NEW RELEASES
Camberwell Now (Reissue)
Matthew Dear
Sublime Frequencies (4 New Comps)
Antena (Reissue)
Lali Puna
Pharaoh Overlord
Rogue Wave
Channel 3 (Output Compilation)



ALSO AVAILABLE
Animal Collective (On Vinyl)
The Homosexuals (Retrospective)
Franz Ferdinand (12-inch single)

Wagon Christ
Ebony Rhythm Band (Reissue)
Nicolas Collins
Polyphonic Spree
The Flesh
The Roots
Doctor Mix & the Remix (Reissue)




RESTOCK
Conet Project

"Daddy Needs a Throne"

"Working Nights"

This Heat's reputation for soul-jarring, timeless art rock is well established by their seminal second LP, Deceit (as well as the rest of their catalogue). Camberwell Now's All's Well is a collection of two EPs and one LP of material from the early-mid-'80s band led by This Heat alumnus, Charles Hayward. This stuff is at once recognizably related to their contemporaries, Soft Machine (intelligently critical socio-political commentary-vocals) and Faust (tireless sound exploration) while at the same time being just plain timeless.

Since both projects are essential, the most pertinent question to ask is: "What's the difference between the two bands?" Well, y' know how This Heat has a primal-machine quality amounting to the purest possible form of 'art-metal', that tends to either ascend (or descend) beautifully? Well, Camberwell Now has that quality plus a bit more of a 'band-feel' that has all the brain-pummeling sound variety, minus a bit of the metallic feeling, that rocks/drives and lurches forward (and in other directions too), at times at a quicker tempo than This Heat. Track 5, "Daddy Needs a Throne" lurches for a while than jumps into a breakneck gallop with so many changes you forget anyone came up with the term 'math-rock'. Math ain't got this much heart.

For fans of Faust, John Kerry vs. George Bush, Can, that band from Louisville, KY called Slint, and life-altering experiences in general. Essential and recommended. [SM]

"Grut Wall"

"And in the Night"

The ultra-prolific Matthew Dear has released a new mini-album just seven months after his fantastic Leave Luck to Heaven; Backstroke picks up where he left off. On the last album there were a few tracks that featured vocals ala the incredible Prince inspired "Dog Days." This mini-album takes what was first started there and raises the bar. Most of the tracks on Backstroke are vocal driven, danceable pop gems that can be played both in the club and in a live setting. The track "Tide" features a funky shuffle beat with Matthew's deadpan vocals singing over the top and it is well worth the price of this album alone...truly amazing! Track 4, entitled "Grut Wall," could be mistaken for a song off of the Junior Boys album; it is a perfect electronic pop song. Matthew ends the record on a high note with the eight-plus-minute house jam "And in the Night," which starts like the perfect tech-house anthem. Then Matthew pulls a 180 and the song transforms into the weirdest pop track of the album with vocals and beats going every which way; it's hard to keep up. Matthew, you have done it again!! [JS]

$14.99 CD

CAMBODIAN CASSETTE ARCHIVES
Khmer Folk & Pop Music Volume 1
(Sublime Frequencies)

Unknown

Sublime Frequencies is a label run by Sun City Girls member Alan Bishop that exclusively releases recordings of obscure and unusual international music. We've got 4 brand new titles from this great and prolific young label, and it feels like Christmas in July.

The real gem of the new offerings is the third release in the label's Folk And Pop series. Prior to this we've had incredible collections of popular music from Sumatra and Myanmar (Burma), but Cambodian Cassette Archives: Khmer Folk And Pop Music Vol. 1 might just be the best Sublime Frequencies release yet. This collection was put together by Mark Gergis -- who was also responsible for the I Remember Syria collection -- from cassette tapes he found at the Asian Branch of the Oakland Public Library. The artists on this collection were inspired by popular Cambodian musicians from the 1960s and '70s, most of whom were murdered by the government during Pol Pot's dictatorship. Six of the 20 tracks actually come from the fruitful earlier period of recording, but the rest were recorded in the 1980s and '90s, mostly by Cambodian immigrants to the United States. You'll hear a wide range of eastern/western and ancient/modern influences and instruments on these songs. There are bits and pieces of punk, reggae, garage rock, psych, and even a strangely Morricone-esque instrumental. The production is obviously pretty low budget, but the recording quality is surprisingly good and the arrangements display great ingenuity in spite of the artists' limitations. I particularly like the deluge of reverb on a lot of the vocals and the cleverly tasteful use of keyboard string sounds. Cambodian Cassette Archives is easily one of the most entertaining and enjoyable explorations of contemporary ethnic pop music that I've ever heard. If you're only going to start with one of these new discs, this should be it. For the record, the first Folk And Pop series DVD (music from Northeast Thailand) just became available as well, but I haven't yet had the pleasure of watching it. [RH]

