Other Music New Release Update
May 10, 2000



In This Week's Update :

Sun City Girls
Peter Brotzmann reissue
Stereolab tour 45
Sigur Ros CDs
Antony & The Johnsons
Meters reissues
Charlemagne Palestine 2xCD
Masstishaddhu reissue
Lois V. Vierk
Max Tundra
Angelblood (feat. Rita Ackermann)
Ovary Lodge reissue
O.S.T.
Muslimgauze remixes Reverberation
We
Experimental Audio Research
Caipirissima (Brazilian electronica comp)
Looper
High Tide reissue
Shell

Restocks:
Dreamies


Featured New Releases :

SUN CITY GIRLS "Cameo Demons And Their Manifestations" (Abduction)  CD  $13.99
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Volume one in their new series titled "Carnival Folklore Resurrection" plays
at first like their response to "Ho!: Roady Music From Vietnam", only here,
the war has no end. I was annoyed by my initial attempt to use this record
as ambient background music as I have come to do so with many of their
albums; abrupt and amorphous, I found little to latch onto while attempting
to complete other tasks. Foolish me. Only by strapping on the headphones
had I come to realize what a demanding mistress "Cameo Demons" is.
In submitting to total-immersion, I was immediately transported to their
world of endless possibilities, where the concepts of psychedelia and
Eastern mysticism are merely points of departure. From the sinuous
snake-charmer of the opening "Where Dead People Live" through the
relentless title track, strings pluck and miss, partial-limbed percussive
rhythms rise and fall and rise again, overwrought voices chant in tongues
and then recede into a harrowing firmament that summons forth souls
left somewhere behind and others still yet to emerge. All this and
perhaps the greatest recorded hacked-loogie since the Butthole Surfers'
"Lady Sniff"! Another shambling, beautiful mess of an album, limited edition
of 1000 copies. [JG]
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PETER BROTZMANN "Nipples" (Unheard Music Series/Calig) CD $13.99
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"I own only ten records. 2 Mozarts 1 Chopin 1 Schumen 1 Ravi Shankar 1
Beethoven and 2 Blotzman (sic) and Brotzman's records stand up very well
among those masterpieces."--Nam June Paik, 69 May. Mighty mighty mighty
mighty. One of Brotzmann's crucial follow-ups to the 1968 landmark "Machine
Gun" sessions, "Nipples" (released on the obscure Calig label) had remained
a Holy Grail for free-jazz aficionados all these years. I was dumbstruck to
find a vinyl copy in Europe recently, so now I'm flabbergasted that
Atavistic's new sublabel has secured the rights for a CD reissue.
Incredible! Let's start with the lineup: Brotzmann and Evan Parker on
tenor, Derek Bailey (guitar), Han Bennink (drums), Fred Van Hove (piano),
and Buschi Niebergall (bass). Produced by Manfred Eicher (ECM) and the
legendary Conny Plank. The very definition of power, this baby burns
nonstop. While I'd be hard-pressed to ever characterize Brotzmann's blowing
as "restrained", here he manages to pick his spots among these all-stars
with a surgical precision that is truly breathtaking. 1969, what an amazing
year: Whitey on the moon, Art Ensemble take Paris and Nipples, Nipples,
Nipples! Get captured in the splatter...highest recommendation! [JG]
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STEREOLAB "The Underground is Coming" (Duophonic, UK) 45 $4.99
The latest Stereolab tour single is now available at Other Music.
It's a 7-inch vinyl record containing four songs: "The Super-It",
"Fried Monkey Eggs (Inst.)", "Fried Monkey Eggs (Vocal)", and
"Monkey Jelly". Limited edition, and these are the last of them.
Buy one for yourself, some for friends. Get them now at regular
prices or pay through the nose on eBay later. [TC]
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SIGUR ROS "Agaetis Byrjun" (Smekkleysa, Iceland) CD $28.99
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SIGUR ROS "Von" (Smekkleysa, Iceland) CD $22.99
SIGUR ROS "Von Brigdi/Recycle Bin" (Smekkleysa) CD $22.99

