March 24, 2011

		OTHER MUSIC & DIG FOR FIRE LAWN PARTY FILMS PREMIERE We're excited to announce that the first of many video highlights from Other Music & Dig For Fire's Lawn Party at SXSW premiered this morning and will be featured for the rest of the day on the homepage of YouTube. Click on over and you'll find great highlights from our two-day event last week from the likes of James Blake, tUnE-yArDs, Twin Shadow, Cass McCombs and Sharon Van Etten, captured in multi-camera HD video and multi-track audio. You can also view Lawn Party performance films from !!! (Chk Chk Chk), Low, and Cults, by heading over to YouTube.com/SXSWLawnParty, and there are many more films on the way. Whether you were one of the almost 10,000 people who joined us last week at the French Legation Museum, or if you're bummed that you couldn't make it out to Austin for this great party, you'll certainly agree that Dig For Fire's stunning productions are the next best thing to being there.

		FEATURED NEW RELEASES Craft Spells Music to Import Beads By (Cassette) Sylvi Foster Howlin' Wolf Dwayne Omarr The Strokes Tonetta Art Abscons Follakzoid The Holydrug Couple Ann Southam Hercules and Love Affair Tempo Explosion (Various) Resoe     ALSO AVAILABLE Edwyn Collins Baby Dee The Death Set Eternal Tapestry Nouvelle Vague BACK IN STOCK Popol Vuh (Box Set) Xex Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/othermusicnyc Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/othermusic

		MAR Sun 20 Mon 21 Tues 22 Wed 23 Thurs 24 Fri 25 Sat 26   TONIGHT: WILLIAM BASINSKI IN-STORE! William Basinski will be stopping by Other Music this evening for a rare New York performance. While we had previously announced that he would be playing A Red Score in Tile (recently reissued on Drag City), the program has been updated, and instead the composer will be performing EXCLUSIVE UNRELEASED material We're thrilled and hope you can join us, tonight! TONIGHT: THURSDAY, MARCH 24 @ 8PM OTHER MUSIC: 15 East 4th Street NYC Free Admission | All Ages | 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.

		$10.99 CD $9.99 MP3   CRAFT SPELLS Idle Labor (Captured Tracks) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store It's getting hard to keep up with Brooklyn's Captured Tracks -- home to bands like Beach Fossils, Wild Nothing and, now, Craft Spells. In the past few years, the label has put out a steady stream of releases at a Factory Records-like pace, yet I'm constantly impressed by the quality that accompanies the volume. As for Seattle via California's Craft Spells, the band fits right in with the label's skewed pop aesthetic. The brainchild of 21-year-old Justin Vallesteros, Craft Spells has digested traces of seminal bands like the Cure, the Smiths and New Order to create music that occupies the gap between contemporaries Washed Out and Wild Nothing. Following the release of two singles -- the perfectly jangly "Party Talk" and, current shop favorite, the hooky anthem "After the Moment" (both included on the album) -- Idle Labor has all the makings of a great debut: reverberating drums, varied, blithe guitar melodies, airy synths and deadpan, yet sentimental vocals -- all alluding to '80s pop nostalgia without plagiarizing from any one player. The music eschews a sickly sweetness, managing to encapsulate the incorruptible moments of your youth -- laidback summer days and, yes, the trappings of young love -- without ever inducing nausea. And although the album takes a moment or two to get started with a few mid-tempo openers, the wealth of winning tracks like "From the Morning Heat" and "You Should Close the Door" will have you sticking around until the end again and again. [PG] Order CD by Texting "omcdcraftidle" to 767825

		$7.99 CS   VARIOUS ARTISTS Music to Import Beads By - Cassette (Self-Released) What we have here is a totally unique and mind-melting mystery mix-tape, featuring tracks culled from such disparate locales as Burma, Ethiopia, Java, Niger, Soudan, Algeria, Libya, Angola, Morocco, Nepal, Guinea, Sumatra, Mauritania, and Eritrea. What I find so fresh about this cassette is that many of the tracks sound like they're of fairly recent vintage; we've been so inundated with comps over the last several years that are helping us catch up with what went on throughout the world in the '60s and '70s that it's easy to forget that there's a vast amount of music happening now (not to mention the last thirty years) that gets easily overlooked. There was a time when I might have been put off by a lot of the modern production techniques featured here, but something about the way they're interacting with all these different forms ends up being both completely jarring and totally compelling. Subtitled "A Love Musical," there's most definitely a palpable sense of romance coupled with the sweet ache of longing suffused through these pieces. A disorienting listen that feels simultaneously familiar and foreign, it's been a long time since I've heard anything that so challenged my sense of taste and critical assumptions while offering up a whole new world of listening pleasure. Completely essential, you won't hear anything else like this all year I'm sure. [MK]

