Other Music New Release Update
June 17, 2003


In This Week's Update:

Animal Collective
American Analog Set
King Geedorah
Tindersticks
Moodyman
Mogwai
The Aerovons
Pole
April March
Glenn Branca (Reissue)
AFX
Minor Threat (First Demo Tape)
A Rocket In Dub
Byard Lancaster (Reissue)
Tricky
Death Comet Crew (Reissue)
Sightings
Big Jus/Nephlim Modulation Systems
John Tejada/Arian Leviste



FEATURED NEW RELEASES:

ANIMAL COLLECTIVE "Here Comes the Indian" (Paw Tracks) CD/LP $13.99/$9.99
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I'll just come right out and say it; this is some of the most important
music, if not art, being made in New York city right now in terms of sheer
creative production and intent. I hesitate to call "Here Comes the Indian"
their masterpiece if only for the reason that at six full-length records
and not a single member over the age of twenty-five, there is obviously
more to come. All six of these records have been executed with a startling
number of strategies and sounds. By the time it's taken each individual
album to be recorded to the moment of its release, you can be sure they've
already moved on to higher vistas. Lest you brand them as dilettantes
however, every sound they make seems as if it could have only come from the
most rigorous of investigations. Most so-called music journalism I've read
on them so far has focused on spectral affinities to any number of
psychedelic or Kraut-rock forbearers such as Faust or Amon Duul, or modern
practitioners like the Sun City Girls and the seemingly Pink Floyd
influenced soundscapes of Sigur Ros. Or the writing will dwell on how
supposedly dripped in lysergic acid the music is, as if these songs could
possibly be the result of a cheap Saturday night high. A more analogous
comparison would have to come from the world of fine art; Sigmar Polke's
investigations into alchemy, '60s performative happenings, or Joseph Beuys'
modern explorations of shamanist rituals. Indeed, "Here Comes the Indian"
is a telling title, summoning Huichol peyote journeys, or Brazilian
Yanomami belief systems in which the natural and the spiritual are a
unifying force in the universe. The four members of the Animal Collective
create with an utter lack of pretension needed for the ecstatic release
that is so characteristic of said shamanistic rituals. Sounds crest and
spiral, pastoral plateaus are reached only to give way to a gorgeous
melody. Hushed incantations or seemingly indigenous chants create string
figures in sound. That fact that they can marry this approach to the
occasional pop song is incredible. [MK]
CD //perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=67751710012&refer_url=email
LP //perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=67751710011&refer_url=email

AMERICAN ANALOG SET "Promise of Love" (Tigerstyle) CD/LP $12.99/$10.99
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Over the course of five albums, Austin's American Analog Set proved
themselves to be one of the most consistent indie rock ensembles in
existence. Dedicated to melodic minimalism, they're habit forming like a
strong narcotic; but in 2001, the band's "Know By Heart" caught me by
surprise. AmAnSet seemed more concentrated in their approach, trimming down
longer instrumental passages and their use of the Farfisa while bringing
the often hidden pop melodies closer to the surface. It quickly became one
of my favorite records that year. For their newest album, the band has
altered their approach again ever so slightly keeping the pop sensibilities
of their last LP while bringing back some of the "drone." With much of the
recording done by singer Andrew Kenney who has since relocated from Texas
to Brooklyn, "Promise of Love" has more of an edge, but still not exactly
rocking out in the traditional sense. The opening track, "Continuous Hit
Music" is slow building with the long buzz of a Farfisa and gradual
inclusion of guitars that eventually gives way to breezy vocal harmonies.
It wouldn't sound out of place on their 1997 breakthrough "From Our Living
Room to Yours," while the chiming electric piano melody, cyclic bass and
guitar passages of "Hard to Find" could easily exist on the more recent
"Know By Heart." A little more than halfway through the LP, AmAnSet picks
up the tempo during their title track, a short Kraut/pop song that's pushed
by a repetitious beat and droning organ, and then keep up the steam for the
album's highlight "Fool Around." Wonderfully restrained, the song slowly
grows from an atonal pulse, as angular guitars circle over a basic beat
until an electric piano finally sets the mood for a sweetly hushed vocal
melody and a clever twist of words. American Analog Set isn't really
breaking any new ground, but with songs so good, do they really need to?
[GH]
CD //perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=68680600472&refer_url=email
LP //perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=68680600471&refer_url=email

