The Other Music Update

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	March 2, 2012


	FEATURED NEW RELEASES John Talabot Jesse Ruins Co La Tronics Memoryhouse Damien Jurado Kenneth Higney LP Lee Perry & the Upsetters Vazz/La Bambola Del Dr Caligari LP Total Groovy (4CD Box Set) Madlib Original Raw Soul III (Various) Bonobo (Remixes)		ALSO AVAILABLE Light Asylum 12" Wesley Eisold - Deathbeds Book Wild Nothing 7" Beach Fossils 7" Bettye LaVette Wild Belle 12" Oren Ambarchi Archers of Loaf Field Music Wax Poetics (Magazine) Shindig! (Magazine) Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/othermusicnyc Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/othermusic

		ESKUCHE HEADPHONES + COSMIC KIDS MIXTAPE We're big fans of eskuche's Obsessive Compulsive Frequency headphones -- you might have spotted some of the Other Music staff sporting a pair on the streets or subway. Right now, if you come into the shop and purchase any style, you'll also receive a very limited Cosmic Kids mixtape that was recorded direct to cassette. We've only got a handful of these tapes to go around, so swing on by the store and toss out those uncomfortable, tinny sounding white earbuds. You can check out a video of the making of the Cosmic Kids mixtape here.

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		BUNKER TICKET GIVEWAY: SANDWELL DISTRICT We know a lot of Other Music regulars are going to be heading to Public Assembly for tonight's installment of the Bunker, with residents Spinoza, Eric Cloutier and the rest of the crew hosting a Sandwell District showcase in the backroom featuring: Function, Silent Servant and Rrose! Simultaneously in the front, Amsterdam's Juju & Jordash will officially join forces and Lebanon's Morphosis will be making his return to the Bunker as well. Phew. You know what to do, enter to win a pair of tickets by emailing contest@othermusic.com. We'll notify the two winners by email this afternoon. TONIGHT, FRIDAY, MARCH 2 PUBLIC ASSEMBLY:70 N. 6th St. Williamsburg, BKLN

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		LE POISSON ROUGE TICKET-GIVE AWAYS Our good friends at Le Poisson Rouge have offered to our Update readers a pair of tickets to each of these upcoming shows. First up, this Monday, Dutch lutenist Jozef Van Wissem will be performing with legendary filmmaker (and guitarist) Jim Jarmusch, in support of their album collaboration Concerning the Entrance into Eternity, out now on Important Records. Opening the night are Matteah Baim and Sophia Knapp. To enter to win a pair of passes, email tickets@othermusic.com. And for those of you who missed out on tickets to the now sold out Four Tet show on Saturday, March 10th with Mike Slott opening, here's one more chance! Email giveaway@othermusic.com to enter. Good luck! LE POISSON ROUGE: 158 Bleecker St. NYC


	$15.99 CD		JOHN TALABOT Fin (Permanent Vacation) "Last Land" "Oro Y Sangre" Following a series of EPs and remixes (most notably his bright and bouncy reworking of the xx's "Shelter"), Barcelona-based producer John Talabot releases his debut full-length for the Permanent Vacation label. Instantly feeling like an intersection of techno and electronic indie pop, throughout the album's fifty minutes, sonic connections to Pantha Du Prince, Panda Bear, El Guincho, Nicolas Jarr and Delorean (Ekhi Lopetegi is featured on the song "Journeys") all come to mind. Seductive and tropical, his rhythms are steady, meticulous and purposeful, maintaining the experience of dancing in an open and green field, as opposed to the usual dry and dark-room atmosphere that seems to be a trend of late. Fin is full of slow-motion house, Balearic beats, fuzzy disco touches, all with an indie pop sheen. You could draw parallels to Washed Out, yet Talabot has a stronger sense of groove and structure, mostly using voices as an accent. Sophisticated yet not stuffy, Talabot leaves enough open space for blissful crescendos and blossoming arpeggios. This is instantly accessible and engaging; fans of the new indie house of producers like Octo Octa or Ital, or elder scene statesman Four Tet or various others should love it. John Talabot lives more on the electronic side, yet has enough sense of melody, groove and clean production to appeal to both sides of the dance floor. This has been in constant rotation at the shop, and it continues to provide a warm and deep, open and refreshing space to get lost in. Recommended. [DG]


