Having trouble viewing this email? Go to othermusic.com/2012january13update.html

   
   January 13, 2012  
       
   
     
 
 
FEATURED NEW RELEASES
Moon Wiring Club
Guided by Voices
Tom Ze
Patrice Sciortino
Bruce Haack (2 LPs)
Megafortress (Software 12")
Napolian (Software 12")
 
BACK IN PRINT
Kim Jung Mi
Flaviola e o Bando do Sol

NOW ON VINYL
Cut Hands (2 Separate LPs)


All of this week's new arrivals.
Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/othermusicnyc
Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/othermusic

 
         
   
   
   
   
   
       
   
 
 
APR Sun 08 Mon 09 Tues 10 Wed 11 Thurs 12 Fri 13 Sat 14

Black Tambourine
Photo by Tae Won Yu

Small Factory
Photo by Lydia Vanderloo

Bridget St. John
Photo by Gail O'Hara
  WIN THREE-DAY PASSES TO CHICKFACTOR'S 20TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION!
Our dear old friends at Chickfactor are celebrating that storied 'zine's 20th anniversary with a mind-blowing festival at the Bell House this April, and we are thrilled to offer a pair of the three-day festival passes to one lucky reader. (The three-day festival passes are sold out, as well as tickets to the opening night on April 10th. As of press, Other Music has a good amount of tickets to the second and third nights.) If you loved indie-pop back in the day, then you loved Chickfactor too, as that magazine was without a doubt the best source for reviews, interviews, artwork and anything else happening in the '90s twee pop scene that you'd ever want to read about. These three nights are not to be missed! Email tickets@othermusic.com to enter for the three-day passes and we'll notify the lucky winner on Monday, January 16th.

TUESDAY, APRIL 10 - SOLD OUT: Black Tambourine, Small Factory, Versus, The Lois Plus

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11: The Aisler Set, Pipas, Bridget St. John, The Legendary Jim Ruiz Group

THURSDAY, APRIL 12: Steve Jackson of Belle & Sebastian, Honey Bunch, A Girl Named Eddy, The Softies

THE BELL HOUSE: 149 7th Street, Brooklyn

     
 
   
       
   
 
 
JAN Sun 15 Mon 16 Tues 17 Wed 18 Thurs 19 Fri 20 Sat 21

  LE POISSON ROUGE TICKET CONTESTS: O'DEATH & BROWN BIRD ~ AQUARIUS FEAT: SLICK RICK, AFRIKA BAMBAATAA, TONY TOUCH & KENNY DOPE
Le Poisson Rouge is one of the city's most dynamic performance venues, and for proof, look no further than Saturday, January 21st. Early in the evening Brooklyn's O'Death will be performing their strange urban-hillbilly brew with Providence duo Brown Bird opening. Show begins at 6:30PM, and to enter to win a pair of tickets, email giveaway@othermusic.com. A few hours later, the legendary Aquarius party gets under way, featuring an unstoppable line-up of hip-hop and house purveyors: Slick Rick (live), Afrika Bambaataa, Todd Terry, Kenny Dope & Tony Touch. We've got a pair of tix for this one as well; email enter@othermusic.com for your chance to win.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 21
LE POISSON ROUGE: 158 Bleecker Street, NYC

     
 
   
   
 
 
JAN Sun 15 Mon 16 Tues 17 Wed18 Thurs 19 Fri 20 Sat 21
  Sun 22 Mon 23 Tues 24 Wed 25 Thurs 26 Fri 27 Sat 28






  UPCOMING OTHER MUSIC IN-STORE PERFORMANCES
HOWLER: TUESDAY, JANUARY 17 @ 9PM
Howler's been creating quite a loud buzz out of their Minneapolis garage these past several months, thanks to their undeniably catchy fusion of classic CBGBs punk and '60s West Coast pop influences. The group will be celebrating the release of their debut full-length, America Give Up (Rough Trade), on the day of its release with a live in-store performance at Other Music on Tuesday evening, January 17. This one's going to be packed, so get here early!