		$17.99 LP   SYLVI FOSTER If Are You...EP (Cititrax) From the minds of Minimal Wave comes the sub-label Cititrax, where classic house, Italo and the otherwise more "funky" (yet often still a tad moody) side of the NYC imprint gets to stretch its legs. Some Italo disco may inspire the pointed finger dance, but these fantastic jams from Sylvi Foster (late '70's/early '80s) inspire a good old-fashioned funky fist pump (in the same way Oppenheimer Analysis manages to do). Truly great vocals and production that brings to mind images of a teenage Gina X kid-choir making lo-fi disco with backup help from a local blaxploitation band. It's a fantastic combination of clunky, funky and just plain great. "If Are You Master," "Love Dawn" and "Hookey" are standouts, but there is not one un-awesome track to be found -- must be heard to be believed. Don't let the JD look-a-like cover art drive you away! Flawless!!! (Ltd. to 999 copies.) [SM] Order LP by Texting "omlpsylviif" to 767825

		$13.99 CD   HOWLIN' WOLF The Howlin' Wolf Album (Geffen) "Smokestack Lightning" "Evil" All you need to do is look at the cover of this album, which states in plain text the overall distaste documented in the grooves, and you know that something special's about to take place. After languishing out of print for decades, and previously only available on CD as a Japanese reissue which itself lasted for only a moment, blues legend Howlin' Wolf's 1969 psychedelic opus for Cadet Concepts is finally back on the shelves and hot damn, if you don't know this record, pick this up post-haste, because fans of psych-rock and dirty blues owe it to themselves to hear this at least once. Recorded during the same period as Muddy Waters' Electric Mud LP, and featuring nearly the same band of players (including guitarists Pete Cosey and Phil Upchurch), This Is Howlin' Wolf's New Album featured updates of many of Wolf's classic tunes with a new, modern sound influenced by the burgeoning psychedelic rock scene that birthed Cream, Led Zeppelin, and many others who were, ironically, influenced by Wolf and Waters themselves. While Electric Mud went on to become a bit of a success, even reaching the bottom of the Billboard pop charts at the time, this record did not fare as well, and that's a damn shame. One can explicitly hear the roots of Captain Beefheart, Led Zep, and Cream (right on up to modern-day practitioners like the Black Keys, not to mention Funkadelic, electric Miles Davis and Public Enemy) in producer Marshall Chess's experiments with Wolf and Muddy. The dark, swampy electric arrangements are thick with fuzzbox incantations, wah-wah voodoo rituals, and loping, slithering grooves which drip with moody, evil heat. The guitars growl like electric cats, the rhythm section burps like a backroom pimp, and then there's Wolf himself, trying his hardest to stay righteous and true amidst this jungle of dark sleaze, by the end declaring himself a backdoor man, slipping out as he tells the kids that their new groove ain't s**t. It's easy to take for granted how revolutionary a statement this was at the time; as much as Dylan plugging in at Newport, as much as Bad Brains paying to cum, as much as Miles running the voodoo down, this is a document of revolution, and it's a revelation to have it back on the racks again. Learn from the master, because it doesn't get much better than this, people. [IQ] Order CD by Texting "omcdhowlinhowlin" to 767825

