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   April 11, 2013  
       
   
 
 
APR Sun 14 Mon 15 Tues 16 Wed 17 Thurs 18 Fri 19 Sat 20







  RECORD STORE DAY 2013: SATURDAY, APRIL 20
Record Store Day 2013 is right around the corner, and we wanted to remind all of our loyal customers to mark their calendars and join us on this great day. We know that most of you don't need a special holiday to show your support for your local record shop, but RSD gives everyone plenty of reasons to browse those bins, and we can guarantee that our racks will be exploding with an array of exclusive vinyl releases this year that is nothing short of amazing. Quantities are limited and there are no guarantees of what you'll find, but you can see a rundown of all the RSD '13 titles here, and we hope you will visit us on Saturday, April 20th. We have also invited many of our favorite DJs, artists and labels to spin some of their favorite records in the shop all day, and we'll be announcing this line-up soon, so stay tuned. Other Music will be open from 10:30am until 8pm for RSD, and as always there are no advance orders, holds or reservations -- just come on down and enjoy the fun!

     
 
   
       
   
     
 
 
FEATURED NEW RELEASES
Kurt Vile
The Knife
James Blake
Vondelpark
Demdike Stare
The Postal Service
Tyler, The Creator
Mathématiques Modernes
Clothilde
Don Bikoff
Permanent Makeup
The Black Angels
 
ALSO AVAILABLE
Luxury Liners
Cold War Kids
Dawes
Palma Violets
Other Music T-Shirt (New Design)



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APR Sun 14 Mon 15 Tues 16 Wed 17 Thurs 18 Fri 19 Sat 20




  TICKET GIVE AWAY TO MEMORY TAPES
This Sunday, Dayve Hawke a/k/a Memory Tapes performs at New York's Mercury Lounge, in support of Grace/Confusion, a fully immersive album with Hawke's shimmering songs twisting and turning their way through beguiling, synth-fueled dream pop to sweeping climaxes to spacey transcendence. Other Music is giving away one pair of tickets and to enter, just email tickets@othermusic.com.

SUNDAY, APRIL 14
MERCURY LOUNGE: 217 E. Houston St. NYC
     
 
   
   
 
 
APR Sun 14 Mon 15 Tues 16 Wed 17 Thurs 18 Fri 19 Sat 20


  WIN TICKETS TO SEE KEIJI HAINO
ISSUE Project Room and the Whitney Museum of American Art are presenting three concerts with Japanese guitarist Keiji Haino, long an explorer of the outer limits of rock music's darkest reaches. Next week, Haino will be playing three rare appearances in New York, first on Wednesday, April 17th in Brooklyn at ISSUE Project Room performing his first ever solo vocal concert in NYC. The following night, Thursday, April 18th, the legendary guitarist will be back at ISSUE, this time as part of a very rare performance with the original, unrecorded Fushitsusha lineup from the 1970s with founding member, New York-based saxophonist Tamio Shiraishi. (Both shows at ISSUE Project Room are now sold out!) Then on Saturday, April 20th, Haino will wrap up his New York appearances at the Whitney as part of the museum's Blues for Smoke series, playing in a duo with Loren Connors on a bill that also includes a solo set from Connors, as well as Matana Roberts who will closing the night. Every one of these concerts is going to be special and we are thrilled to be giving away one pair of tickets to each of these evenings. Email giveaway@othermusic.com for your chance to win, and make sure to list the show that you hope to attend.

KEIJI HAINO SOLO: Wednesday, April 17 at 7pm
FUSHITSUSHA: Thursday, April 18 at 8pm
ISSUE PROJECT ROOM: 22 Boerum Place, BKLYN

KEIJI HAINO, LOREN CONNORS, MANTANA ROBERTS: Saturday, April 20 at 8pm
WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART: 945 Madison Ave, NYC

     
 
   
   
 
 
APR Sun 21 Mon 22 Tues 23 Wed 24 Thurs 25 Fri 26 Sat 27




  WIN TICKETS TO BLEACHED + TEST PRESSING
LA's Bleached have just released their debut full-length, Ride Your Heart, on Dead Oceans, and on Tuesday, April 23rd, sisters Jennifer and Jessica Clavin and the rest of the band will bringing their summery, hook-filled garage-rock to the Bowery Ballroom with Hunters and Other Music Recording Co's own Ex Cops opening! We're giving away one pair of tickets along with a test pressing of the new Bleached LP to a lucky winner. Just email contest@othermusic.com for your chance to win. Presented by Aquarium Drunkard.

