October 20, 2011

		FEATURED NEW RELEASES Real Estate Martyn Emika M83 The Field Jean-Claude Vannier Van Dyke Parks Class Actress Psychic Ills Youth Lagoon My Brightest Diamond Grimes Gauntlet Hair Sandro Perri John Villemonte Cem Karaca Ayshay Disco Zombies LP Eve     Roll the Dice Big Troubles ALSO AVAILABLE The Smiths (Complete Box Set) Olivia Tremor Control (LP reissues) Apparat Luomo S.C.U.M. Gross Magic Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/othermusicnyc Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/othermusic

		OCT Sun 23 Mon 24 Tues 25 Wed 26 Thurs 27 Fri 28 Sat 29   TICKET GIVEAWAY TO THE FIELD The Field's great new album, Looping State of Mind is featured below in this week's Update, and we've also got two pairs of tickets to give away to catch one of Kompakt's finest at Le Poisson Rouge this coming Tuesday, October 25. Just email tickets@othermusic.com to enter and we'll notify the two winners on Friday. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 25 LE POISSON ROUGE: 158 Bleecker Street, NYC

		OCT Sun 23 Mon 24 Tues 25 Wed 26 Thurs 27 Fri 28 Sat 29   WIN TICKETS TO CYMBALS EAT GUITARS With their excellent new Lenses Alien full-length, local boys Cymbals Eat Guitars have delivered another fantastic dose of indie rock and will be playing the Bowery Ballroom next Thursday, October 27th, with Hooray for Earth opening. We've got two pairs of tickets up for grabs and to enter, email giveaway@othermusic.com. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27 BOWERY BALLROOM: 6 Delancey Street, NYC

		$13.99 CD $19.99 LP+MP3 180 Gram $9.99 MP3   REAL ESTATE Days (Domino) "Easy" "Wonder Years" There just aren't words to describe the ways in which a young band can invigorate a classic sound in the pantheon of modern rock, so we'll cut to the chase. The new Real Estate record is simply gorgeous guitar pop, some of the best we'll hear in 2011 with the end of the year closing and few competitors this solid in sight. The Brooklyn-via-New Jersey outfit has made great progress as songwriters and stylists, winning notice and acclaim from mere bedroom recordings, so to get them in a real studio and allow them to fill out their sound to the stately, dreamy confidence that appears on their sophomore LP Days is both a big step forward as well as a widening of their stance. Anyone who's a fan of Other Music favorites like the Feelies (who Real Estate opened for in Prospect Park this past summer), the Go-Betweens and the Clientele will fall in love with the spacey, luxurious ballads presented here, which celebrate the beauty of lush, green suburban tracts in the summer, long car rides with no set destination, and the companionship of your most trusted friends. If you were already a fan, get ready for a greatly improved experience, and if you weren't, now might be the right time to give them a try. [DM]

		$12.99 CD $17.99 LPx2+MP3   MARTYN Ghost People (Brainfeeder) "Popgun" "Viper" Following his self-released sleeper hit debut album, Great Lengths (on his 3024 label), Dutch producer Martijn Deykers a/k/a Martyn finds a new home on Flying Lotus' ever-more eclectic Brainfeeder label. Anticipation has been high for Ghost People, and Martyn doesn't disappoint. From the spoken intro by Spaceape, Marytn creates a dancefloor-friendly, yet sharp and smart album of bass-influenced house and post-dubstep. Inspired by Larry Levan and the Paradise Garage, this is music for breaking a sweat without feeling retro or nostalgic at all. The hour-long journey is filled with great cuts that further connect house with dubstep and techno in a fresh and solidly executed way. The tempos range from 115 to 130 BPM and from the second track "Viper" until the album's end, you won't stop moving. It's an excellent selection of streamlined jams that tap into sounds from various genres yet never get too experimental. Filled with arpeggiated synth lines and warm washes of electronics, he goes from the shuffling 4/4 timing to more broken beats yet keeps all the rhythms in line and funky. Every cut seems noteworthy so I'll let you discover the funky freshness for yourself. It's been awhile since we've had an electronic album with high production values, solid tracks, and some definite party jams. I can't stop listening to it, at the gym, at home, or on the train, it works great in various atmospheres. Now if there were a party in NYC that would actually play this stuff, LOUD, all would be in order. Highly recommended, even for the 'pure' house snobs out there, you may be surprised at what you hear. [DG]