		$15.99 CD   DWAYNE OMARR Multi Funk (Rephlex) "This Party's Jam Packed" "Breakdown New York Style" This surprise release from the Rephlex label is a mixed bag of rubbery bass, Linn drum machine beats, some vocoder musing and lots of funking fun. First discovered in Boston at the age of 14 and featured on a children's TV program, Dwayne Omarr has been a session player, ghostwriter and solo artist since the 1980s, his most famous moment being when he moved to New York and began working with producer Maurice Starr (New Edition). Needless to say, aside from some singles and his 1985-released full-length, Holy Rock, his output has been sparse but the timing of Multi Funk couldn't have been better. Essentially a compilation of new songs, some unreleased singles, and a few dubs of previous issued tracks, the authentic electro-funk here certainly brings to mind Dam-Funk, but it also fits perfectly in the boogie/funk, post-disco/pre-hip hop world of Tony Cook, Egyptian Lover, Roger Troutman, or Mantronix. Like a lost alternative soundtrack to Breakin', there's lots of booming low-end, metallic percussion, machine-derived hand claps and tom toms, some great synth patches, and a strutting bass that sound like dubs of Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam. With no liner notes, and very little Internet information, this is a true lost gem; not a simple reissue of a previously released obscure album, this is a new look at an artist that not so much as fell through the cracks, but rather one who felt more comfortable behind the scenes. Multi Funk is a nice collection of easily recognizable sounds, but from a name and talent we never knew. [DG] Order CD by Texting "omcddwaynemulti" to 767825

		$12.99 CD $19.99 LP   THE STROKES Angles (RCA) Making great art can be a lonely, solitary process -- even when you're in a rock band with your bff's, apparently. It's been years since we heard from the Strokes, and years more since we heard anything good from them. In the interim, this quintessential NYC rock band has followed the well-trod path of so many marquee groups on the skids, with each member spinning off in their own direction, dating models, releasing low-key side projects nobody will remember, battling addiction and each other. Word was there were "creative differences" between frontman/exclusive songwriter Julian Casablancas and the boys in the band; Casablancas wanted to continue as the sole creative force, and they wanted democracy -- this is one revolution even Hillary would avoid getting involved in. You can see both sides of the argument; Casablancas has written every stitch of every Strokes song we've heard -- that actually is both sides of the argument, as the band has released some killer tracks, and a pile of filler too. So now we get Angles, an album that Casablancas has called "Operation Make Everyone Happy;" not exactly a mantra of unity, and if that was their mission, I'm not sure if the Strokes succeeded. Apparently the music for these new songs came from all corners of the band, with Casablancas rarely if ever even attending the upstate recording sessions, opting to weed through his band's efforts on his own, keeping what he liked and writing and recording his vocals in isolation. The singer has also said that the vibe of the collaborative Strokes is a bit more pop than what he personally is into -- I mean, really, can't the publicist put a gag order on this guy? -- but I'm not sure that is a fair descriptor either. It's no more pop than Casablancas' recent solo effort (it is far less electro-pop, however), though the production has more of a radio-friendly sheen than most of their older stuff. What we get is a grab bag of influences, from Tom Petty to Thin Lizzy to U2 and more esoteric stuff too, all filtered through the patented Strokes sound. At times these guys have seemed to be hemmed in by the original blueprint they made for the group, and here they have tried to break the routine. Opening themselves up to new songwriters has clearly enabled the band members to deal with each other (though apparently not actually hang out with each other), and it has also led to some pretty solid new cuts -- "Under Cover of Darkness," "Gratisfaction," and "Taken for a Fool" are three of the best songs we've heard from these guys in years. Yet unsurprisingly, overall, there can be a disjointedness to the album, and even individual songs, that sheds light on the behind-the-scenes struggle that birthed this record. At this point, I'm going to join the band, the label, and the fans in a sigh of relief that Angles has seen the light of day. For the Strokes, great art AND bad art are both solitary; the middle ground is lonely too, but at least you all get a to vote. [JM] Order CD by Texting "omcdstrokesangles" to 767825 Order LP by Texting "omlpstrokesangles" to 767825

