September 22, 2011

		FEATURED NEW RELEASES Ricardo Villalobos + Max Loderbauer Tammar Hong Kong in the 60s This May Be My Last Time Singing Veronica Falls Weekend Nurses The Raincoats Das Racist Cool Kids Bazzerk (Various)     ALSO AVAILABLE Trust (12") Jens Lekman Megafaun Clap Your Hands Say Yeah Ladytron Memoryhouse BACK IN STOCK Freddy Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/othermusicnyc Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/othermusic

		SEP Sun 18 Mon 19 Tues 20 Wed 21 Thurs 22 Fri 23 Sat 24   WIN TICKETS TO FOOL'S GOLD As much fun as their records are, we can pretty much guarantee that Fool's Gold's infectious multi-cultural pop grooves are best experienced live, and we have a pair of tickets for each of the LA collective's NYC area shows this week. Choose your borough and email tickets@othermusic.com to enter. THURSDAY (TONIGHT), SEPTEMBER 22 MERCURY LOUNGE: 217 E. Houston Street NYC SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 BROOKLYN BOWL: 61 Wythe Avenue BKLN

		SEP Sun 18 Mon 19 Tues 20 Wed 21 Thurs 22 Fri 23 Sat 24   HUMAN LEAGUE TICKET GIVE AWAY Touring behind their well-received new album Credo, synthpop legends the Human League are sure to play the classics too when they hit NYC next Friday. We have a pair of tickets for the show and you can enter to win by emailing giveaway@othermusic.com, and then check out their new music video for "Never Let Me Go." FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 BEST BUY THEATER: 1515 Broadway (W. 44th St) NYC

		SEP Sun 25 Mon 26 Tues 27 Wed 28 Thurs 29 Fri 30 Sat 01   WIN TICKETS TO HAUSCHKA & GLENN JONES Sure to be a chilling, powerful night of acoustic music, we have two pairs of tickets for the stellar double bill of Hauschka and Glenn Jones this Saturday at the West Park Church. Email to enter@othermusic.com for your chance to win a pair of tickets. SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 WEST PARK CHURCH: 165 W. 86th Street NYC

		SEP Sun 25 Mon 26 Tues 27 Wed 28 Thurs 29 Fri 30 Sat 01 Twin Sister   TWIN SISTER IN-STORE PERFORMANCE We've been buzzing about Twin Sister for a couple of years now, whose steady stream of web-only or limited EP releases have continually piqued our interest in this dreamy, hypnotic Long Island pop group. Finally, their proper full-length debut is due out imminently on Domino, and we are helping the band celebrate with a record release party and in-store performance on Monday, September 26th. Join us! MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 8 P.M. OTHER MUSIC: 15 East 4th Street NYC Free Admission | Limited Capacity

		OCT Sun 25 Mon 26 Tues 27 Wed 28 Thurs 29 Fri 30 Sat 01   WIN TICKETS TO ELVIS COSTELLO & THE IMPOSTERS One of our generation's greatest songwriters, Elvis Costello and his Imposters bring their Spectacular Spinning Songbook through New York City for a return engagement on Saturday, October 1. Once again, fate will control the set list as various audience members spin the wheel of musical fortune, and where it lands determines what tune will be played. Needless to say, we are thrilled to be able to offer two pairs of tickets to our Update readers for this incredible night! To enter, email contest@othermusic.com. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1 UNITED PALACE THEATER: 4140 Broadway NYC