	$7.99 CD $10.99 LP+MP3 $5.99 MP3		JESSE RUINS Dream Analysis (Captured Tracks) "Dream Analysis" "Shatter the Jewel" Sometimes, I find myself caught in a dream that is so weird, unsettling and unpleasant that I feel compelled -- commanded -- to remain in it. Everybody experiences these kinds of dreams. It is impossible to wake yourself up from them, even when your dream self realizes that the chaos in your mind is just fog and not reality. But the strangest thing is that I don't really want to wake up from these kinds of dreams -- I've got to see what is around the next bend. Dream Analysis, the new EP from mysterious Japanese synth-pop band Jesse Ruins, is just that kind of sonic adventure. Oceanic synthesizer sounds fill the foundation of each track, and gritty, pulsing drum loops keep the tension high. Bubbling through the mix are gorgeously indistinguishable female vocals; the fact that the words are impossible to make out actually complements the mood that Jesse Ruins aim to create. The atmosphere is that of slight anxious energy, coupled with the tingling sparks that flit under your skin while under the influence. The primitive texture of JR's beats on tracks like "I Knew It" and opener "Dream Analysis" recall early Factory Records hits like New Order's "Temptation" or the Durutti Column's "Sketch for Summer." The punch-drunk weaving of synthesizers and voice on "Sofia" is particularly beautiful, but the best song on the EP is certainly "A Bookshelf Sinks into the Sand." The first thirty seconds are achingly pretty, built out of a vocal loop and swishing synth pads, and the following four minutes are an aural assault of industrial drum patterns that chatter the teeth. In the Captured Tracks universe, Jesse Ruins orbits around other complex new wave satellites like Blank Dogs and the Soft Moon; fans of those artists, or of outsider synth-based pop music in general, will find plenty to love in this lovely, aggressive dream of an EP. [MS]


	$18.99 LP $9.99 MP3		CO LA Daydream Repeater (NNA Tapes) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store Co La is the new alias of Matthew Papich, formerly of Ecstatic Sunshine, a band that I honestly never really got into. This debut recording by Co La, though, is a surprisingly great little slice of vinyl that serves as a tribute to dub music, Dilla-esque hip-hop beat tapes, and sunny, humid tropical climates. The concept is pretty simple; Papich takes loops cut from rather well-known tracks by the likes of the Ronettes, Grace Jones, and even Twin Peaks composer Angelo Badalamenti, and he layers them into effective little collages that hypnotize, occasionally soaking them in swathes of reverb and delay like a wannabe King Tubby. The beauty of this record is the way he still emphasizes the pure pop elements of these tracks, even when they're flipped into abstract fragmentations. The beats are steady and solid, the production is nicely no-frills, and while it's not an album that immediately jumps out and grabs you, with repeated listens it draws you in, and you begin to discover details perhaps overlooked during the initial familiarization with the samples. I wouldn't go so far as to call this a proper dub record, but the dub influence can't be denied, and I've got to say, this was one of my most pleasant surprises as of recent. I also ended up buying one myself, and I can't really give a higher recommendation than that! Here's hoping this is just the first we've heard from Co La; this is a promising debut with lots of potential, and definitely deserves your attention. [IQ]