BUSH TAXI MALI
Field Recordings of Mali
(Sublime Frequencies)

"Kaita" Kela

BROKEN HEARTED DRAGONFLIES
Insect Electronica from Southeast Asia
(Sublime Frequencies)

"Particle Swarm Intelligence"

Two of the new Sublime Frequencies releases are collections of outstanding field recordings made by producer/musician Tucker Martine. The music on Bush Taxi Mali was recorded in the West African nation of Mali in 1998. A couple of the tracks are recordings of ambient everyday sounds from a wedding celebration, a marketplace, and the like, but the majority are incredibly gorgeous stereo recordings of indigenous folk music that would make Alan Lomax and Hugh Tracey proud. There are male and female solo vocalists, children too, group chants, great unaccompanied performances on tambin (a type of flute), ngoni (a plucked lute with strings made of fishing line), and completely amazing hand drumming. In contrast to some of the label's more playful collections, Bush Taxi Mali is an impressive foray into "serious" ethnomusicology. Some of the recordings were clearly made at night and the performances are beautifully complemented by the sounds of Mali's nocturnal animal and insect populations. On the right day, I might actually like listening to this one quite a bit more than Cambodian Cassette Archives.

Broken Hearted Dragonflies: Insect Electronica From Southeast Asia was recorded by Mr. Martine in Laos, Thailand, and Burma in the year 2000. The name is a bit of a misnomer. These four long recordings of dragonflies, cicadas, and other insects haven't actually been put through any kind of electronic processing whatsoever aside from being put to tape. Alan Bishop's liner notes repeat a folk legend told to him by his Burmese wife. The story goes that the male Pazinne, or Broken Hearted Dragonfly, emits a bizarre sound and explodes from the chest immediately after mating with the female. The sounds that these insects make, whether they're actually dying of heartbreak or not, are totally otherworldly. Many moments really do sound like ultra-minimal electronic music, with oscillating static noise and seemingly unnatural changes in pitch and volume. It's difficult listening to be sure -- one person who heard it complained that it made him feel itchy -- but it's really rewarding. This is probably the most unusual Sublime Frequencies release as of yet, really hypnotic and bizarre stuff. This is one to listen to on your own. [RH]

"India's Sound Museum of Oddities"

Last but not least is the only disc of the bunch that was actually collected by Alan Bishop. Radio India: The Eternal Dream Of Sound continues a series of audio collages made up of radio broadcasts. This release is split onto two CDs, the first consisting mostly of more traditional Indian music (ragas, sitar, etc.) and older-sounding Bollywood-ish stuff, and the second with more modern pop music, western-sounding jingles, advertisements, station IDs, and multi-lingual talk radio clips. The recordings were made by Alan in 1989 and by his brother Richard in 1996, and I would guess that the earlier material makes up the bulk of the first disc while the latter found its way onto the second. If that is the case, it's interesting to hear the changes that took place over that seven-year time period in addition to the regional programming differences between stations located in literally every different corner of the country. Its a good thing the Bishops have taken the opportunity to preserve the sound of Indian radio before Clear Channel-style corporate programming has gone global, god forbid that prediction ever comes true.

All in all, this is probably the most consistent batch of releases Sublime Frequencies has put out so far. Keep 'em coming, I can't wait for more! [RH]

"Camino Del Sol"

"The Boy From Ipanema"

Among all the late-'70s and early-'80s groups that have been experiencing their recent rebirth through the countless reissues popping up, Antena is quite the anomaly. Bringing with them a love for both early German electronic music and bossa nova, the French trio relocated from the south of France to Paris in 1981, and then found themselves in London working with John Foxx. The former Ultravox member produced their debut single, fittingly a cover of Jobim's "Boy From Ipanema." The breezy samba took on a beautiful, almost ethereal feel as a primitive drum machine, light keyboard, echoed guitar and spacey layers of Isabelle Powaga's voice gently floated the classic song into the stratosphere. The single caught the ear of the Les Disques Du Crepuscule label and, through their partnership with Factory Records by way of the Brussels based Factory Benelux label, released their only album. Sadly, this under-supported subsidiary ensured that their short, self-produced "Camino Del Sol" wouldn't be heard by many.