TUESDAY, APRIL 23
BOWERY BALLROOM: 6 Delancey St. NYC
     
 
   
   
 
 
JUN Sun 09 Mon 10 Tues 11 Wed 12 Thurs 13 Fri 14 Sat 15


The Pastels


Lois (Photo: Tae Won Yu)



  WIN THREE-DAY PASSES TO CHICKFACTOR 21!
This June, our dear friends at Chickfactor return to Brooklyn's Bell House to celebrate their 21st anniversary, with three days of incredible music from more than a dozen artists that have long been our favorites and surely yours, and certainly all names that we've loved reading about in this storied 'zine so synonymous with indie pop. The Pastels, Lily's, Future Bible Heroes, Dump, the Cannanes -- the full line-up is listed below along with links to buy tickets for each night (we'll have tickets available for sale at Other Music soon -- stay tuned) and we're also giving away one pair of three-day passes good for all of the music performances at the Bell House. Email enter@othermusic.com for your chance to win and see you this summer at Chickfactor 21!!

LILYS + THE CANNANES + VERSUS + ROSE MELBERG
Tuesday, June 11 - Night One Tickets Here
FUTURE BIBLE HEROES + THE ALUMINUM GROUP + HONEYBUNCH + TRUE LOVE ALWAYS
Wednesday, June 12 - Night Two Tickets Here
THE PASTELS + DUMP + JIM RUIZ SET + LOIS
Thursday, June 13 - Night Three Tickets Here

THE BELLHOUSE: 149 7th St. BKLN
Chickfactor 21 Three-Day Pass Available Here



     
 
   
   
   
   
   
       
   

 

 

     
 

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  KURT VILE
Wakin on a Pretty Daze
(Matador)

"Walkin' on a Pretty Day"
"Shame Chamber"

Rock and roll is an art form that rarely benefits from maturity. As with many musical innovations, rock started, more than half a century ago, as a youth movement, and to be frank, if it is still relevant at all, it's usually in that context: brash, bratty, headstrong and confused, oozing with raw sexuality and unkempt emotion. And yet, how is it that Kurt Vile keeps getting better with age? Vile has always had all the key elements in place to make great teenaged rock and roll; he's a stoned, long-haired, working class guitar shredder with a poet's heart, and every one of his five albums has had moments of greatness, too, looking to simple, classic rock archetypes while seemingly reinventing the genre for a new generation. But with 2011's breakthrough Smoke Ring for My Halo Vile managed to simply do it better, slowing things down a little and ramping up the fidelity and production so that every shimmering guitar riff echoed into infinity, his slurred vocal drawl cut through just that much more, and without breaking any boundaries he delivered a set of timeless rock songs.

And now, with Walking on a Pretty Daze, Vile has again raised the bar, working with producer John Agnello to hone the small details of the sound so that these songs are airtight: the shimmer of the acoustic guitar and the lazy riff that define the nine-minute opener "Walking on a Pretty Day," the soaring background vocals and occasional tambourine drop of the equally epic closer "Goldtone," the stuttering percussive groove that opens "Was All Talk." Just as important, Vile's lyrics have grown alongside his ever-refining musical vision, and while on the surface he seems to be slipping away from the time-tested rock demographic -- he's now married with a young daughter at home -- these songs, many dealing with marriage, fatherhood and responsibility, connect with more honesty and originality than anything he's done before. On "Too Hard" he sings, "Comes a time in every man's life where he's gotta take hold of the hand that ain't his, but it is." Maybe you really can be a responsible adult and make great rock and roll. Kurt Vile seems to be figuring it out, one stoned, head-nodding riff at a time. [JM]

Deluxe edition LP comes with ESPO stickers for you to create your own cover art, is pressed on blue vinyl and is numbered.
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  THE KNIFE
Shaking the Habitual
(Mute)