		777 $22.99 LP+CD 777 Vo. 2 $22.99 LP+CD   TONETTA 777 (Black Tent) "Death Sentence" "Just Like That" TONETTA 777 Vol. 2 (Black Tent) "My Bro" "I'll Remain As I Am" As great as it is to, say, watch kitten videos or live footage of crap '90s hardcore bands or old R&B videos on YouTube until your eyes roll back into your skull and you collapse into a drooling pile of goo, the website's star-making ability has been dubious at best. I mean, we've only just gotten used to the presence of the impeccably coiffed Justin Bieber, and now we have Rebecca Black to contend with? Thankfully, there are still some legit weirdos out there working YouTube for all its worth. Take Tonetta, for example -- a Canadian musician who's been recording his bizarro brand of scatological pop since the early '80s, he managed to croon his way into cult phenom status once he started posting his lo-tech music videos on the site a couple of years ago. Often featuring the man himself lip-synching while in drag or some strange costume, the visuals were a perfect match for his songs -- all bent and kicked, with bombed-out, fuzzy, out-of-tune guitars riding atop a methodical beat, all giving a nice backdrop for Tonetta to sing. Black Tent's two collections of Tonetta material (last year's 777 and the more recent 777 Vol. 2) don't pack quite the same one-two punch as the combined shock of the videos and sounds, but they do a nice job of summarizing his work since he began recording. And taken alone, the songs resonate with a strange warmth and intimacy, coming across like a slightly funkier, intensely more sex-obsessed Ariel Pink. In truth, had Tonetta's work been widely available, he most likely would have been viewed as a godfather to a lot of today's lo-fi bedroom loners, so prescient has his approach been. So where to begin for the uninitiated? There's "Drugs Drugs Drugs," probably the jauntiest pop song ever to demand any and all substances you may have on hand. If that's not your thing, you could always sample a bit of "A Really Big Cock," a taut groover that finds Tonetta marveling at the size and beauty of his member. Hell, why not go all the way down the rabbit hole with "G & B Showers," so you can fully appreciate the man's plea to "be your drain tonight"? Tonetta does pull out some surprising non-toilet humor moves now and then, like the earnest reflections of "Picking on Lennon" and the gnarly shredding of "My 10$ Axe." Archly funny, at times perverse, and always catchy enough to burrow into your brain, Tonetta's work is truly something that must be heard to really be believed. [MC] Order 777 LP/CD by Texting "omlptonetta777" to 767825 Order 777 Vol. 2 LP/CD by Texting "omlptonettavol2" to 767825

		$15.99 LP   ART ABSCONS Der Verborgene Gott (Blind Prophet) "Liliensonne" "Magik (Un Autre Transformation)" Funny to say, but it is difficult to explain what makes a good neofolk record so different from a bad one. The reference points in this genre are generally narrow and incestuous, and like the simplest yet most subtle recipes, you can have all the right ingredients, but still just get it wrong. With Art Abscons, the most ideal balance is struck between neofolk, early music, Krautrock, acid folk and electronic production to create a bit of an ultimate neofolk smorgasbord. We're talking about references to early- through mid-period Death in June (strummed guitar, ominous vocals, done beautifully), the orchestration and international/medieval atmosphere (both acoustically and electronically) of Popol Vuh, Dead Can Dance and Der Blutharsch, plus the altogether down to earth, pagan/nature worshipping elements present in artists like Waldteufel and Changes. Of course, these elements aren't just thrown in a blender without a sense of presentation. The strength here (as with many German artists) comes via the impeccable production. The atmosphere (one of the key elements in this genre, in some ways more important than even songwriting) is so strong. There are many elements hiding in the background, which only reveal themselves once the correct listening temperature is set. If you love the atmosphere of Der Blutharsch but would like to hear it with more of an emotional/organic/human touch, this will more than do it for you. Both played instruments and electronic elements (looped samples, classical and otherwise) mesh perfectly to demonstrate the paradoxical power of a modern studio at creating the atmosphere of damp castle walls. Or in the case of "Liliensonne," the atmosphere of riding through the morning mist in the forest, on horseback, while on a foxhunt (well, yeah, I'll own it, that is kind of how the song feels). That brave, spirited, uplifting element of neofolk is expressed wonderfully with martial drums, plucked harps and synthesized strings, but without the typical post-industrial harshness. With Art Abscons, the sense of history and majesty is tempered by a Kraut/psych influence that lends the music a sense of dew-speckled, glistening beauty. Then there are tracks like "Magik (Un Autre Transformation)" that recall the atmosphere of Einsturzende Neubauten's cover of Lee Hazlewood's "Sand," with Brendan Perry playing backup. Great stuff, which will be a godsend for those wanting to explore this genre, as well as those who are already card-carrying members of the club. Highly recommended! [SM] Order LP by Texting "omlpartder" to 767825