KING GEEDORAH "Take Me To Your Leader" (Big Dada) CD $14.99
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"Follow the light, the light is your guide..." begins the latest chapter in
MF Doom's story. This time he's King Geedorah (the three headed monster
from Godzilla films) asking you to "Take me to your leader." Released on
Big Dada, this is classic Doom. No matter which mask he puts on, which name
he chooses, it's always cinematic, space age, underground and smoked out.
Looped sections of everything from soul, disco, jazz, soft and hard rock,
b-movies, film noir, and blaxploitation are his palette, and form the
grounding for many of his rhymes. Containing many vocal versions of tracks
from his instrumental "Special Herbs" series, production-wise Doom is in
the league of RZA, El-P, DJ Shadow, and Madlib. Purposefully lo-fi,
freeform, collaged, animated, layered, and out-there, yet still soulful,
he's really a mixture of them. Watch out for collaborations between Doom,
fellow late night channel surfer Madlib, and former Anti-Popper M.Sayyid
(two separate projects). [DG]
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TINDERSTICKS "Waiting for the Moon" (Beggars Banquet) CD/LP $13.99/$14.99
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From their very first single, the Tindersticks forged a distinctive sound
with frontman Stuart Staple's smoky croon that's part Leonard Cohen, part
Scott Walker and part Nick Cave, and the band's densely orchestrated
melancholy. Really, any changes in the group's decade long career have been
subtle. The most noticeable difference between their sixth proper
full-length (not including their movie soundtracks) "Waiting for the Moon"
and 2001's "Can Our Love" is that they've stripped away almost all of the
soul influences and with that any of their last proper album's somber
hesitated grooves. Their destitute ballads are once again darker with
denser string arrangements and the atmosphere is even more brooding. The
album begins with Sable's mumbled baritone singing, "My hands around your
throat/if I kill you now they will never know." Completely void of any
percussion and carried by strings, piano and a lone guitar, "Until the
Moonlight" immediately reveals that their new album will be shedding the
guarded optimism that seemed to be poking through in their past few
releases. As Sable recites words from a play by the late Sarah Kane in
"4.48 Psychosis," the overdriven guitar drones and circular John Cale-like
strains of violin wouldn't sound out of place on their eponymous 1993
debut. Sable duets with the breathy voiced French-Canadian singer Lhasa De
Sala in "Sometimes It Hurts," while the simple elegance of "My Oblivion" is
one of the Tindersticks' most seductive moments yet; its slow swells and
cascades are absolutely beautiful. "Waiting for the Moon" isn't exactly the
full circle that the early press releases for the LP have hinted at, but
for a band whose mediocre albums are still in fact very good, this is their
best record in years, and is sure to resonate with the old fans like
myself. [GH]
CD //perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=607618023225&refer_url=email
LP //perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=607618023221&refer_url=email

