NEW RELEASES
Dungen
Mouse on Mars
Annette Peacock
DJ Rels
B. Fleischmann & Herbert Weixelbaum
Morton Feldman
Clinic

ALSO AVAILABLE
The Shins (Limited Tour Only Single)

Wheedle's Groove (Various Artists)
Four Tet (Single & DVD)
Jackie McLean (Re-issue)
Wiley
Bonnie "Prince" Billy (CD Single)
Radian

"Ta det Lugnt"

"Panda"

From the heavy, trance-inducing drone of Parson Sound to Bjorn Olsson's warm, shimmering, spaghetti western inspired odes, the Swedes have always produced diverse, top-notch psychedelia. Meet Gustav Estjes (a.k.a. Dungen), a young twenty-something multi-instrumentalist who must be drinking from the same mystical river as his fellow countrymen. His third long-player, Ta det Lugnt is so mind-blowingly good! Songs like album opener "Panda" are completely spaced out, filled with Beatles-eque harmonies, dueling fuzz guitars, spastic cymbal heavy drumming, and lots of musical diversions. Estjes, whom I gather handles a majority of the instruments including the brain-frying guitar solos, as well as his backing musicians are all virtuosos with amazing, multi-faceted arrangements that weave through spacey psych-pop, blistering Canterbury inspired jams, Swedish folk and even a few excursions into free jazz - and this can often be within one song. There's a lot to digest here, but Estjes keeps you entranced with his cosmic, hook-filled melodies that seem to come from a different time and place (all sung in his native tongue), always pulling you back in after a long extended freak-out. As far as new psychedelic releases, Ta det Lugnt just gave Ghost's fantastic Hypnotic Underworld a run for its money. You'll no doubt see Dungen sitting in the upper reaches of my year-end top 10 list. [GH]

MOUSE ON MARS
Radical Connector
(Thrill Jockey)

"Send Me Shivers"

"Evoke an Object"

Without a doubt, Mouse On Mars are as important to the world of modern electronica (or at least Other Music's slanted selection) as anyone, from Eno to Aphex to Shadow, etc. Their classic '90s releases were a safe introduction to techno for legions of indie-rock fans who were intrigued by rhythm but scared of vapid robotic house music. Cerebral, cutting edge and experimental, they also managed to be poppy, bubbly and fun, and they really opened doors both musically and commercially for underground electronica.

Some-odd years later, and MOM are still alive and kicking, with a great new album that upholds their traditions while still sounding fresh and vital. The first thing long-time fans will notice is that the record kicks off with a huge beat. Time has taught us all that dancing is fun, and nothing to be scared of, and MOM has supplied this album with some of their funkiest, most club-ready grooves yet, complete with vocoder vocals and rumbling bass-tones, as on the infectious "Wipe That Sound."

Other standouts are two weird and understated tracks featuring guest vocalist Niobe, especially the skittery tech-house of "Send Me Shivers." Bigger beats and more vocals than you may be accustomed to from these guys, but the record is as smart, varied, complex, fun, Mousey and Marsian as anything that they've done in a long while. [JM]

"Survival"

"Real and Defined Androgens"

If anyone's art deserves to be referred to as visionary, it's Annette Peacock. From her earliest days as a vocalist with Albert Ayler in the early-'60s, to her legendary Moog, Theremin and voice solo works in the early-'70s, to her astonishingly groundbreaking "rock" releases on RCA in the mid-'70s, this woman has dedicated her life to mixing and matching genres to create some of the most compelling solo work of her time. Yet most of her records have been criminally overlooked. Hopefully this reissue will be the start of a serious and comprehensive re-examination of her astonishing work. Peacock had a poetic singing/speaking style comparable to Patti Smith, the performance-art narrative ambitions of Laurie Anderson, and the improvisational conceptual approach similar to Young Americans/Low-era Bowie.

