Other Music New Release Update
August 21, 2002


In This Week's Update:

Interpol
Urban Renewal Program (Various)
Sleater-Kinney
Future Bible Heroes
Kompakt Total 4 (Various)
LIARS
Dntel
Spoon
Les Hommes
Eric Bachmann
Signer


Just In:

Neko Case


FEATURED NEW RELEASES:


INTERPOL "Turn on the Bright Lights" (Matador) CD/LP $8.99/$10.99
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I think it might be time to take serious stock of "New York Rock"
(quotes and caps) amidst all the hype, the talk of a renaissance,
and the high-speed spin cycle of the next-hottest-thing syndrome.
Larry T aside, what I'm really interested in is parsing the ironic
investigations into the music of the late-'70s and '80s from the
genuinely new, honest and original music made by people who's
world view and musical aesthetic were formed by growing up
listening to the (now considered) heavy hitters of the era. Thus,
it seems kind of superfluous to dwell on Joy Division, the
Chameleons, or any of their ilk for longer than a split second
when speaking of Interpol's "Turn on the Bright Lights." This is just
what rock music sounds like when it's made by people who were
teenagers in the '80s.  And if you happened to hold any of the
aforementioned heavy-hitters dear, and you're not the prickly
possessive type, you will most likely be very impressed by the
impassioned and assured pastiche of then and now on Interpol's
first full-length. Eleven-tracks of sparkling melancholy crafted
with driving patterns of drums and rhythm guitar layered snugly
under searing dark arches of twanging lead guitar and complex bass
structures, not to mention punchy and tight vocal patterns
conjuring Ian Curtis (that's the last time, I swear) at his most
incisive. Sleepy, sad and sweeping emotional epics balance the
more rocking angular jams to create an intense and well rounded
album, that sits as comfortably next to its NYC rock peers
(Walkmen, LIARS, Strokes, etc.) as it does next to its inspiring
progenitors. [MC]
CD //perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=74486105452&refer_url=email
LP //perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=74486105451&refer_url=email


[V.A] "Urban Renewal Project" (Chocolate Industries) CD $13.99
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Chocolate Industries have been slowly distancing themselves from
their roots in the IDM community and incorporating more styles
like hip hop and post-rock into their output. With their last
compilation, the impressive "Rapid Transit" collection, the
Chocolate Industry crew pulled this off brilliantly. Now almost
two-years later they up the ante and bring you a superb
compilation filled with many of today's heavy-hitters in
independent music. We get unreleased tracks from Prefuse-73, Aesop
Rock, Mos Def, Tortoise, EL-P, Mr. Lif, Souls of Mischief, While,
Miho Hatori (of Cibo Matto fame), Themselves, Via Tania, DJ Food
and RJD2. Need I say more? This compilation is essential and worth
the price for the new Aesop Rock "Train Buffer" track alone. (All
distorted funk bass and finger-tap guitar solo-ing while Aesop
Rock spits his usual, insane rhymes.) If not for the music alone,
the packaging and book are created by some of today's hottest
graffiti and graphic artists including KAWS, Struggle Inc., David
Kinsey and many more. Buy this now! [JS]
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SLEATER-KINNEY  "One Beat" (Kill Rock Stars) CD/LP $13.99/$11.99
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Sleater-Kinney have always been visceral and fun presenting punk
at its best level -- something politically charged that you can
still pogo too. This will always be their strongest weapon. So
after making it through the better part of the '90s (role models
for many), their sixth album shows the band taking some creative
liberties but without the risk of alienating their ever growing
list of fans. Two years have passed since the release of their
breakthrough, "All Hands on the Bad One." During this time, Corin
Tucker became a mother and the country's political landscape has
been drastically reshaped; so it comes as no surprise that "One
Beat" is filled with plenty of introspection and politics of a
personal nature. In the title track, Tucker speaks for her baby as
she begs for a new world void of "bloody arms and oil fields." A little
darker than their subdued "Hot Rock" LP, "One Beat" is still
unmistakably Sleater-Kinney, with punk rock vocal aerobics and
dueling guitars that volley back and forth like a tennis ball. For this one,
however, they're also more inclusive in instrumentation and music
styles. During both "Light Rail Coyote" and "Sympathy," Carrie
Brownstein strays from her trademark style of angular leads opting
for swampy guitar slides. Additional players contribute cello,
synthesizer washes and horns throughout a collection of songs that
nods to a wider array of influences, from Motown to blues. "One Beat"
does not have that party equivalent to "I Wanna be Your Joey Ramone"
(although the new wave rave-up of "Oh!" comes close), but there's still
plenty of punk rock exuberance. Only this time it's presented with a
little more sophistication but never lacking in passion and sneer. [GH]
CD //perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=75965613872&refer_url=email
LP //perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=75965603871&refer_url=email