"Full of Fire"
"Raging Lung"

The Knife return with their first "proper" full-length (a collaboration with Mt Sims and Planningtorock for a theatre piece notwithstanding) since 2006's Silent Shout. Needless to say expectations have been high for this behemoth release, which is spread across two CDs or three LPs and clocks in at over 90 minutes in length. The good news is that Shaking the Habitual is easily, to these ears at least, their most accomplished, adventurous record to date; it also happens to be their most difficult, tempering the dramatic, metallic beat-heavy cuts with extended explorations into dark ambient textures filled with back-masked sound design, wind-machine torrents, and collages of feedback drones. While some fans might find themselves hitting the skip button on the more esoteric stretches of anti-pop, it's to the group's credit that the album is sequenced quite thoughtfully, where the more frenetic cuts pummel and dominate the listener into submission, with Karin Dreijer Andersson stretching and sculpting her vocals into new shapes and characters, using frequent overdubbing and processing for alien choral effects while keeping her lead voice often untainted in a punk-like display of raw power. There's a near-industrial texture to the rhythms and programming here, with accompanying sonics often evoking the thumping buzz of plucked springs, clanging metallic kettle drums, and shrieking, bowed cymbal drones.

While I give full kudos to the group for challenging their listeners, my one criticism is that the album is a bit lengthy; part of what made Silent Shout such a tour-de-force was the way it balanced such indulgent flights of fancy with not only a strong rhythmic or melodic anchor, but a keen, sharp editorial sensibility as well. With that being said, they also aren't the first artist to attempt such grandiose moments of indulgence, even in 2013 (say hello, Autechre!), and to make a rather silly and odd analogy, if Silent Shout was their London Calling, consider this their Sandinista!: a record that is filled with fantastic music and will most likely go down in their history as a misunderstood, underrated classic.

So let's break it down to what you should know: if you're a fan, you need this; Shaking the Habitual is a killer blend of black electronic alchemic pop and challenging noise textures, and if you've always leaned more on the "Heartbeats"/Deep Cuts side of their pop equation, perhaps this will enlighten you to more of the esoteric and experimental influences in their sound. Those who haven't been able to get on board in the past, on the other hand, may find themselves attracted to this record's more twisted and mangled textures, as it is in no way "easy" or "indie." It makes me rather happy to see such a prominent pop group educating their fans and making them work for the pleasure they're going to receive in listening to this album, and while it is still somewhat inflated in its length, it's a remarkable achievement for the band, and is not to be ignored in the slightest. [IQ]
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

$11.99
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$23.99 LPx2

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  JAMES BLAKE
Overgrown
(Republic)

"Overgrown"
"Retrograde"

One of the most anticipated albums of the year so far is this sophomore full-length from the young British troubadour, James Blake. Over the past few years Blake has evolved from a much-heralded bedroom dubstep producer who happens to sing, to a maturing singer/songwriter who incorporates dubstep sonics into his arrangements and production. After a series of beat-driven 12"s made Blake an underground star, his self-titled 2011 debut may have confused his die-hard dance floor followers, being an album with more voice than beats, and sometimes no rhythm track at all. However, Blake finds a middle ground between his varied impulses on Overgrown, reaching a nice balance between beats, bass, and vocals, and becoming a stronger singer, writer and arranger in the process. The record is full of beautiful melancholy moments, rich and full sound design, and a strong yet lonesome presence, but there are still plenty of surprises; Blake has never hidden his affection for American hip-hop, having released his own re-edits/remixes of D'Angelo, Lil Wayne, Kelis, and others, as well as an EP with the British rapper Trim, and here he also fully aligns and immerses himself in that genre, with a guest spot from RZA, and a bonus track that chops up a sample of Big Boi. These two moments, while nice on their own, seem to shift the focus and mood of the album overall (especially the RZA track for me), and given how solid and engaging Blake's voice and songs are this time around, they can seem a little pointless.

