The Other Music Update

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	October 11, 2012

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		DANCE CRAZE III: FORT GREENE PARK BENEFIT! Many of our readers will know that every summer, Other Music books a free music series in Brooklyn's Fort Greene Park, and on Thursday, October 18, we hope you will join us at our yearly benefit event supporting the arts programming, park restoration and maintenance work that the Fort Greene Park Conservancy works year 'round to provide. This year's Dance Craze features a pair of Brooklyn's best and most soulful DJs, Justin Carter (Mister Saturday Night) and DJ Spinna, and along with a great night of dancing, dining and drinking in the heart of Fort Greene, your ticket purchase will help guarantee another year of great music in Brooklyn's oldest (and coolest) park! THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18 767 Fulton St. Brooklyn Home of the new Greene Grape Provisions $75 Tickets Available Here


	FEATURED NEW RELEASES Goat Laurie Spiegel LCD Soundsystem A.C. Newman Jessie Ware Ty Segall Lives of Angels LP Don Cherry Arizona Dranes (Book & CD) Two Fingers Tim Maia Tame Impala The Soft Pack Mala		ALSO AVAILABLE Menomena Neil Halstead Jason Collett BACK IN PRINT Woo Tully (available on CD) SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT October's Customer of the Month Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/othermusicnyc Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/othermusic

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		WIN TICKETS TO CARPARK/PAWTRACKS CMJ SHOWCASE / CLOUD NOTHINGS AT TERMINAL 5 Other Music is giving away a pair of passes to the Carpark/Pawtracks CMJ showcase at Cameo next Thursday, featuring a great round-up of the sister labels' premier bands and up-and-comers: Adventure, Dog Bite, Popstrangers, Dent May, Young Magic, and Prince Rama. To enter, email tickets@othermusic.com. Also, Carpark staple Cloud Nothings will be performing in New York a few days before on Sunday, October 14, opening for Silversun Pickups at Terminal 5, and we've got a pair of tickets to this sold out show. Email enter@othermusic.com for your chance to win. SUNDAY, OCTOBER 14: CLOUD NOTHINGS & SILVERSUN PICKUPS TERMINAL 5: 610 W. 56th St. NYC THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18: CARPARK & PAWTRACKS CMJ SHOWCASE CAMEO GALLERY: 93 N. 6th St. Williamsburg, BLKN

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		WIN TICKETS TO THE MOUNTAIN GOATS This Monday, John Darnielle and his band will be performing at the Bowery Ballroom, in support of the Mountain Goats' great new album, Transcendental Youth. As expected, the show is long sold out but we've got your chance to win a pair tickets, courtesy of Merge Records. To enter, email contest@othermusic.com and we'll notify the winner on Friday. Good luck! MONDAY, OCTOBER 15 BOWERY BALLROOM: 6 Delancey St. NYC

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		TICKET GIVEAWAY TO FILM:ACOUSTIC WITH CHRIS FRANTZ & TINA WEYMOUTH This upcoming installment of the Modern School of Film's FILM:ACOUSTIC series is not to be missed! Next Wednesday, October 17, Talking Heads/Tom Tom Club's Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth will be presenting a screening of Jonathan Demme's legendary Talking Heads concert film, Stop Making Sense, at the City Winery. Afterward, MSF founder Robert Milazzo will lead a discussion with Chris and Tina about this defining moment in the marriage of music and cinema. To enter for a pair of passes to this special evening, email giveaway@othermusic.com, and we'll notify the winner this Friday. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17 CITY WINERY: 155 Varick St. NYC

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$13.99 CD $17.99 LP+MP3		WIN TICKETS TO FREELANCE WHALES Freelance Whales have just released their second album, Diluvia, which finds the Queens-based indie-pop band taking their joyous everything-but-the-kitchen-sink songs into more polished cinematic territory, as synths shimmer and bubble over the quintet's sing-along harmonies, banjos, strings and clanking percussion. It's a sound that works well for the group's wide-eyed themes here -- touching on ancient astronauts, space travel, Greek mythology and DNA -- while still maintaining the exuberance of those early days spent busking in subway stations and turning jaded commuters into smiling fans. The band will be headlining at Webster Hall on Thursday, November 1st, and we're giving away 5 pairs of tickets! To enter, email contest@othermusic.com for your chance to win. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1 WEBSTER HALL: 125 E. 11th St. NYC


