FEATURED NEW RELEASES
Cat Power
Tortoise & Bonnie 'Prince' Billy
Delta 5
Gérard Manset
Excepter
East River Pipe
MF Doom
Ariel Pink
Test Icicles
Death Vessel
Jackie DeShannon
Tony Conrad
Robert Pollard
Phillip Sollmann

Pearls & Brass
Town & Country
Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins
Ginger Johnson

ALSO AVAILABLE:
Electric President
The Gossip
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (Vinyl Pressing)


COMPLETE LIST OF THIS WEEK'S NEW ARRIVALS

CAT POWER
The Greatest
(Matador)

"Hate"

"The Greatest"

Whether driven by her demons or her ambition, or both, Chan Marshall has built a flourishing career as one of indie rock's true voices, a fragile, uneasy, yet self-possessed and sexy swoon of a croon. And while she is famous for her on-stage breakdowns, candid confessions, and a notorious unease with the press (and her fame in general), this quirky iconoclast has managed to craft a series of chilling albums of mellow, yet emotionally intense pop pleasures, which have touched a wide audience.

Enter The Greatest, the cleanup batter in a run of artistic achievements that began with 1998's definitive Moon Pix album, followed by the surprising tribute Covers record and 2003's more polished You Are Free. In a brilliant A&R move, Matador put Chan in a Memphis studio with a seasoned group of soul players led by Teenie Hodges (best known for his 1970s recordings with Al Green--Hodges co-wrote "Love and Happiness" and he and his brothers were the Hi Records house band), with Leroy Hodges and Steve Potts among other notables. Produced by Stuart Sikes, The Greatest is essentially Cat Power's Chan in Memphis, a chance for this "outsider" soul singer to play with the best in the game.

Although there is no "Son of a Preacher Man" here, and probably no breakout "hits," Marshall has taken up the challenge to open up her songwriting approach on these new songs; she doesn't dig for pop crossover, but the songs seem a little less harrowing, less intensely personal, somehow lighter than in the past, but with no less personality. She appears to be enjoying the effortless grooves these natural players provide, and lets the swing of the band carry her away with an undeniable bounce. The record is still full of lonely imagery of missed connections and lost souls, but Marshall and Sikes have also opened themselves up to the joys of a simple hook, as in the oh-so-sweet "Could We;" as Chan riffs on the swollen-heart emotion of a first date, taking walks in the afternoon sun, the guitar and horns trade a simple, jubilant riff and the bass walks beside the new lovers.

The Greatest is an easy album to embrace. Worship her (as many of our customers do) or not, her smoky voice and honest emotion are hard to deny, and the band that she has assembled here are nothing short of a national treasure--not flashy, not showy, just always in the pocket and dead on. It's a near-perfect fit, and the resulting album is both personal and universal, a must for any fan and a great entry point into Marshall's catalog. (Vinyl LP comes with an exclusive track.) [JM]

"Cavalry Cross"

"It's Expected I'm Gone"

If you're looking for hillbilly post-rock, stop reading and move on. This old school gaggle of Louisville ex-pats are too down with each other to take a collaborative album too seriously. Instead, The Brave and the Bold is more like a high school reunion of indie rock royalty. The title even sounds like a yearbook theme! Anyway, the album is entirely made up of covers, including songs by Milton Nascimento, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Fairport Convention and Richard Thompson. Some tracks are done with a bit more heart, some are done with a bit more dissonance and some are done with a subtle nudge and a wink, but none of them are taken too out of context or too lightly. Their version of Elton John's "Daniel" is played with enough sincerity to rank it alongside Oldham's cover of David Allan Coe's "In My Mind." You could arguably say that Richard and Linda Thompson's album I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight was super influential to some of the Palace stuff and the favor is returned with a cover of "Cavalry Cross." Overall, a bunch of dudes bro-ing down to some of their light-hearted, secretly favorite songs sprinkled with a dash of Midwestern humor. When's the tour scheduled? [SM]

"Mind Your Own Business"

"Now That You've Gone"

Delta 5 formed in Leeds in the late 1970s, a city with a fervent (post-)punk rock scene that also spawned the Mekons and Gang of Four. The band's (three women, two men; two bass, two guitar) oddly danceable take on punk caught the ear of Rough Trade's Geoff Travis, and after only months in existence, Delta 5 had a record deal. In 1979, the band released "Mind Your Own Business," which today stands as one of the major cornerstones of the post-punk genre. The group went on to release two more singles on Rough Trade before signing with PRE, a major at the time. The increased recording budget made for a slicker, not quite as urgent sound, but the album (See the Whirl) is worth checking out nonetheless.