Despite that, the feel of Overgrown is a great and welcome surprise. Where Blake could easily have made a money grab and gone more towards the Thom Yorke/Bon Iver side of things, further distancing himself from his original followers, he seems to have found a firm landing of his own design to balance the various aspects of his talent, interest, and strengths. One of the heaviest tracks, "Digital Lion," features Brain Eno as co-writer, and is a perfect example of the beauty created across the boards here: stuttering percussion, throbbing bass, cutup vocal snips, layers of live voice, and then the drop... ahhh, it's so good. His melodic phrasing is sweet throughout, sometimes simply humming the melody instead of singing, and he varies how and when he uses his charming voice. Where his vocals sometimes could get a little trite on the debut, here he sounds learned, skillful, and completely in control. There have been lots of artists who have learned a thing or two from Blake over the past few years, and with Overgrown he has once again created an album worth studying, and moreover worth simply listening to and enjoying. Fans of any of his previous work won't be disappointed, as well as those who have enjoyed recent releases from Darkstar, the xx, inc., Julia Holter, Laurel Halo, or How to Dress Well. So if you want an R&B/pop-influenced, electronic, bass-heavy, kinda dark, pleasantly restrained, song-based album, James is at the head of the pack, once again. So close to being perfect, oh so close. [DG]
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

$14.99
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  VONDELPARK
Seabad
(R&S)

"Quest"
"Come On"

British band Vondelpark began to gain attention in 2010 via the release of two low-key yet beautiful 12" EPs on the esteemed techno label R&S, who were also responsible for recently bringing James Blake to international recognition via similar means. Vondelpark's sound blends the relaxed, sensual R&B flavorings that seem to be rather in vogue at the moment, yet the group instills into their palette a hefty dose of the tweaked, glitchy electronic textures that Blake, Mount Kimbie, and Darkstar utilize. Their true secret ingredient, however, is vocalist Lewis Rainsbury, whose voice often reminds me of the blurred, melted yet emotive power of Arthur Russell. Vondelpark's debut album, Seabed, often plays like Russell's Another Thought collection as though mixed by James Blake; the same intimacy is imbued throughout, but instilled with textural detail that a great set of headphones or a deep, loud sound system really enhances. These tracks are subtle; they groove and swing hard, but the tempo and pulse is meant for closed doors rather than spacious floors. It's definitely a grower of an album, but give it some time and your full attention, and its riches will engulf you. This has been one of my favorite recent new releases, and while I was a fan of their early EPs, this record refines and enhances them with a focus that was lacking on the earlier work. Fans of any of the aforementioned artists really should do themselves a favor and grab this post-haste; it's not only a beautiful summer soundtrack for more relaxed and intimate moments, but it's an album that will stay with you past the last late sunset of the season. This one gets my highest recommendation. [IQ]
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

$17.99 12"

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  DEMDIKE STARE
Testpressings 001
(Modern Love)

This is a welcome surprise; Demdike Stare return with a new, limited edition 12" that is easily one of the best, most direct dispatches they've recorded to date. These two extended cuts pump up the mangled rhythmic element they so often love to flirt with but never really ever seem to embrace, and these pieces are all the better for it. The A-side, "Collision," taps into the same utterly mangled jungle/hardcore that Demdike member Miles Whitaker used to record (with Andy Stott) as Millie & Andrea, with breakbeats splitting apart like atoms as frequency vibrations warble, hiss, and fluctuate across the stereo field. The flip, "Misappropriation," treads a bit closer to the Middle Eastern rhythm science of Muslimgauze or even Demdike tracks like "Hashashin Chant," but this cut feels less restrained and tight-assed, as filtered and distorted hand drums clatter and resonate atop a faint vocal chant that's processed beyond recognition. As much as I have loved and supported these guys, their tendency to pull back and exercise too much restraint was beginning to bore me; this release is the exact opposite, and has renewed my faith in the duo's continued explorations. Here's hoping that there's more like this to come! This 12" is even more limited than the usual Modern Love releases, so if you're down for some brain-melting beatdowns, don't hesitate, because it's doubtful we'll see these again! [IQ]
         
   
   
   
   

 

 

     
 

$15.99
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$34.99 LPx3

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  THE POSTAL SERVICE
Give Up - Deluxe 10th Anniversary Edition
(Sub Pop)