	$17.99 CD $19.99 LP		GOAT World Music (Rocket) "Disco Fever" "Goat Man" You know there is an employee here at Other Music who grew up in Sweden (and four or five from Florida -- go figure), and his initial reaction to Goat, a willfully mysterious new psych group from a tiny town in the north of that country, was skepticism. In the scant public information available about Goat, they speak about the violently repressed pagan past of their hometown of Korpilombolo (the group now resides in Gothenburg), and their debut full-length is a sweaty, humid affair that draws on a wealth of bottom-heavy African grooves as well as hard rock's powerful bombast, Krautrock's sense of experimentation, and the best of '70s deep disco abandon. (I saw a BBC review that referenced Can, Fela Kuti, Liquid Liquid, and Moby Grape -- how's that for a custom-tailored Other Music combo?) And while I can see our unnamed Nord's reluctance to embrace Afro-Swedish-Voodoo-Psych, even he has been won over by this record. Deep fuzz bass, tom-heavy rhythms and pounding percussion, echoey Hammond organ, lots of room tone, and dense layers of swirling lead guitar, combined with the occasional monastic vocal chant buried in the mix, gives this group an ecstatic, ritualistic sound that triumphs over any sense of misappropriation with its simple organic beauty and deep satisfying grooves. Despite a varied set of influences, Goat keeps things pretty straightforward, with mostly mid-tempo, churning tracks that avoid sounding samey by adding nice instrumental touches -- a gentle acoustic guitar intro, or a wailing sax in the breakdown -- and without a doubt they have achieved the sense of mystery and abandon they aimed for. World Music is a must for fans of the darker, heavier side of psychedelia or Afro-funk, it's a powerful album full of charms and curses and soul. [JM]


	$17.99 CDx2		LAURIE SPIEGEL The Expanding Universe (Unseen Worlds) "Patchwork" "Drums" There is a wonderful disclaimer in the liner notes to this lovely expanded edition of electronic music pioneer Laurie Speigel's 1980 masterpiece, The Expanding Universe. Working from the original master tapes, Spiegel writes, "I have intentionally left in bits of tape hiss, distortion or buzz from a leaking sampling rate oscillator," because she believes that, sometime in the near future, a sonic "touch-up" program will be invented that can thoroughly polish such annoyances out of the music. As a scientist at Bell Laboratories in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, Spiegel pioneered the application of algorithms and computers in electronic music, and helped create the first affordable, consumer music-making software programs. For her, the technological universe is the same ever-expanding playground that she titled her record after -- there are only improvements to be made. The notes to this set are essential, as they are packed with the technical specs of the equipment at Bell (the phrase most often used to describe the computers of the mid-1970s is "room-sized"), a confrontational interview Spiegel conducted with herself, as well as notes on every piece and the technological obstacles that were hurdled over. Of the music, she writes, "This is not ambient music...this is music for concentrated attention." Spiegel strikes many moods across the nine tracks that make up the original LP -- on "Patchwork," several different synthesizer tones bloom from one another as the song progresses, and I promise that what Spiegel says is true: this record rewards concentrated study. What strikes me is the physicality of the sounds and the way you can hear Spiegel opening and closing gates, adjusting tones. Her compositions are never frantic and the changes are never abrupt; notes and themes glide into existence and glide out. She also strikes gloomy, unpredictable energy into pieces like "Pentachrome," which features impressively out-of-step percussion taps that bounce around the soundscape like the echoes of falling water droplets in a cave. The second disc is filled with songs from the same period, but whose nature is more of a leisurely, beautiful wander through untamed gardens. Every piece on the second disc is essential listening, and I return to "East River Dawn" and both parts of "The Dirge" regularly for their haunted fragility. This is one of the best reissues of the year, and a must-have for fans of the recent Suzanne Ciani retrospectives, or followers of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop and psychedelic composers like Manuel Gottsching. Highly recommended listening! [MS]


	$29.99 DVDx3 $34.99 BLU-RAYx3		LCD SOUNDSYSTEM Shut Up and Play the Hits (Oscilloscope) Last year, James Murphy ended the 10-year run of LCD Soundsystem with a send-off at Madison Square Garden, a seemingly unlikely venue for a much-loved act that nonetheless operated outside of the mainstream during its existence. The show sold out in minutes, however, and for fans lucky enough to get a ticket, it was the concert of a lifetime with the band performing a career-spanning, three-and-a-half-hour set, joined by a silver-suited men's choir and special guests like Reggie Watts and Arcade Fire. During one of the interview scenes that loosely frames this documentary of the group's last waltz, music critic/pop culture essayist Chuck Klosterman asks the LCD honcho, "When you start a band, do you imagine how it will end?" That question is never actually answered directly, but it's ever apparent in Shut Up and Play the Hits that Murphy's feelings have always been conflicted about his unexpected ascent to rock stardom. He waxes on the toll that touring has taken on his body, his wanting to raise a family, and the non-human-seeming mythos of music icons like Nick Cave and David Bowie -- which whether he likes it or not, he is on the way to joining. Reflecting these complicated emotions, directors Will Lovelace and Dylan Southern steer the film down a non-linear path, juxtaposing exhilarating concert and backstage footage from MSG against the next day's posthumous comedown filled with the mundane moments that Murphy longs for (walking his French bull dog; a cathartic shave of his graying beard; making coffee; riding the subway) and bittersweet (saying goodbye to his amicable English manager; a celebratory dinner with the group at Williamsburg's Marlow & Sons; breaking down in tears in a storage warehouse while staring at the band's music gear one last time before it is sold off). When pressed by Klosterman to reveal what LCD Soundsystem's biggest mistake was, Murphy confesses that it might be breaking up. Of course, it's the concert footage, however, that makes Shut Up and Play the Hits come to life, and it's gorgeously shot and edited, filled with great close-ups of the band and guest performers intercut with shots of audience members dancing, singing, and yes, crying. With the audio meticulously mixed by Murphy and DFA associate Gunnar Bjerk, the sound is amazing (best played LOUD) and captures the group in their prime as they tear through a dozen favorites like "Losing My Edge," "Dance Yrself Clean," "Yeah," "All My Friends," "North American Scum," an unhinged cover of Nilsson's "Jump into the Fire," and of course, the final curtain call, "New York, I Love You but You're Bringing Me Down." This special edition set also includes two bonus discs featuring all three-and-a-half hours of the concert, making for an absolutely essential and touching last missive from one of the most influential bands of the past decade. [GH] Purchase of the DVD or Blu-Ray includes a free theatrical release poster for Shut Up and Play the Hits, while supplies last.