MOODYMAN "Silence In the Secret Garden" (Peacefrog) CD $16.99
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I wondered whether Moodymann would be able to return from the haunted
house/insane asylum we know as "forevernevermore." With "Silence in..." we
are thoroughly convinced that his mind is safe and sound, genius intact.
"Silence in..." flows like a tightly conceived live concept album. The mood
is set right from the beginning. Open, inflected with bursts of jazz,
beautifully played live bass, electric piano, tambourines, sudden stops
warning us not to get too comfortable, yet. When the beat kicks in we're
slapped upside the head with a groove that sounds like Reinhard Voigt
possessed by voodoo witchdoctors. ("LIVEINLA1998") Speaking of "live,"
that's exactly what Kenny Dixon Jr. excels at, making his tracks breathe
like Adam and Eve. He manages to make his tracks seem effortlessly "live"
and immediate while also having qualities of a masterfully crafted track.
Also, on this album, the sound palette is more on the micro side of things,
but the tracks have a much more pronounced sense of SOUL and ASS that
simply does not exist on typical "minimal house". Rather than being
clinical and dry, Moodymann's beats drip with sweat, his minimalism being
achieved with tightly woven sound. A minimal beat is revealed, upon closer
inspection, to be a group of two or more sounds riding piggyback, one of
his trade secrets for his effortlessly FAT sound. Every listen will
enlighten. We should thank the Lord for Moodymann. Can I get an AMEN??
Highly Recommended. [SM]
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MOGWAI "Happy Songs for Happy People" (Matador) CD/LP $14.99/$10.99
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Mogwai's cosmic strength has always been their instinctive use of dynamics,
tension and restraint, building music through melodic repetitions allowing
a song (or in this case a whole album) to slowly simmer until finally
reaching its boiling point. Produced by Tony Doogan, "Happy Songs for Happy
People" is the group's ultimate headphone album. The rich orchestration of
strings and keys spin around guitars that practically sparkle, with the
occasional use of electronic samples and loops. Tracks like the opening
song are among the group's most beautiful and symphonic. In fact, "Hunted
By a Freak" doesn't hold back and almost immediately drops in an anthemic
refrain that shares a similar emotional send-up as Ride's "Paralyzed."
There are a few moments where waves of feedback, discordant guitar passages
and melodic bass lines allude to songs off the band's earlier releases
like "Young Team" or their "Ten Rapid" singles collection; but in this case
Mogwai all but refuses to unleash any guitar abandon until track six.
During "Ratts of the Capital" they finally detonate like a nuclear time
bomb, the band explodes into a sinister wall of fuzzed out fury -- so much
so that you can literally smell smoke from the Marshall tubes burning. But
the come down is slow and peaceful. "Happy Songs for Happy People" is a
fantastic progression for these Glaswegian sonic sculpurists, just as
melodic as 2001's "Rock Action" but with more experimental explorations in
sounds. [GH]
CD //perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=744861056720&refer_url=email
LP //perl-bin/OM/CD_Add_To_Cart.cgi?sku=74486105671&refer_url=email