"Clark Gable"
"A Tattered Line of String"

From the time of its release back in 2003, Postal Service's Give Up was one of those rare albums that didn't need the luxury of hindsight to make clear its impact on pop culture -- it was a breakout hit. Dntel's Jimmy Tamborello initially asked Death Cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard to sing on a Dntel track, the gorgeous "(This Is) The Dream of Evan and Chan," but they clicked, and the duo reconvened (via mail, thus the band name), recording 10 more tracks of indie-tronic pop perfection, with a little help from Jen Wood and Rilo Kiley's Jenny Lewis, and made a record that is arguably the most memorable work that any of these artists have ever been involved with. Updating the synth-pop of forbearers like OMD and Pet Shop Boys with nicely modern touches of bubbling electronics and light skittering beats, buoyed by Gibbard's unmistakable bittersweet melodies, tracks like "Such Great Heights" defined the era, quickly working its way from being a college radio hit and a floor filler at indie-dance parties, to becoming a ubiquitous all-out pop zeitgeist. Celebrating the 10th anniversary of Give Up's release (has it really been that long?!) and Postal Service's first proper tour in almost a decade, Sub Pop has reissued the group's sole full-length as a deluxe edition 2CD or 3LP set, featuring the original album remastered, plus 15 bonus tracks which include remixes from John Tejada, Matthew Dear, Styrofoam and DJ Downfall, b-sides, a live recording from a KEXP session, and covers of "We Will Become Silhouettes" and "Such Great Heights" performed by the Shins and Iron & Wine respectively, and two previously unreleased songs ("Turn Around" and "A Tattered Line of String"), both featuring Gibbard, Tamborello and Lewis. [GH]
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

$12.99 CD
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  TYLER, THE CREATOR
Wolf
(Sony)

"Domo23"
"Answer"

Tyler, The Creator... some things have changed and some are still the same, on what is officially his third solo full-length (second that people can actually hold in their hands). Wolf is the album, Odd Future the crew, and Tyler, once the behind the scenes producer (i.e. the creator) now is the like-him-or-despise-him poster boy. The first thing that struck me after one listen is that Tyler really likes Pharrell Williams and his production work (mainly for N.E.R.D.), and that isn't necessarily a bad thing. From his drum and synth sounds to the chord progressions, the sonic structure of the album is rich and often quite lovely; twinkling piano rolls, a lil' guitar strum, soft synths, muted and thumping snares and muffled bass, Tyler has fully taken a hold of the charming and simple high-fi/low-fi beauty that made the Neptunes sound so appealing. Also like Williams, Tyler has the ability to flip from gooey melodic slower tempo songs into a high-energy bounce/trash hip-hop mosh pit. Though the slower moments make up the majority of Wolf, scattered throughout are these much-needed exhalations full of relief and release. A great example of the duality is "Trashwang;" featuring seven additional rappers, it's a bouncing posse track, full of screams, chants, and hyper deliveries, and then about half way through it slowly and softly shifts into a smooth and floating cloud rap song, with a vocal snip at the end of a girl asking, "What the fuck was that?" Exactly -- it's a magical moment that fuses the two sides of the album, and of Tyler himself.

Across the lengthy record most of the Odd Future collective roll through for a few verses, yet vocals are also provided by the aforementioned Pharrell, Frank Ocean, Laetitia Sadier, Erykah Badu, and Nas (via an interview). All that said, lyrically, Tyler brings the same ol' sort of; he still likes his F words, yet his overall mindset seems to be a bit softer, focusing on blogs, sex, family, fans, relationships, pop culture, skater culture, black culture, drugs, parties, and touring, creating suburban tales instead of shouting about raping and killing, using lots of intricate metaphors and often funny imagery, and he's in fine form overall. Almost everything seems thought out and intentional, unlike some of his previous releases, and now he's really telling stories. Actually this album is probably his most listenable, yet his lyrics still are an acquired taste. He does seem to be maturing in regards to subject matter and language, and he comes across quite likable at times. Production-wise he's made a great record, with sounds, arrangements, and instrumentation that form a baroque and psychedelic hip-hop wonderland. Imagine Tame Implala, Dots and Loops-era Stereolab, and the original synth and drum machine version of N.E.R.D.'s In Search Of... in a mash-up, and you get a glimpse of the sonic world. I think it's fair to say that Tyler is a better producer than a rapper, though he seems to becoming better at that too. He's also a pretty good comedian. [DG]
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