	$13.99 CD $15.99 LP+MP3 $9.99 MP3		A.C. NEWMAN Shut Down the Streets (Matador) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store This is A.C. Newman's third solo album, which, along with five from the New Pornographers, a pair from Zumpano, and a handful of other projects dating back to the early-'90s, means, basically, than we've been listening to Carl Newman for more than two decades. His songwriting has always been more about hooks and caffeinated wit than open-hearted confessionals, but at some point everyone takes pause to look inside themselves, and on Shut Down the Streets, Newman slows up and grows up. The singer has been open in recent interviews about the major life changes he's been through in the last year, including the death of his mother and the birth of his son, and the songs on his great new album speak directly to both, and much more. The sound here is classic Newman, though a bit quieter overall than most of his stuff, with acoustic guitar, bubbling electric piano and percussion forming the core of the production, and Newman harmonizing with longtime collaborator Neko Case on the majority of tracks. And while the hooks are as big as ever, the songs seem to look inward rather than shouting to the skies, as many of his most durable tracks over the years have. A song like "There's Money in New Wave," despite the pithy title, seems to be speaking directly to Newman's young child (okay, it's dad rock, whatever ya punk), struggling to find some sage advice for the bright-eyed kid he loves so deeply. Even more touching is the title track, ruminating on the passing of a life that meant everything to him: "They should have shut down all the streets / Presidents and kings should have been there / With not a single empty seat / All the schools closed and the roads we drove down / All lined with people, cap in hand and crying." Heavy stuff, really, bursting with emotion, and it suits Newman's earworm melodies perfectly, drawing you in, holding you close. It's A.C. Newman's most engaging and emotional record, and as all good art should, it marks a real moment in time, opening a window into Newman's own soul. [JM]


	$18.99 CD		JESSIE WARE Devotion (Island) "Wildest Moments" "Night Light" Let me just say this upfront: this is easily my favorite pop record of 2012. UK-based singer Jessie Ware first gained attention via guest spots on tracks by up-and-coming producers SBTRKT, Sampha and Joker; her vocals, smooth and slinky yet deep and powerful, showed a promising young talent to watch, and with Devotion, she delivers on that promise full-force with one of the best, most consistent debut albums of recent memory. Ware blends the jazzy, quiet-storm collusionist soul of influential acts like Sade, Loose Ends and Soul II Soul, but mixes the sound palette up with equal parts throwback '80s electro-funk and a keen ear for contemporary UK bass production. Nearly every cut here is a gem, filled with sharp hooks, stunning vocals, and a crisp, catchy, electronic minimalist take on soul and R&B that should appeal both to indie types that jam to the likes of the xx, How to Dress Well and the Weeknd, as well as those who dig more mainstream sounds like Rihanna, Beyonce and Whitney. It's that ease with which she balances her voice across those poles that makes the album such a success -- well, that and the great songs. I've easily played this record more than anything else that's been released this year, and it gets my absolute highest recommendation. If anything I've said here floats your boat, pick it up immediately. [IQ]


	$13.99 CD $19.99 LP		TY SEGALL Twins (Drag City) "Would You Be My Love" "Love Fuzz" The ever-prolific Ty Segall could probably make a record in his sleep, and maybe he already does; I mean, I don't know how else he could keep up this pace, but the remarkable thing is how fresh and different it sounds every time. In fact, this is his third album this year, following an acid-pop collaboration with fellow Bay Area garage rocker White Fence and then, with his touring band in tow, the roaring thunder that was Slaughterhouse, which bore close resemblance to the sweaty exuberance of his live shows. Working solo again on Twins, Segall returns to his more classic approach of juxtaposing his buzzing guitars with sweet falsetto vocals, offering spaced-out, fuzz-filled numbers about self-diagnosed problems ("You're the Doctor," "Inside Your Heart"), school-boy crushes ("Would You Be My Love") and his existential views of the world ("Thank God for Sinners," "There Is No Tomorrow"). And then there's album highlight "The Hill," which finds Segall sharing vocal duties with Thee Oh Sees' Brigid Dawson and channeling the Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows" through a sinister psychedelic mantra of overdriven power-chords and feedback. It all makes for a great entry point into the ever-changing world of Segall, and it happens to be his best album this year, which is saying a lot. [ACo]