		Follakzoid $11.99 12" $1.99 MP3 Holydrug Couple $11.99 12" $2.99 MP3   FOLLAKZOID Follakzoid EP (Sacred Bones) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store THE HOLYDRUG COUPLE Ancient Land EP (Sacred Bones) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store As OM readers know, we've always had a soft spot in our hearts (as well as in our heads) for the strain of '60s and '70s folk and psychedelic rock that was concocted south of the equator, as it usually arose in arduous conditions, and was graced with a raw, passionate truth that springs from such adversity. What could be a heavier protest than taking psychedelics and growing out your hair under oppressive dictatorships? And so you've heard us rave about everyone from Brazil's brilliant Lula Cortes to Uruguayan group El Kinto. So you can imagine how intrigued, and, um, "psyched" we were when Sacred Bones announced that they were releasing two EPs of modern Chilean psych-rock. How would this next wave update the legacy of their forbearers? We're still not sure just what's cooking down there, but these early tastes are potent indeed. Both EPs are recorded on reel-to-reel 8-track and sound swampy and warm. The Holydrug Couple are a duo of Manuel Parra and Ives Sepulveda and their debut is dirgy and grungy in the best of ways, at times reminding us of Spiritualized's slower and grittier moments. Föllakzoid also feature Sepulveda and are a full band. The A side digs into that hypnotic kind of motorik that Stereolab did so effortlessly, but with echoing bits of taped vocal fragments and howling guitars all swirling around in a vortex, while the B-side is tom-heavy and has a dark edge. We can't wait to hear more. [AB] Order Follakzoid LP by Texting "omlpfollakzoid" to 767825 Order Holydrug Couple LP by Texting "omlpholydrugancient" to 767825

		$17.99 CD   ANN SOUTHAM Simple Lines of Enquiry (Centre Musique) "Movement 1" "Movement 8" When Canadian composer Ann Southam died last November at the age of 73, she left behind a decades-long legacy as one of that countries greatest composers. Having embraced electronic and tape music in the early 1960s, Southam gained fame as an in-demand and forward-thinking collaborator with all manner of dancers, choreographers, artists, and concrete poets, often utilizing any number of synthesizers and oscillators. Though she sporadically continued using those instruments through the years, she cited the nascent work of Steve Reich and Terry Riley, and minimal and process music in general, as redirecting her energy towards solo piano pieces. Simple Lines of Enquiry was her final release, dedicated to pianist Eve Egoyan who performs it masterfully here, and is a perfect culmination to an extraordinary body of work. Comprised of 11 extremely slow, sparse, and relatively short movements, Southam links beautiful tonal relationships between a very small number of notes. Much like the piano music of Morton Feldman, there's as great an emphasis on the decaying of sound as there is in the individual notes being struck, but where Feldman jumps from pattern to pattern, Southam doggedly pursues a single one until seemingly exhausting all its permutations and possibilities. Reflective, contemplative, and with a sense of grave clarity, Simple Lines of Enquiry is a work of great beauty, highly recommended to fans of the aforementioned Feldman, Reich and Riley, as well as Howard Skempton, Hans Otte, Satie and Mompou. [MK] Order CD by Texting "omcdannsimple" to 767825