$19.99 LP

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  MATHEMATIQUES MODERNES
Les Visiteurs du Soir
(Medical)

French synth pop duo Mathématiques Modernes are perhaps best known for their 1980 Celluloid single "Disco Rough," a playfully strange and catchy minor club hit that experienced something of a renaissance when it was included on Tigersushi's seminal So Young But So Cold compilation in 2004, which helped introduce the French electronic underground of the early '80s to a wider audience. While Mathématiques Modernes' single got much-deserved attention during the synth revival of the last decade -- it seemed like you couldn't go anywhere without hearing it out for a minute there -- the duo's brilliantly quirky 1981 LP Les Visiteurs du Soir went largely unheard. One of the most original and singular sounding albums of the era, Mathématiques Modernes blended the futurism of synth pop with the orchestral pop tradition of more forward-thinking French artists of the '60s and '70s like Serge Gainsbourg and his conspirator Jean-Claude Vannier. Filled with off-kilter melodies, choppy time signatures, fluttering electronics, and otherworldly noises, the duo incorporated live instrumentation such as strings and horns to create a more intricate and fuller music palette that occasionally feels reminiscent of what August Darnell might sound like in a French discotheque. Though at times Mathématiques Modernes' eccentricities get the better of them, there are some incredibly beautiful moments to Les Visiteurs du Soir -- the synth breakdown of "TV Night," the swelling epic "Jungle Hurt," and of course "Disco Rough" -- making Medical Records' reissue a must-have for fans of outré new wave, leftfield disco, and anyone who wore out their copy of So Young But So Cold. [CPa]
 
         
   
   
   
   
   
   

 

 

     
 

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  CLOTHILDE
Queen of the French Swinging Mademoiselle 1967
(Born Bad)

"Je T'ai Voulu Et Je T'ai Bien Eu"
"La Chanson Bete Et Mechante"

French pop fans, pay attention: this is ESSENTIAL LISTENING. Clothilde is renowned in collector circles as perhaps THE greatest of the '60s-era yé-yé girls, a legendary popette who recorded just a handful of singles and EPs before vanishing from the scene. While this wasn't really abnormal for many of the one-jam-wonders of the said scene, what made her disappearance so surprising was the real talent she possessed as a performer; her releases were often instilled with more maturity, more rhythm, and more psychedelic undertones combined than many of her contemporaries. Original copies of her records often fetch triple-digit prices amongst collectors, and while she's had a few of her songs appear on assorted yé-yé compilations over the years, it has taken until now to see a complete retrospective receive release. Thank the fine folks at Born Bad for this stellar collection of Clothilde's pop magic; both of her extended play records are here, as well as her one Italian single, and everything sounds as though it were mastered from either perfect copies of the records, or the tapes themselves. This ranks up there with Françoise Hardy's Vogue recordings, France Gall's early Philips sides with Gainsbourg, and Jacqueline Taïeb and Stella Zelcer's late period EPs as some of the finest yé-yé pop of its kind. The package also includes great, informative liner notes and some lovely photos; this release has been in the works for a LONG time, and it was well worth the wait. Faithful OM Update readers know how seriously and furiously I collect and praise this music, so take it from a fanatic such as myself... You need this. [IQ]
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

$14.99 CD
$17.99 LP

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  DON BIKOFF
Celestial Explosion
(Tompkins Square)

"Kindler's Metamorphosis"
"Today Has No Tomorrow"