		$12.99 CD $9.99 MP3   EMIKA Emika (Ninja Tune) "3 Hours" "The Long Goodbye" I've been waiting in eager anticipation for this album by UK-born Czech singer and producer Emika after a series of tantalizing 12" singles, and damn, was it worth the wait. This album takes cues from the classic "Bristol sound" (Emika's former home) of early Tricky and Third-era Portishead, mapping out her tracks with slow, pummeling syncopated beats, washes of corroded electronics, and some of the heaviest bass I've heard on record in ages -- it literally makes the walls vibrate in the shop when we play this. She combines those ingredients with the urban dub menace of Adrian Sherwood's work with Judy Nylon and Mark Stewart + Maffia, and adds a bit of Berlin techno precision and throb to many of the cuts. While on paper this sounds like a lot to digest in one sitting, everything is used with the utmost care and craft, and her cool, clipped, assured vocal tone adds a take-no-prisoners authority to the end product. The whole thing plays like an electro-pop confection dipped in an acid bath, making debuts by the likes of Austra and even the new Zola Jesus seem amateurish at times, no slouch on them. This record is overflowing with a dark, noir-ish sensuality, but simultaneously exudes a rock-hard rhythmic core, effectively appealing to both the thinking person's bass head and the more lunk-headed party boy with its sheer force. This is probably the debut album of the year, and easily sits near the top of my Best of 2011 list. I absolutely love this album, and it kicks the crap out of anything that remotely tries to come near it, sound-wise. If anything I've said tickles a fancy in your listening habits, trust me... you want this. Totally essential listening. [IQ]

		$16.99 CDx2   M83 Hurry Up, We're Dreaming (Mute) "Reunion" "Raconte Moi une Histoire" M83's Anthony Gonzalez fully delivers on the promise of the incredible "Midnight City" single that he unleashed on us back in July (the song featuring a guest spot from Zola Jesus), his new double album as big of an effort as we could have hoped for. With Hurry Up, We're Dreaming, Gonzalez takes the categorization of familiar '80s music tropes, reconfigures and fits them together, and leaves us staring at the biggest, brightest, most synthetic expression of pop you could imagine. People have taken acid trips that are like the way this record sounds, at once the most commercial, Kanye-ized thing you could hope to hear, and at the same time a passionate paean for nostalgia, and all the power it holds. I'd honestly given up on this guy around the time of his second album, Before the Dawn Heals Us, because he just seemed to go too far, stuffing way too many hackneyed ideas into his music; ironically though, even at 72-minutes long, Hurry Up, We're Dreaming is not too much to take. This record plays like the best double albums do; Gonzalez ensures that we are instantly familiar as listeners, and that we are made to feel welcome in his world of discovery and persona. He touches upon themes that haven't been successfully addressed since the first three Peter Gabriel solo records came out; he borrows synth sounds and drum pads that could have been dislodged from the Thompson Twins' studio; he builds and builds and builds these songs into layered, multi-faceted experiences rather than just pop tunes. Its exuberance is manufactured, to be certain, but the cool thing about manufactured goods is that they are often dependable and reusable. I've been through this whole record several times now and it has yet to wear its welcome out on my stereo. Time and care was taken to make Hurry Up, We're Dreaming the biggest sounding blast of 2011, and it shows from the first moment to the last. What an experience. [DM]

		$15.99 CD $21.99 LPx2+CD $9.99 MP3   THE FIELD Looping State of Mind (Kompakt) "Is This Power" "Burned Out" From those earliest tracks, the Field's take on the Kompakt sound has been singularly melodic, joyfully psychedelic; Looping State of Mind is a great new full-length, slowing down the pace a little, and spacing out, but only sharpening the focus. On 2007's From Here We Go Sublime, the Field somehow took the blueprint of minimal techno to new frontiers (and new ears), but if you thought Axel Willner strayed a bit from the template of his early successes on 2009's Yesterday and Today, I can't exactly calm your fears, as he continues to push in new directions on this one. The album is full of wonderful surprises, from the lilting but indecipherable vocal line that appears after six pulsing minutes of "Burned Out," to the drunken swoon/skipping vinyl groove that is the epic closer "Sweet Slow Baby," a drifting psychedelic jam with its own late-breaking pop vocal buried somewhere in the mix. It reminded us of how much Panda Bear borrowed from the Field, who now seems to be borrowing a little bit back. The results add up to what is clearly the greatest record yet from the Field, built upon the simple loops that have defined Willner's best stuff, but so beautifully assembled and so thoughtfully -- no, emotionally -- presented, that it is instantly engrossing. [JM]