THE AEROVONS "Ressurection" (RPM) CD $17.99
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Reading the liner notes to this recently excavated masterpiece of '60s
pop-rock, I couldn't help wondering if the story contained herein wasn't
all some sort of grand hoax being pulled over on gullible record geeks and
middle aged Beatles worshipers. It seems almost too crazy to believe that
in 1969 a 17(!) year old Beatle maniac from St. Louis, Missouri named Tom
Hartman could write such pitch perfect hook-laden pop tunes that he was
able to go to London, score a record deal with EMI, record at Abbey Road
Studios (THE most prestigious recording studio a pop group could record
at), write an absolutely killer single ("World of You"), produce an entire
record himself (17!), meet his heroes the Beatles, jam with the Hollies...
Y'know, just basically live out the dreams of probably about every teenage
music fan in the world at that point and then never have his record
released until 34 years later. The group fell apart soon after
"Resurrection" was recorded and EMI just went ahead and shelved it. Fans of
British, not to mention American pop are going to be astounded at this
release. It's like suddenly discovering that Badfinger had a record as good
as their first after all these years, or that maybe John Lennon and George
Harrison had little brothers with nearly as much songwriting sense as they
did. The find of the year. [MK]
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POLE "90/90 EP" (Mute) CD
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The second EP from Pole foreshadowing his upcoming full length, "90/90" is
essentially one song. '"Slow Motion" features for the first time in Pole's
in history a vocalist (oooohhhh), Fat Jon (Five Deez/Counterflow), as well
as saxophonist Thomas Haas, and double bassist August Engkilde (aaahhh!).
Still in the digital dub/electronica field, this EP includes a vocal,
instrumental, accapella, as well as a ska version. Fans of previous Pole
releases shouldn't worry that Stephan has gone astray. His trademark forest
of electronic insects are still crawling through the atmosphere, yet he has
now opened his sound to include breathing live humans.
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APRIL MARCH "Triggers" (Tricatel) CD $16.99
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It's been four years since April March's last full-length, "Chrominance
Decoder," quite a while for a woman who has been right under the pop radar
for well over a decade. With a fascination for all things French that dates
back to her childhood, Californian singer April March (a/k/a Elinor Blake)
has made a slew of great '60s European pop and ye ye inspired records,
performed with Ronnie Spector as well as Brian Wilson, plus held a career
as a cartoon animator with credits that include the "Ren and Stimpy Show."
Her newest album is her second full-length collaboration with French
producer extraordinaire Bertrand Burgalat, (she also appears on his
"Sssound of Mmmusic" LP) and it's immediately apparent that the two have
become natural in their working relationship. Burgalat's electronic
retro-futurist production stylings are very prevalent, while Blake's vocal
performances seem more at ease. With some additional support from real life
husband (and Del Fuegos guitarist) Warren Zanes, as well as Tricatel
staples Eggstone and AS Dragon, her voice can be sweetly reminiscent of
Petula Clark, the songs here equally divided between French and English.
Blake and Burgalat should be role models for the recently chilly relations
between their two respective countries. Together the pair work masterfully,
her gentle voice is fueled by fun sometimes-funky doses of melodic
Continental pop with extravagant electronic arrangements, I hope their next
collaboration comes sooner. [GH]
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GLENN BRANCA "Ascension" (Acute) CD $13.99
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Finally, a legitimate re-release of Glenn Branca's seminal debut long
playing record that was originally released in 1981 on the most important
independent New York label of the day, 99 records (home to Liquid Liquid,
ESG). After moving to New York and fronting two of the most caustic no wave
bands going (Theoretical Girls, Static), Branca honed his vision, taking
out the histrionics, but leaving in the theatricality and grandiosity. This
is huge music made with a small ensemble, and yet for all its reputed
ugliness, the compositions here actually soar. Patterned guitar riffs
create a forward moving velocity that belies the density of the songs. This
is possibly the most listenable music to be sprung from no-wave; in fact it
practically turns on the genre's conventions by getting downright romantic
at points. Branca's ensemble famously employed Lee Renaldo (who is featured
here) and Thurston Moore in their pre-Sonic Youth days, and the more you
listen the more you realize how intensely this must have influenced their
subsequent careers. Put this on and then give "Sister" (recorded three or
four years later) a spin and you'll see what I mean. Essential. [MK]
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AFX "Smojphace" (Men) CD $7.99
