice, welcome combination that rings true. [JM] Order CD by Texting "omcdcaveno" to 767825 Order LP by Texting "omlpcaveno" to 767825

		$15.99 CD   MAHMOUD AHMED Ethiopiques 26 (Buda Musique) "Kantchi Gar Kalhonè" "Yèshiharègitu" Ethiopiques returns with a damn hot groover. Volume 26 in the series is the fourth dedicated solely to the music of soulful singer Mahmoud Ahmed, focusing on his 1972-1974 tenure with Ethiopia's Imperial Bodyguard Band. This is the group with which Ahmed first got his start as a professional performer in 1962; this disc covers the very end of his run with the band, which also coincided with the end of Hailé Sélassié's reign and the first releases of Ahmed's singing on vinyl record. This is the sound of a legendary performer declaring his voice after the embryonic stages of his career; he sounds massive, confident, and overflowing with spirit on these recordings, presented chronologically so as to display the rapid ascension and development of this great talent. The Bodyguard Band, for a military group, show incredible chops, betraying the Western misconception of such outfits as stiff, by-the-books ensembles; they take jazz, juke joint R&B stylings, and a bit of Ethiopian trad into their own hot stew of percolating bounce, constantly innovating and mutating old styles into exciting new hybrids. By the final four tunes at the end of the disc, they've also swallowed the JB's, Ike Turner's Kings of Rhythm, and Ray Charles whole, with clarinets, piano, and a rhythm section as hot as the sun blazing behind Ahmed, threatening to overtake his spotlight. The indestructible, massive groove of Ahmed's essential "Erè Mèla Mèla" album (reissued in full on Ethiopiques 7) was only a year away from the end of this collection; the combined powers of these two releases make for some of the most devastating, hip-shaking music not only from Ethiopia but the world at large. This is absolutely essential listening for anyone interested in African music, groove/dance music, or just plain ol' GOOD music. It's barely March, surely we haven't already been given the Afro-Jam of the Year, have we? If so, I'm glad I've got plenty of time to chew on this beast...it's meaty and filled with flavor. [IQ] Order CD by Texting "omcdethiopiques26" to 767825

		$17.99 CD   KALEIDOSCOPE Kaleidoscope (Shadoks) "Hang Out" "Colours" Recorded in 1967, Kaleidoscope was the product of guys from the Dominican Republic (and, soon after Puerto Rico and Spain, along with Venezuelan influence) -- and, I gotta tell you, out of all the rando psych reissues from whatever time and place might have fallen in your lap before, this is one for the trophy case. Released only in Mexico in a miniscule edition, the lone LP by this Kaleidoscope (never mind the more famous one...) delivers the full promise of a totally psychedelic beat band, swinging like mad and playing in that overdriven fuzz style that speaks to the "other," the thing that drives the sort of folks who are into heavy obscurant psych to dig even further. This one's up there with the Deep's Psychedelic Moods and Kim Fowley's Outrageous in terms of the shocks it delivers, and it packs them in with the velvet hammer of the world's toughest bar band. They even have an eight-minute opus that never raves up, just simply hangs back there in the pocket, trying to drag you down along with it. Look out, people, because this one fully delivers on the promises you hope every new, unheard record with a crazy, primitive cover or some other promising detail will sound. [DM] Order CD by Texting "omcdkaleidoscope" to 767825