This collection documents the music she created for British indie label Aura. Most of these numbers were lengthy, sprawling tunes punctuated by long, minimal instrumental breaks and Peacock's spoken word incitations on gender and social politics. The music was an inspired mix of funk, art-rock and jazz, not unlike Gil Scott-Heron in execution. These records have found a second life through hip hop, as many of these songs have become sampling fodder for many a producer, (most notably J-Live for his use of "Survival" in his underground hip hop classic "Longevity") but more than anything, I hope that this release serves as a gateway for you into her other stellar stuff as well. If anyone's art can only be described as "Other Music," it's Annette Peacock's. Highly recommended. [DH]

$14.99 CD

DJ RELS
Theme for a Broken Soul
(Stones Throw)

"Broken Soul/Dawn"

"Song for My Lady"

Guess what? This new release from Stones Throw is a dance record under yet another alias for Madlib who is now taking on the West London sound: Broken Beat. These dirty, jazzy, choppy, tweaked, and at times slightly offbeat loops bridge the gap between soul, spiritual jazz, breaks, Afro-beat, drum-n-bass and house beautifully. Think Theo Parrish, Carl Craig, Moodyman, or Maurice Fulton mixed with IG Culture, 4-Hero, and Kirk Degeorgio. It's not a techno or house record in the clean, ultra-produced, and polished, 4/4 rhythmic sense; this feels more like it was made in and made for a basement party. All the tracks were recorded at his Bomb Shelter studio.

These warm and minimally layered instrumentals form a soulful brew with the kind of swirling synths and hard drums and cymbals that keep many a dancefloor filled and heads nodding. Each track has a live DJ re-edit feel -- snatches of free jazz records serve as transitions between tracks. Fans of Detroit techno-jazz, W. London's nu-beat science, or simply a good polyrhythmic groove should listen up. Watch out for more surprises forthcoming from the one of the best American indie labels around. Recommend. [DG]

"Toru Okada"

"Facing It"

The interesting pairing of B. Fleischmann and classically trained guitarist Herbert Weixelbaum actually goes back a few years ago to what at first was to be a one-off live performance at a Berlin street festival. The two share a common love/hate for the Roland MC-505, better known as the Groovebox -- a fairly inexpensive workhorse sequencer/arranger that became a staple piece of gear in '90s-era electronic music. In lesser hands, I'd expect lo-fi attempts at crafting modern electronica out of dated sounds and beats; but if a Groovebox is capable of overheating, Fleischmann and Weixelbaum set it on fire.

The two split songwriting duties; in fact, almost every track is one man's musical response to the other. The two wring every ounce of sound from the machine, manipulating many recognizable tones in ways that I never would have imagined to come from the MC-505. Above the industrial-lite beats of "Facing It," robotic sequences chirp around somber synth melodies while the duo drives the Groovebox far past its limitations. And though most of the sound sources may be emanating from a singular device, the material on this album is pretty diverse. "LSDJ08" is super-playful and bouncy while Fleischmann's romantic closer "Disko+Bett" is full of saturated drones and a micro-tech pulse.

Through the years more than a few Groovebox themed records have been released, Late stands-out. Here, Fleischmann and Weixelbaum's tracks are multi-dimensional and at many points, transcend the novelty of the concept. [GH]

"Patterns"

Morton Feldman was always good with words (check out Give My Regards to Eight Street a fantastic collection of Feldman essays on Exact Change) and Patterns in a Chromatic Field is an appropriate title for a piece that, simply put, skips from one tightly calculated repeating pattern to the next, letting each melodic pattern exist just long enough for us to settle in before abruptly moving on to the next passage. At once menacing and tranquil, the piece quickly transforms the listener's perception of time allowing them to concentrate on the sounds that are occurring at that moment rather than focusing on the overall structure that becomes more apparent as the piece moves on.