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Blazing three-song single from Aphex Twin as AFX. The lead off track, a
remix of "Run the Place Red" featuring Daddy Freddy from the Bug
full-length on Rephlex, is a hyper speed dancehall-gabber-techno mash up.
If you haven't noticed, this is the new sound for the summer: elastic bass,
video game effects, and shredded snares, all rolling in at 200 plus beats
per minute. Ruff stuff, but I like it! [DG]
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MINOR THREAT "First Demo Tape" (Dischord) CD $4.99
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OK, how am I supposed to do a review for Minor Threat? Really? Just about
everything has been said that can be said about the legendary D.C. hardcore
band. Well, I'll tell you that this CD contains the recordings for their
first demo, made about three or four months after forming in 1981. They
were recorded at Inner Ear Studios (actually, a four-track in the basement
of Don Zientra's small house), but were not used for some forgotten reason.
Maybe the songs weren't tight enough yet or Ian's voice was cracking too
much? Who knows? But anyway, they were finally mixed in late-2001 and
officially released now... I imagine this is what they would have sounded
like live in their early days -- a little looser, more raw, and the songs
vary in tempo a little. Henry Garfield (Rollins) even makes a back-up vocal
appearance! After Minor Threat broke up, the members went on to bands such
as Fugazi, Embrace, Samhain, Dag Nasty, Egg Hunt, High Back Chairs, and
quite a few more. So pick this up and hear why I personally think Minor
Threat was the most important band in the history of hardcore music. [RS]
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A ROCKET IN DUB "If Music Could Talk" (Italic) CD $15.99
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Music CAN talk, because in words alone, A Rocket In Dub (a/k/a Antonelli
Electric, I think), is basically dubby techno house, three words that are
tired of being slapped next to each other. A Rocket In Dub remains fresh
and delicious after all these years (most of these tracks came out in the
late-'90s) simply by possessing the inimitable, sophisticated pop feeling
that exists on all of the Italic labels output. Deep, warm, bumpin' and
poppy. Each sound exists in its own space while still connecting to each
other compositionally by an invisible thread. The tracks are both more fun,
and fresher sounding than a dozen sex-starved laptop maniacs. Anyday... So,
if all the cookie cutter dub-meisters are getting you down, and you THINK
you have all the dubby house you'll ever need check out this album.
Recommended. [SM]
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BYARD LANCASTER "It's Not Up to Us" (Water) CD $14.99
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Byard Lancaster's 1968 debut as a leader was cut for the Atlantic Records
Vortex subsidiary. Philiadephia based, he had spent time in ensembles with
Sunny Murray (documented on Murray's ESP-disc date), Bill Dixon and Sun Ra.
The music he created for Vortex proved to be extremely accessible
avant-garde jazz, which may seem surprising seeing that his main
collaborator for this date was none other than guitarist Sonny Sharrock,
usually better known for his aural extremism. Both of their playing for
this record was executed with wonderfully restrained lyricism that always
hovers at the point of breaking over. Sharrock solos very little until the
final track (which Lancaster actually sits out, providing Sharrock the
opportunity to go further out than at any other point of the album), he
mainly provides jagged, trance-inducing ryhthms which Lancaster plays tones
and melodies over that come closer to matching the spiritual depth of
Coltrane and Ayler than any playing he would probably ever do again.
There's a great diversity to the compositions that keep the album from
getting mired in the monotonous din that plagued many efforts of the era.
Really a very beautifully spiritual jazz record that shares affinities with
the best works of Alice and John Coltrane, Marion Brown, Sun Ra, etc. It's
doubly essential for the opportunity to hear the woefully under-recorded
Sonny Sharrock at his sympathetic best and at the height of his
improvisatory powers. [MK]
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TRICKY "Vulnerable" (Sanctuary) CD $17.99
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First off, I'll say that I AM a fan of Tricky. I honestly like him. This
seventh release in nine years is his attempt at a "brighter, warmer, and
poppier" record, hence the title, I guess, "Vulernable." Martina Topley
Bird is long gone and hanging out with members of Queens of the Stone Age
leaving Mr. T to fend for himself. Vocals this time are shared between
Tricky and Liz Constantine (an Italian born woman, the latest vocalist
enlisted to fill Martina's shoes). The formula is still pretty much the
same as before -- a mix of beats, guitars, whispering, mumbling, sung, and
rapped vocals; however the hip hop energy is gone, replaced by live rock,
shiny (for him) pop, and dare I say upbeat trip-hop moments. Having found
himself in indie territory, still a bit too soft for the rap rock genre he
wants recognition for establishing and too hard and noisy to fit into the