One of the sweetest and most original releases to come from the Factory stable, this five-song record should have been a crown jewel for any of those imprints. Perhaps Antena's mix of simple, tinkering electronics and lilting synthesizer passages, Powaga's angelic melodies, and atmospheric jazzy guitar work occasionally reminiscent of Durutti Column's Vini Reilly, was ill timed as their "post-punk" contemporaries around them explored heavier dance rhythms. And while Antena's electro-pop-samba could be sweet and sultry, there was no lack of adventurism or experimentation. Their sound is simply otherworldly. Minimalism prevails as instruments are thoughtfully arranged in a fashion that accents the space between the layers. Their music feels akin to Young Marble Giants but with a more sophisticated flair -- songs like "Bye Bye Papaye" resembles an unimaginable collaboration between YMG and Sade; and I think it's safe to guess that Antena was as much of a touchstone for Stereolab as their Krautrock influences.

Unfortunately, Antena would be a short-lived group. In the liner notes Powaga explains, "We could only do stuff like Camino Del Sol for a short while. Brussels is very quiet and it suited that kind of rhythm, but when we moved back to Paris, where the pace is so much quicker, the music had to change."

I cannot even begin to express how wonderful this reissue is. Fourteen tracks long, Antena's entire recording career is covered, not a song disappoints. Whether your interest lies in finding some unheard bossa nova treasure or digging deeper into the Factory Records discography than "those bands" covered in 24 Hour Party People, you'll love this! [GH]

"The Daily Match"

Lali Puna have released a five-track EP of their single "Micronomic," and it also includes a video of that song. "Micronomic," from the Faking the Books album, has a definite indie rockist feel...laptop (early) Blonde Redhead? Almost. It teeters nicely between having bursts of driving guitars, swelling keyboard drones and worn-out sounding snare hits and having skittering guitar melodies and driving loops. Speaking of teetering, it sounds like they are over standing politely behind their instruments. It's easy to imagine them flailing and thrusting guitars all over the stage. The Boom Bip remix is very nicely constructed of small chapters. Small acoustic loops segue into a slowly rising groove that peaks with a distorted crackly, overdriven sample of the chorus, "Where do you want to go…?" Track 3,"The Daily Match" and track 4, "Alienation" (Alias remix) are a return to Tridecoder form -- introspective, sweet, lilting and melancholic. Nice one. I think I'll revisit their last album now. [SM]

"Black Horse"

Rumor had it that this past spring, Pharaoh Overlord were to come visit and blast the US with their awesome intergalactic sludge. Sadly, I guess it did not happen (and if it did, we should all be kicking ourselves and for letting it slip under the radar). For now at least, we can pretend with, ahem, {{{{{{{{{{{{{THE BATTLE OF AXEHAMMER}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}. (For our purposes, those represent reverb.) As the title suggests The Overlord are back to get grisly and do their thing all over us live from Helsinki. The show is from 2001, a snapshot from heavier times I gather as last year's II was more of a slow burner. They do include the standout behemoth "Skyline" from that album though and the blown out live sound makes a blistering foil for that never-ending giant's lullaby. One of two new tracks, "Black Horse" is...worth the ticket price alone, as they say, and the band start with a weighty but unassuming groove and then drive it into the stratosphere delivering the live freak out you can visualize from inside your headphones. My only complaint is the noise from the crowd, who seem to be at an Edie Brickell show and not witnessing the raw power of these heavy-psych warriors. [NL]

"Every Moment"

"Kicking the Heart Out"

Rogue Wave are a San Franciscan quartet who create some of the most catchy, lovelorn pop music that I have heard since the Shins released Chutes Too Narrow in late-October of last year. Their debut Out of the Shadows was first released to critical acclaim on Responsive recordings late last year, and the buzz kept on growing. They were voted best new band by SF Weekly, and later signed to Sub Pop where Out of the Shadows has been re-released with new artwork, and a marketing budget to give this record the push and exposure it deserves. There is definitely a '60s inspired sunny West Coast vibe to most of the album. The songs range from the Shins-like track of the opener "Every Moment" to the Elliot Smith inspired "Kicking the Heart Out." The latter is track full of soft acoustic finger picked guitars with a hushed vocal delivery courtesy of main man Zach Rogue. Twelve-songs in all and not a dud in the bunch, Out of the Shadows is the perfect summertime album with sing-along choruses to get you through the day. Catchy as hell, and highly recommended! [JS]