	$14.99 LP $9.99 MP3		LIVES OF ANGELS Elevator to Eden (Dark Entries) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store What if I told you amazing, intimate, early New Order four-track demos of "Temptation" and "Ceremony" were found languishing in a basement somewhere and pressed onto vinyl for us to enjoy for the first time ever? What if I also told you that the tracks channeled the moody/rainy-day catchiness of the Go-Betweens, the chiming melodies of Felt, and the unpolished pop genius of the best of the Flying Nun label? I'll guess you probably wouldn't believe me -- after all, something that great is impossible to find in this day and age of anything-that's-good-has-already-been-done-and-found-and-written-about. Well, believe it. I mean, this is not actually a New Order demo, but in fact this might just be better than a mere combination of all of the aforementioned because, let's face it, it seems like every day we're being barraged with uninspired fusions of this and that. It's only moments like these when we find that rare collusion of sounds held together with urgency, feeling, sincerity, charm, and in this case skill, that we are actually floored. Lives of Angels were the married duo of Gerald and Catherine O'Connell, who made this album on a four-track back in the early-'80s. Apparently, it was originally issued as a cassette on Modern Art and eventually came out on vinyl via Fire Records -- yes, later the home of Spacemen 3 -- but the band was not into the Fire mixes. This release is the original cassette mix of the album plus the pre-album Modern Art cassette compilation tracks, all on vinyl for the first time ever. I can't imagine the mix sounding better than this; it has all the immediacy of the four-track experience (texture/mood), without sacrificing any depth. The layered guitar melodies and textured synthesizers and rhythms pop in and out beautifully. The duo's sound was made up of mainly Gerald's lead vocals, Catherine's backing voice, Fender Telecaster and Roland drum machines and synths. People refer to this as a synthwave record, but I think it's more accurate to call it an amazing gem of home-recorded post-punk. The guitar playing is surprisingly tight, a la Felt and Durutti Column, and like Maurice Deebank and Vini Reilly, O'Connell has taken classical training and injected raw feeling into his six strings, as well as through his beautifully layered and gently soaring arrangements. This is definitely one of the top reissues of the year, an obscure gem that offers a fresh take on things we know and love. As increasingly difficult as it is to find this sort of un-mined vintage inspiration these days, Lives of Angels just nails it. Elevator to Eden is the perfect mix of sincerity, style and triumph, a soulful combination of joy and melancholy. You'll flip this record over and over, I guarantee it! [SM]


	$19.99 CD $31.99 LP		DON CHERRY Organic Music Society (Caprice) "Terry's Tune" "Relativity Suite Part 1" Organic Music Society is perhaps the rarest, and easily one of the best albums ever recorded by American trumpeter, composer and improviser Don Cherry. Released in 1973 on the small Swedish label Caprice, this double LP combined a breathtaking mix of international folk musics from Brazil, India and Turkey, jazz modes from South Africa, and nods to American minimalist composition. The album features performances by Cherry on pocket trumpet, piano, harmonium and vocals; he's accompanied by a stellar group that includes Terry Riley on organ, Nana Vasconcelos on berimbau and other Brazilian percussion, Bengt Berger on drums and percussion, and Okay Temiz on additional drums. His wife Moki provides tamboura drones and the colorful gatefold cover art, and on a handful of cuts, he's joined by an orchestra of Swedish youths playing assorted instrumentation. Much of Organic Music Society was recorded in one of Buckminster Fuller's geodesic domes, and the whole project overflows with a deep psychedelic spiritualism that's part hippy commune and part Krautrock cult. Caprice have remastered and reissued the album from the original masters, and it sounds absolutely phenomenal, given the raw, of-the-moment spontaneity of the proceedings. Don leads the group in mass call-and-response chants, he takes lovely, blistering solos, and when everyone pares back and lets a player strut their stuff, it's never short of breathtaking. It's a record very much of its time, yet which remains a timeless, valuable document of one of jazz music's most joyful, unafraid minds going the distance and exploring new terrain with enthusiasm and love. This is, without question, one of the most important reissues and archival releases of 2012, and the quality of the reissue, from the great sound to the stunning cover art to John Corbett's excellent liner notes, makes this an absolutely essential purchase to anyone interested in jazz, world music, psych/Kraut sounds, and just about anything you're looking for to bring you to a higher plane. Buy it now or cry later, because originals of this beast fetch around $300-plus on the second-hand market. I cannot recommend this album more highly. [IQ]