LAURA GIBSON: MONDAY, JANUARY 23 @ 8PM
We're excited to welcome Laura Gibson to Other Music, who will be playing an intimate set at the shop on the eve of the release of her new album, La Grande, on Barsuk. The Portland, OR singer-songwriter has received much acclaim over the past half-a-decade or so, and her upcoming full-length is a stunning, timeless collection of mysterious, atmospheric folk with guest appearances from members of Calexico, the Dodos and more.

OTHER MUSIC: 15 East 4th Street, NYC
Both in-Stores: Free Admission | Limited Capacity

     
 
   
   
 
 
  Sun 15 Mon 16 Tues 17 Wed18 Thurs 19 Fri 20 Sat 21
  Sun 22 Mon 23 Tues 24 Wed 25 Thurs 26 Fri 27 Sat 28

  OTHER MUSIC WEDNESDAYS AT THE ACE HOTEL
Other Music returns to the gorgeous lobby of the Ace Hotel every Wednesday during the month of January. Each night will feature a different OM DJ, each with a style and flare as unique as the store itself.

January 18: Chris Pappas
January 25: Gerald Hammill

ACE HOTEL: 20 W. 29th Street, NYC
8PM Until Late | No Cover
Facebook Event Invite

     
 
   
       
   

 

 

     
 
Clutch It Like a Gonk
$17.99
CD

Buy



Shoes Off and Chairs Away
$17.99
CD

Buy



Striped Paint for the Last Post
$17.99
CD

Buy

  MOON WIRING CLUB
Clutch It Like a Gonk
(Gecophonic)

"Gonk Operetta"
"Churchyard Style"

Moon Wiring Club's Ian Hodgson comes forth with his newest and arguably best album yet, released again on his own Gecophonic label. Clutch It Like a Gonk, his fifth long player, sees him taking his trademark blend of blunted funky drum breaks, stuttering plundered vocal samples, Radiophonic-inspired kitchen-sink sonic textures, and eerie synth atmospheres into a more energetic tempo range with impressive results. He's holding on to the core hip-hop/b-boy inspiration that made his earlier works stand out from much of the rest of what has been dubbed the "hauntology" scene of British artists working in similar mindsets, but where many of his peers conjure images of slowly waltzing spirits dancing sentimentally across ballroom floors, Gonk's tracks see those ghosts throwing battle poses at one another across parquet floors in Victorian Kangols and Adidas waistcoats. The syncopated shuffle of tracks like the excellent "Churchyard Style" or "Get There by Bus" ramps the energy up, while the slow, majestic crawl of "Dress to Decorate Summer Evenings" shows that he's not just hooked on the past like many hauntologists, as it slyly winks to the sluggish epic drag of contemporary R&B/hip-hop acts like the Dream and the Weeknd. Hodgson snuck this out at the end of the year and it quickly lodged a place onto my personal Best of 2011 list -- if you enjoyed his last album, I can't recommend this one more highly. In other good news, we're also finally carrying copies of his hard-to-find second and third albums, Shoes Off and Chairs Away and Striped Paint for the Last Post. This guy has quickly become one of the UK's brightest, most promising new producers, one who's successfully created his own distinct universe during a time when retreads and pale imitation still seem to be passing off as acceptable product. These Moon Wiring Club albums are special treats; try one for yourself and savor the flavor. [IQ]
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

$13.99
CD

Buy

$16.99 LP

Buy

$9.99 MP3

Buy

  GUIDED BY VOICES
Let's Go Eat the Factory
(GBV)

"Spiderfighter"
"The Unsinkable Fats Domino"