These three albums represent the back catalog of the
extremely popular Icelandic band Sigur Ros not including the
two recent EPs released on the Fat Cat label. "Agaetis Byrjun"
is their most recent album released in late 1999. It features
two songs from the Fat Cat EPs. "Von" is their first album with
"Recyle Bin" being a collection of remixes of tracks from "Von".
"Agaetis" is available now in extremely limited quanitites. The
others are in slightly larger supply. We'll tell you moreabout these
records as soon as we have sufficient stock to satisfy the large
demand. We can tell you that fans of Cocteau Twins and Low
should find these albums hugely appealing. [TC]
Sigur Ros "Agaetis Byrjun"
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Sigur Ros "Von"
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Sigur Ros "Von Brigdi/Recycle Bin"
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ANTONY AND THE JOHNSONS "s/t" (Durtro, UK) CD $19.99
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Imagine the Tindersticks fronted by a tall, radiant, fabulously-frocked
vision in Pagliacci white (avec glitter!) and you're nearly
there...catching Antony live last week during his residency at Joe's Pub
(at the Public Theater) was an experience I will not soon forget! The house
was filled with jaded fashion scenesters and art-gallery types who, in
between volleys of not-so-hushed gossip, were held utterly spellbound by
Antony's songwriting and vocal mastery, nevermind the Johnsons, his
supporting orchestra of goth-vampyres! I was fairly certain that the
Germans would arrive at any moment. Paging Scott Walker! "The debut album
from this English-born singer and the follow up to his split single with
Current 93. Antony assembled the Johnsons orchestra (featuring Raster/Noton
sound organizer William Basinski) in 1997 to record and perform material
that he had originally developed in late-night cabarets at the Pyramid Club
in New York. He recently sang his song 'Rapture' in Steve Buscemi's
upcoming film 'Animal Factory' and was featured in 'Time Out New York' as
one of 20 people to watch in 2000. Antony has been compared to everyone
from Brian Ferry to Lotte Lenya. His songs are alarmingly beautiful,
sorrowful, gospel-inspired, and transformative. The Johnsons feature piano,
strings, drums, bass, flute sax, clarinet, and harp. Their soundtrack forms
around Antony's voice, which stands in a class of it's own. Here, he
narrates archetypal tales of alienation, apocalypse, victimisation and
transcendence with an impassioned sometimes almost evangelical fervor."
--David Tibet, Durtro Records. Highest recommendation, old chum. [JG]
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THE METERS "Rejuvenation" (Sundazed) CD $12.99
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THE METERS "Cabbage Alley" (Sundazed) CD $12.99
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THE METERS "Fire On The Bayou" (Sundazed) CD 12.99
There's a peculiar ritual in New Orleans in which revelers (usually
drunken) yell out the names of local cuisine as a rallying cry. Walking
through the French Quarter, you'll hear screams of "crawfish etoufee!"
or "jambalaya!" at random. It's a silly practice fully embraced by college
kids and tourists alike. And it's all The Meters' fault. The phenomenon's
origins can be traced to 'They All Ask'd About You' from the band's "Fire
On the Bayou" LP -- an album so packed with Crescent City cliches that
it should've earned the Meters a kickback from the Big Easy Tourist
Commission. But the Meters are more than house band to fair-weather fans.
And they maintain the power to stun even when they're selling out. In 1972,
The Meters made the jump from the independent Josie label to Reprise
Records; a move that, not coincidentally, coincided with the band's
attempts at a broader pop appeal. Adding vocals for the first time and
turning down the grease factor on their funky instrumentals, The Meters did
score a few pop hits via the trio of albums reissued here. More importantly
though, they outgrew their role as the New Orleans answer to Booker T. and
the MGs, and became a group of intrepid individual players, each member
stretching his own talents with great aplomb. If you're a fan of, say
Lowell George's criminally underappreciated work with Little Feat, just
wait 'til you hear who he copped his style from. Bonus: The Meters'
'Rejuvenation' sports the most blessedly ridiculous album cover, ever.
A must see. [MH]
"Rejuvenation"
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"Cabbage Alley"
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"Fire On The Bayou"
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CHARLEMAGNE PALESTINE "Karenina" (Durtro, UK) 2xCD $22.99
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The spectre of Klaus Nomi? And what's he singing, anyway? Fear not, it is
the inscrutable new two-hour plus vocal tour-de-force by the ever-
unpredictable Mr. Palestine, best known for his minimalist keyboard
work in the tradition of La Monte Young and Terry Riley. Twelve tracks
(hovering in at approximately 10 minutes each) of mesmerizing drone
accompanied by Palestine's unique vocal delivery. Presented by David
Tibet's Durtro imprint. " 'Karenina' was conceived in March 1997 in Paris at
Galerie Donguy as a work to be played during a retrospective exhibition of
his sculpture and photographs. The work is for his Falsetto voice and
Indian Harmonium. In this work the use of the name 'Karenina' and also
other words and sounds form the unconscious trance magical sources. The
male falsetto has a very special sacred significance. As a young singer in
Synagogue music the Rabbi or Cantor sings only a few times a year in a
falsetto and only for the most sincere and sacred declarations. The Indian