		Lazer Guided... $25.99 LPx2 180 Gram Pure Phase $25.99 LPx2 180 Gram   SPIRITUALIZED Lazer Guided Melodies (Plain Recordings) SPIRITUALIZED Pure Phase (Plain Recordings) After the success of their recent vinyl reissue of Spiritualized's third LP, Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space, Plain Recordings now offers the band's first two albums on vinyl for the first time since the mid '90s. The 1992 debut, Lazer Guided Melodies, opens with the gorgeous and subdued "You Know It's True" and closes with the redemptive "200 Bars;" in between we are treated to all manner of brilliant pop songs and shimmering psychedelic meditations. Jason Pierce's appropriation of J.J. Cale's "Call Me the Breeze," here titled "Run," is as fine a pop single as he's ever crafted. The brief "Smiles" is a gorgeous organ-led head-swirler. The first half of the program is rounded out by "Symphony Space," the closest Spiritualized ever got to the dizzying peaks reached by Spacemen 3 on the transcendent instrumental "Ecstasy Symphony." The latter part of the record is decidedly mellower, and acts as the comedown portion of the album, after the more active singles-heavy first half. "Shine a Light" is the closest this set gets to the gospel-tinged work produced during the later period of the band, though it's far subtler, and as such more successful. With 1995's Pure Phase, the plot thickens as the entire song cycle is displaced into a bath of La Monte Young-inspired drone. By linking many of the songs with this tool, Pierce takes the project a step further towards the conceptual and aligns himself with the avant-garde, while still writing beautiful and tragic tunes. The palette on Pure Phase is much denser than that of Lazer Guided Melodies, with the inclusion of a brief noise monsoon that is "Electric Phase," and the heavy single "These Blues," along with perhaps the band's most iconic song, the ode to addiction that is "Medication." Certainly there is progression here; the gospel influence is much more up front on "Let It Flow," and is the best example of this style, before the approach teeters over the edge on later releases. With its layers of hazy drone, Pierce actually improves upon Spacemen 3's "So Hot (Wash Away All of My Tears)," with a new reading titled "All of My Tears" that sounds as if the song was placed inside Brion Gysin's dreamachine. By the end of the album, it seems Pierce is closer to redemption through the acceptance of confusion, and vinyl enthusiasts who missed these gems the first time around are ripe for redemption as well. [NN] Order Lazer Guided Melodies LP by Texting "omlpspiritualizedlazer" to 767825 Order Pure Phase LP by Texting "omlpspiritualizedpure" to 767825

		$13.99 CD $17.99 LPx2 $9.99 MP3   TIM HECKER Ravedeath, 1972 (Kranky) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store Tim Hecker continues to defy category and expectation on Ravedeath, 1972. Much has already been made of the pipe organ, recorded in a single day in an Icelandic church, which is the main instrument on this record, but the sheets of choppy distortion that open the first track, "The Piano Drop," immediately belie any notion of this being a straight live performance. But neither is this some a slice-and-dice laptop record, or a dry electro-acoustic experiment; Hecker seems primarily interested in exploiting the harmonic resonances of the organ and the acoustics of the church itself to achieve the same emotional ache that's at heart of so much of his best work. Like much of the most interesting music, it's hard to peg where Ravedeath, 1972 fits in; it's too epic and engulfing to be ambient; it's too tonal and heart-wrenching to be academic avant-garde; its lack of beats and synths exclude it from most other "electronic" categories. It doesn't really matter, and all those considerations fall away as soon as you play the thing. Not content to feebly wash over you, it opts instead to drag you in its undertow, pull you through its currents, then gently deposit you ashore, again and again. An early high-water mark for abstract music in 2011. [JB] Order CD by Texting "omcdtimrave" to 767825 Order LP by Texting "omlptimrave" to 767825

		$16.99 LP/EP $9.99 MP3   KIP HANRAHAN Desire Develops an Edge (American Clave) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store Kip Hanrahan is a New York composer/producer/percussionist who founded the American Clave label in the late 1970s, documenting a unique blend of downtown styles that deeply concentrate the concepts and sounds of the NYC melting pot. Hanrahan barely performs on his own records; instead, he acts as maestro or much like a film director, assembling a top-notch cast of characters and having them play his complex arrangements, overflowing with poly-rhythms and multiple harmonies, drawing from the musical heritages of Cuba, Haiti, Brazil, Argentina, and even US/UK rock music. He has worked with everyone from tango master Astor Piazzolla to Jack Bruce of Cream, renowned jazz producer and saxophonist Teo Macero, and even New York no wave band DNA, whose 12" EP A Taste of DNA was one of American Clave's first releases. On Desire Develops an Edge, Hanrahan's second album, he directs an ensemble that includes jazz musicians like Steve Swallow, Teo Macero, Jamaaladeen Tacuma, and John Stubblefield, Latin musicians including Jerry Gonzalez, Puntilla Orlando Rios, and Milton Cardona, rockers Arto Lindsay of DNA and Feelies/Golden Palominos drummer Anton Fier, and Haitian guitarists Elysee Pyronneau and Tiplume Ricardo Franck, among others. Topping off the arrangements are the vocals and bass playing of Jack Bruce, who would go on to a long and fruitful collaborative relationship with Hanrahan. Bruce has never sounded better; he injects raw feeling and delicate sensitivity into Hanrahan's emotionally complex lyrics, which balance Borges-like descriptive observations of minute fragments of time with socio-political commentary and sexual complexity. The band, quite simply, are incredible, trading off poly-rhythms, weaving plenty of tiny interlocking fragments together into rich tapestries of sound that honestly have no equal in terms of the quality of musicianship, the diversity of influence, and the strength of collaboration. They create lively, sun-soaked dance tunes, soul-searching laments, soft bossa nova whispers and gut-busting, fist-clenching snapshots of despair -- sometimes in the course of one song. To hear Lindsay's no wave 12-string skronk used as a percussive and textural accompaniment to interlocking Santeria drums, fiery Latin brass, and Haitian compass guitar is brilliant, and that's what makes the album such a success -- Hanrahan knows his players' strengths, he knows how to write for them and where to place them, and he understands the effect those experiences will have on the players at the end of the session. This is a desert island album for me; it changed the way I heard music and approached making it, it raised a bar quite high and taught me that it's still possible to create records that challenge and excite the notions of genre by blending the languages of many into one unified form of communication. Absolute highest recommendation. [IQ]