"I Need Ya" Lopazz

"Ice Skating Girl" Rekindle (Linus Love Remix)

Trevor Jackson's Output label delivers another great, diverse sampling of artists in the third installment of the Channel compilation series. Thirteen tracks in all, standouts include exclusives like the dark, popping synth funk of Lopazz's "I Need Ya," Mu's "Out of Breach," the slow post-industrial meets Bristol crawl from Circlesquare, and a debut track from the newly signed Deadcombo. Yello make a guest appearance with "Base for Alec," an extremely rare B-side originally released in 1982 which will soon be reissued as an Output 12-inch. Of course, staple tracks include the Playgroup dub of the Rapture's "I Need Your Love," Manhead's catchy electro-disco cover of the Godfather's "Birth, School, Work Death," DK7's "Slipstream," as well as Colder's "The Slow Decent," originally released last year as a limited edition 7" single. Rekindle's "Ice Skating Girl" makes a return appearance, this time as an exclusive Linus Love remix where a recreation of New Order's "Temptation" forms an infectious musical foundation. [GH]

"Saddic Gladdic"

"Sci-fi Staircase"

For whatever reason Mr. Vibert is currently going through a prolific renaissance of late. In less than 12 short months he has released three very different and accomplished albums. The first, recorded under his own name, Yoseph explored the alternate possibilities in acid house, while the second, under his Kerrier District moniker, was a fine set of shifty disco. This brings us to the third album this year, recorded under his most famous alter ego, Wagon Christ.

Chocked full of squelchy, bleepy, cosmic digital funk, this is the sound of Parliament catapulted on to the TRON set. "Saddic Gladdic" starts things off with a sunshine-y rolling funk set under a tuff slowed, down jungle break. Shutters of time-stretched vocals and old school house keyboard stabs make for fine summertime loft party biz-niz. "Quadra y Discos" staggers in with dubby handclapping breaks and shimmering metallic chimes while astro-vocal clips give it a retro-future feel. "Sci-fi Staircase" has layers of overlaid keyboard washes while a sub-bass tone growls and sonic rolls of acid lines eventually connect the dots.

What I like about this album is that there is a lot to listen to and not an ounce of stagnation in these tracks. It's all very spacey and funky, where things are constantly shifting, pulling in and out and shooting out of nowhere from speaker to speaker -- like spiraling through some sort of bouncy cyber vortex. Operatic string samples, constant knob twiddling, overgrown basslines, weird percussion fills and odd bits and ends make for a very engaging listen. Recommended. [GA]

"Drugs Ain't Cool"

"Ode to Billy Joe"

This is another fine collection from the obsessed vinyl diggers at Stones Throw records, focusing on the recordings of one of the Midwest funk heroes you might be familiar with only if you were there. The Indianapolis group released only one 7" under their own name, on LAMP Records, but they also served as the label's house band on vocal numbers by the Vanguards, the Pearls, the Montiques and others. Eleven white-hot tracks here, including instrumental versions of "Ode To Billy Joe" and "Light My Fire", plus both sides of their anti-drug masterpiece "Drugs Ain't Cool/Soul Heart Transplant" (read the excellent liner notes for an explanation of that one). Funky, trippy, fun and obscure -- perhaps that will be the new Other Music motto, and words to live by no doubt. If you can have half as much fun listening to this as Egon and Peanut Butter Wolf did compiling it, you are set for the rest of the summer. [JM]

"Section 12 (Hold Me Now)"

"Section 14 (Two Thousand Places)"

Round two from Tim DeLaughter's Polyphonic Spree, and they have pretty much picked right up where the debut left off (the tracks are even numbered as sections 11-20, as if their body of work was to be taken as a whole). Orchestral pop, gospel, and easy-listening filtered through the Texas sunshine, to create a fresh pop confection. On stage, the band comes off like a freewheeling psychedelic church roadshow, with DeLaughter as the charismatic rock and roll preacher, and the new record manages to capture much of that abandon, albeit in a more subdued studio environment. Maybe there's nothing new here for fans of the first record, but for a band with such an original and dynamic concept, perhaps the sophomore release is not the time to innovate. Thoroughly enjoyable. [JM]

"Cuts (Empty Temple Remix)"