		$34.99 CDx2   RICARDO VILLALOBOS + MAX LODERBAUER Re: ECM (ECM) "Reblazhenstva (ECM 1957 Blazhenstva)" "Reannounce (ECM 1954 L'Imparfait Des Langues)" "Rekondakion (ECM 1655 Kanon Pokajanen)" While electronic producers Ricardo Villalobos and Max Loderbauer (NSI, Moritz Von Oswald Trio) are well known for their works exploring the more abstract, minimal, and textural ends of the house and techno worlds, their new collaborative release finds the duo journeying into entirely different territory. On Re: ECM, Villalobos and Loderbauer create new works from samples derived solely from the catalogue of infamous jazz/classical/new music ECM record label -- home to classic works by the likes of Arvo Part, Kenny Wheeler, Benny Maupin, Meredith Monk, Don Cherry, Christian Wallumrod, John Abercrombie, among others -- and quite frankly, the results are completely stunning. Villalobos in particular has long talked of his love of ECM in interviews, claiming the label's releases to be some of his favorite works of personal listening. ECM's immaculately produced soundscapes evoke the sorts of textural details Villalobos thrives upon, and over the course of two CDs, he and Loderbauer create startling new works of spacious, warm, and hypnotic beauty. Each track on the album begins with source material from one particular ECM release (each source is duly noted in the liner notes), but rather than offering up standard remixes of preexisting works, the group takes bass lines, shuffling percussion patterns, massed vocal choirs, or even the rich silences and ambiences of the productions' recording rooms as starting points. From there, the duo creates new soundscapes with extensive modular synth setups, filling in empty spaces and carving out new ones, leaving the listener with over two hours of quiet riches that while often rhythmic, never really shift into the house and techno grooves that these two are well known for. It makes total sense that ECM founder and producer Manfred Eicher fell so in love with the project that he decided to release it himself. It would make less sense on a label like Perlon or Honest Jon's, and it offers a lovely bridge between both Eicher's and Villalobos & Loderbauer's worlds, offering up harp-laden moments of quietude ("Reblop" and "Replob"), the tribal thumping of voodoo jazz rituals ("Recat," "Reannounce," and "Redetach"), angelic clouds of wordless vocals ("Resvete," "Reblazhenstva," "Rekondakion," and "Retikhiy"), and avian jungles of spectral flora and fauna ("Retimeless," "Rebird," and "Rensenada"). This has become one of my favorite records of the year, and has a solid spot in my personal best-of list for 2011's new releases. Fans of everything from Fennesz, the Von Oswald Trio, the detailed and sensual soundscapes of the Type Records catalogue, and ECM releases past will find much to love here. I recommend playing this as loudly as possible, on the best stereo you can find; far beyond your standard ambient fare, this is living, breathing music to be fully lived in and ravenously consumed. [IQ]

		$12.99 CD $13.99 LP+MP3 $6.99 MP3   TAMMAR Visits (Suicide Squeeze) "Heavy Tonight" "Yung Jun" There's no shortage of bands these days waving their arty post-punk flags, but Bloomington, IN's Tammar does it right. We were first tipped off to this five-piece a couple of years back and we featured their self-titled EP as a download pick; at the time when I wrote that review I had no idea that two of its members worked for Secretly Canadian, keyboardist Ben Swanson, in fact, being the label's co-owner. Even if so, there would have been no need to check my bias at the door then, nor is there now, as these guys and girls are channeling all the proper influences -- early Factory Records (Section 25 and Joy Division specifically), Velvet Underground, Neu! -- but in a way that most of the young-gun groups seem to be missing. That is to say, behind the thick, icy wall of chiming guitars, dazed organ whirrs and the motorik, Mo Tucker-inspired drumming are good songs with a lot of soul. Frontman Dave Walters sings with a slow-burn intensity, often starting with a sort of druggy melodicism (think Spacemen 3's Sonic Boom) and building into a detached, anthemic urgency that lands somewhere between Ian McCulloch and Ian Curtis -- and the rest of the band follow in lockstep. Make no mistake, there's no drama here for drama's sake, nor is there any overt Anglo-fetishsizing going on, and considering that a majority of the seven tracks run well past the five-minute mark, you'd more likely see Tammar paired on a bill with San Francisco drone-smiths Wooden Shjips than, say English rockers British Sea Power. (Though they'd do just fine sharing the stage with the latter.) Reference points be damned, Tammar's debut full-length is the album that any Brooklyn band with amplifiers would kill to make -- as timely as it is timeless. Recommended! [GH]