		$14.99 CD   JEAN-CLAUDE VANNIER Electro Rapide (B-Music) "L'Ours Paresseux" "Theme 504" JEAN-CLAUDE VANNIER Roses Rouge Sang (B-Music) "Les Yeux Valise" "Les Pepins De La Raison" The B-Music family has delivered two new collections of music by French maestro Jean-Claude Vannier, best known to many as the man responsible for arranging and directing the music behind Serge Gainsbourg's classic Histoire De Melody Nelson album, and much-beloved for his own 1972 avant-garde masterpiece L'Enfant Assassin Des Mouches, a reissue of which served as the Finders Keepers label's debut release. I've been waiting months for these two albums to surface, and I'm happy to report that they are both entirely worth the wait. Electro Rapide is a compilation on Finders Keepers of vintage instrumental pieces composed by Vannier for assorted film and television projects and ballet performances -- originally issued in small runs on French library music albums and reissued here for the first time -- as well as a number of selections from JCV's personal archives that have never been released until now. These pieces, dating from the late-1960s to early-'70s, bridge the gap between the lush orchestral funk of Melody Nelson and the more abstract internationally minded avant-garde freakouts of L'Enfant Assassin. These cuts are brief, punchy doses of LSD-soaked beat orchestration, utilizing Middle Eastern percussion, jungle flutes and woodwinds, popping bass lines, chunky piano riffs, and those trademarked strings to take the listener on a travelogue of what Finders Keepers affectionately dubs "outernational" sounds. We're taken to late-night cabarets, bootleg liquor shacks, smoke- and incense-filled harems, and with a few children's TV themes, the most cracked, warped version of Sesame Street you'll ever cross. Each piece is gorgeous and filled with plenty of brilliant innovation, not to mention samples galore for you loop hounds. My only gripe is that the comp is too damn short; the whole thing clocks in at around 26 minutes, and while Melody Nelson was about the same length, I want quality AND quantity! Short but oh so sweet, this is a no-brainer for anyone who's fancy has been tickled by Vannier's genius. Roses Rouge Sang, on Twisted Nerve, may come as a total surprise to many casual JCV fans -- a new record of vocal songs with Vannier leading the session band from Melody Nelson through another song cycle of dirty, low-slung orchestral acid funk, and Vannier's first new album of songs in nearly two decades. He's mining the same territory which gave him his biggest acclaim, and it's one hell of a look back -- everyone's in top form here, and JCV's gravelly yet warm ululations simultaneously pay tribute to Gainsbourg's yet also differ greatly from them; Vannier's been singing on his own albums since 1973, and his vocals have always displayed a sly, wicked sense of the macabre. It's easily one of the best things JCV has done since his eponymous 1976 album, and any fan of Serge's early-'70s period needs to hear this. Each record shows ample evidence of Vannier's brilliance, which has earned him a well-deserved reputation as a master of song craft and instrumental alchemy; together, they show that the man hasn't lost an ounce of not only his cred, but also of his cool. Cheers to Andy Votel & Co. for delivering the goods once again... you're too kind, mates. [IQ]

		$16.99 CD   VAN DYKE PARKS Arrangements Vol. 1 (Bananastan) It's hard to summarize the impact and influence that Van Dyke Parks has had on American pop music. But it's safe to suggest that such import comes from not being satisfied with the confines of "pop." Parks is most notorious for being Brian Wilson's songwriting partner on the aborted 1967 Beach Boys' album Smile, and even those sunny tracks were infused with dashes of Charles Ives, Stephen Foster, and of course, ambient wind chimes. And after the Smile fallout, Parks took his own notions of music-making and applied them to his classic and misunderstood 1968 album, Song Cycle, which shoehorned in nods to Mexican folk music, ambient noise, and minstrelsy. But this handy little collection shows off how Parks wed that vision of musical arrangement to his other great gig, doing A&R for Warner Brothers. There are some fine sound clashes to be had here, like putting a former Beau Brummel down in the Louisiana swamps for "Alligator Man," which makes total sense in VDP's world. There's Dean Martin's son singing a Jimmy Cliff song, blues guitarist Bonnie Raitt doing calypso, high-minded chorales tackling Bahamian folk, even bizarre Moog workouts from the man himself. And of course, Van Dyke's way with sterling pop music (see the Mojo Men and "Donovan's Colors"). A fine overview of his myriad talents. [AB]