	$11.99 CD $12.99 LP $9.99 MP3		TRONICS Love Backed by Force (What's Your Rupture?) "Love Backed by Force" "They're Talking About Us" Recently What's Your Rupture? reissued Tronic's "Shark Fucks" single, and now they show all their cards with the release of the band's incredible 1981 LP, Love Backed by Force! Zarjaz, the man behind Tronics, began playing music in his early teens on the fringes of West London, on the cusp of the vibrant punk and post-punk scenes, and despite a cult of rabid fans and the occasional gushing press moment, his "career in music," if you can call it that, has largely been cloaked in anonymity. At 16 Zarjaz recorded Tronics' first single "Suzy" b/w "Favourite Girls" (initially titled "Vibrator" but the pressing plant insisted the name be changed), produced by John Edwards who was linked to the Who producer Shel Talmy. What's pivotal about this release was its support from Rough Trade's Geoff Travis, who encouraged and partly funded the pressing. This first single would become, arguably, a pre-cursor for English post-punk and indie music. Hot on the heels of this single, Zarjaz turned some heads with a self-styled shirt with the slogan "Fuck Dancing Let's Fuck" (in reaction to Madness' much-discussed "Fuck Art Let's Dance" gear, and indeed mainstream music in general), and a year later, in 1980, a cassette that would change the game for independent music was self-released. The Tronics, described by the NME as the original "indie album," became the first independent record to be distributed internationally, essentially inaugurating the D.I.Y. era both functionally and musically (there are more than a few echoes of Tronics' sound in the K Records catalog, and beyond). Love Backed by Force is the third album in the Tronics cannon following What's the Hubbub Bub, also from '81, and it is the group's most immediate release. Here Zarjaz offers up discordant melodies, candied guitars and minimal rhythms made up of bongos, tambourines and handclaps. These tracks weave folk, pop and electronic elements into a piece heavily influenced by the Nadsat language used in the cult classic film, A Clockwork Orange. Interplanetary opener "Charlie Manson" features warbled digital effects revealing Zarjaz's flare for computerized sounds. Yet the bulk of the album takes a different shape, with rock guitars alongside nursery rhyme melodies with repetitive lyrics delivered deadpan. "I've got this crush on you, and it's crushing me," Zarjaz confesses in "Crush on You," accompanied by infectious bright fuzzy guitars set to chugging stripped-down rhythms. Another standout track is "My Baby's in a Coma" featuring a cheery tune offset by cheerless lyrics -- it's this tragicomic point of view that aptly describes Tronics' approach, with a style of songwriting that influenced a legion of UK indie bands who came after, from the Smiths on down. Love Backed by Force is where Zarjaz began to develop his self-styled "baroqueabilly" aesthetic, and utilized it to charge the gates of this new thing called post-punk. What's Your Rupture? has certainly done the Tronics catalog justice, and enjoying this album is as simple as letting Zarjaz take you into his world. Absolutely recommended. [KP]


	$13.99 CD $15.99 LP+MP3		MEMORYHOUSE The Slideshow Effect (Sub Pop) "The Kids Were Wrong" "Punctum" Memoryhouse started off as an unassuming art project between composer Evan Abeele and photographer Denise Nouvion about five years ago, with Abeele's minimalist instrumentals soundtracking Nouvion's visuals, their cross-media collaboration serving as a creative outlet during harsh Canadian winters. What began as moody bedroom recordings have over time evolved into crisp, quiet pop songs, Nouvion's voice now front and center as Memoryhouse have polished up ten songs to make up their debut full-length album. The multi-layered sound of the band is almost obvious from the cover art -- a double exposure photograph taken by Nouvion. The image of a girl dipping her feet into a lake ties in with the themes of youth and water (and photography too) present throughout the record, already adding depth and meaning to the concept of The Slideshow Effect. The tracks are spare but not bare, the layering of guitar hooks with drum-machine-like percussion suggestive of dream pop, but unlike other acts who'd rather stick to muffled vocals, Nouvion's voice is put forward with clarity avoiding that exhausted reverb. Often compared to Beach House's melancholy style, these songs are less hazy, but maybe also less arresting. But Memoryhouse prove themselves as a musically strong band with the attention to detail portrayed on this album, and it's definitely worth a listen. [ACo]


	$13.99 CD $9.99 MP3		DAMIEN JURADO Maraqopa (Secretly Canadian) "Nothing Is the News" "This Time Next Year" A couple of years after his excellent Saint Bartlett album (and 15 years after his Sub Pop debut), Damien Jurado has again teamed up with producer/musician Richard Swift, and the magic the two created together on that 2010 album is back on the hazy, dream-infused folk-pop journey of Maraqopa. The record opens with the acoustic strum of "Nothing Is the News," joined by Jurado's fragile Neil Young vocal lilt, but it's when the swinging drums and bass kick in, along with swirling reverb guitar and layers of ghostly background vocals, that the impact of this collaboration hits. Jurado's music has always been deep and compelling, but with the addition of Swift's simmering intensity and deft touch in the studio, this music comes alive, spinning Technicolor webs around Jurado's darkly introspective folk songs, adding a children's chorus here, a spindly old organ there, a solo flute or a riot of exploding guitar noise. It is organic but otherworldly, embracing yet often foreboding, and across these ten diverse tracks, Jurado and Swift have achieved the rarest and most prized feat in that ancient art of album-making, creating their own rarefied world, a hidden, magical place set apart from the daily drudge. To join them, all you have to do is listen. [JM]