	$24.99 CD+BOOK		MICHAEL CORCORAN He Is My Story: The Sanctified Soul of Arizona Dranes (Tompkins Square) Arizona Dranes (c. 1889-1963) is one of the most influential 20th century musicians you've likely never heard of. The blind pianist and singer received a classical training at Texas' Institute for Deaf, Dumb and Blind Colored Youth, where she fibbed about her age to put off graduation till she was 23. Picking up paying gigs around her home of Sherman, TX, her teeth were cut on the ragtime and barrelhouse trends of the day before she was converted into the Church of God in Christ in the early '20s. Her talents apparently stunned the missionaries and elders working to extend the COGIC reach into Texas because she was hired on as a singing evangelist, making appearances at new congregations and sending the burgeoning Pentecostals into rapture with her unique brand of sacred stomping. The Okeh label brought Missionary Dranes to Chicago in 1926 to make the first of the 16 sides released under her name: ten in '26; six more in '28 (although two of them would go unissued for decades). Her music, live and recorded, was a revelation not only to her co-religionists in the pews but also to those leading the choir, seated at the piano, or strapped with a guitar; it set off the craze for sanctified music that made the Pentecostal and Holiness churches so popular among African Americans in the 1920s and '30s -- there you could dance and shout in the name of the Holy Ghost -- and it grudgingly moved the mainline denominations to start including music in their worship, lest they lose members to the holy rollers. Her records also sold well, encouraging the labels to propagate large stables of great singing evangelists (among them the peerless Elder Charles Beck, Lonnie McIntorsh, and Washington Phillips) and sermonizing preachers (including Revs. J.M. Gates, J.C. Burnett, and Arizona's friend and accompanist F.W. McGee, who made his recorded debut with Dranes in '26). Perhaps their greatest musical influence, however, was on a younger blues composer named Georgia Tom, who modernized gospel music with the sacred compositions penned under his Christian name, Thomas A. Dorsey. Michael Corcoran tell this story smartly and briskly in Tompkins Square's He Is My Story: The Sanctified Soul of Arizona Dranes, refuting old canards and offering new research into Dranes' biography, and situating her well in the context of the expanding COGIC movement in which she found both occupation and salvation. Arizona's sixteen sides* are included on the accompanying CD and, although they've been issued previously, they finally receive the justice that's their due in the hands of transfer-and-restoration engineer Christopher King. Playback speeds are corrected for the first time in the history of Dranes reissues and their acoustic origins are treated as a virtue and not a liability, with the dual effect of slowing things down and opening them up considerably. If you have the Document compilation of the "complete recorded works" of Dranes, rip the bonus tracks and toss it out. You've never heard her like this. And if you've never heard Arizona Dranes, now is the time and this release is the reason. [NS] *This number doesn't include her accompaniment on Rev. McGee's first record (1927), nor does it include the two 1928 sides cut by the Texas Jubilee Singers that have been suggested to feature Dranes.


	$14.99 CDx2 $25.99 LPx3+MP3		TWO FINGERS Stunt Rhythms (Big Dada) "Defender Rhythm" "101 South" Brazilian-born producer Amon Tobin has been breaking beats since the mid-'90s, and through the years he has created some the most elastic and mind-twisting rhythms that the electronic scene has heard. For his latest, Stunt Rhythms, he updates his Two Fingers moniker, and has brought back the term "block rocking beats," crafting a diverse and modern album that, nonetheless, stands as a tribute and love letter to classic hip-hop. Last year's Two Fingers debut was a collaboration with producer Doubleclick and featured vocals from UK rapper Sway, but here Tobin takes the solo and instrumental route. Though his work usually has more to do with drum-n-bass, on Stunt Rhythms Tobin goes B.A.L.L.I.S.T.I.C. with a tight excursion into big beat, grime, crunk, electro, and of course hip-hop. Using his excellent sound design skills, he crafts fourteen big room bangers filled with thick and heavy bass lines, smeared synths, and a weighty amount of bottom-heavy drums. Incorporating the dense soundscapes that are more characteristic of bro/dubstep, he slows the beats down to a hip-hop marching stride and brings in the deep funk. From the opener, "Stripe Rhythm," the beats just keep on coming with a steady and energized assault to the eardrums -- these are some of the toughest, freshest, and loudest rhythms I've heard in awhile. Fans of the heavier side of beat makers like Hudson Mohawke, Lunice or Rustie will find lots to nod their head and gyrate their limbs to. If you are looking for a nonstop, high-energy soundtrack to get you through, this album will leave you exhausted, or ready to conquer the world. It's good either way. BTW, the CD version contains a bonus disc of seven tracks that include vocals from Peedi Crack, Lady Pharroh, Chinko da Great, and Brefontaine. [DG]