The KRS reissue compiles the three Rough Trade singles, seven Peel session tracks, and three songs from a 1980 US radio show, which is ultimately all you need to own. These short, sharp bursts of throbbing double bass, mutated dance beats, and highly personalized lyrics -- where their contemporaries chose the overtly political route, Delta 5 wrote about failed relationships and stalkers -- is a must-own for anyone who enjoyed the Kleenex and Essential Logic reissues, and those even mildly interested in punk rock, the history of pop music, and leftfield disco (Delta 5 played Danceteria in NY!). [AK]

GÉRARD MANSET
La Mort D'orion
(EMI France)

"La Mort D'orion"

"Vivent Les Hommes"

When I first heard Gérard Manset's La Mort D'orion (1970) a couple of months back, I was shocked we hadn't carried nor written it up before; after all, this reissue was released all the way back in 1996. But I've googled and googled and it seems like we aren't the only ones to have overlooked its brilliance, for although a longtime huge cult hit in France it has yet to have made any sort of an impact in the States.

Manset appears to be a pretty mysterious and enigmatic figure with an ambiguous relationship to stardom. Radio France's English language website has a succinct biography of him that paints a picture somewhat similar to that of Scott Walker's. A writer of intensely brooding and challenging music who nevertheless has achieved periodic massive popular success, Manset has frequently simply abandoned it for years at a time to pursue other interests, including traveling, painting, and writing novels.

Manset, a self proclaimed "lifelong rebel and eternal failure," released his debut album in May of '68, just as the students were manning the ramparts. But it wasn't until La Mort D'orion was released two years later that he really began to enter the public's consciousness. It is a thrillingly ambitious concept album of orchestral psych for which the self-taught Manset wrote all the music, lyrics, and arrangements. The opening title track alone runs nearly 25 minutes long, and it has an epic sweep that seems to encompass and distill all the finest French modernism has to offer, from Mallarme and Nerval in its literary pretensions to the sonic advancements in studio sound pioneered by the likes of Pierre Schaffer and Pierre Henry. Moments of seemingly normal French chanson give way to subtle and psychologically disorienting manipulations of orchestral trappings; at other times he'll simply eschew trap drums for booming timpani to provide the rhythmic propulsion. The results are very dark, very beautiful, and quite unlike anything you'd expect from French popular music. And while I do think it will certainly appeal to fans of Histoire de Melody Nelson or the recent Jean-Claude Vannier reissue, it must be emphasized that there is next to no kitsch appeal to this release. La Mort D'orion is a serious work that probably deserves to be approached as such. [MK]

"One More Try"

Recorded last summer on the hottest day of the season, I reckoned the newest EP from Brooklyn's Excepter (which features OM's Dan Hougland in the line-up) would thaw a deep freeze come January. But of course, even winter is hot with this blasting out like a furnace. Documenting their new lineup, Excepter are about muffling intent, mumbling with marbles in their mouths and muttering under their breath. The beats, somewhat erratic on Self Destruction, now throb like a migraine on a tarry rooftop (a good thing in this case). Sticky, gooey black soundstuff abounds here. [AB]

$13.99 CD

"What Are You On?"

"Some Dreams Can Kill You"

F.M. Cornog has been crafting homemade, meticulous bedroom pop since the early-'90s, carefully layering track after track by himself alone at home on a Tascam 388. His one-man band East River Pipe has been lo-fi since that was a matter of necessity more than choice, but the sound has always had more in common with New Zealand pop or early Mercury Rev nerd-psych than the amateurish bash and fuzz of Sebadoh and Smog's early four-track experiments. This new album, coming more than 10 years after East River Pipe's debut full-length, and maybe five since the bottom fell out of the DIY scene, is more of the same: beautiful, haunting, sad and lovely, and terribly lonely.