Guided by Voices have made so many records, with so many lineups, that when they finally "hit" in the early-'90s, they already needed a boxed-set to sum up their "early years" for the fans, and have released at least two more since. But it is that '90s-era band, with frontman Robert Pollard joined by Tobin Sprout, Mitch Mitchell, Greg Demos, and Kevin Fennell, that made the best music and cast the longest shadow. At their best, GBV defined what was (is?) so fucking cool about indie rock -- they wrote great songs and put everything they had into their music, but they did it (seemingly) without any thoughts about accessibility or success. Their albums were raw and unfiltered, songs seemingly half-finished, badly played and terribly recorded, and still able to blow your mind with their beauty and honesty -- just a bunch of friends in the basement, drunk on cheap beer and pretending to be the best rock band in the world. As this "classic lineup" splintered (most notably when Pollard and Sprout fell out in '96), Pollard soldiered on, making some good records and grabbing for the brass ring a few times, but without his boys he never quite recaptured the magic of those years. The GBV name was retired in 2004, but after a series of well-received live reunion shows over the past year, the group who made the indelible pop of Bee Thousand is back with a new record. How is it, you ask? Well, it rules -- some of the best songs from either Pollard or Sprout in years, backed by the band who are just proficient enough to get out of the way of a good hook; it's rock, not rocket science, and these guys keep it simple and pure. Do I have to say any more? It's probably not quite as good as their best stuff -- not much is -- but this was worth the wait for sure. If you missed these guys, you can welcome them back to your turntable and not feel like you are settling. Crack a cold one and turn it up! [JM]

 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

$17.99
CD

Buy

$29.99 LP

Buy

$9.99 MP3

Buy

  TOM ZE
Grande Liquidacao
(Mr. Bongo)

Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store

This reissue of innovative Brazilian songwriter Tom Zé's debut album has been long overdue; aside from an import CD pressing in the '90s that itself was very hard to find, the record has been otherwise unavailable since its release on a small Brazilian independent label back in the '60s, with original copies fetching three-figure sums on collector's markets. This important yet often-overlooked album has seldom been mentioned when discussing his legacy and that's a shame, because while the spare cubist rhythms, softly looping staccato guitars, and power-tool percussion of Zé's more well-known work may not be present, it does retain his skewed, fragmented view of popular music styles.

Grande Liquidacao was made in 1968 during his time as part of the Tropicalist artistic movement, and many of the sound signatures of classic albums by his contemporaries in that scene are here, as lush orchestration, huge bursts of brass fanfares, wheezing and tooting electric organ beds, and a more electric rock feel all rub together like pieces of a puzzle put together by Zé in the wrong way. Throughout he sounds like he's leading a parade of weirdos through a Brazilian carnival, singing sly, biting songs about consumerism and the ironic joys of capitalism at one moment, and gently serenading the city of Sao Paulo, the city where this Bahian began his career, the next. If you're a big fan of early Os Mutantes, you'll find much to love here; it's also worth noting that this excellent album includes a different recording of "Parque Industrial," one of Zé's most important songs from the Tropicalist period which was sung by all of the movement's participants on their collective album Tropicália: ou Panis et Circencis.

I won't front, the man is one of my creative heroes -- I love every minute of sound that Zé has ever recorded, but this album deserves your attention just as much as masterpieces like Todos Os Olhos and his Estudando albums. It's a wonderful slice of Brazilian psych-pop that's finally back on the shelves where it rightfully belongs. The brilliance starts here. [IQ]
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

$18.99
CD

Buy

  PATRICE SCIORTINO
Chronoradial
(Omni Recording Co.)

"Le Dieu Gange"
"Vif Archet"

A stunning 36-track compilation from our reliable friends at the Omni Recording Co. devoted to the sublime genius of French production library composer, Patrice Sciortino. In the late '60s and early '70s, Sciortino steadily turned in a varied and inventive body of work to companies Musique Pour L'image and PSI to be licensed for films and adverts, but commercial parameters seemed to have had very little impact on Sciortino's astounding output. Full of oblique juxtapositions, jarring string sections, and an endlessly inventive use of percussive rhythms and shadings, sublime moments of swooning beauty completely elevate it beyond the realm of commerce. Gorgeously remastered by Omni, this album includes the entirety of Sciortino's crown achievement, 1970's Chronoradial, along with the choicest bits from his numerous other releases. [MK]