	$15.99 CD $23.99 LPx2 $9.99 MP3		TIM MAIA World Psychedelic Classics 4 - Nobody Can Live Forever: The Existential Soul of Tim Maia (Luaka Bop) "Ela Partiv" "Over Again" Do yourself a favor and thank Luaka Bop for this top-shelf collection of Brazilian soul by Tim Maia, one of the most talented and influential figures in Rio's funk scene. Maia was essentially one of the first people to incorporate the sounds of American soul and funk into Brazilian popular music, first writing Portuguese translations of hits by the likes of James Brown and Wilson Pickett. He then began writing his own material for a variety of singers, but it was on his own albums, most of them rare and high-priced on collectors' markets, where he truly shined. Maia's full-bellied, robust singing voice ripped it up atop grooves that fuse slow-burning R&B with the percolations of Talking Book-era Stevie Wonder. Blend that with a hefty dose of Rio sweat, and you've got a recipe for some floor-killing, ass-bouncing classics. This stellar collection, ten years in the making, is perhaps one of the best overviews of his mid-1970s period -- arguably his peak, where the man was at the top of his powers, yet not without a bit of controversy. Maia was known for his inhuman drug-consuming powers, and at some point during this period, he joined what was essentially a religious cult that could be comparable in parts to Scientology and the comet-chasers of Heaven's Gate. The group, Cultura Racional, believed that human life needed desperately to reconnect with our extraterrestrial origins and tap back into what they dubbed "rational energy." They dressed exclusively in white clothing, and Maia during this period had his entire band, who also joined the cult, play exclusively white musical instruments! They then self-released two of Maia's best, most coveted albums -- both volumes of Racional feature Maia espousing the virtues of his religion across some of his most limber, slinky, and spaced-out grooves; clavinets bubble and bounce, flutes blow stratospheric breezes, and the bass, drums, and guitar slither across the stereo field like snakes. The vocals are passionate, and the lyrics, in both Portuguese and English, tell tales of love, life and, of course, rational energy. Maia made many other excellent, essential albums both before and after this period, but they're brutally out-of-print. To have any of this music so easily available is a godsend, and any listener desiring some rock-solid funk and soul grooves absolutely NEEDS to hear this post-haste. This is cult music of the highest order, puns fully intended; it's the sort of thing that grabs hold of your mind and refuses to let go. [IQ]


	$11.99 CD		TAME IMPALA Lonerism (Modular) "Music to Walk Home By" "Elephant" No doubt, Tame Impala love the good old-fashioned psychedelia of some bands you might know, like, um, the Beatles, and clearly that is a risky proposal in 2012 -- I mean, can your mind actually be blown again? And yet, this young Australian group approaches their influences not with the reverence of fans as much as the passion and inspiration of comrades-in-arms, taking the building blocks and studio trickery of late-'60s pop-psych heroes, updating them subtly with modern techniques and a distinctly introverted, melancholy songwriting approach, and the results, on both their 2010 full-length, Innerspeaker, and this great new LP, are thoroughly original, energizing, and enjoyable. Less guitar-centric than the debut, Lonerism is a swirl of haze and heart, with synth and organ melodies layered over ricky-ticky drum beats, mushroom clouds of room tone, found sound, and oddball orchestration, and mainman Kevin Parker's evocative front-and-center vocals, hook-filled, pop-driven, but always nearly obscured by the shifting textures around him. Again mixed by Dave Fridmann, there are surely echoes of his classic work with Mercury Rev and the Flaming Lips, as well as MGMT's last album, and numerous great bands of old -- both famous and obscure -- but somehow Tame Impala always comes off as fresh and forward-thinking, and Lonerism is quite simply a new classic of pop experimentation. [JM]


	$9.99 CD $15.99 LP+MP3		THE SOFT PACK Strapped (Mexican Summer) "Captain Ace" "Chinatown" After some early buzz, some great singles as the Muslims, a name change and a solid self-titled debut record back in 2010, this Southern California quartet spent two years cooking up their sophomore album, now out on Mexican Summer. Strapped is a brilliant mix of pop-punk, new wave, slight psychedelia, and straight-up indie pop tracks that you could easily file amongst your favorite Flying Nun LPs. This record takes you on a journey past the bass-driven surf rock opener "Saratoga" to the innocence of the synth-heavy new wave single of "Bobby Brown," and up the street to the darker garage rock ditty, "Chinatown." Eventually we end up on "Oxford Ave." surrounded by melodic flourishes from horns and glockenspiel. Whilst continuing to experiment with their particular sound, the Soft Pack have maintained a certain consistency, catchy and honest all at once. Any fan of the recent Buttons compilation on Numero group or the latest Fresh & Onlys record will definitely appreciate the upbeat and heartfelt tones of the Soft Pack. [ACo]