		$17.99 CD $9.99 MP3   FAUST Something Dirty (Bureau B) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store Forty-years and counting, these Krautrock progenitors are still actively releasing records (not to mention splintering into two different versions of Faust). While Something Dirty is probably not the place for a newbie to start in this band's extensive catalogue (we'd recommend 1973's Faust IV), the new album from this incarnation -- which features group founders Jean-Herve Peron and Zappi Diermaier, along with Geraldine Swayne and Gallon Drunk's James Johnstone -- is a worthy addition to their discography and proves Faust to be as relevant as ever, as they move through noisy, driving avant-rock to slow, sultry psychedelic explorations, with plenty of feedback, droning organs, pummeling drums and strange sonic textures. Order CD by Texting "omcdfaustsomething" to 767825

		$10.99 CD $13.99 LP+MP3   LUMERIANS Transmalinnia (Knitting Factory) "Atlanta Brook" "Black Tusk" We've been fans of this SF psych combo since they reached out to OM Digital with their self-released debut EP a couple of years back, and the album was well worth the wait. They explore most of our favorite touchstones, from motorik Kraut grooves to '60s rock freak-out to Spacemen 3 drone, but this band unifies it all with their own indelible style. Music to take drugs to. Order CD by Texting "omcdlumerianstransmalinnia" to 767825 Order LP by Texting "omlpdlumerianstransmalinnia" to 767825

		$14.99 CD $17.99 CD Deluxe Edition $29.99 LPx2+CD   LUCINDA WILLIAMS Blessed (Lost Highway) If, like many Lucinda Williams fans, you have been waiting since 1998's career-defining Car Wheels on a Gravel Road for another record of hers that you could really, truly love, Blessed is the one. Produced by Don Was, the sound is a bluesy swagger that that feels utterly familiar in the best ways, but lyrically and spiritually there is something new here. As the title suggests, Williams seems a bit more centered than before, and the songs focus a little less on the f**k-ups and letdowns of life, and a little more on the beauty. It is her first really mature album, and we are blessed to have it. Order CD by Texting "omcdlucindablessed" to 767825 Order Deluxed CD by Texting "omcdlucindadeluxe" to 767825 Order Deluxed LP w/CD by Texting "omlplucindablessed" to 767825

		$12.99 CD $9.99 MP3   CHAIN AND THE GANG Music's Not for Everyone (K) "Why Not?" "Detroit Music" Probably no surprise that Ian Svenonius' latest project is more of a laidback outing than the politically charged post-hardcore of Nation of Ulysses or the Make-Up's sassy "gospel yeh-yeh," but the second album from Chain & the Gang still has the punk-meets-soul man's fingerprints all over it. Svenonius has plenty to say about economic inequality, self-medicating, and ex-lovers, and he even offers step-by-step instructions on forming a Detroit garage rock band. It's all delivered over a fun, lazy mix of bluesy garage rock and Motown, featuring eight back-up singers and collaborators like Dub Narcotic Sound System's Brian Weber, Fred Thomas (Saturday Looks Good to Me/City Center) and Tara Jane O'Neill, with Calvin Johnson sitting in the production booth. Order CD by Texting "omcdchainmusics" to 767825