Cornog's sound has changed little over the years, simple, sad pop built on three chords, restrained musicianship and dark, dreamy vocal melodies. But what is most striking on this new record is the intense pathos of the subject matter. Cornog has been open about his history of alcohol abuse and the dark path that he was on years ago before his future wife plucked him, destitute and begging for change (literally) from a subway platform, and indie rock--somewhat improbably--gave him outlet for his pain beyond the bottom of a bottle.

All these years later Cornog drops What Are You On?, a suite of songs about drugs, loneliness, loss, more drugs, booze, lost dreams, and more drugs. "If it comes down to the drugs or you baby, we're through" (from the chilling "Druglife"), or "She sure looks cute in her bright white suit, inhale or shoot, yeah, all of it" (from "Dirty Carnival") are just a couple of examples. Dark tales of addiction, failed relationships, empty lives, and hateful fools abound. But where on paper it's hard to imagine the beauty, Cornog's unadorned production and wavering vocal delivery make for an impassioned and beautiful album, if emotionally devastating. This might be Cornog's finest, most consistent album to date, but it begs the question not just "What Are You On?" but "Are You OK?" [JM]

"Podina"

"Yellow Duck"

Not too long ago, MF Doom was about to become another hip-hop obscurity from the "golden era" of the late-'80s/early-'90s. Now it seems the world can't get enough of the Metal Fingers. The thing is, even when no one was listening, Doom never stopped banging out the beats. To celebrate or inebriate the masses, Doom has sliced his hefty bag of "Special Herbs" into a three-disc mix of instrumental hits and rarities. Various tracks (82 in all) from Volumes 0-9 are edited and gathered for those who couldn't keep up the first time around. Lots of hits, never a miss, and more loopy jams than you can digest in one sitting. A beat extravaganza for sure. [DG]

"Hardcore Pops Are Fun"

"Alisa"

And the hits just keep coming from our man down and out in Beverly Hills, Ariel Pink. The third disc to see daylight on the Paw Tracks imprint, this may be his catchiest, most accessible release yet. The ridiculous rock operas of Worn Copy are tempered somewhat here, as the man's pop ear comes to light. There are songs about writing songs, like "Interesting Results," as well as his inspiration for writing those songs, "Gettin' High in the Morning." Not that he's left the aural smog altogether, as "Netherlands" is hazier than a weekend in Amsterdam. And "West Coast Calamities" may be his scuzziest song yet, with lines about chugging gas, crashing into the Statue of Liberty, and girl scouts. [AB]

TEST ICICLES
For Screening Purposes Only
(Domino)

"Your Biggest Mistake"

"Circle, Square, Triangle"

Last fall, you didn't have to be a regular reader of the NME to catch a potent whiff of the Test Icicles hype floating through the streets of New York. Posters, flyers, blogs…the band's outlandish name was plastered everywhere, promoting a couple of choice gigs around the city, including a warm-up slot at the way-sold-out Art Brut show at Northsix--where the Icicles' sardonic stage banter proved much funnier than the tired wit of the headliner's fashionable lead singer. Test Icicles debut album For Screening Purposes Only has finally landed on these shores and, unlike the radio-friendly sounds we've come to expect over the past few years from the UK, a la Franz Ferdinand, Kaiser Chiefs or Bloc Party, this snotty trio hit us with a noisy barrage of metal guitars, overdriven synths, and a pummeling drum machine. Opening track "Your Biggest Mistake" comes across like some sort of meeting between the Blood Brothers, Liars and Al Jourgensen, an out-of-control rollercoaster ride of guitar scrapes and hammer-ons, spastic rhythm shifts and lots of screamo vocals. But leave it to these three Brits (actually, one of the members is originally from Texas), as the Icicles spit out more pop hooks than the names I just mentioned. Hell, "Circle, Square, Triangle" would work perfectly in any DJ's dance-punk set, nicely sandwiched between DFA 1979 and Bloc Party. England's screaming, that's for sure. [GH]