	$18.99 CD		MALA Mala in Cuba (Brownswood) "Mulata" "The Tunnel" Last year, at Gilles Peterson's request, dubstep producer Mala (one half of Digital Mystik) traveled to Cuba to record with the country's local musicians. The resulting album, for Peterson's Brownswood label, is a balanced integration of the sway and groove of traditional Cuban sounds with Mala's shuffling, deep bass-filled electronic compositions. Mala spent time in Havana trading ideas with and recording the live musicians, but he crafted the album later, back in England, mainly isolating and looping parts of his field recordings, taking drum and timbale rolls and hits, melodic strident piano riffs, horns, vocals and other typically Latin sounds, and building tracks around these pieces. It's a nice fusion that hasn't really been explored before, aside from the occasional remix, and it breathes some new life in the recently stagnate dubstep scene, and also gives a more contemporary twist to the current interest in the spicy rhythms and playing of Latin musicians. It's a solid and enjoyable release, and my only real reservation is that at times the Cuban-ness gets lost among the bass, synths, and beats, becoming more of an accent or embellishment rather than a true integration. That said, this is one of the better examples of world music fusions currently making its way around the globe, and I'm still happy to recommend it. [DG]


	$14.99 CD $19.99 LPx2+MP3 $9.99 MP3		MENOMENA Moms (Barsuk) "Pique" "Skinter Course" Following last year's departure of Brent Knopf, who left Menomena to focus on Ramona Falls, Justin Harris and Danny Seim continue on as a duo, splitting the songwriting duties and releasing a thematically complex, personal album that deals with families and their subsequent breakdowns and loss. Weighty, yes, but musically Moms is both dense and soaring, with chugging rhythms and layers of keys, growling saxophones, and lots of other ear candy transforming the band members' pathos into cathartic anthems.


	$12.99 CD $16.99 LP+MP3		NEIL HALSTEAD Palindrome Hunches (Brushfire) "Full Moon Rising" "Diggin Shelters" On his third solo full-length, Neil Halstead (Slowdive, Mojave 3) continues to pare down the instrumentation, offering his most intimate record yet. With little more than Halstead's softly plucked and strummed guitars, bass, occasional piano and strings, and of course his hushed, lulling melodies, Palindrome Hunches taps into the spirit of the slow, autumnal folk of Nick Drake's Pink Moon, which in Halstead's hands is always splendid. Recommended.


	$12.99 CDx2		JASON COLLETT Reckon (Arts & Crafts) "Jasper John's Flag" "You're Not the One and Only Lonely One" Written last year while the Occupy Wall Street movement was taking hold, much of Jason Collett's new album is fueled by the same anger and dismay that the protesters were feeling as they were setting up in Zuccotti Park. Though the intent is clear in songs like "I Want to Rob a Bank," "When the War Came Home," and "Don't Let the Truth Get to You," this Broken Social Scene associate never eschews melody for standing on a soapbox, and his vivid storytelling throughout this set of rootsy ballads and spirited funky rockers ensures that the politics of these songs are heartfelt and personal. Includes an 11-song career-spanning bonus disc with two unreleased B-sides.


	$13.99 CD $17.99 LP		WOO It's Cosy Inside (Drag City) "Downtoan Suburbia" "No More Telly" Woo were (and remain, as they are allegedly still active) a duo of brothers Mark and Clive Ives, who started recording during the halcyon days of the UK post-punk/indie underground ("It was cheap, it was easy, go and do it!...") and first pressed up a debut, Whichever Way You Are Going, You Are Going Wrong in 1982. That LP sketched out their modus of burbling synth lullabies and tape loop divination mixed with soft acoustic flourishes from guitar, clarinet, and violin, but it is on the follow-up, 1989's It's Cosy Inside, where the group really delivers. On It's Cosy Inside, the Ives brothers create a hypnotic fusion of what can most easily be described as a mixture of Cluster jamming with Jimmy Giuffre circa Free Fall, or perhaps the Penguin Cafe Orchestra overrun by a cyborg cult; light rhythm beds anchor gentle, spectral clouds of electronically treated acoustic instruments, creating soft etudes akin to recent reissues like Roedelius's two Selbstportrait volumes, or even a bit of Durutti Column at times. This LP has been namechecked by Nite Jewel as one of her all-time favorite instrumental electronic albums, and it's easy to hear why; the mix of German synthetic expressionism with a post-hippy new age sensibility is pretty much the core of what makes Nite Jewel's own albums so distinct, and this is probably the most pure, distilled document of that modus you're bound to hear. One can also hear the roots of Kompakt's Pop Ambient series taking effect, not to mention the odd bit of Eno, and a hint of chillwave, if you still care about that sort of thing. It's remarkable how much this record has seemed to preface quite a lot of independent pop music from the past year or two that has received high accolades. Do yourself a favor and pick up this key document; it's one of the most dreamy, intoxicating albums you'll discover this year, I guarantee you that. [IQ]