There is a reason that there are few available recordings of Feldman's Patterns in a Chromatic Field. With all its carefully notated pauses and abrupt changes it's truly an intense physical undertaking to perform. But it's not virtuosity that is on display here. The two performers, Alex Karis (a well known classical pianist) and Charles Curtis (cellist and a former student and well known interpreter of La Monte Young's work, as well as an interesting composer in his own right) exhibit a lot of dexterity and restraint in their interpretation of the piece. Their acute attention to detail shows a sense of extreme focus not often heard in these parts. While at 80-minutes and 40-seconds, this may not be Feldman's most accessible work -- consider that around the same time as he wrote this piece in 1981, he started work on several pieces well over two hours long! A refreshing take on one of the pioneers of the Modern Classical tradition, well worth checking out. [KH]

$14.99 CD

"Country Mile"

"W.D.Y.Y.B."

Liverpool's surgical masked art rockers are back to dose us with another spoonful of their eerie, surrealist pop. Several EPs and three full-length albums into their career, Clinic have garnered unanimous and practically unprecedented acclaim from normally inharmonious organizations ranging from WFMU to the RIAA. They've developed and perfected a sound that is completely and unmistakably their own, and underneath their pulsing rhythms, wheezing keyboards and tight-wound guitar lines are songs that will lodge themselves in your head for days. To the chagrin of a few in the world of music criticism, Clinic have not yet opted to tear their structure down to its foundations and rebuild from the ground up. Rather, they have put together a new album that simultaneously looks forward and backward, hinting ever-so-slightly at any number of possible new directions while cleverly -- and sometimes overtly -- making reference to their own earlier material. If you love Internal Wrangler and Walking With Thee, you'll surely enjoy this solid, catchy, and sonically interesting rock record. [RH]

"Nothing in Common" Broham

"Somebody's Gonna Burn Ya" Cold, Bold & Together

Not to be outdone by Stones Throw and Dante Carfagna, Seattle based label Light in the Attic throws in their contribution to the private-press funk reissue bonanza that's occurring this year. This compilation documents the thriving local Seattle funk scene of the late-'60s early-'70s. I detect a bit more of a jazz influence in this scene than in the ones documented in the Midwest and the South. But that's not a bad thing at all. The spacey horn work in Cold, Bold & Together's (featuring a young Kenny G on SAX!) "Somebody's Gonna Burn Ya" is sublimely ambitious, and the mellow jazz instrumental cover of "Hey Jude" by the Overton Berry trio, recalls Chess-era Ramsey Lewis at its best. All in all a welcome addition to any funk aficionado's collection. Keep on diggin y'all! I'm always anxious to hear more. Very, very dope. [DH]

"My Angel Rocks Back and Forth" Icarus Remix

Taken from last year's brilliant Rounds, the beautiful, Eastern influenced "My Angel Rocks Back and Forth" is one of the album's many highlights. The latest single from Four Tet includes a re-mix of the song with Icarus slicin' the hell out of a sampled voice and tweakin' out the lower frequencies, as well as a skittery, percussive re-working of another Rounds track, "First Thing/Chia" from Isambard Khroustaliov. Kieran Hebden (Four Tet) also gives us two new exclusive tracks, the super minimal ambient "I've Got Viking in Me" and a beautifully eerie music box manipulation of "All the Chimes." There's also a DVD included with music videos for the CD-single's title track, "She Moves She," "As Serious as Your Life" and "No More Mosquitoes." [GH]

"Esoteric"

"Riff Raff"

Destination…Out! was a fitting title for this session for number of reasons. McLean, already an old school bop veteran, was one of the few musicians of his era to recognize the then emerging -- and still quite controversial -- jazz avant-garde as a legitimate movement. Similarly, Blue Note, then known as a bastion of the funky and hard bop scenes, was only recently beginning to release more adventurous material. Not until Eric Dolphy's seminal Out to Lunch in 1964 would the label release a definitively 'free' jazz record. Keep in mind that by September of 1963, the date of this recording, the label had yet to issue a single session under the leadership of Sam Rivers or Andrew Hill. Guys like Freddie Hubbard had taken a few stabs here and there but…c'mon.