	$17.99 LP		KENNETH HIGNEY Attic Demonstration (One Kind Favor) Wow, hard to believe we first reviewed this incredible album nearly a decade ago! Still as great as the day we first played it in the shop, this record is without a doubt one of those that defined my time working the sales floor of Other Music. Amazing then to finally have it readily available on its true proper format, the long-playing record. Kenneth Higney. Attic Demonstration. The kind of record we only make in America. Recorded in '76 as publishing demos in an, uh, attic, and never intended for commercial release, Higney got tired of waiting for the publishing community to take notice and ended up pressing a couple hundred to distribute himself. Too obscure to fade into anything, 20-some-odd-years-distance, and a public that constantly clamors for the next bit of outsider Americana freakiness -- you've got yourself a bona fide Cult Artiste. Higney is this year's Gary Wilson, and I mean that in the best possible sense. Like Wilson, Higney occasionally sounds as if he'd had his fair share of relational psychodramas, for instance check "Can't Love a Woman Like That," when she signs her name...."it's an autograph," and she's "too opinionated and not very gentle." Seemingly off kilter one-handed funk containing some blazingly original guitar solos alternate with folk-loner testimonials. As Scott here at the shop said, "This is what I always wanted Jandek to sound like!" The album closes with a post-Attic Demonstration seven-inch in which Higney lays down an avant-disco vibe so out of whack that it wouldn't be outta place on the New York Noise comp. Awesome for real people. [MK]


	$16.99 CD $22.99 LPx2 $9.99 MP3		LEE PERRY & THE UPSETTERS High Plains Drifter (Pressure Sounds) "Val Blows In" Val Bennett & the Upsetters "Ain't No Love" Jimmy & the Inspirations Pressure Sounds continues their exploration of the storied catalog of Lee 'Scratch' Perry with this latest installment of fevered rhythms. High Plains Drifter follows last year's excellent Sound System Scratch compilation and a few other great reissues; here Perry goes even further back in time to showcase some gems from his pre-Black Ark output, focusing on 7" singles released on his Upsetter label. These songs laid the foundation for the sound and groove of reggae in general, ska specifically, and became beloved by the British skinhead/soul boys across the ocean. Featuring many instrumentals from Perry's own Upsetters band (in line with his spaghetti western and kung fu-inspired songs like "Return of Django," "Clint Eastwood," etc.), along with nice vocal moments from Dave Barker, the Silvertones, Junior Byles and a few more. Feeling plenty soulful with organ, scratchy guitar and sparse splashy drums, Perry relies less on the tripped-out studio techniques he would later pioneer, and hones in with a tight and driving stride. Perry had much love for the work of the Impressions as well as other contemporary soul acts from America, and you can hear the influence interpreted in a distinctly Jamaican style. You get a sonic glimpse of where the little man with the magnetic personality comes from and where he was headed, and while these tracks may not be Perry's most iconic and sensational, it's a great listen from start to finish. [DG]


	$19.99 LP		VAZZ / LA BAMBOLA DEL DR CALIGARI Whisper Not / The Wrong Holiday (Forced Nostalgia) The excellent Forced Nostalgia label delivers another primo slice of post-punk era greatness with this tasty split LP. Side A features Scottish group Vazz with a reissue of a 1982 cassette release originally limited to 100 copies, featuring tracks slated for release on Les Disques Du Creupuscule, but sadly shelved at the time. This stuff is a revelation, featuring a blend of female-fronted electronic pop made with minimal means that honestly recalls the likes of Antena if produced by 23 Skidoo or Chris Carter of Throbbing Gristle/Chris & Cosey infamy. These songs are haunting, heavily rhythmic, and simply stunning, blending percolating machine beats with the stripped-down wiry string sounds of the era, simultaneously filled with nervous energy and cool, detached ennui. The flipside is by Italian band La Bambola Del Dr Caligari, and features a more gothic cold wave aesthetic, in tune with the whole Euro bat cave vibe that folks like Dead Can Dance, Bauhaus and even Cocteau Twins helped to inspire, but presented here with more rough and rugged edges. Filled with ringing organ lines, theatrical vocals, and some pulsating rhythms, this is very much at home with the whole Wierd Records/Zola Jesus/Xeno & Oaklander type stuff coming out today. This is one of Forced Nostalgia's best releases yet, and is most highly recommended to fans of just about anything I've namechecked here. As usual, these are limited and vinyl-only releases, so get while the getting's good! [IQ]