		$13.99 CD $13.99 LP+MP3 $9.99 MP3   CLASS ACTRESS Rapprocher (Carpark) "Weekend" "Limousine" There has been a flurry of female-fronted electro acts stalking our shelves of late, with Zola Jesus, Austra and the rest following "legacy" groups like the Knife into battle. Class Actress joins the ranks with their proper full-length debut (after an EP on Terrible), and while Elizabeth Harper's shimmering pop project does not add too many new verses to this decades-old song, Rapprocher sings its heart out. If you checked out last year's Journal of Ardency EP, the first thing you'll notice here is the stepped-up sonic palette, with Mark Richardson's production positively booming, a soulful, bass-heavy sound that springs from the more commercial side of '80s Euro electro-pop: Human League, Soft Cell, maybe a dash of Italo groove, with Debbie Harry cooing over top. More than many of her modern compatriots, Harper seems to be in this for the kicks, singing bubbly melodies about bruised relationships and the joyful abandon of youthful folly, and while her voice is not quite distinct enough to always rise above the fray, especially in the quieter moments when her breathy purr has room to inhabit the song, it works. If you've been waiting for the next-wave electro-pop princess who simply wants to move close and dance the night away, wait no longer. [JM]

		$13.99 CD $15.99 LP $9.99 MP3   PSYCHIC ILLS Hazed Dream (Sacred Bones) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store Psychic Ills have been releasing assorted hazy slabs of vinyl since 2004, but most people know these NYC transplants from their '06 proper debut LP Dins, a crashing storm of noise and pop that bent shoegazer techniques through a perma-stoned, cult-like filter that could burn holes through apartment walls. Following that came an extended period of self-discovery through abstraction, with recorded documents that went further out, dug way down, captured the band at practice and left us to sort it out for ourselves. Hazed Dream marks a return to form, then, at least one of a band that's trying to write pop songs in the three-to-four minute range with some degree of success. All of the excess is burned off here like dust in votive candles strewn across the hardwood floor. Energy levels never rise above a browned-out choogle, but that's alright, the Ills finding a niche for themselves between Opal's Happy Nightmare Baby, Spacemen 3 demos, and the sunrise that greets us each morning. This is a supremely burnt, incredibly cool album based on repetitive concepts, blues riffage, and dark sunglasses, content to purr along while the world races past. It'll make the mood juuuuuuust right wherever you are. [DM]

		$12.99 CD $12.99 LP+45+MP3   YOUTH LAGOON Year of Hibernation (Fat Possum) "Cannons" "Daydream" Admittedly, I've grown somewhat skeptical of any new one-man bedroom "band." These days, they are constantly cropping up on the web and it's getting harder and harder to both keep up and sort out the good from the bad. Yet, when you come across something like Trevor Powers' Youth Lagoon, it makes the effort feel worth it. A 22-year-old multi-instrumentalist based in Boise, Idaho, Powers is the latest bedroom pop wunderkind and, I have to say, it's deserved. With a surprising knack for writing melodies that sound familiar, yet refreshing, timeless, yet nostalgic, Powers creates an album that feels effortless. The echo chamber, lo-fi bedroom production behind the gauzy, dense arrangements of rhythms, harmonies and melodies don't hide or detract from his talent. Overall, the guitar leads are bright and memorable, the warbled synth lines are lovably catchy, the drum machine beats fit in just right and Powers high, hazy vocals match the atmosphere he creates -- imagine a band like Beach Fossils having a meeting of the minds with Washed Out. On songs like "Cannons" and "July," Powers shows a maturity beyond his songwriting years; he already knows how to add an intimate subtlety to his music as well as when and how to turn up the volume. And, even though, lyrically, the record's insular theme is anxiety and the loneliness it begets, it feels like he uses Youth Lagoon to conquer it, creating music that is, paradoxically, open and inviting. Under all the album's layers, there's a compelling musician creating a truly sweet and wistful debut. [PG]