While Don Bikoff was and is a true original and guitar innovator, a cursory listen to his lone 1968 release is sure to conjure visions of John Fahey's Takoma Records roster, especially the early work of Robbie Basho -- and I think that's a good thing. Fahey and Basho have a small but intensely loyal fan base, and that's a group of people who need to listen to Don Bikoff, because his music needs to be heard; it's some of the most elegant, emotionally charged, and visceral work to come out of the American Primitive movement. The clarity and vision with which these songs are performed and recorded evokes the meticulous arrangements of Jim O'Rourke a la Bad Timing, but without any of the creeping post-modernism that gives O'Rourke his unique contemporary charm. Bikoff's playing on tracks like "To Ellen" is a perfect mix of old-time country blues and pure 1960's back-to-the-roots Americana, with any associated hokeyness within the song's joyful progression. Whereas many guitar records of the era have a very documentary-esque, guitarist-present-in-the-room feel, Bikoff's work sounds carefully produced, albeit with a painfully light touch, and the result is magnificent. The title track's delicate bells and deep reverb set a wide stage on which Bikoff's driving, Eastern-inflected guitar's exploration can be acted out. All in all, this record is a must have for any serious fan of experimental, folk-inspired music, American Primitivists, Bushwiccans, and any curious, open-minded listeners who have just under forty minutes and want to take a trip into the cosmos, courtesy of a young man coming of age, in the age of Aquarius, and his punchy, sonorous acoustic guitar. [AS]

Catch Don Bikoff performing live in Brooklyn at Union Pool on Tuesday, April 30th!
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

$7.99
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$9.99 LP

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  PERMANENT MAKEUP
The Void...It Creeps
(New Granada)

"Death Throes of a Cockroach"
"Don't Self Destruct"

With the exception of Tampa Bay's early-'90s reign as the Death Metal Capital of the World and the emergence of the seminal grindcore band Assück not long after, the diverse music scene of Florida's central west coast has mostly gone unnoticed by the country at large for years, until the recent arrival of Merchandise on the indie scene. It's a story that is certainly not unique to that area and the outcome is often the same, with a fiercely D-I-Y community developing simply out of necessity, with not much more than a love of a music and the need for a temporary escape from the daily grind of life. Meet Permanent Makeup, a three-year-old Tampa trio whose very first show was performing a set of unrehearsed improv in an old dentist office, with various audience members filling in as lead singers, reading ad copy lifted from infomercials. The group would, however, soon move on to the fully formed songs of their excellent debut, The Void...It Creeps, released on Tampa's longstanding indie imprint, New Granada Records.

Comprised of husband-wife rhythm section Chris Nadeau (bass) and Susan Dickerson (drums), and guitarist James Bess, Permanent Makeup channel the arty but still noisy side of punk and post-punk a la SST-era Sonic Youth, Mission of Burma, Fugazi and early Pere Ubu, and while they certainly aren't the first band to do so, the group puts their own stamp on these time-tested influences with great results. The Void...It Creeps mirrors the high-energy of the live show I caught a few weeks back at Brooklyn's Shea Stadium, the album being a home-recorded effort that opens with a brief squall of feedback and crashing drums and then proceeds to pack a sonic wallop over 12 concise songs, with charging primal rhythms and loose yet intricate interplay between the rumbling bass and distorted, wiry guitar work that switches on a dime between skronky and ornate. Nadeau and Bess take lead vocal turns, the former handling the roll of a punk-rock ringleader interspersing call-and-response choruses with occasional bits of social and political commentary during tracks like the anthemic "Signal to Noise," while the latter's approach is at times reminiscent of Pere Ubu's David Thomas, as Bess steps into the character of his songs, dispensing absurdist observations about the dismemberment of an insect ("The Death Throes of a Cockroach") or spewing the crazy rants of a paranoid in "Chemtrails." It all makes for a smart yet fun 31-minute ride from a band that may not have re-written the book, but they've added an original, invigorating chapter. (Vinyl is limited to 300 and screen-printed with glow-in-the-dark ink.) [GH]
         
   
   
   
   

 

 

     
 

$11.99
CD
$18.99 LP+MP3

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  THE BLACK ANGELS
Indigo Meadow
(Blue Horizon)

"Indigo Meadow"
"I Hear Colors (Chromaesthesia)"