	$32.99 CD		VARIOUS ARTISTS Total Groovy (Drag City) Sometime in the late 1970s, just as the Buzzcocks were unwittingly penning the final chapters in the bible of first wave pop punk, Pete Shelley decided to step out a bit from the mold he'd so effortlessly created and start his own label. Named Groovy Records, and fated to last but one year, the imprint gave Shelley a forum to mess around with friends and fellow scenesters in ways that probably surprised the legions of fans hoping for endless variations on "What Do I Get?" and "Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)." Managing just three releases (with the unfinished tapes for a fourth stashed in a closet somewhere for close to three decades), Groovy went on to become a curious footnote for some, and a legendary strand of bizarre, early-1980s DIY for others. Drag City's The Total Groovy goes the distance here, rescuing the whole of the Groovy catalogue from out-of-print obscurity for all to see, as well as issuing a fourth, up until now unheard album that never made it to the pressing plant. Unsurprisingly, Shelley played a hand on all of these albums beyond simply financing and releasing them. The Free Agents £3.33 inaugurated the label with Shelley and a few of his buddies (Francis Cookson, Eric Random, and Barry Adamson) uncorking a handful of tracks that explore gritty noise, queasy drones, echoing percussion, and wacked-out tape manipulation with equal aplomb. Sky Yen, Shelley's first solo record, was next on the release docket. Unearthing a pair of tracks he recorded in 1974, when the Buzzcocks wouldn't have even been a glimmer in his eye, the two lengthy pieces on display here were the product of whatever low tech oscillators and electronics Shelley had lying around. Surprisingly aggressive and ominous, it shows a side that the man would never revisit, and its swooping, sweeping, punctuating sirens of sound make one wonder what Shelley would have gotten himself into were it not for that fateful Sex Pistols' gig that turned his mind onto punk. The real gems of the Groovy collection, though, are the final two discs. Featuring the last official release in the Groovy catalogue, Sally Smmit and Her Musicians' Hangahar offers up the Mekons' Sally Timms, Pete Shelley, and a few others crafting what proposes to be a film soundtrack (that film, however, never seems to have appeared). Across two epic pieces, Timms' wordless vocals stretch over almost morbid instrumentals that clatter and shake with the intensity of one of Can's ethnographical forgeries gone horrible awry. Better still is the previously unreleased Strange Men in Sheds with Spanners album, a series of mostly short vignettes that take in everything from eclectic synth drone, to compact rhythmic workouts that wouldn't have seemed out of place on a Chrome record. An interesting head trip all around, The Total Groovy is a great listen for anyone looking to fill the gaps in their knowledge of early 1980s underground arcane. [MC]


	$16.99 CD		MADLIB Medicine Show #13: Black Tape (MMS) Just when we thought Madlib was done with his sprawling Medicine Show series (or maybe this is just his Black History Month offering), here comes number 13, Black Tape. It's a mixtape-styled collection of remixes and mash-ups from a variety of unnamed yet often-recognizable MCs; on first listen I picked out, Common, Eminem, Doom, Jadakiss and Jay-Z from the dozens of voices deemed the "best, half-best, brilliant, and borderline" in the liner notes. As with most of the series, this is a nonstop, crashed-and-smashed-together journey into the wacky world of Mr. Otis Jackson, this one focusing on the hip-hop side. Due to the racy and bizarre nature of the artwork which was apparently rejected by several printing plants, the release has been delayed several times over, and may not be around that long. If you've been a fan or follower of the series, this one is good, mainly because he's dealing with MCs and not just showcasing his funky world music break collection. He's a talented producer, tried and true, and even when he goes all loosey goosey, he's still ahead of the rest. [DG]


	$16.99 CD		VARIOUS ARTISTS Original Raw Soul III (Now-Again) The Whitefield Brothers is one of several aliases of Jan and Max Weissenfeldt, a Munich-based pair of real siblings who over the last 15 years have recorded a consistently soulful cross-section of post-punk funk, ethno-jazz, deep funk and rare-groove disco under various names including Beanfield, Syrup, and Poets of Rhythm. The Original Raw Soul series is a semi-annual release that highlights the best of their ever-expanding catalog and for this edition standouts include: the hard Afro-funk of New Process' "Bus People Theme," the wonderfully ethereal jazz-funk poetry of Bajka and the hazy psych-soul of their Poets of Rhythm moniker. We've been singing the praises of the Weissenfeldts for many years and this collection is another solid offering of river-deep hybrid soul. Fans of Stepkids, Band of Bees, Madlib and the like who aren't familiar should step right up! [DH]