harmonium and the organesque sound in general dates from Charlemagne's
earliest musical outings."-Durtro Records. At the conclusion of the
complete double-disc experience you'll have either attained a higher state
of existence or acquired the impulse to run out and shoot up a schoolyard
(kindly resist; it's against the law and just plain bad form!). [JG]
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MASSTISHADDHU "Shekinah" (Psychedelic Pig/United Dairies) CD $14.99
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Brilliant dark and forbidding moan and drone action originally released on
Stephen Stapleton's (Nurse With Wound) United Dairies label in 1988.
Essentially a trio led by R. Rupenus (the genius behind the incredible
Mixed Band Philanthropist project), the album is comprised of two lengthy
pieces laced with chants and overtones. Newly remastered by
NWW-collaborator Colin Potter, you may find yourself looking over your
shoulder to see who's lurking behind you. Edition of 500. The perfect
compliment to the new Sun City Girls album! [JG]
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LOIS V. VIERK "River Beneath the River" (Tzadik) CD $14.99
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Lois Vierk is one of those composers who has yet to find a deserved wider
audience--she may be my favorite living composer, she's definitely the most
consistent. Her work springs from the maximal side of minimal (think Riley
rather than Feldman) and works in shifting tonalities and harmonics,
containing Japanese scales and rhythms, or, from Appalachian shredding
timbres and minor key melodies that wander into being off-key melodies
(microtones, of course). This CD captures four pieces dating from 1989-99:
the first two are string quartets for vibrating, descending and ascending
strings. For these, she wrote jagged elisions that must be fun to play, and
sound marvelous. She also knows how to build tension without resorting to
any kind of soundtrack cliches--a rarity. The third here is a brass trio
that channels the pain and brewing angst of every car trapped on the L.A.
freeway system, and the fourth paints cello, guitar, percussion and
electronics in ombre tones (sliding notes); bungee trajectories slowed way
down, with solemn Japanese percussive accompaniment. [RE]
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MAX TUNDRA "Some Best Friend You Turned Out to Be" (Domino, UK) CD/LP  $18.99/$18.99
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Three years after his first (and only, and wonderful) 12" (the fantastic
"Children At Play" on Warp), Tundra (also known as Ben Jacobs) finally
spits out his full-length album. Unlike electronicians Oval or Aphex Twin,
Tundra doesn't work towards making sounds you've never heard before.
Instead, he barely alters the samples (and instruments) he uses, developing
the way they're cut and assembled into something fresh and jovial. Once he
digs into a track, there aren't just loops or even stanzas or bridges, the
structure unfolds in unexpected ways: in the middle of lilting and plodding
piano, he breaks into 10-times-the-speed segments; a track starts with
Tangerine Dream synths, which stutter and meet stupid, accelerating disco
beats; or he'll use muffling as a device, adding and stripping it away
(like cutting the treble in and out on your stereo). The clincher is an
11-minute track (that I wish was 40) that starts with whiplash electronics
and gradually dissolves into a sweeping instrumental classic rock epic.
Definitely worth the wait. [RE]
CD
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ANGELBLOOD "s/t" (Captain Trip, Japan) $18.99
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Had Angelblood done the soundtrack, "The Blair Witch Project" might have
been a scary film. Were the Lisbon sisters in "The Virgin Suicides"
musically ambitious I can envision them coming up with something like this
rather than offing themselves. Riding on the wings of fallen Yod like a
crimson vision in the glade of the shadowfire, Rytha (Rita Ackermann), Lizi
Dark, and Jesse are a powerful trinity within the Nodding God's legion of
fire pixies, spreading a darkened wave of chaos throughout the New York
scene of art rock and kitty-kat psych. A prelude to a new night under the
blackening horizon, as if through an impure veil of dawn, dreaming beyond
dawnless realms on wings of a nightstorm of folk-metal ecstasy. Death again
will summon the rapture of a burning twilight, and Angelblood are the tears
in the eyes of fire. Forever your illumination throughout darkness and a
calling for the chosen within. Ask yourself, will you fly into the final
fall of light, awakened in the arms of the Noddy apocalypse? Have you seen
the truth? Are you ready for Angelblood? [AG]
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OVARY LODGE "s/t" (RCA/What Disc?, UK) CD $21.99
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Fantastic improvisational trio outing led by Keith Tippett and produced by
Robert Fripp in 1973. Essentially Tippett's back-to-basics album following
his massive Centipede project. Ably supported by Roy Babbington (pre-Soft
Machine) on bass and Frank Perry on percussion, Tippett's piano (and
occasionally, zither) playing has rarely been tastier; short furious bursts
collide with extended near-minimalist runs of swirling hypnotic beauty. [JG]
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O.S.T. "Deflect" (Emanate) CD $11.99
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O.S.T., aka Rook Vallard aka Chris Douglas brings his second album through
the SF label Emanate (who recently released Lilienthal). His beats are
cracked violently, and he discards large chunks and slaps the whole thing
back together. This method is reflected through the entire package: even