		$15.99 CD $9.99 MP3   STEFFI Yours and Mine (Ostgut Ton) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store While Panorama Bar resident Steffi's DJ sets are known to be as energetic as they are eclectic, Yours & Mine is a more focused outing of modern deep house that's as smooth and entrancing as the handful of tracks that she's released on Ostgut Ton and UQ. While her own productions only began to emerge a few years ago, Steffi's got the pedigree behind her, co-running the Klakson label with Dexter and more recently her own Dolly label, and it shows on her debut full-length, from the stylish, bubbling floor mover "Piem" to the sultry, Detroit-flavored "Yours" (featuring Steve Bug's vocalist Virginia). Solid from start to finish. Order CD by Texting "omcdsteffiyours" to 767825

		$12.99 CD   DIPLO Riddimentary Mix (VP) "Police in Helicopter" "Fattie Boom Boom" Rankin Dread Diplo digs deep into the legendary Greensleeves catalogue playing selector for this great label primer. No doubt that dusty reggae LPs and 45s were a big influence on this uber-producer/DJ and Major Lazer mastermind, and here he delivers a near flawless mix of classics and obscurities from the likes of Gregory Isaacs, Joe Gibbs, Eek-a-Mouse, Lone Ranger, Alpha & Omega, Rankin Dread, Johnny Osbourne, Prince Far I, John Holt, and more. Very Riddimentary indeed! Order CD by Texting "omcddiploriddimentary" to 767825

		$14.99 LP   TEO MACERO Teo (American Clave) Our recent unearthing of warehouse finds of classic titles in the remarkable NYC American Clavé label's back catalogue continues with this absolutely essential collection of dark, moody, noirish jazz from composer/saxophonist Teo Macero. Best known as a longtime producer at Columbia Records, Macero was responsible for the mind-melting work behind nearly all of Miles Davis' most essential albums (Kind of Blue, Bitches Brew, On the Corner, and everything in between), not to mention work by Thelonius Monk (Monk's Dream, Underground), Dave Brubeck (Time Out) and Charles Mingus (Mingus Ah Um). It often goes unrecognized, however, that he was also an accomplished player in his own right before his work as a producer began. Teo was American Clavé's second release, and is a collection of twelve of Macero's early pieces, mostly recorded in the mid to late 1950s for Mingus' Debut label (with a few cuts dating from the 1970s) and featuring such heavyweight players as Lee Konitz, Phil Woods, Art Farmer, Badal Roy, and Mingus himself, among others. These tracks sowed the seeds for what would become known as Third Stream music, fusing together First Stream (classical) and Second Stream (jazz) musics into a third hybrid that incorporates experimental textures of the former with the cool noir and hard swinging rhythms of the latter. Dense, atonal strings hover like sound clouds overtop of Macero's heavily reverbed alto and tenor playing, with vibes offering punctuation while the rest of the band darts in, out, and around the arrangements like a back alley knife fight. Special mention goes to the extraordinary accordion playing of Orlando DiGiroloamo a/k/a Lanny DiJay, who adds an extra layer of rhythmic and textural intensity to many of these cuts; his playing makes total sense in a jazz context despite his instrument not normally "belonging" to the genre, at least not during the time these recordings were made. These tracks are overflowing with soul; they swing, they pulsate, and they scream with an intellectual intensity that never distracts from the physical purity of the music. This record helped usher in a side of avant jazz that rarely gets explored with such a balance of brains and brawn, while adding a heavy dosage of cinematic visuality; fans of everything from Astor Piazzolla, Sun Ra's mid-'60s sides like Cosmic Tones for Mental Therapy, Phil Cohran's more inside work with the Artistic Heritage Ensemble, Mingus' Black Saint and the Sinner Lady, or even Miles himself need to check this post-haste. Macero was and remains in his passing a true visionary, a genius whose ideas clearly helped shape some of the most important jazz records ever made; this album documents ideas which Teo would go on to explore even more fully with Miles over the course of his entire career. This record has been out of print for nearly 25 years, and we've got sealed copies (with a stunning printed silver foil cover) at a reasonable price that really make this a deal you'd be insane to pass up. This is essential listening of the highest order. Don't sleep. [IQ]

		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 [JB] James Bess [BC] Baxter Cardona [PG] Pamela Garavano-Coolbaugh [DH] Duane Harriott [[IQ] Mikey IQ Jones [JM] Josh Madell [DMh] Dan Maharry [Dma] Dave Martin [MM] Marc Moeller [DM] Doug Mosurock [NN] Ning Nong [CPa] Chris Pappas [MS] Michael Stasiak THANKS FOR READING - all of us at Other Music

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