After creating a significant buzz around these parts warming the stage for bands like the (International) Noise Conspiracy, the Stills and the Raveonettes, the Flesh finally release their digital debut, a CD EP titled Sweet Defeat. Produced by Martin Bisi (Iggy Pop, Sonic Youth, Brian Eno), it's pretty damn indescribable, falling somewhere between bluesy garage rock, old soul, new wave and hip hop!?! Seriously, deep voiced singer Nathan Halpern delivers Birthday Party-era tales of fire and brimstone with the flow of Timbaland over bouncy live drums and buzzing synths. Sure this will probably seem like sacrilege to many, but like many sins of the flesh, it's damningly fun. [GH]

"Don't Say Nuthin'"

"Guns are Drawn"

The Roots are back again with their seventh release and there's no sign of deceleration in sight. The nucleus of live hip hop has returned from their Phrenology experiment with a short yet poignant album highlighting the foundation of their existence. The Tipping Point is compiled of songs drawn from several illadelph jam sessions that were later revisited and reconstructed, but still manages to retain that 'live' energy feel. Quest's snares are so crisp they sound as if they're in the next room, great headphone material. Highlights include the opener "Star", a tribute cover of a Sly & Family Stone cut, "Stay Cool", a throw-back to De La's "Ego Trippin'", and "Boom!" You'd swear that's Kane and Kool G in the studio. Mainstream/Diehard balance executed to perfection. [JD]

"No Fun'"

"I Can't Control Myself"

Acute finally releases the third and final piece of their Metal Urbain trilogy featuring all of the Doctor Mix recordings. Following the departure of singer Clode Panik, the remaining three members of Metal Urbain morphed the band into two identities: the new wave electro hybrid of the Metal Boys, and an even more primitive metallic scraped ruckus under the name of Doctor Mix, a solo project of sorts for Eric Debris.

Recorded on his four-track, the earliest single, a cover of the Stooges "No Fun," was in fact older Metal Urbain material with Debris playing the part of Iggy Pop. The sound pushed their buzz-punk drum machine assault further into psychedelic garage rock territory. Soon to follow was the December 1979 Rough Trade release of Wall of Noise, an obvious nod to Phil Spector. Classics like David Bowie's "Supermen," "Out of the Question" and Six Dreams" by the Seeds, Velvet Underground's "Sister Ray" and the Trogg's "I Can't Control Myself" would be drenched by white noise, squelching feedback, and of course primitive, chugging metronomic beats. (The Jesus and Mary Chain would later list this album as among their all time favorites.)

Over the next few years, members would come and go, Debris still leading the charge. His follow-up would come by way of the Psychedelic Desert EP which included a cover of Vincent Taylor's "Brand New Cadillac." Far less abrasive, even the two originals seemed to have more in common with the electro-pop of the Metal Boys. By the early-'80s, Doctor Mix would call it a day after playing a string of shows with a line-up that included PiL's Jim Walker, and Daniel Miller of the Normal and also the founder of Mute Records.

This final piece of the Metal Urbain trilogy is my favorite of the three. Featuring both the Wall of Noise LP and the Psychedelic Desert EP, as well as rare and lost songs, every track that was recorded under the Doctor Mix moniker is included. Seminal may be too heavy of a descriptor, but pioneering certainly fits when describing Debris and his French comrades' body of work - music which artists from JAMC to Steve Albini to the Severed Heads are seriously indebted to. [GH]

"Winter's Love"

"Kids on Holiday"

Domestic vinyl pressing is finally available! Close to four years after their impressive recording careers took flight with the highly-acclaimed but sparsely distributed Spirit They're Gone, Spirit They've Vanished, Other Music alums Dave (Avey Tare) and Noah (Panda Bear) have once again taken center stage as the core members of Animal Collective. Sung Tongs is without a doubt their greatest and most accessible album to date. The vast majority of the record remains firmly rooted in their incomparable all-acoustic live shows, with Avey and Panda's voices and guitars perfectly complementing one another in arrangements too spontaneous to be rehearsed but too impeccable to be improvised. "College" sounds remarkably like a Friends-era Beach Boys song, and comparisons to the Incredible String Band, Skip Spence, Milton Nascimento, and the New Guinean folk songs on the Bosavi collection could all be made, but in all honesty there has never been a band that really sounded like this incarnation of Animal Collective. Sung Tongs is an instant classic, you will not hear a finer record in the year 2004. [RH]