chilled out trip-hop genre he is credited with creating, he does sound more
focused than 2001's "Blowback," but definitely not more interesting. This
is the closest he's gotten to recreating his debut, "Maxinquaye", in a way,
but I hate to say that the spark is not as vibrant as before. Things don't
sound fresh anymore, and overall it's a little flat. Not to say that he's
not valid anymore, for his presence, consistency of output, and
contribution to electronic music in the '90s is still something to be
recognized this side of the Atlantic. In wake of the surge in all the black
rock/hip hop hybrids out now, this attempt to crossover into L.A.'s rock
and pop arena will hopefully work better for him than his dive into NYC's
underground hip-hop and dancehall culture. Recommended for the curious and
those who still have faith. [DG]
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DEATH COMET CREW "DCC America" (Troubleman) CD $11.99
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Originally a highly sought after 12", Troubleman has been kind enough to
reissue this for us. Death Comet Crew was a four man crew of downtown hip
hop beat terrorists who made music that sounded like early Marley Marl
productions meets Suicide. Wait! Isn't that industrial? Well lets see...
heavy found-sound collage? Check! Dark, disjointed DMX beats tapped out
live? Check! Black leather jackets and residencies at the Pyramid club in
the '80s? Check! Wow that's pretty cool... Anyway, this release also
features emceeing by the legendary Ramellzee, of the Baquiat produced "beat
bop". One of these tracks were featured on the Anti-NY comp from a couple
of years back, so it's great to see this get a full proper release. If you
were ever into doing gothic head gyrating twirls or are currently diggin'
on Anti-Pop, the DFA stuff and the like, do yourself a favor and check this
out. [DH]
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SIGHTINGS "Absolutes" (Load) CD $12.99
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Drawing their line(s) from Harry Pussy, Dead C (& else NZ), more fucked up
Grifters and RTX and Crypt(?), This Heat, Cream, and the Police, Sightings
reflect on the hipster conundrum as to why the aforementioned likes often
impress more indelibly than, say, "No New York" might, and pour in their
molten two cents. And damned if the likes of "Bishops," "Canadian Money,"
and "Reduction" don't make you forget about all the bands to which they
could be compared. If you're looking out for this type of thing there is
them and only them right now, even, and perhaps especially, in NYC. [DHo]
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BIG JUS/NEPHLIM MODULATION SYSTEMS "Woe to Thee?" (Big Dada) CD $12.99
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Release #2 this week from Ninja Tune off-shoot Big Dada is another in the
space age/apocalyptic hip-hop category, yet grounded in the current state
of world relations, "Everyone in America still don't believe they live in
chains." Nephlim Modulation Systems are former Company Flow MC Big
Justoleum and (Saul Williams and Divine Styler collaborator) ORKO the
Sycotik Alien. "Woe to Thee O' Land When Thy King is a Child" is heavy on
the true to life political lyricism and bouncy futuristic beat science.
Somewhere between Dead Prez, Outkast (think "Bomb Over Bombay"), and
classic Co-Flow. "You can't kill people to prove that killing in wrong"
loops during the end of track three. "Aliens that brought art, music,
science, technology, and religion to Earth?" You get the picture.
Recommended for those who like some knowledge with their bounce. [DG]
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JOHN TEJADA / ARIAN LEVISTE "Fairfax Sax" (Playhouse) CD $16.99
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Tejada and Leviste's collaborations on Playhouse have been my favorite
Tejada-related releases by far. Another needed shot in the arm for
"techno/house". In a way, Tejada and Leviste's sound is to non-vocal deep
Chicago house what Metro Area is to synth-disco. Classic elements of house
are married to sharp digital sounds, a modernized pep in the tempo, all
manner of bleeps, bings and bongs thrown in for good measure. There's also
a cut-up funk in the tracks similar to Akufen, but without the goofiness --
it's a bit more of a Jackin'-Acid cut-up funk. Not much more to say except:
Recommended. [SM]
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This week's contributors: Daniel Givens [DG], Gerald Hammill [GH], Duane
Harriott [DH], Dan Hougland [DHo], Michael Klausman [MK], Scott Mou [SM],
and Roy Styles [RS].



THE BIG PICTURE:

To see a complete list of Other Music new releases for the week
ending June 17, 2003, use this link as a shortcut:
//releases/20030617.html


To see new release updates from previous weeks:
//updates.html

To order any of the items you see on these pages simply click the
links following each review or visit our Web site at:
/

Phone orders are accepted at (212) 477-8150 (ext. #2, mailorder).

For general inquiries or other information, please email:
"sales@othermusic.com". Do not reply to this message.

Thanks for reading.
-all of us at Other Music

Other Music NYC
15 E. 4th Street
New York, NY 10003
212.477.8150
sales@othermusic.com