		$17.99 CD   HONG KONG IN THE 60S My Fantoms (Proper Songs) "Softly Sung" "Diaryland" Man oh man, I had been trying to get this record in the Update for a while, and it kept getting bumped because every time I'd restock the CDs, we'd sell out of them before the feature could run. As a result, I had to stop playing the album in the shop for a bit, simply so we could offer some up to those of you without the opportunity to catch it behind our walls. Hong Kong in the 60s are a UK trio who were last seen on a now sold out 7" with the Advisory Circle on Ghost Box (but whose two excellent tracks are available via OM Digital); that record's lovely blend of analogue synth science and hazy, autumnal vocal harmony made my ears perk up, and with their debut album, My Fantoms, the band does not disappoint. These twelve songs evoke the gentle pastoral electronic pop of the likes of Saint Etienne, the High Llamas, and Broadcast, but mixed with a bit of Sarah Records indie pop jangle; gauzy synth beds and gently pattering drumbox rhythms anchor fingerpicked electric/acoustic guitar lines and the soft whispers of vocalist Mei Yau Kan, often making me think of an imaginary world where Raymond Scott's Manhattan Research Laboratories produce albums by the Free Design. This album is perfect autumn listening, almost tailor-made for lazy park-dwelling days, afternoons lost at coffeshop tables, and gentle, sun-flecked breezes. They've become one of my favorite new pop bands, and if anything I've said in this review has made you curious, I heartily recommend picking this up; they cast a bewitching spell, and their album is a subtle but charming sliver of pop perfection. So, so nice. [IQ]

		$37.99 CDx3   VARIOUS ARTISTS This May Be My Last Time Singing: Raw African-American Gospel on 45RPM 1957-1982 (Tompkins Square) "Perfect Like the Angels" Sounds of Road Now "Jesus Been Good" The Fantastic Angels "He Will Fix It" Sam Williams + The Harris Singers If you are reading this, and you are a fan of rare gospel, soul and funk records, you are likely familiar with Tomkins Square's stunning 2009 triple-disc set Fire in My Bones: Raw + Rare + Otherworldly African-American Gospel (1944-2007). That collection (along with Dust-to-Digital's Goodbye Babylon) was a literal godsend for music fans, making a treasure-trove of self-released, obscure gospel records widely available for the first time. Lovingly curated by Mike McGonigal, best known as the founder and editor of Yeti magazine (and before that Chemical Imbalance), Fire in My Bones distilled years of McGonigal's obsessive crate-digging into a sprawling set that was so rich with soul, passion and raw emotion, it could put the fear of God even in a sad sinner like me -- and that's saying something! If you have read his magazines, you know that McGonigal's tastes are varied and deep, but he gravitates to the unvarnished, d.i.y. aesthetic, and his collection of gospel records showed a fierce, street-level approach to music making that could appeal to fans of punk or ethnographic field recordings as much as they could fans of traditional religious music. Needless to say, I was thrilled to see this new collection arrive in my inbox a few weeks back, essentially a second volume of raw African-American gospel that McGonigal has assembled for Tompkins Square, this time with a narrower timeline ('57-'82), and the further restriction of being plucked entirely from seven-inch 45 vinyl releases. McGonigal chose to focus on the 45 for what he sees as the egalitarian nature of the format -- inexpensive to produce in limited runs, these singles were cut by storefront preachers and basement gospel groups from coast to coast, usually for sale only to their own congregations, and, though the quality of the musicianship and singing is startlingly high, the homespun, self-motivated approach gives the set a grit and grace that is undeniable. This is religious music, for sure, but most all of these groups were clearly in the sway of the "modern" soul sounds that ruled the black community (and really, much of the world) in the '60s and '70s, so Fender guitars, Hammond organs and tight, popping drum kits define the collection. It is the sound of an era and of a community that was, to some degree, insular and self-contained, yet pushing at the boundaries of music and culture; it is music by and for the people, and oftentimes, you can hear those people singing and swaying and clapping along to tracks cut live in front of the congregation. With close to 75 songs spread across three full-length discs, there are too many amazing moments to even begin name-checking the favorites; I think you know you need this. Hours of great, inspirational music, along with meticulous notes from McGonigal, make this a must-have; for the love of God -- and music - check this one out! [JM]