FUTURE BIBLE HEROES "Eternal Youth" (Instinct) CD $15.99
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Future Bible Heroes, as you may know, is a sort of side-project
for the Magnetic Fields leader Stephin Merritt and their piano
player-vocalist Claudia Gonson, collaborating with their longtime
friend Chris Ewen. Ten of the sixteen-tracks on the new album are
credited to Merritt/Ewen, with the remaining penned by Ewen. Ms.
Gonson sings lead throughout, and Ewen plays all instruments save
Merritt's Oberheim OB-12 synth simulator. A definite crowd-pleaser
for any fan of the Fields, this record is chock full of simple,
romantic electro-pop that goes down easy. As the electro revival
has invaded our shop, I've often said that what will keep these new
artists out of the mainstream they crave is the fact that many in
the current wave may have captured the classic sound and style
of '80s pop, but few seem as concerned with the songwriting that
is at the core of any pop hit. Although the tracks on this new
record are a bit too sleepy to cut it during prime-time in
Berliniamsburg, I think these talented tunesmiths have made it
clear that if you could just put Stephin in wrap-around sunglasses
and a faux-hawk, the sky's the limit. [JM]
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[V.A.] "Kompakt Total 4" (Kompakt) CD $15.99/LP $16.99
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Somehow Kompakt has managed to put together another compilation
with enough essential tracks to make it a must-have. "Total 4"
features exclusive tracks including M. Mayer's "Falling Hands,"
Jurgen Paapes's "Mit Dir" and, check this, an Eno cover!
("Baby's On Fire" covered by Superpitcher.) The tracks have a
smart yet happy, shimmering disco-pop feel that is somehow still
trademark Kompakt quality. Totally enjoyable track sequence to
boot. Enough said, this label's on a roll!!! Recommended. [SM]
CD //perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=71875260322&refer_url=email
LP //perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=71875260321&refer_url=email


LIARS "They Threw Us in a Trench…" (Mute) CD/LP $15.99/$15.99
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When can a sound/movement/cultural happening stop being referred
to as "post"? Isn't it all post it if we are in the present? When
aren't we in the present? Sure I am ready to use "post-punk" to
better describe a band to someone so they may differentiate the
river from the ocean of sound, but because I can recognize it as
such, does that mean it is contrived? (The answer here is NO!) You
all have most likely heard "They Threw Us..." when it was first
released, but for those who ignore the hype and the print: here
goes. Engaging and energizing as all get out, The LIARS are a
barking, blistering, groove-fueled rhythm assault. I mean rhythm
for days. I mean the energy of cheerleaders on amphetamines. I
encountered them at Mercury Lounge a while back and though they
had been heralded to me as "The New Birthday Party," I was
skeptical. Soon I gave into the pull, sure there was schtick
(Angus, the enormously tall singer undressed, threw feathers at
us, etc.) but it was not for our benefit it seemed. The sneer on
his face said, "I don't care if you think this is schtick, I'm in
it, and this is 'it' right now." They were sharp and driving, a
total mess, wrecking their stuff, yet it was all-inclusive. Like a
Chinese star attack, ripping through the crowd, but synchronized.
(Go see them if you can.) Yes, they sample ESG. Yes, there is
repetitive chanting and blasts of twitching guitar. Snapping
elastic bass. Perhaps you are familiar with these sounds? Perhaps
you like that sort of thing, maybe you like to dance when you rock
out. There is a difference between recognizing similarities (i.e.
"tastes like chicken") and recognizing authenticity (i.e. "this chicken
tastes great"). Quality. [NL]
CD //perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=60006400592&refer_url=email
LP //perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=72459691871&refer_url=email