		$22.99 CD   HERCULES AND LOVE AFFAIR Blue Songs (Moshi Moshi) "Painted Eyes" "Blue Songs" It was hard to escape the sounds of Hercules and Love Affair back in 2008, with tracks like "Blind" and "You Belong" being nothing less than bona fide anthems for cafes, runways and dancefloors across the globe. Though to many listeners Antony Hegarty was synonymous with the band -- never mind that his unmistakable voice graced only a handful of the record's tracks as a guest vocalist -- the disco-beating heart of the project was and still is producer Andy Butler. Perhaps, then, it'll be a surprise for some that the namesake of Antony and the Johnsons isn't onboard for Blue Songs, (and neither are DFA producer Tim Goldsworthy, Nomi Ruiz or bassist Tyler Pope), and aside from the returning DJ/Vocalist Kim Ann Foxman, Butler's pretty much enlisted a new Hercules crew of collaborators, including dancer-turned-singer Shaun J. Wright, Aerea Negrot, Bloc Party's Kele Okereke, and co-producers Mark Pistel and Patrick Pulsinger. You can't blame Butler for wanting to broaden the musical scope of his project and in that sense he has succeeded; here the catchy disco and electroclash elements of the debut have been all but replaced by the soulful house sounds of the late '80s and early '90s. And while the group seems perfectly comfortable in these mid-tempo grooves, the passion of the era (and that of Hercules and Love Affair's debut for that matter) isn't quite there. Imagine a middle-aged man that remembers his favorite parties and longs to relive them. He is probably the oldest person in the club and he'll be home in his bed long before the young revelers around him have called it a night -- the memories are still alive but reality has set in. Overall, Blue Songs feels pointedly nostalgic with a contemporary sheen, yet it also walks the middle ground: a little too queer for the straight crowd and not banging enough for the Chelsea boy shuffle. And frankly, none of the singers are able to replace the unique energy and presence of Antony. That said, this record is far from a disappointment, with songs like the title track and "My House" being great moments that prove that Butler and his new crew are capable of tapping into the magic of the first album. I certainly won't brand Blue Songs as a sophomore slump, as it's still a very enjoyable record that most dance bands could only wish to create. It's just that Hercules and Love Affair set the bar unreachably high with their debut and along with it, the expectations for Blue Songs. One is left with the impression that Butler and Co. are simply at a crossroads, with greater things to come. [DG] Order CD by Texting "omcdherculesblue to 767825

		$15.99 CD $17.99 LP   VARIOUS ARTISTS Tempo Explosion (Black Victory) "Don’t Worry Yourself" Chris Wayne "Free South Africa" Ras Menilik Dacosta Back in 2001, the Pressure Sounds label released Firehouse Revolution, a collection of dub reggae master King Tubby's forays into the then-nascent artform of digital dancehall. Being huge fans of Blood & Fire's own collections of the man, this new set was revelatory: by turns raw, bouncy, raunchy, sweet, cheap, and bass-heavy. One of the set's standout tracks was Anthony Red Rose's monstrous riddim "Tempo," which forms the basis of this one-rhythm album. Originally released on the New York-based Black Victory label, the disc is a nexus of Jamaica, NYC, and even Toronto with roots connecting back to Studio One and Bullwackies. We love Sugar Minott's deepening of the riddim (and while you're at it, also check out Dug Out's Minott 12" of "Sheriff John Brown"), but we're also into the slower, almost cough syrup-infused version "Solid Rock I Stand" by Ras Menilik, not to mention the aptly titled "Slow Tempo." [AB] Order CD by Texting "omcdvarioustempo" to 767825 Order LP by Texting "omlpvarioustempo" to 767825

		$15.99 CD $9.99 MP3   RESOE The Black Void of Space (Echochord) "Dubcuttin'" "Polarized" For dubstep techno crossover we have genre-definers like Scuba, Martyn, Shackleton, T++, Shed... the list goes on, and there is truly no shortage of Basic Channel worshippers out there as well. But it's rare to find an album that sits so squarely between dubby techno and dubstep as the new album by Resoe. This is the typical Basic Channel/Chain Reaction dubby techno sound palette infused with the steppy breaks of dubstep that give the overall feel a bit more muscle. Instrumental Burial is pretty close actually, and "Dubcuttin" has a Moritz Von Photek-like samurai standoff feel, while "Lakeviews" merges Monolake with a sharp drum'n'bass break that puts more spring in its step. Sure there are songs like "Syntax Error" or "Ventura" that might make you wonder who slipped a Substance/Vainqueur demo collection into your CD player, but overall Resoe's The Black Void of Space is a solid and fresh take on some of our favorite sounds, and it might be what you need to fill that void in your collection. [SM] Order CD by Texting "omcdresoeblack" to 767825

		$13.99 CD   EDWYN COLLINS Losing Sleep (Heavenly) Coming off a handful of Stateside shows in NYC and at our own SXSW Lawn Party in Austin last week (a stellar, triumphant set of new songs, solo hits and Orange Juice classics), Edwyn Collins gets a domestic release of his excellent Losing Sleep album, which came out in the UK late last year. Collins is joined by a nice cast of characters that includes Johnny Marr, Roddy Frame, Alex and Nick of Franz Ferdinand, and members of the Drums and the Cribs. But it's Edwyn who is leading the show here, despite his much-publicized health issues that sidelined his music for several years. It's inspirational, and not just because of the back-story; as usual with Collins, it's all about the songs. Order CD by Texting "omcdedwynlosing" to 767825