		$9.99 CD $9.99 MP3   VERONICA FALLS Veronica Falls (Slumberland) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store The first full album from Veronica Falls arrives on Slumberland after a run of well-received singles and an EP of their spellbinding boy/girl harmonies and dark, echo-laden indie-pop won over Captured Tracks, No Pain In Pop and Wichita Recordings. This London quartet rose from the embers of the Royal We and Sexy Kids in 2009, and recorded their debut LP with Guy Fixsen (My Bloody Valentine, the Breeders) and Ash Workman (Metronomy, Summer Camp). Veronica Falls' stormy pop songs balance uplifting melodies with dark undercurrents; "Beachy Head" is named after the white cliffs in Eastbourne, well known for being a suicide hot spot in Britain, and the single's swoon-some sing-along melody, with unhinged vocals mirrored by jarring guitars, finds the track dealing out happy and sad in equal measure. This kind of tragicomic songwriting has much precedent in British indie, and sure enough, the band's lineage in twee and C86 is easy to follow; Veronica Falls aren't challenging the past, but breathing new life into the genre. Another album highlight is "Right Side of My Brain" which finds Roxanne Clifford defiantly singing, "Take your hands off me" alongside rattled guitars and forthright rhythms, and indeed, these twelve vexing pop songs are delivered at a consistent feverish pace that are as heartfelt as they are heartbroken. Veronica Falls is a joy to behold from start to finish, easily one of my favorite records of the year. [KP]

		$7.99 CD-EP   WEEKEND Red EP (Slumberland) "Hazel" "The One You Want" This new five-song EP from these reverb-loving (post) punks doesn't exactly serve as an addendum to last year's Sports full-length, but rather turns the page. Recorded in the San Francisco studio of onetime Swell bassist Monte Vallier, they've dialed the buzzing shards of guitar feedback down from 11 to 7 and the fog around Shaun Durkan's usually indiscernible, detached caterwaul has lifted a little. Weekend seem to be working with a less-is-more approach while still paying tribute to the ghosts of Joy Division, the Cure's darker period and even early P.I.L. during tracks like the dirgey, bass-driven "Sweet Sixteen" and the atmospheric but no less ominous "Golfers." More surprising, however, are songs like "Hazel," an instantly catchy, propulsive dose of shoegaze pop that's also slightly reminiscent of Yo La Tengo's "From a Motel 6," and "The One You Want," which I swear sounds like a young Murmur-era R.E.M. playing through the Jesus and Mary Chain's amplifiers, in the best possible way. We knew that there were some pop hooks buried deep beneath all the white noise of Sports, and sure enough those hooks are now poking through the din. Looking forward to the next full-length. [GH]

		$13.99 CD $14.99 LP+MP3 $9.99 MP3   NURSES Dracula (Dead Oceans) "Fever Dreams" "Trying to Reach You" The blurbs about Nurses latest full-length all mention the same self-made mythology about the band holing up in a cabin on the Oregon coast, eschewing any set instrumental roles in favor of approaching the album as three equal "producers," and foregoing any musical inspiration other than Prince. If we assume the story is true, and we agree it's intriguing, it still misses the mark a bit on this oddly compelling new album from the Portland trio. The group's last record, 2009's Apple's Acre, was often described as a sort of modern-indie bandwagon-jumper, too deeply in debt to Animal Collective, etc., well executed but lacking its own defining personality. There was probably some truth to the criticism; at least the band seems to think so, as their stated approach to Dracula aimed at wiping clean the slate of influences and searching for their own inner Nurses. They have found it here, with a soulful, percussive and deeply psychedelic sound that will be familiar to fans of their earlier work, while clearly injecting new life in that formula. The first thing you notice on Dracula is the rhythmic, bass-heavy and finely nuanced production, and Aaron Chapman's breathy, swirling vocal delivery. Both were in evidence on the last record, but it's as if someone flicked on the lights, throwing a once flat, monochromatic sound into deep relief and startling Technicolor. Modern R&B beat-making and vintage dub production both surely play a part in the new approach, but Nurses take the stuttering rhythms and slapback grooves in utterly unexpected directions, adding cymbal swells, ghostly guitar figures and a layered vocal delivery that is infectious. No, they haven't reinvented the wheel, but Nurses have made a great new album that adds a chapter to the indie playbook rather than stealing a few, and finds the group -- trip to the wilderness or no -- forging their own path. [JM]