	$13.99 CD $23.99 LPx3 $9.99 MP3		BONOBO Black Sands Remixed (Ninja Tune) "The Keeper (Banks Remix)" "Eyesdown (Machinedrum Remix)" Simon Green's Bonobo project scored a sleeper hit for Ninja Tune with his 2010 album Black Sands, and now comes the remix collection containing fourteen tracks of previously unreleased versions that unspool Bonobo's soulful blend of electronics and jazz. The original album featured the warm and soothing vocals of Andreya Triana (Green in turn produced her great solo album, Lost Where I Belong, also from 2010), and so do these remixes. Of the chosen producers, selected by Elgo records label head and Rinse FM DJ Alexander Nut, standout tracks include Machinedrum and Floating Points' vastly different reworkings of the song "Eyesdown," along with Mark Pritchard and Blue Daisy's head-nodding versions of "Stay the Same." Other producers include FaltyDL, Cosmin TRG, Mike Slott, Duke Dumont, and Lapalux; together they all expand the range of sound and tempos, yet keep the sophistication and the soulfulness of the originals intact. [DG]


	$12.99 12"+MP3		LIGHT ASYLUM Shallow Tears (Mexican Summer) With a proper debut album on its way, Light Asylum releases a new 12" on Mexican Summer, co-produced with Chris Coady (Beach House, Gang Gang Dance, Grizzly Bear). A-Side "Shallow Tears" finds the duo slowing down the BPMs and delivering a dark, elegant processional; with Budgie-like tom-toms drumming atop Bruno Coviello's programmed beats and haunting, buzzing keyboards, Shannon Funchess turns in a deep, emotional vocal performance that's nothing less than spellbinding.


	$20.00 BK		WESLEY EISOLD Deathbeds - Book (Heartworm) Finally a second edition of Wes Eisold's (Cold Cave, American Nightmare) book, Deathbeds, which was selling for triple digits on the various auction sites of the world for way too long -- 176 pages of poetry and lyrics, dealing with all topics dark and desperate. Dude is smart and funny too. A must for goths AND hardcore aficionados, and those with even a remote of interest in fringe culture, at a fraction of the recent cost. 1,000 copies and then it's gone again, for good probably.


	$5.99 45 $1.99 MP3		WILD NOTHING Nowhere (Captured Tracks) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store Virginia indie-pop dynamo Wild Nothing, a/k/a Jack Tatum, returns with a new single for Brooklyn's Captured Tracks. A teaser for the upcoming album that's slated for release this fall, "Nowhere" is a slinky pop gem with a tinge of Go-Betweens twang. Recorded in an actual studio -- it shows -- with guest vocals from Twin Sister's Andrea Estella, the song signals a new direction for Wild Nothing and we'll tag along to see what Tatum does next.


	$5.99 45 $1.99 MP3		BEACH FOSSILS Shallow / Lessons (Captured Tracks) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store Also out on Captured Tracks is a new single from Brooklyn's own jangle poppers, Beach Fossils. "Shallow" finds the band embracing a cleaner, tighter sound, with the richer production values allowing the song's mood and texture to shine through. Don't worry though, the boys are still brazenly breezy and bright and it's a perfect track for these in between season days.


	$16.99 CD		BETTYE LAVETTE Nearer to You (Charly / Snapper) "Do Your Duty" "Easier to Say (Than Do)" With Nearer to You, the UK's Snapper Records brings us a beautifully and lovingly packaged reissue from a true and truly under appreciated American music (should have been) legend. As a soul singer/songwriter who's been honing her craft for the past 50 years, Bettye LaVette recorded for a variety of labels in the '60s and '70s and onwards, but only enjoyed a brief breakthrough to a mainstream audience with 2005's I've Got My Own Hell to Raise. Still, many diehard soul fans count the material recorded for Memphis labels Silver Fox and SSS International in the 1960s and 1970s as her finest work and that's what is collected here. There are tender ballads -- her duet with Hank Ballard is stunning -- along with slick, funky tracks like her big hit, "He Made a Woman Out of Me," which was actually banned on many radio stations at the time of its release. A real singer and true performer, Bettye LaVette finally gets her due.