		$13.99 CD $15.99 LP $9.99 MP3   MY BRIGHTEST DIAMOND All Things Will Unwind (Asthmatic Kitty) "We Added It Up" "Escape Route" Shara Worden has always hinted at neo-classical aspirations in her refined pop music. The Detroit native comes pedigreed with operatic vocal training, and her bell-clear, soaring voice is unmistakable, but it's her nuanced songwriting and arranging that really defines the music of My Brightest Diamond, incorporating everything from Brill Building pop sensibility and Broadway swagger to a far more hushed approach that leans on the most subtle of string arrangements and whispered emotions. As such, this is Worden's most accomplished and compelling recording, a collaboration with NYC's own yMusic chamber ensemble, whose work with pop acts like Bon Iver, Antony & the Johnsons and Rufus Wainwright as well as numerous more classically-minded projects serves this album well. What is most interesting about Worden's songwriting on All Things Will Unwind is how she pushed these accomplished classical players outside of their comfort zone; the album veers from rootsy ragtime guitar and banjo grooves to 1940s-era cartoon soundtracks to cabaret and well beyond, sometimes all in the space of one song, all held together by Worden's intimate yet powerful singing. Fans of Regina Spektor, Joanna Newsom or St. Vincent should all give this a listen, though Worden is as different from each of those iconic singers as they are from each other; My Brightest Diamond is a genre unto itself. [JM]

		$13.99 CD $17.99 LP   GRIMES Geidi Primes (No Pain in Pop) "Caladan" "Feyd Rautha Dark Heart" Rescuing a 2010 cassette-only release from singer/producer Claire Boucher's margins, Grimes' Geidi Primes is another intriguing peak into the development of an emerging (and powerful) songwriter. A remarkably self-assured debut, Geidi Primes finds Boucher trying on a number of different sounds to see what fits best, uniting them all into a cohesive statement via her multifaceted voice. Tracks like "Avi" and "Feyd Rautha Dark Heart" go for straight coldwave, with a simple synth line and beat forming the only counterpoints to a chilling voice. Elsewhere, "Gamberg," with its crumbling string sample, and "Zoal, Face Dancer," featuring a distorted thumb piano set against a dreamy vocal melody, highlight how easily Boucher can transcend simplistic synth pop with arrangements and ideas that refuse easy categorization. Better still are moments like "Venus in Fleurs," which works a similar magic with precious few elements -- a repetitive string pluck and a breathy voice. Great stuff overall, Geidi Primes is clear evidence of another emerging talent (and one who's already released a follow-up full-length and a split with D'eon since this album first appeared), and one that's comfortable and confident enough to approach a number of different pop modes and make them her own. [MC]

		$11.99 CD $14.99 LP $9.99 MP3   GAUNTLET HAIR Gauntlet Hair (Dead Oceans) "Top Bunk" "Lights Out" Like the savory combo of peanut butter and chocolate, Denver duo Gauntlet Hair's exhilarating brand of avant-pop brings together Animal Collective's soaring melodies with Cocteau Twin's chiming, spindly guitar sounds. I swear, there are moments on this record that sound like Avey Tare and Panda Bear broke into the Scottish group's studio -- yes, that would require some time traveling -- and stole Robin Guthrie's effects pedals and trusty old drum machine, and proceeded to bury any semblance of dream pop in a murky, saturated wash of reverb and exuberant vocals and beats. Tracks like opener "Keep Time" and "Mop It Up" crest along humid, byzantine guitars and cavernous bass lines and then swell into monstrous tidal waves of cascading drums and anthemic choruses -- it's about as far from shoegazing as one can be. And then you get the dubby art-pop gem, "Top Bunker," which lands somewhere between the experimental detours that No Age took during their early pre-Sub Pop days and Person Pitch, all coated with the gossamer swirl of an old 4AD record. While not wholly original, Gauntlet Hair's use of influences is original in itself and makes for a strong debut. These guys are well on their way to finding their own voice, and once they do, their next album could be a game-changer. [GH]

		$13.99 CD $19.99 LP+MP3 180 Gram $9.99 MP3   SANDRO PERRI Impossible Spaces (Constellation) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store Sandro Perri's third LP for Constellation (and his first since 2007's excellent Tiny Mirrors) sees him finding comfort in newly expansive sound environs. A student of myriad influences, Perri has recorded four albums of undulating folk-techno as Polmo Polpo, as well as working with fellow Torontonian cohorts on a slew of side projects over the past 10 years, including the criminally overlooked Glissandro 70 project. Perri traffics in a fairly singular synthesis of Arthur Russell's skeletal disco, Marc Bolan's sincerely arcane troubadourism and Kompakt-style clipped analog chirps. If that sounds messy, it does a disservice to the elegance with which Perri is able to pull it off. On Impossible Spaces, Perri weaves everything together into one cohesive sonic whole, simultaneously surprising and comforting. It helps that he is a naturally gifted songwriter, intimately dynamic with a confident voice. The almost baroque additions of cello, oboe and analog synth are never intrusive or obscuring, as the songs themselves can stand on their own. The album itself also has a wonderful arc, building to a climax in the 11-minute "Wolfman," one of the most progressive and haunting pop songs I've heard this side of James Blake. The resolute title track is a perfect close to a staggeringly original album, surely one of the best and most consistent I've heard this year. [SG]