 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 
Way-Out Record for Children
$15.99
LP

Buy



Electronic Record for Children
$15.99
LP

Buy

  BRUCE HAACK
The Way-Out Record for Children
(Mississippi)

"Accents"
"Nothing to Do"


BRUCE HAACK
The Electronic Record for Children
(Mississippi)

"Listen"
"Saint Basil"

The Mississippi label has always maintained an eclectic and original catalogue of fascinating and esoteric releases, but their base has been historic blues collections and reissues. Here, however, they've taken a step to the left and perhaps a quick flight into outer space with their welcome reissue of a pair of fairly insane late-'60s children's records from the well-known synthesizer-freak, Bruce Haack. Haack grew up in Canada but moved to New York in the mid-'50s to study at Julliard, where his freethinking, restless pop-influenced style was at odds with the establishment. Haack was undeterred and for the next several decades he wrote and recorded an incredibly diverse range of compositions, often in various combinations with Ted "Praxiteles" Pandel, and a children's dance teacher named Esther Nelson. He was on the vanguard of electronic composition and created many of his own synthesizers and effects, and he wrote many "serious" avant-classical pieces and dance and performance scores. Throughout the '60s he also frequently appeared on television shows like Johnny Carson's The Tonight Show, showing off his inventions and performing his more eccentric pop-culture pieces. He also released a well-known psych-influenced rock LP in 1970 called The Electric Lucifer, but Haack's defining passion was children's music, and he released a series of great, wild kids records on his own Dimension 5 label throughout the years, impassioned and intriguing odes to the power of imagination, music and weirdness in the lives of young ones.

Mississippi has released two of the very best from Haack's large catalogue, 1968's The Way-Out Record for Children, and from '69, the incomparable Electronic Record for Children. Both somewhat follow the standard kid's-music plan of directly engaging the listener with stories, dance-along sections, straight-up party tunes as well as morals and meanings, but all skewed through Haack's incredibly fertile mind. "Listen to the world all around you, listen carefully, listen well," sings Haack's collaborator Chris Kachulis on "Listen" from the Electronic Record, and that may be Haack's defining sentiment. He dreams of trips to space, he engages robots, bugs and animals alike, he travels the globe and the universe and explores the tool box back at home, literally and figuratively. These are heavily electronic albums but they incorporate diverse acoustic instrumentation as well, and he and his odd coterie seem to have a blast -- it's hard not to join in the fun. They are off the wall but still deeply musical, and once you get into Haack's head, they start to make perfect sense. You can say you are buying them for your kids but you will listen to these late at night when they are deep in dreamland. And if you see me in the shop some time, ask me about the day, years back, when the Japanese pop star Cornelius came into Other Music looking for original vinyl copies of these (very rare, very pricey) records. It's a good story! [JM]

 
         
   
       
   

 

 

     
 
Megafortress
$12.99
12"

Buy



Napolian
$12.99
12"

Buy

  MEGAFORTRESS
Megafortress 12"
(Software)


NAPOLIAN
Rejoice 12"
(Software)

Two new 12"s on Joel Ford & Daniel Lopatin's Software label, first up comes the debut EP from Megafortress, the nom de plume of Bill Gillim, whose restrained yet dreamy home productions are crafted from samples of bells, found sounds, synthesizer and his processed voice. The beautiful, gentle layers of Gillim's falsetto during side A's "My Favorite Girl" are as meditative as they are hair-raising. In contrast, 19-year-old Napolian (of LA-based production crew Renaissance Music Group) hones in on his abstract synth-funk -- think Dam-Funk hanging with Ford & Lopatin, and you're partway there. Good stuff!