DEATH VESSEL
Stay Close
(North East Indie)

"Deep in the Horchata"

"Tidy Nervous Breakdown"

As you may or may not already know, Death Vessel's main attraction is Joel Thibodeau, a man who sings of rural myths and hillbilly lullabies in his shocking yet exquisite falsetto. Filled with foot-tappers and heartbreakers, Stay Close is achingly beautiful from start to finish as Death Vessel's lonesome mountain music conjures both demons and angels, often all at once. Well worth the price of admission for their cover of Townes Van Zandt's "Snow Don't Fall." [JO]

JACKIE DESHANNON
Laurel Canyon
(RPM)

"Laurel Canyon"

"I Got My Reason"

Maaaaan, we love Jackie DeShannon around here. I can't think of too many artists whose songs we'll play two or three times consecutively in the store, but a song as good as "Needles and Pins" (maybe you heard it on that amazing Jack Nitzsche produced comp last year) simply demands to be heard more than once. Or how about her track on the great Folk Rock and Faithful comp from a couple years back? As good as all the artists on it are, it's still that singularly appealing rasp of a golden voice that DeShannon possesses that immediately pricks the ears above all others.

In some ways it is easy to understand why her hipster credibility until now has been negligible. For one, she made numerous records in the early-'60s freighted with other artists' songs and aimed at a squarely square teenie-bopper audience which was only too willing to follow whatever trend was currently being marketed at it, be it Beatles styled pop knock-offs or folk revival crossover hits. Still, she was nevertheless a sympathetic interpreter of that sort of material--she has a version of Dylan's "Walking Down the Line" that kills just about anybody's--who was also quietly honing her own songwriting skills. These two aspects of her art, the ability to craft a song as well as ably interpret another's, reached a peak in 1968 with the release of her greatest all around album, Laurel Canyon.

Laurel Canyon was the place to live in L.A. in the late-'60s if you were a songwriter or musician; Joni Mitchell, Carole King, and members of the Byrds, CSNY, and the Mamas and the Papas all called it home. A particularly loose and organic sound developed around it and it seems natural that DeShannon would name her album after the place whose vibe it so magnificently captured. The Band's debut album had been released to enormous impact the same year Laurel Canyon was recorded, and its influence probably opened up some possibilities to DeShannon, a Kentucky native, who was no doubt instinctually drawn to the down-home looseness they achieved. Indeed, she'd be the very first artist to cover their song "The Weight" in a wonderful version to be found on this album. She wrote five of the album's 12 songs, every last one of which is a killer, as well as cut great tunes by the likes of Paul Williams and Barry White (!) who made his recorded debut on this album as a member of DeShannon's vocal group. His deep baritone is firmly in place throughout and effectively plays off DeShannons's characteristic growliness.

There is another record Laurel Canyon shares many similarities with, John Phillips' masterpiece John, the Wolf King of L.A., recorded the following year and also geographically specific in its evocation of place. But although both records are rollickingly laid back, Phillips' album evinces a fair amount of barely repressed disillusionment, whereas DeShannon's work is essentially Edenic in its outlook. In other words, it makes you feel good to listen to it. [MK]

TONY CONRAD
Fantastic Glissando
(Table of the Elements)

"Fantastic Glissando"

"Process Four of Fantastic Glissando"

A familiar name to most Other Music regulars and one of the original practitioners of so called Early Minimalism, Tony Conrad has been plowing a singularly fierce path for over 40 years now. Recent years have seen both new recordings and archival reissues which further illuminate a body of work that can be extremely demanding and is quite often exhilarating. Fantastic Glissando features five different versions of the title track, each piece reworking the earlier versions so the listener hears each new stage of the process. Recorded on December 12th,1969, the five pieces (there's an extra track not originally included on the earlier LP only release) sidestep Conrad's usual soaring violin drones for a similarly intense set of sine wave oscillators. Pure tones ascend and descend through various combinations, creating a somewhat squealing effect that is sonically reminiscent of Toshimaru Nakamura's no-input mixing board experiments, but clearly of an earlier vintage given the rawness of these recordings. Not as essential as the Conrad box but an interesting glimpse from the archives nonetheless. [KH]