		$13.99 CD $16.99 LP   BABY DEE Regifted Light (Drag City) "Yapapipi" "Lullaby Parade" Baby Dee's latest moves confidently into classical chamber composition, focusing on her own grand piano (actually a gift from Andrew W.K. -- don't ask), fronting a small ensemble, with her distinct singing not as central through much of the record. It is both refined and rawly emotional, and one of Dee's best. Order CD by Texting "omcdbabyregifted" to 767825 Order LP by Texting "omlpbabyregifted" to 767825

		$13.99 CD   THE DEATH SET Michel Poiccard (Counter) "Can You Seen Straight?" "7PM Woke Up an Hour Ago" The Aussie/Brooklyn/Baltimore trio mourns death of their friend, founder and guitarist Beau Velasco the best way they can, with another album of fierce, spastic punk. They've cleaned things up a bit, eschewing some of their DIY audio esthetic and working with Diplo and Spank Rock's XXXchange, but the energy is still manic, and despite a genuinely moving tribute to their lost partner, the mood is straight-up fun. Order CD by Texting "omcddeathmichel" to 767825

		$14.99 CD $9.99 MP3   ETERNAL TAPESTRY Beyond the 4th Door (Thrill Jockey) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store Churning, soaring, slow burn psychedelia from this West Coast band. Four long-form instrumentals that nicely do justice to the group's supposed origins -- a shared love of Sonny Sharrock and Neu!. There is form here, though it is loose, with driving rhythms and layers of ambient sound, but the real triumph is the creativity and the raw power of those guitars. Order CD by Texting "omcdeternalbeyond" to 767825

		$15.99 CD   NOUVELLE VAGUE The Singers (New Sound Dimensions) Nouvelle Vague, known for their winking, if emotionally honest lounge-bossa re-workings of punk and new wave hits, take a bit of a detour here, this time interpreting tracks that the group's many talented guest vocalists have recorded previously with their own projects. You may not instantly be singing along to all of these, but after a few spins you will! Order CD by Texting "omcdnouvellesingers" to 767825

		$59.99 CDx5   POPOL VUH Werner Herzog Soundtracks - Box Set (SPV) "Engel der Gegenwart" "Morgengruss II" "Venus Principle" Filmmaker/adventurer/provocateur Werner Herzog is a legend for his uncompromising approach to filmmaking and his brilliant, off-the-cuff -- and often volatile -- opinions. His films, which ride the razor's edge between existential despair and spiritual transcendence, documentary and fiction, disaster and masterpiece -- with an emphasis on unique historical characters, often strong-willed loners, and bizarre circumstances -- are the stuff of dreams. Fever dreams: dreams of the afterlife, and of other realms. And so is the music of Popul Vuh, the visionary German psychedelic group formed by keyboardist Florian Fricke during the genesis of Krautrock in the late '60s, whose music presaged ambient electronica and also that genre's incorporation of traditional ethnic elements; they also wrote and performed the soundtracks to all of Herzog's best films, and their music has come to define those epic journeys. Gathering five of the group's essential Werner Herzog soundtracks from the '70s and early '80s -- Heart of Glass, Aguirre, Nosferatu, Fitzcarraldo and Cobra Verde -- the SPV imprint has issued a definitive set, and though these albums have been generally available in recent times, they have been bolstered by a solid selection of bonus tracks and a 98-page hardback book of rare photos and liner notes, packaged in a lovely long box. It's a well thought out collection of some of the best film music, early ambient, and psychedelia anywhere, from a group who have never quite achieved the acclaim they deserve. [AGe] Order CD by Texting "omcdpopolwerner" 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

		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 Burkholder [MC] Michael Crumsho [PG] Pamela Garavano-Coolbaugh [AG] Alexis Georgopoulos ]DG] Daniel Givens [IQ] Mikey IQ Jones [MK] Michael Klausman [JM] Josh Madell [SM] Scott Mou [CPa] Chris Pappas THANKS FOR READING - all of us at Other Music

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