		$17.99 CD $21.99 LP   THE RAINCOATS Odyshape (We Three) "Shouting Out Loud" "Baby Song" The Raincoats' second album, Odyshape, has long been a personal favorite, a record of strength through failure and of constructing new landscapes from pieces of puzzle whose shapes do not make logical sense, but whose emotional resonances sound deeply. Released in 1981, the group had lost drummer Palmolive before the start of the recording; her primal rhythms were one of the defining elements of the group's debut, and rather than try to replicate her attack here, they instead left her sonic space vacant, constructing songs out of many small, interlocking bits of rhythm, often played on instruments mostly unfamiliar to the band. Many African percussion instruments were used, with kalimbas and balafon utilized throughout, and the girls often swapped instruments as well, adding a greater sense of foreign unfamiliarity to the sounds created. The results were, and remain, striking; folk forms, both of an English and African variety, dominate, but nothing can be traced back to record-collector roots in the way a group like the Slits' love for dub reggae and Afrobeat left such distinct fingerprints on their own catalogue. This album remains one of the most unique and truly forward-looking records of the post-punk era in that it sees the Raincoats creating a new language out of personal need rather than gain; traditional songforms are recognized but never subscribed, and guest appearances by percussionists Robert Wyatt and This Heat/Camberwell Now's Charles Hayward give a nod to the era's other reconstructionists who worked in realms where the personal and political were held with balanced weight, and whose own works from this period (namely Wyatt's Old Rottenhat and Camberwell Now's The Ghost Trade albums) mine similar territory. It's hard to imagine someone like Tune-Yards or even St. Vincent making albums like their last respective works without giving a nod to the bridges built by the Raincoats, and Odyshape is one of the most important yet overlooked pieces of the band's discography. [IQ]

		$11.99 CD   DAS RACIST Relax (Greedhead) "Relax" "Power" If you only know this much-discussed Brooklyn hip-hop group from their breakthrough YouTube hit "Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell," it's time to catch up. Their self-released debut album comes after that ridiculous track, a couple of high-profile mixtapes, some drunken stage shows and a mountain of press have focused all eyes on the post-modern trio, and they have stepped up to the plate with a high-production value, fun, silly and smart album that elevates the group well beyond the novelty status. Das Racist love hip-hop; their lyrics might upend the one-dimensional negative stereotype that most modern rappers adhere to, but from the booming beats to the bragging attitude, this IS real rap music and they just do it their own way. When they boast, it's an awkward "I'm fucking great at rappin'," or the split-personality of "I'm ill, people really love me, I'm wack, people think I'm ugly." When they get all sexy it's a chant of "your booty is my lifeline," with a rhythm track that we're supposed to believe is her booty clapping. They accept being loved by "white devils" (and white dudes from Boston), they scoff "negro, please," and they just might have you rhyming along with a line like "I'm Lady Gaga, I'm a fag, I'm a lesbian, see me playing bass in jam bands at the Wesleyan." They are multi-racial, multi-cultural, they are indie, they are hip-hop, they are smart and also very stupid, they are soulful and also awkward -- mostly, Das Racist are a lot of fun. There are booming choruses, but it's hard to say if they will be blasting from Escalades on Broadway any time soon; what can you make of a hook like "Michael Jackson, one million dollars, you feel me, holla?" There are funky breakdowns, but that indescribable auto-tuned girl laughing that upends the slamming single "Relax" is just plain weird. From start to finish, the album might be a little uneven; it's definitely front-loaded with the hits, and there are a couple of forgettable tracks -- but just a couple. In the end, Das Racist have stepped up to the plate and mostly delivered on the legions of hype they have been riding for the past year or two, with a solid record that should be a welcome relief to legions of hip-hop fans who love the genre (as much as Das Racist does), but hate the lame violent, sexist, homophobic cartoons that most current stars truck in these days. [JM]

		$12.99 CD   THE COOL KIDS When Fish Ride Bicycles (Cake) "Rush Hour Traffic" "Penny Hardaway" Here's more proof that Chicago's hip-hop scene is thriving: the release of the Cool Kids' long-awaited debut album. When Fish Ride Bicycles mixes a casual yet potent brew of De La Soul, N.E.R.D. and Odd Future (minus the potty-mouth lyrics) with the current school of backpacker funk, and it all comes together as a much-needed alternative to the floss-n-gloss mentality that's still running rampant in the mainstream. Accompanied by boomy, bassy and jazzy beats crafted by in-house producer Chuck Inglish, Travis Barker, and the Neptunes, the Cool Kids' flow is old-school in a '90s sort of way -- carefree, witty and even a lil' lackadaisical, recalling a time when rappers just rapped. While big names like Ghostface, Mayer Hawthorne, Asher Roth and Bun B drop by, these guest appearances never get in the way of the soulful melodies or mellow party vibe at hand. If you've been a fan of Brand Nubian, Main Source, the Pharcyde, etc., you'll be happy to find that the Cool Kids are a nice continuation of that lineage. [DG]