Perhaps the most interesting thing to take home about Destination…Out! and its predecessor, One Step Beyond, is the profound influence of trombonist Grachan Moncur III. For fans of free jazz, it goes without saying that a session featuring either Moncur or Alan Shorter is going to be heavy. And by 'heavy' I don't mean to say that it would necessarily be noisy or chaotic, but it would seriously disrupt the carefree mood of your dinner party. These dudes weren't kidding -- at all. In fact, you might think of this session, and pretty much any session featuring either or Moncur or Bobby Hutcherson between 1963 and 1965, as jazz-inspired Morton Feldman charts as played by the Blue Note stars of the day.

This music is as vital, fresh, and new today as it was forty years ago, especially considering the ironic leanings of today's overly self-conscious avant-garde. You need this music in your life. [BB]

"Doorway"

"Reasons"

"Ice-rink (Interlude)"

Get ready for the hip-hop version of the British Invasion. Over the last year, we've watched Mike "The Streets" Skinner and Dizzee Rascal, run the gamut from an infantile garage whisper to a full-on grime scream. Wiley, the former producer of and mentor to Dizzee Rascal, throws his dice into the circle with his excellent debut full-length, Treddin' on Thin Ice. This instant classic of UK spun hip-hop combines a less elastic (yet, no less energetic) Dizzee with the accent filled humor of Roots Manuva, but with a mature street savor and a slight nod to the US that sets him apart from other MCs.

At times Wiley slow things down to simply a fat warped bass thump or a tasty bell chime, while other songs find him riding a futuristic, almost hip-house styled rhythm. His self-titled "Ice-Rink" sound is like something you haven't heard before - well not exactly: sparse, clicky, feeling both cold and warm. He's a bit more traditional in a sense, again compared to Dizzee's slightly more sensitive style (if that word applies to rappers). It makes Wiley's style instantly more accessible and a bit less of a head twister, but just as forward thinking.

He began his career making rhythms for the cream of UK rappers, taking his track straight to pirate radio and setting the London airwaves ablaze. He showcases a few choice members of his Roll Deep crew, but it's definitely Wiley's show. If you thought that Dizzee Rascal blew your mind, Wiley will for sure do away with what brain cells are left. Undeniably British and so much better for it, fans of Timbaland, Neptunes (not N.E.R.D.), Crunk, 2-step, Grime, UK Garage, Hip-hop or whatever you call it, you know the deal. Big up to the UK and watch out for Dizzee's return. Recommended. [DG]

"Agnes, Queen of Sorrow"

Fans of Will Oldham are probably very familiar "Agnes, Queen of Sorrow," a song that first appeared on the classic Palace Songs Hope LP. The song was also included on his Bonnie 'Prince' Billy Sings Greatest Palace Music, a recent album that featured country-fied reworkings of his back-catalog, the many-aliased singer/songwriter accompanied by a band made up of several seasoned Nashville session musicians and is featured here on this CD single. The disc also includes "Pussyfooting," where Oldham's sad yet hopeful pining is strangely offset against a stiff electronic arrangement, and "Blokbuster," which sounds like it was taken from the same sessions that produced his Sings Greatest Palace Music. The enhanced CD also features a music video for this single's title track. [GH]

"Ontario"

"Transistor"

Viennese experimentalists Radian are back with their third proper album, and they've refined their approach without straying too far from their trademark sound. The group seamlessly intertwines buzzing, humming and throbbing ambient electronics with dubby live bass and drums, creating constantly morphing soundscapes that follow their own internal logic. This time the group carefully constructed sizzling electronic beds at their home studio in Vienna, and then took the tracks to John McEntire's Chicago studio to lay down the instruments. Elements of jazz, dub, and laptop electronica bubble to the surface on this ear-tickling headphone experience. [JM]

"New Slang" Live with Iron & Wine

If you're a Shins fan you've probably played "Fighting in a Sack" off of their fantastic Chutes Too Narrow LP a zillion times, but you won't want to miss this tour only single. Includes a live version of "New Slang" (featuring Iron & Wine), a cover of T. Rex's "Baby Boomerang," and a video for "So Says I."