design (broken jewelcase art printed on a digipak with the words done by a
plotter !!!) and song titles (that read like words that used to be words:
'knarre', 'jagid' 'tael hea', 'egnil'). His repetitions are cold and distressed,
like a perfect merge of the Autechre phenomenon with a sense of
industrial decay. Of my favorite tracks here, one has the feel of a Thai
orchestra made of electronics, a jolting and clamorous, another thwips like
an electronic flexitone. [RE]
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REVERBERATION/MUSLIMGAUZE "New Soul Remixes" (3rd Stone, UK) CD  $15.99
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Get down! Blissed-out French psychsters given the remix treatment by the
estimable Bryn Jones shortly before his passing last year. Bouncy-throbby
bass encased within militant dub-housing leads to demi-jungle pop
satisfaction! While the first three tracks sound incredibly clean, the last
couple of remixes really lay-out the characteristic electro-scuzz. Perhaps
the most unlikely Muslimgauze project ever released (no one ever accused
him of being the life of the party), but listening to this I can't help but
wonder what he could've done in collaboration with the likes of Air. Five
mixes, 26 minutes. [JG]
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WE "Decentertainment" (Liquid Sky) CD/LP $14.99/$13.99
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We's third album reveals them to have solidly formed a style--it's a
continuation of, not a departure from their previous releases. But it's
quite identifiable. Though the sounds literally come from all over the map,
they're vacuum-formed into beats that never snap or tighten, sinuously
wound around altered piano, classic ambient misty synths, and watery
warbles. An odd focus is drawn by snippets of vocals seemingly chopped from
(maybe?) African or Asian pop music, and even, once or twice, drum 'n' bass
skitter beats crop up and fade away. They cultivate antique sounds: folding
a roller-rink organ into dub statics and hums. Though mostly serious, it
launches into the playful on a few tracks. [RE]
CD
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EXPERIMENTAL AUDIO RESEARCH "Live At The Dream Palace" (Ochre, UK) CD $15.99
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In which Pete Kember a.k.a. Sonic Boom runs rampant with six modified
vintage Speak & Spells! Can anything but organized chaos transpire? "The
performance was recorded in New Orleans on the 27th November 1997 and
features meta musical improvisations, circuit bending sound generators,
angular modular electronics and digital video feedback. This live album has
seen the creation of an array of astounding new sounds, chance evolving
compositions and textures, phoneme freezing and looping, random glottal
pulse and phoneme generation, complex lattice filtering and unique pitch
shifting techniques."-Ochre Records. If you understand that entire quote,
you're way ahead of me; suffice to say that this is a most satisfying
electro-ambient experience that places the listener inside the machine. Two
tracks, 66 minutes. Glottal on, lattice phoneme! [JG]
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[V/A] "Caipirissima" (Caipirinha) CD $14.99
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Subtitled "batucada electronica". We've received a lot of compilations of
dance music influenced by the energy and sounds from Brazil, most this past
year. And not only is this the most modern of them all, it's also the best
so far. Probably because most of the artists here are either Brazilian or
spend a lot of time there: Arto Lindsay, Amon Tobin, DJ Soul Slinger,
Apollo 9. Expect really fun beats with batucada rhythms from drums,
acoustic guitars, whistles, or weirder sounds--for instance, Suba vs.
M.A.U.'s track starts with circusy loops and ends up like they were making
the beats with gravel on a cookie sheet. What "Caipirissima" doesn't do is
use any samba or bossa nova samples. Streamlined and sleek, these artists
are not trying any slipshod revivals; instead, they integrally incorporate
the rhythms of Brazil, executed electronically, or throw themselves at the
percussive tradition entirely. [RE]
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LOOPER "The Geometrid" (Sub Pop) CD $13.99
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A quartet that includes Stuart David from Belle and Sebastian. And their
sound is, well, like B&S meets, say, Land of the Loops. Here, lots of
things happen as if over telephone lines: Karn and Stuart David's vocals,
cool choppy modem sounds, even some of the wattle-and-daub beats. They also
add piano and walls of horns to the peppy, whipping 'Mondo 77.' A few
songs don't work at _all_--like 'Uncle Ray,' a singalong of overheard
dialogue from a restaurant. Looper seem to be especially aware of how
lo-fi sounds fit (or don't) in a high-tech world. [RE]
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HIGH TIDE "Interesting Times" (Akarma, Italy) CD $15.99
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Elaborately packaged reissue of prog-psych legends reunion as a duo: Tony
Hill and Simon House (Hawkwind, Third Ear Band). Sweeping, evocative
shanties of yore, adorned with their patented wall of sound meshing violin
with guitar. The exact recording date is somewhat unclear; the album
originally appeared in 1990 and the presence of drum machines would have me
guessing early 80's. A wee bit dated sounding, maybe, but just beautiful
nonetheless. [JG]
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SHELL "Shell is Swell" (Abaton) CD $13.99
OM Exclusive. The second release from New Jersey pop prodigy
Marianne Nowottny and high-school pal Donna Bailey. Full review
next week.
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Restock:

DREAMIES "Program 10/Program 11" (Gear Fab) CD/LP $13.99/$13.99
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From the liner notes: "Dreamies are music, speech, and sounds from
life combined to create a surrealistic mental experience. The term
'Auralgraphic' implies mental imagery by listening, or sketching with
sound. The musical portions...are unique in as much as the only
natural instrument is the acoustic guitar. All other musical sounds are
electronically synthesized tone colors. The absences of drums, piano,
horns or other familiar instrumentation enhances the ethereal quality
of Dreamies...Intended to trigger contrasting states of mind. The sweet
evilness of the turbulent Sixties compared to the state of gay boredom
experienced in the early Seventies." Besides being long, filmlike collages,
they're also songs -- vague and sunny psychedelic melodies shot
through with fragments of political speech, weather patterns, television
snippets and electronic textures. And they play with sound in a very fun
way. One example: something that sounds like badly-recorded gamelan
music is actually revealed to be popcorn popping in a metal pan. And, even
though the songs (there are two) are 25 minutes apiece, they never get
dull. Olivia Tremor Control and Neutral Milk Hotel must have listened to
Dreamies a LOT. A fantastic American record that appeared a little late for
the psych era (1973) but way early for ours. One of the few abstract
concept albums that works thoroughly. [RE]
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LP /perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=09999130191&refer_url=email


This week's missive was scribed by Tom Capodanno [TC], Robin Edgerton [RE],
Jeff Gibson [JG], Andy Giles [AG], and Matt Hanks [MH].


Thanks for reading.
-all of us at Other Music

15 E. 4th Street
New York, NY 10003