		$16.99 CD $25.99 LPx2   VARIOUS ARTISTS Jess & Crabbe Present Bazzerk:African Digital Dance (Mental Groove) "O Babo" DJ Ketchup "Na Paz" DJ Rick & DJ Wilson ...And the beat goes on. You may have heard elements of the raved-up sounds of Kudoro in recent tunes by M.I.A, the late DJ Mehdi and Diplo's DJ sets (of course). But to be honest, it can be difficult to separate the stellar stuff from the filler, so kudos to Jess and Crabbe for putting together a killer modern overview of this sound. For those not familiar, Kudoro is what I'd call Afro-rave, which originated in Angola in the late '80s and is extremely popular in Portugal and France as well. Like baile funk or Baltimore house, Kudoro is raw, sample-based electro booty-shake music. But replace the batucada and/or American disco breakbeats for soca and calypso rhythms and samples, and voila! It's infectious and bassbin shattering, and at its best is a nice synthesis of acid basslines, dubstep low-end and the tight, tribal two-step rhythms of Latin house. My favorites here include the shuffley, bleepy funk of "Radio Oxigenio AM" by DJ Marfox, the dirty electro-funk of DJ Ketchup's "O Babo," and the minimal hiccup bounce of DJ Ni**a Fox's "E Para Vacalhar." Recommended!! [DH]

		$9.99 12" $2.99 MP3   TRUST Bulbform (Sacred Bones) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store Toronto duo Trust -- a/k/a Maya Postepski (from Domino's Austra) and Roberto Alfsons -- follow up their debut 7", Candy Walls, with a new 12" on Brooklyn's Sacred Bones and we couldn't be more excited about this band. The A-side "Bulbform" is your dark, dancefloor anthem while the B-side "F.T.F." shows the group embracing slower, more ghostly synthscapes to create a melancholic cold wave oeuvre. Totally killer. Check them out while they're still under the radar.

		$9.99 CD-EP $13.99 LP $4.99 MP3   JENS LEKMAN An Argument with Myself (Secretly Canadian) "An Argument With Myself" "A Promise" It's been quite a while since Jens Leksman released his last full-length, 2007's Night Falls Over Kortedala, but the Swedish songwriter (who now lives in Australia, incidentally) hasn't lost his touch. The title track of his new EP is a fun splash of bouncy Afro-tropical pop with some pretty hilarious lyrics, and the four songs that follow are equally solid. Lekman's signature baritone voice is as charming and full of wit as ever, and accompanied by some baroque orchestration and occasional light, playful electronics, the singer weaves through a breezy, eclectic 17-and-a-half-minute set of indie pop that his old fans, as well as fans of Magnetic Fields and Belle & Sebastian, will love.

		$11.99 CD $18.99 LPx2+MP3 $9.99 MP3   MEGAFAUN Megafaun (Hometapes) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store Perhaps the perfect Megafaun album (thus the eponymous title?), this is an engaging, embracing blend of the group's diverse influences. At its core, this is a lush acoustic folk-pop album that owes a debt to vocal groups like CSN&Y or Fleet Foxes, with a great natural recording sound and lush harmonies. But as the record unfolds, it brings in the North Carolina group's love of musique concréte, ambient field recordings, space rock and so much more. They make no apologies, and shouldn't; Megafaun is a deeply accomplished and truly satisfying ride.

		$13.99 CD $17.99 LP   CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH Hysterical (Clap Your Hands Say Yeah) "Hysterical" "Yesterday, Never" There wasn't a bigger buzz band back in 2005 than Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, and while their long-awaited third full-length probably won't take them back to those halcyon days (you can only be a buzz band once), it is a return to form of sorts after 2007's hit-and-miss Some Loud Thunder. Hysterical is far from a retread though, and with production from studio ace John Congleton, there's a nice polish to CYHSY's sound that we haven't heard before, and dare we say a maturing to their quirky pop music.