Austin's Black Angels are one of the few unapologetically psychedelic bands working the indie scene these days. Sure, Ty Segal and the rest of the Bay Area freak scene like fuzz guitars, and Tame Impala like to mess with our heads, but Black Angels drank the Kool-Aid of mid/late-'60s garage psychedelia, and they have gone all in, maybe more than ever on their churning new full-length, Indigo Meadow. Tribal rhythms, fuzzed-out guitars and buzzing Farfisa would make almost any track on this new album a solid contender for Nuggets 12 (or whatever volume they're up to) if someone missed the small detail that this was released in 2013, and while they have always been a dyed-in-the-wool psych band, this is no doubt a continued refinement of their sound; produced by John Congleton, these songs are stripped back to their core elements, with bigger hooks and a razor-sharp focus. From the vintage Fillmore-styled cover drawing to Alex Maas' distinctly androgynous croon, the Black Angels aim to transport you to a simpler, freakier time, and with Indigo Meadow they have largely succeeded. No, it's nothing new, and as such it probably won't really be expanding any minds, but if you are a fan of dark two-chord rock and roll rave-ups and vintage light-show theatrics, there is plenty to enjoy here. [JM]
 
         
   
       
   

 

 

     
 

$9.99 CD
$15.99 LP+MP3

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  LUXURY LINERS
They're Flowers
(Western Vinyl)

"Caribbean Sunset"
"Lash by Lash"

Carter Tanton played in Lower Dens for a bit, he released an enjoyable guitar-based solo album under his own name a couple of years back, and he has a successful career as a recording engineer for some of our favorite artists, but his debut as Luxury Liners is a bit of a left turn. As an indie lifer, he's bounced around quite a bit, and stuck between here and there without his guitar, he started to arrange some of his new music on a laptop. It's not dance music, it's not experimental noise... what is this? It's spare, often beautiful modern pop that nods to folk, synth-pop and a lot more, and perhaps its strongest selling point is that it's so hard to pigeonhole.
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

$13.99
CD
$18.99 LP+Mp3

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  COLD WAR KIDS
Dear Miss Lonelyhearts
(Downtown)

After bumming out many longtime fans with 2011's Mine Is Yours, a slickly produced record that was widely perceived as a (failed) attempt to sell out by the beloved Long Beach indie-blues band, Cold War Kids have taken a step back with their new LP. While it doesn't have the rough edges of their earliest material, Dear Miss Lonelyhearts has an immediacy and looseness that was missed, and a track like opener "Miracle Mile" stands with their best work.
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

$13.99 CD

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  DAWES
Stories Don't End
(Hub)

After finding some mainstream success with a throwback 1970s Laurel Canyon vibe that showcased their rich harmonies and laidback, natural sounding recordings, this L.A. band took a few steps out of their comfort zone on Stories Don't End. Working with producer Jacquire King, Dawes have updated things a bit, with crisper production, more overdubs and some lovely instrumental passages that show a new depth without abandoning what brought them attention in the first place.
 
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

$13.99
CD
$17.99 LP

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  PALMA VIOLETS
180
(Rough Trade)

"Best of Friends"
"Rattlesnake Highway"

No, it's nothing new, but what Palma Violets lack in originality, these scrappy British kids make up for with raw enthusiasm and bluster. Part pub rock, part punk rock, part classic rock, it's full of swagger, hooks and enthusiasm, and while it's kind of too soon to tell if these dudes will go the distance or flame out like so many before them, 180 is actually a lot of fun, and these guys are definitely the first serious Brit Buzz of 2013.
         
   
   

 

 

     
 

$18.99
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  OTHER MUSIC T-SHIRT
White with Silver Logo

Well, short sleeve weather was here for a few days at least, and we're pretty sure that more warm days are coming, so what better way to greet the spring than sporting our brand new Other Music tee. Features the shop's name in silver on a white American Apparel 50/50 poly-cotton blend shirt -- available in Small, Medium, Large and X-Large.
         
   
   
   
       
   
         
 
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THIS WEEK'S CONTRIBUTORS

[DG] Daniel Givens
[GH] Gerald Hammill
[IQ] Mikey IQ Jones
[JM] Josh Madell
[CPa] Chris Pappas
[AS] Andrew Siskind


THANKS FOR READING
- all of us at Other Music

 
         
   
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