	$15.99 CD $17.99 LP		TULLY Sea of Joy Soundtrack (Chapter Music) "Sea of Joy, Pt. 1" "Softly, Softly" Available again on CD. You know you're not dealing with a typical surf movie soundtrack when you find the band members all wearing coats on the back sleeve of the album. The music bears your initial hunch correct; the sounds contained could not be any further from the sun-dappled harmonies and carefree summer bliss you've long associated with the genre. It's simply on another level, one that is deeper, more spiritual, and which more accurately reflects the power and magnitude of the ever-shifting ebb and flow of coastal waters. Paul Witzig's 1972 film Sea of Joy, to which this music was made to accompany, wasn't really a typical surf film to begin with. It has long been considered a cult classic due to the commentary-less, free floating and communal vibe Witzig conjured, in stark contrast to the typically aggressive and hot action of most surf films of the era. When Witzig approached the Australian rock group Tully about scoring the movie they were one of the biggest acts on the continent, known for their hard rocking head music and psychedelic light shows. However, they'd just come off a tour with Extradition, a legendary psych-folk group whose album Hush happens to be an all time Other Music fave. Musical sympathy developed, and both groups became heavily influenced by the teachings of Indian guru Meher Baba, who took a vow of silence from 1925 until his death in the late sixties, and who coined the phrase "Don't worry, be happy." They subsequently merged into one group, shed the drummer, changed their name to Tully the Second, and henceforth became much more introspective in nature. They created an absolutely beguiling soundtrack, one that flows effortlessly from track to track, with mellow organs and maracas providing the initial propulsion, before veering into roiling and intense passages that suggest the earlier incarnation of Tully. Extradition vocalist Colin Campbell drops in on a couple of tracks to deliver a beautiful melody or two the likes of which you only usually ever find on an early John Cale or John Martyn record. Gorgeous! [MK]

OCTOBER'S CUSTOMER(S) OF THE MONTH: NIELS VAN TOMME, SONJA & LENS

How long have you shopped at Other Music?
Since 2008, right after we moved to New York. I would meet up with Sonja at NYU and it didn't take me very long to discover Other Music just around the corner. Suddenly waiting around got a lot more fun. It gradually became a weekly affair and we now go to the store every Saturday, unless we're out of town. We even visited OM the day before Jens was born, during a crazy snowstorm. It was Saturday, after all.

Favorite bands/genres:
A few names that remain a constant inspiration: Tom Zé, Arthur Russell, Electric Miles, Theo Parrish, Can, John Cage, Scott Walker, Jamal Moss, Erkin Koray, Jean-Claude Vannier, Ornette Coleman, Olivier Messiaen, Cluster, Mark Hollis, Shackleton, Terry Riley, Robert Wyatt, Throbbing Gristle, Michael Rother, J Dilla, Conny Plank

Favorite record cover artwork:
Suzanne Ciani's Voices of Packaged Souls, designed by Harold Paris (Niels)
Kraftwerk's Autobahn, designed by Emil Schult (Sonja)

Favorite sections at Other Music:
In general, I love the way the store is designed in space and how you move gradually from one section to the other. I always have a look at the New Arrivals first, after which I move on to the Electronic, Avant-Garde, and World sections. Another favorite is Staff Picks, and then I'm off to the Krautrock, Psychedelic and Jazz area, after which I most of the time start all over again. (Niels)
Staff Picks / Soundtracks (Sonja)

Top 3 albums/bands you were turned onto at Other Music:
Kelan Phil Cohran & Legacy African Skies by Daniel, Omar S It Can Be Done, But Only I Can Do It by Scott, Henri Texier Amir by Mikey

Why record stores over online shopping?
In the case of Other Music, the wonderful personnel and exchanging thoughts with them, the fact that you can relate to objects that are carefully curated and contextualized. I often exit the store with music I haven't heard before, which is always exciting. There's just different ways you can discover new music in the store, through recommendations, talking to the staff, or seeing the stuff that is displayed or played there. Nevertheless, I also find it exciting to get OM's newsletter every week and browse the website.

I'm DJiing the biggest, awesome-est music fest of the century. I have to be sure to drop "______" in my DJ set:
That's a hard one, but if we're to focus on dancing: Pierre Henry & Michel Colombier's "Psyche Rock," Herbie Hancock's "Bring Down the Birds," Giorgio Moroder's "Chase," Loose Joints' "Is It All Over My Face (Larry Levan mix)," Mr. Fingers' "Can You Feel It," and TC Matic's "Oh La La La."

If applicable, fave in-store event attended at Other Music and/or OM event:
I must confess that I've only been to one in-store event, but it was totally unforgettable and intimate: Julia Holter. My favorite canceled show was the Os Mutantes performance that almost happened last summer… I hereby promise to come to more events!


	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 Crisis [DG] Daniel Givens [GH] Gerald Hammill [IQ] Mikey IQ Jones [MK] Michael Klausman [JM] Josh Madell [SM] Scott Mou [NS] Nathan Salsburg [MS] Michael Stasiak THANKS FOR READING - all of us at Other Music

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