		$12.99 CD   LADYTRON Gravity the Seducer (Nettwerk) While Ladytron's "He Took Her to a Movie," "Playgirl" and "Seventeen" were dancefloor staples at Berliniamsburg and any other electroclash night back in the day, the group have never been one-trick ponies -- a point that's been made clear since Club Luxx shuttered its doors, via the dreamier shoegaze of 2005's The Witching Hour or the harder, dark electro of Velocifero from 2008. Their fifth full-length, Gravity the Seducer, finds Helen, Mira and Co. delivering a beguiling, textured set of atmospheric electro-pop and reminding us once again that substance and style can coexist. For a limited time, purchase Gravity the Seducer and receive a bonus exclusive DVD, while supplies last.

		$5.99 CD-EP $9.99 12"+MP3   MEMORYHOUSE The Years EP (Sub Pop) "Sleep Patterns" "Modern, Normal" A retooled version of the Ontario duo's EP from last year, this take on The Years has somewhat higher-fidelity, studio-recorded versions of three tracks from the original release, plus a pair of new shorter songs/interludes. It's a bit hard to say why the band went back to these tracks -- we're guessing Sub Pop wanted to release the EP, and the band was tired of their original takes; for a fan, the new versions don't add much to the already shimmering, angelic pop songs, save a little more flourish. But if you don't already have the originals, Memoryhouse make gauzy, slow-moving dream pop and are well worth a listen.

		$13.99 CD   FREDDY La Voz Del Sentimiento (Antilla) "Noche Y Dia" "Debi Llorar" Man oh man, get ready for this one, because you're in for a treat; I'm absolutely thrilled to be able to offer up one of my favorite recent discoveries, largely unavailable and which I think many of you will totally flip for as much as I have. Fredesvinda García Valdés was a Cuban singer better known as Freddy, who became a sensation in the 1950s Havana nightclubs with her unique renditions of boleros and canciones. She cut just one lone album in 1960 for the Puchito label, before passing away just a year later, and hot damn, is that album good. I first heard this record at a friend's house after a long night of social imbibing and dining; it was the perfect scenario to discover what would shortly become my newest obsession. Amazed that I'd never heard this incredible music before, I went on a quest to track down the record, which was available briefly on CD in France and has seen sporadic, grassroots distribution here in America. I discovered that the original LP traded for pretty serious money, and was one of esteemed director Pedro Almodóvar's favorite albums. After having the luck and solid detective skills to find a well-loved copy of the original LP at a steal of a price, I understood why; this album is one of a kind, familiar yet strangely alien, tapping into feelings and moods you've heard before yet presented in a fashion so simultaneously clear-cut and shrouded in mystery, it's practically tailor-made for passionate obsession. At around 300 pounds, Freddy's physical stature gave her contralto voice a bewitching, androgynous sound that often reminds me of a Cuban precursor to Antony Hegarty and the same sad, forlorn nightclubs and cabarets are conjured up as the places where these figures haunt with their powerful yet spectral songs. Freddy is backed by the arrangements of Humberto Suárez, who gives these songs a gorgeous blend of noirish afterhours jazz peppered with organ, brass, softly percolating Latin percussion, and sweeping strings; everything is mapped out with an expert touch, showing restraint and then pouncing forward with emotional torrent as the songs build to emotional climax. She tackles popular boleros of the era as well as giving voice to fantastic versions of Gershwin's "The Man I Love," which opens the album, and an incredible take on Cole Porter's "Night And Day," which slow-burns and pulsates with a fire so intense that I had to stop what I was doing when I first heard it. The record closes with a dark, mind-melting version of "Besame Mucho," moving like a criminal in the shadows, ready to mug your senses until her final exaltation at album's end. I seriously cannot express how deeply I was moved by this LP, and how much I've listened to it since I first discovered it a few months back. I don't want to pigeonhole any potential listeners by saying "fans of this should give it a chance," because honestly, this is one of those albums that everyone should hear at least once before they die. This is passion on wax and plastic, captured for your enjoyment, your torment, your rabid consumption. If anything I've said in this overview has piqued your interest, listen to the soundclips and give it a shot. I'm not sure when we'll see this again, or for how long, so don't sleep. Absolute highest recommendation, but you knew that already, didn't you? [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 [DG] Daniel Givens [GH] Gerald Hammill [DH] Duane Harriott [IQ] Mikey IQ Jones [JM] Josh Madell [KP] Kimberly Powenski THANKS FOR READING - all of us at Other Music

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