		$17.99 LP   JOHN VILLEMONTE People Like You (Sebastian Speaks) Nice reissue here from the fine folks who brought us Ted Lucas and Vernon Wray, in the form of Wisconsin-based singer-songwriter John Villemonte's first self-released album from 1976. The vibe is decidedly mellow all the way through, with nary a trace of psychedelia but People Like You still creates a healthy little buzz with Villemonte's dreamy voice at the forefront and plenty of soaring melodies ("Come Back to Me" and "I Am the Moonlight" are particularly arresting). Sort of like a straight-laced David Crosby, or a sane Merrell Fankhauser if we're really stretching the boundaries. Lay back and enjoy. [AK]

		$17.99 CD   CEM KARACA Kardaslar and Apaslar (Guerssen) "Lumune" "Felek Beni" The Anatolian psych-freak reissue express powers forward with a sorely needed retrospective of guitarist Cem Karaca's early career. Prior to the swamp-rock wallop he made with the band Mogollar, Karaca (one of Turkey's first acknowledged rock musicians) started the bands Apaslar ("The Rowdies") and later Kardaslar ("The Brothers") throughout the late '60s and early '70s. This CD collects four tracks by the former and eight by the latter, each one traversing the fine lines between Eurovision pop, progressive rock, and Turkish folk music with passionate vocals, crazy rhythms and heart-rending melodies. More subdued and less freakified than sundry "psychsploitation" efforts that have littered the reissue landscape (not pointing fingers, but they're out there), Karaca and company express real human emotion while upgrading their country's popular music with influences from the West. An outstanding and historically relevant release. [DM]

		$11.99 CD $12.99 12" $3.99 MP3   AYSHAY WARN-U EP (Tri-Angle) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store Only in operation for a couple of years or so, the Tri-Angle Records label has quickly become a pretty reliable purveyor for certain strands of modern electronic music that pull equally from hip-hop, R&B, and gauzy ambient pop. And while they've made a name for themselves releasing music from young upstarts like Balam Acab and oOoOO, their latest signing Ayshay gleefully adds a few new variables to the formula. Actually the work of Fatima Al Qadiri, a New Yorker by way of Kuwait and Senegal, Ayshay's debut WARN-U EP largely eschews the beat-driven norms of the Tri-Angle fold in favor of ambient tone poems constructed solely from layers of her own voice. The first three songs take passes through multiple layers of vocals, all stretched and twisted, pitched down for rumbling bass tones and punched up for queasy choruses. Deriving inspiration from the sacred songs of Islam, tracks like "Shaytan" and "Jemsheed" turn the notion of religious music on its ear, transforming it into something refracted through the lens of someone born and raised as much on ambient music as worship. As great as those three vocal tracks are, the "Nguzunguzu Megamix" that re-contextualizes them as constituent parts of a jittery beatscape might even be better. Still offering Ayshay's voice room to breathe, these LA producers' reworkings add a frantic urgency to her beautiful tones, capping this solid debut rather nicely. [MC]