 
         
   
       
   

 

 

     
 
Afro Noise: 1
$26.99
LP

Buy

Afro Noise: 2
$26.99
LP

Buy

  CUT HANDS
Afro Noise
(Dirter)

"Impassion"
"Stabbers Conspiracy"

William Bennett is an influential yet controversial figure in the world of post-industrial noise music. Via his project Whitehouse, he has drawn as much criticism over the years as he has praise (if not more), essentially creating the power electronics style and inspiring acts from Wolf Eyes to Mego founder Peter Rehberg, among many others, with a fierce, pummeling blend of massive bass and piercing high-register electronic tones. Whitehouse's work of recent vintage has incorporated Bennett's growing interest in African music and folklore, particularly of Ghanaian ritual music and Voudou culture, and he manifests that interest to its extreme with the first album under his latest moniker, Cut Hands -- originally released last year and now issued on vinyl, split over two separate LPs, with additional material not included on the CD.

The music of Cut Hands is rooted in dense, high-octane polyrhythms performed on assorted African hand drums, shakers, and metals; he combines those rhythmic trance grooves with massive washes of the grimy electronics he's mastered for decades now, only here those tones provide disorienting drones, atmospheric moodiness and pure needling texture. The whole thing is brutal yet propulsive, not necessarily aping the sounds of its influences but successfully (and respectfully) processing them in unique ways; I'm reminded of everything from 23 Skidoo's fusions of indigenous polyrhythm and industrial soundscapes (minus the funk) to Kevin Martin's bass bin-busting work as the Bug (minus the dancehall influences) to the nightmarish nightclub scene in Jacob's Ladder. It's definitely NOT for everyone, but it's surprisingly more listenable than anything else to which Bennett has ever put his name, and is most highly recommended for anyone who likes their beats visceral, dirty, and straight-up HEAVY. [IQ]

 
         
   
       
   

 

 

     
 

$14.99
CD

Buy

$19.99 LP

Buy

  KIM JUNG MI
Now
(Lion Productions)

"Wind in the Trees"
"My Beautiful Land"

Last fall, Light in the Attic issued a stellar collection of Korean psych-rock by Shin Joong Hyun. He was the linchpin for the entire Korean rock and roll movement, from the late-'50s until the early-'70s, and not only did he record literally dozens of records with his own groups, he also actively sought out talent to produce and arrange. One such fruitful discovery was Kim Jung Mi, whose 1973-released album Now was orchestrated by Mr. Shin with his band the Men. He was a master of many styles and for this record he seems to have gone for a combination of west coast American folk rock and French chanson a la Francoise Hardy. Kim Jung Mi is most certainly the nightingale of South Korea, possessing a really lovely, slightly breathy voice that Mr. Shin's arrangements do great justice to. If you've been digging LITA's Shin Joong Hyun comp of which Kim Jung Mi's "The Sun" is a highlight, you'll love this too. Recommended! [MK]

 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

$17.99
CD

Buy

$29.99 LP

Buy

$9.99 MP3

Buy

  FLAVIOLA E O BANDO DO SOL
E o Bando do Sol
(Mr. Bongo)

Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store

A lost classic from Northeastern Brazil's fertile psychedelic scene of the early-'70s, Flaviola e o Bando do Sol was birthed in the same atmosphere that produced Lula Cortes and Ze Ramalho's masterpiece, Paebiru, as well as Satwa's eponymous late-night acoustic guitar excursions. If you've heard and enjoyed those, you're sure to not be let down by Flaviola, as it's a pretty good midway point between those two records' differences. A number of the same guys play on here as on Paebiru, Lula Cortes perhaps most significantly, but it isn't as consciously far-out as that album, nor perhaps as navel gaze-y as the Satwa record is wont to be. Incredibly tender and peaceful, predominately acoustic, and with soothing melodies in spades, it's great to have this album finally back in print and on our shelves again. [MK]

 
         
   
       
   
         
  All of this week's new arrivals.

Previous Other Music Updates.

Visit www.othermusic.com.

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

[IQ] Mikey IQ Jones
[JM] Josh Madell
[MK] Michael Klausman

THANKS FOR READING
- all of us at Other Music

 
         
   
    Copyright 2012 Other Music
Newsletter Design Big Code