DNTEL "This Is The Dream Of Evan And Chan" (Plug Research) CD $7.99
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A new EP from Dntel, this is really a remix record featuring
several versions of a track from the "Life Is Full Of
Possibilities" album, plus one new track. The original "This is
the Dream of Evan and Chan" is a delectable bit of tuneful glitch-
pop sung by Benjamin from Death Cab for Cutie, and it was a
standout on the album. The versions here are appropriately varied,
and at times they veer closer to covers than remixes, with new
production and vocals added to the reconfigured tracks. Both the
Safety Scissors mix (featuring all new vocals from Erlend of Kings
Of Convenience), and the Barbara Morgenstern mix hold true to the
original version of the song, with dreamy keyboards leading the
way for the fragile, melancholy vocals. Superpitcher delivers a
strong Kompakt-style minimal house version, and Lali Puna strips
the vocals and takes it almost to ambient Drum 'n' Bass territory.
The record finishes with one all new song from Dntel, a slow-paced
dream that lurches between the playroom and the dancefloor with
abandon. Pretty nice. [JM]
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SPOON "Kill the Moonlight" (Merge) CD $13.99
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With every release, Spoon reinvent themselves and once again we
find the band taking another right-turn. Last year Britt Daniel,
a terrific songwriter from the start, left us something way more
refined and polished than his early Pixie-influenced rockers with
the brilliant "Girls Can Tell." This was perhaps as close to a
traditional rock record as the band could make considering the
quirky influences brewing just below the surface. But to use the
word "refined" again wouldn't even begin to describe their
latest, "Kill the Moonlight." Stripped to the barest of bones,
Spoon offer an album with the same melodic sense as Costello's,
only these melodies are stickier and even exaggerated under this
pared down sound. Almost every song's intensity literally depends
upon absence and is propelled by the tension of not hearing an
instrument that you would instinctively expect to be there. So as
the sole piano during the opening verse of "The Way We Get By"
builds with the addition of a bass, the fact that the drummer
doesn't kick in the chorus, right when you think he should make the
big entrance... it's subtle and almost uncomfortable. The loop of a human
beat box and the staccato guitars in "Stay Don't Go" seem simple and
obtuse, but the accents of backwards piano and a carefully placed
tambourine guides the song down a perfect pop path, skewed as it
may be. And therein is the genius, the fact that Daniel's latest
offering is stripped, skewered and teetering on the edge of
emptiness, but still pulls through with sweet pop perfection.
Spoon have yet to disappoint. [GH]
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LES HOMMES "Les Hommes" (ESL) CD $14.99
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East London's organ-trio Les Hommes is a natural edition to the
ESL stable. This live lounge band takes its cool-out exotica to
the studio and successfully creates a soundscape worthy of past
and present recognition. Inspirations that range from '60s jazz to
Batucada and bossa nova rhythms are masterfully instituted leaving
no doubt that these guys mean business. Songs like "Intraspettro"
could be heard underlying the latest commercial or vintage
European film just as easily as in the basement of some noisy
smoked-out hotel. Walking basses and sultry vocals add an
authenticity unachieved by most, all the while remaining honest.
Each track is accompanied by a scene-setting scenario, which
relays its experience and direction. Recommended for fans of
anything Thievery Corporation has a hand in, Cinematic Orchestra,
and the entire mood-music attitude. [JD]
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ERIC BACHMANN "Short Careers" (Merge) CD $13.99
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Eric Bachmann has been well know within the indie rock community
for his role as singer-songwriter in Archers of Loaf and his work
as Crooked Fingers. In between these two bands, he recorded under
the guise of Barry Black, completing two albums in which he
branched out from his indie rock roots composing music that
contained a dark soundtrack-like quality. So it makes perfect
sense that he would now compose a soundtrack proper. The original
score for the film "Ball Of Wax" features tracks that range from
the roots influenced "Good Morning Sleepyhead" (with its acoustic
guitars, plucked banjo, cello and light drumming) to the dark
piano and string arrangements of a track like "Short Careers," to
the haunting music box like quality of a track like "Forks and
Knives." The feeling of the soundtrack overall seems to evoke
sadness, loss and death, and makes me curious to see what the film
is actually about. Once again, Eric Bachmann defies musical
definition, constantly changing as he did before and now he can
add soundtrack composer to his resume. [JS]
//perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=03617295122&refer_url=email


SIGNER "Low Light Dreams" (Carpark) CD $13.99
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The new full-length follow-up to the debut album, "Giving It Up To
Feel Affected," Signer's "Low Light Dreams" features deep, deep
post-selected "Ambient Works Vol. II" melodic pulse techno, almost
as if Wolfgang Voigt's Gas project recorded an album for Morr
Music. Sweet and moody techno made more for solo listening than
for the dancefloor. Recommended. [SM]
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JUST IN:


NEKO CASE "Blacklisted" (Bloodshot) CD $15.99
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Full-review in next week's update.
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This week's contributors: Matt Connors [MC], J Dennis [JD], Gerald
Hammill [GH], Nicole Lang [NL], Josh Madell [JM], Scott Mou [SM]
and Jeremy Sponder [JS].


The Big Picture:

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