		$16.99 LP+MP3 $9.99 MP3   DISCO ZOMBIES Drums Over London (Acute) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store NYC's Dan Selzer is responsible for getting a good number of us into post-punk disco back in the early '00s through his Transmission party at the late, lamented Plant Bar, and further through his Acute imprint. Selzer has given us a spate of crucial reissues right when we needed them, and has balanced the viciousness of releases by the Fire Engines, Metal Urbain and Glenn Branca against a more buttoned-up, but no less vital class of artists from here and abroad -- the Method Actors, the Lines, and now the Disco Zombies. This London-via-Leicester group of college lads had a go at it from '77 through '80, releasing a total of three singles and carving out a tiny space for themselves in post/punk history. The title track, from their second single, was a favorite of John Peel's, and surfaced on the Killed by Death Vol. 1: Swingalongamuck comp of DIY singles. Here's the rest of the story, a restless slog through the birthings of punk and new wave as collected by a shifting group of young men, eager to make their fortune and finding confusion and chaos instead. Truthfully, they get better as they go on, with "Here Comes the Buts" -- their last single, and the only one to include the drum machine that would stay with the band in the stead of a live human until their demise -- fitting nicely into the brooding young man style of the day, as mastered by Graham Parker and Joe Jackson. History did not favor the Disco Zombies, but this career retrospective may make you wonder why. Their sound was poppy and upbeat, their stance inquisitive and joking in equal measures, their outlook adventurous (as evidenced by the 1980 live set appended here, finding the band covering Eno and Faust alongside their own material). There's a wealth of unreleased tracks here from singles that never materialized, and the concert tracks cap this one off as another winner from a label that doesn't know how to lose. Comes with a lovely booklet that showcases singer Dave Henderson's screenprinting talents. This is the first of several vinyl reissues coming from Acute, so keep your ear to the tracks. [DM]

		$17.99 CD   EVE Take It and Smile (Kismet) Detroit trio Eve (formerly known as Honey Ltd and responsible for perhaps the most ridiculously expensive girl group LP of the '60s) decided take a shot at the big time and hitchhiked (that's how story goes at least) to Los Angeles to audition for Lee Hazlewood, who liked them so much he released Take It and Smile on his own LHI label in 1970. Backed by the legendary Wrecking Crew (a revered ensemble of L.A. studio musicians, including drummer Hal Blaine) and with appearances by Ry Cooder and Sneaky Pete of the Flying Burrito Brothers, the album is an intriguing mix of sunshine pop, Laurel Canyon country, and AM Gold schmaltz, and an absolutely lovely take on "Shake Sugaree" called "I've Got a Secret." And for the Eagles aficionados in our midst, there's even a rare, original Glen Frey composition on here! Recommended for fans of Jackie DeShannon and later Evie Sands material, or anyone who wished the Shangri-La's would have gone country. This CD version comes with a bonus track. [AK]

		$14.99 CD $9.99 MP3   ROLL THE DICE In Dust (Leaf) "Iron Bridge" "See You Monday" Following up their 2010 Krautrock-tinged debut on Digitalis, Stockholm-based duo Malcolm Pardon and Peder Mannerfelt release sophomore album In Dust for the Leaf label. After only a few minutes in, it should come as no surprise to discover that Pardon's day job is in film and advertising composition and production. Clocking in at a little over an hour, In Dust could be a darker, more deliberate and dystopian companion piece to Vangelis' Blade Runner soundtrack. As the music creates sonic flashes of urban decay, Mannerfelt, a producer and touring band member for Fever Ray, shows himself to be Pardon's perfect complement, making the entire album's sound more dynamic, expansive and driven. Together, they show how less can create more. Without any drumbeats, analogue synth arpeggios ("Calling All Workers"), metallic synth washes ("Iron Bridge") and simple, but striking piano melodies ("The Skull Is Built Into the Tool") are the music's only anchors. No song on In Dust is overworked and, instead, the austerity and restraint shown creates music that sounds purely powerful. Furthermore, the dusty crackles on the record acknowledge the album's nostalgia; Roll the Dice know just as well as you do that they're working within the framework of those pioneers of kosmische electronics (Cluster, Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream...), but they're content to just take that tradition to an even starker level. The beautiful, anxious flourishes of melancholic ambient textures get under your skin and stay there, begging for repeated listens. Overall, you've never heard a barren, sonic wasteland sound as vibrant and captivating as it does on In Dust. Easily recommended! [PG]

		$9.99 CD $14.99 LP+MP3 $9.99 MP3   BIG TROUBLES Romantic Comedy (Slumberland) "She Smiles for Pictures" "Minor Keys" Growing out of a nascent north-central New Jersey music scene that includes such luminaries as Real Estate, Titus Andronicus, Liquor Store, Ducktails and a handful of others, Big Troubles is finally ready to break out of the grimy lo-fi pack that all those groups originated from and make their stab at the big time. Romantic Comedy, the group's second album, certainly preps them for such success, with none other than Mitch Easter behind the boards to help them craft their sound. It'll be hard not to compare Big Troubles' music to Real Estate's, particularly with both bands releasing jangly pop full-lengths right on top of one another, but where Real Estate veers towards an '80s-centric motif and plangent melodies, Big Troubles looks to the alt-shoegaze movement of the '90s, and isn't afraid to get noisy or steer off into the brush now and again -- much like the storied bands on Slumberland, who've gone ahead and released this album. These are quality songs with huge hooks, and if you're on the nostalgia train like the rest of us, Romantic Comedy should do it for you. [DM]