	$6.99 12"		WILD BELLE Keep You (Sandhill Here's a great, new, reggae-tinged 12" from Chicago brother and sister duo Wild Belle. Like a blend of artists such as Peaking Lights, Psychedelic Dancehall and Hollie Cook, "Keep You" is a shuffling, dub-infused pop gem with soaring, dreamy vocals layered above. As for the B-side, "Take Me Away," it utilizes that paradigm and twists it with a few more soulful sounds. Keep your eyes on this guys -- you'll be hearing more about them soon enough.


	$15.99 CD $9.99 MP3		OREN AMBARCHI Audience of One (Touch) "Salt" "Fractured Mirror" Easily one of Oren Ambarchi's best works to date, Audience of One is an amazing four-track suite of songs that succinctly binds many of his disparate modes of production into a satisfying whole. At turns expansive and intimate, the album opens with a shimmering, long sigh of a pop song that seems to harken back to his much underrated singer-songwriter project from the early 00s, Sun, before launching into an epic, loping thirty-minute-plus track of shifting tones, low-end feedback, and clicking percussion. The following two songs delve into moments of crystalline minimalism and cyclical guitar patterns augmented by lovely, hushed vocals.


	$14.99 CD		ARCHERS OF LOAF Vee Vee - Remastered (Merge) "Nevermind the Enemy" "Underdogs of Nipomo" Another great Archers of Loaf reissue from Merge, the band's second full-length, originally released in 1995 on Alias Records with an extra disc featuring 16 bonus tracks of 7" singles, boombox and 4-track demos, and more. For the uninitiated, Vee Vee is a prime slice of '90s indie rock. With producer Bob Weston sitting behind the boards, Eric Bachmann and Co. shook off the lo-fi shackles of their earlier EPs, singles and debut album (Icky Mettle), sounding louder and scruffier than ever. With overdriven off-kilter guitars, a pummeling rhythm section and Bachmann's gravelly, pissed-off vocals leading the charge, the band tears through a raucous set, with highlights like "Harnessed in Slums" and "Greatest of All Time" being nothing less than indie anthems of the time -- they still rule. There probably wasn't a more exciting music scene in the early to mid '90s than Chapel Hill, NC, and AoL's Vee Vee, Superchunk's No Pocky for Kitty and Polvo's Today's Active Lifestyles make up the holy trinity of that time and place.


	$13.99 CD $14.99 LP+MP3 $9.99 MP3		FIELD MUSIC Plumb (Memphis Industries) "A New Town" "Is This the Picture?" Plumb is Field Music's fourth album and, we have to say it, it's their most succinct, refined album yet. They've finally nailed the straight-shootin' rock n' roll sound they aimed for, but ultimately missed with on 2010's Field Music (Measure). Here, no one song overstays its welcome as every big, hooky chorus and shimmering guitar captures their chamber pop essence for just the right amount of time. Plus, they've added a hint of prog-rock swagger to their quirky guitar arrangements, slinky bass lines and vocal harmonies making Plumb a truly enjoyable, varied listen. Dynamic, soaring and, ultimately, impressive, Field Music will take you by surprise in the best way possible.


	$11.99 MG		WAX POETICS #50 (Wax Poetics Magazine) Wax Poetics is back in a new redesigned and resized incarnation (we're getting more of a Lifestyle Mag vibe here), with issue #50, the Prince edition. Everything you'd want to know about Mr. Nelson and then some, plus great features on Frank Ocean of Odd Future, Larry Graham, Morris Day, Grand Central, Madhouse, Questlove, Toro y Moi, Blood Orange, and tons more. As always, essential reading!


	$8.99 MG		SHINDIG! #25 (Shindig! Magazine) Great new issue of Shindig! with a lengthy expose on cover stars the Bee Gees, who unbeknownst to many produced some of the best psychedelic pop of the '60s. Additionally, there are features on Mighty Baby, Jason Falkner (of Three O'Clock and Jellyfish), the Leopards, Kaleidoscope, Modern Folk Quartet, and the usual chunk of reviews, plus much more.


	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 [ACo] Anastasia Cohen [MC] Michael Crumsho [DG] Daniel Givens [DH] Duane Harriott [IQ] Mikey IQ Jones [MK] Michael Klausman [JM] Josh Madell [KP] Kimberly Powenski [MS] Michael Stasiak THANKS FOR READING - all of us at Other Music

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