		$69.99 CDx8   THE SMITHS The Smiths - Complete Box Set (Rhino) At last, the much-anticipated eight-CD Smiths box set is finally available domestically, and we're willing to bet that more than a few of our Update readers have this on their wish lists, not to mention an OM staff member or two. All four of this legendary band's studio albums (The Smiths, Meat Is Murder, The Queen Is Dead and Strangeways, Here We Come), their sole live album (Rank) and three compilations (Hatful of Hollow, The World Won't Listen and Louder Than Bombs) are nicely remastered and packaged in mini-LP replica sleeves and include a booklet with "expanded liner notes." Very limited, so don't hesitate, or heaven knows you'll be miserable...

		Dusk at Cubist Castle $21.99 LPx2+MP3 Black Foliage $21.99 LPx2+MP3   THE OLIVIA TREMOR CONTROL Music from the Unrealized Film Script, Dusk at Cubist Castle (Chunklet) THE OLIVIA TREMOR CONTROL Black Foliage: Animation Music, Vol. 1 (Chunklet) We've been waiting a long, long while for a new full-length from the Olivia Tremor Control, and with an album reportedly in the works for next year (not to mention the recent release of the new single, "The Game You Play Is in Your Head"), there couldn't be a better time to find the group's first two albums back in print as double-LPs, courtesy of Chunklet! Mixing lo-fi, surrealistic Beatles/Beach Boys-inspired psychedelia with music concrete experimentations, these are two of the best records to come out of the Elephant 6 camp, yes, right up there with Neutral Milk Hotel. Both LPs are housed in deluxe gatefold covers with Stoughton tip-on jackets, and come with download cards which will unlock a total of three hours of rare, unreleased and live recordings between the two records.

		$14.99 CD   APPARAT The Devil's Walk (Mute) "Sweet Unrest" "Candil De La Calle" Moving to the big, new home of Mute Records, the latest full-length from Apparat (a/k/a Sascha Ring) sees the Berlin producer stepping away from the electro and IDM glitches of past and honing in on his song craft. The Devil's Walk marks an inspired passage into a new creative era for Apparat, the album a gorgeous and melancholic set intricately arranged with strings, piano, guitars and understated vocals augmenting his electronic soundscapes; fans of James Blake, Thom Yorke/Radiohead, Notwist, and Sigur Ros will love this.

		$17.99 CD   LUOMO Plus (Moodmusic) On the heels of his recent Vladislav Delay Quartet album and the equally excellent record with the Mortiz von Oswald Trio, Sasu Ripatti turns his sights back to the dance floor with a new full-length under his Luomo guise. Plus finds Ripatti enlisting the Chicago Boys to handle the vocal contributions for the entirety of the album, their hushed, soulful melodies being the perfect human contrast for the tech-house grooves and his always detailed, sophisticated production.

		$14.99 CD $19.99 LP+CD 180 Gram   S.C.U.M. Again Into Eyes (Mute "Faith Unfolds" "Paris" With family ties to the Horrors and a synth-heavy pop sound that is deeply indebted to the best of the UK '80s sound, you would be forgiven for writing off S.C.U.M. as kiddie-rock imitators. And while there is not much new here, truth be told these guys are pretty good, and Again Into Eyes is a moody and enjoyable stroll through yesteryear. Fans of Horrors, Interpol, John Hughes soundtracks and bi-level hair, please listen.

		$7.99 CD   GROSS MAGIC Teen Jamz EP (Fat Possum) "We're Awake Tonight" "Sweetest Touch" Gross Magic is the nom de plume of young bedroom rocker Sam McGarrigle, whose glam-pop missives instantly bring to mind T. Rex and ELO, with just enough lo-fi weirdness and a creepy helium vocal delivery that one could imagine this kid to be an Ariel Pink protégé if McGarrigle lived in Cali rather than across the Atlantic in Brighton. Five catchy nuggets here!

		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 [SG] Simon Gabriel [PG] Pamela Garavano-Coolbaugh [DG] Daniel Givens [GH] Gerald Hammill [IQ] Mikey IQ Jones [AK] Andreas Knutsen [JM] Josh Madell [DM] Doug Mosurock THANKS FOR READING - all of us at Other Music

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