PHILLIP SOLLMANN
Something is Missing"
(Dial)

"Room One"

"Room Five"

Dial's official second ambient LP (after Gluhen 4) is easy enough to describe: mostly minimal textures with no beats, except for an occasional blip or bump once in a while. The attractive thing about Sollmann's album is the unmistakable human presence existing within the sheets of sound. Imagine Stars of the Lid made with warm, analog synthesizers or beatless Panasonic done by a savvy emo kid. It's all about soft synth chords slowly rising and arching with searching high tones and subtle, droning bottom end. Very warm and personal stuff that thankfully avoids the 'studied/academic sounding' kiss of death that kills the albums of lesser artists. [SM]

ROBERT POLLARD
From a Compound Eye
(Merge)

"Kick Me and Cancel"

"Lightshow"

So what happens when Guided by Voices die? Pollard rises like a goddamn phoenix. Sure, there's 26 tracks on this highly ambitious (or highly self-indulgent, as someone suggested) double album and there are some throwaway scraps, but all in all there's enough punk nihilism, meandering prog, and blissful pop moments (check out "Dancing Girls and Dancing Men" and "Love is Stronger than Witchcraft" for the entire repertoire) on From a Compound Eye to equal a totally solid GBV album. And it's way better than his last couple of solo outings. Maybe time to revisit the comedy album, after all. [AK]

PEARLS & BRASS
Indian Tower
(Drag City)

"No Stone"

"The Face of God"

Almighty holy rollers! Drag City has finally unleashed Pearls and Brass' sophomore LP (their first record is currently a somewhat hard to find self-released affair)--years after this bourbon-and-hash dosed power trio began jamming in their humble hometown of Allentown, PA, and nearly a year since their smokin' live performance at the Slint-curated ATP fest put 'em on the global rock map and buzz lists. Uhh-mazing homegrown dope-rock with the groove to boot. These proto-boogie hessiers have a feel akin to Kyuss and Grand Funk getting hazy in Randy Holden's studio. Hey over here...this shot is on me! [MT]

TOWN & COUNTRY
Up Above
(Thrill Jockey)

"Sun Trolley"

"Fields and Parks of Easy Access"

One of the sparkling gems of the current Chicago scene, Town & Country have altered their organic and minimal, yet layered compositions every so slightly on Up Above, to further bring them into a spiraling world inspired by Gamelan music, Japanese court music, Indian Ragas, Terry Riley, Harry Partch, Steve Reich, Lamonte Young, and such. The quartet--made up of music veterans Ben Vida (Bird Show/Pillow), Josh Abrams (Sticks & Stones/Prefuse 73), Liz Payne (Pillow), and Jim Dorling--quietly embrace the slow building, steady, acoustic beauty that has now become their modus operandi. Bass clarinet, voice, harmonium, glass, string bass, hand bells, guitar, viola, celeste, and cornet are played, woven, and stretched into a rich tapestry of sound and vibrations. If you're fond of Rachel's, Gastr del Sol, or Godspeed! You Black Emperor, you should know Town & Country as well. Music for elevation. [DG]

JENNY LEWIS WITH THE WATSON TWINS
Rabbit Fur Coat
(Team Love)

"The Charging Sky"

"The Big Guns"

While there's always been a thread of Americana running through Rilo Kiley's pristine pop songs, frontwoman Jenny Lewis really runs with it on her first solo album. Before you give this a listen, erase any thoughts of her indie rock pedigree or her younger years as a child actor. Lewis, who sings her beautifully descriptive, heartbreak narratives with the twang of a southern belle, has no problem channeling greats like Loretta Lynn and Patsy Cline. Accompanied by the Watson Twins' sweet-as-molasses harmonies, in songs like "Rise Up with Fists!!," the LA resident addresses modern conundrums like house arrest, divorce or cosmetic surgery, while throwing in a little old-time gospel imagery as well. Though a few songs, like the wonderfully stark title cut, are simply Lewis accompanied by her acoustic guitar, most of the tracks are fleshed out with sparkling arrangements and include notable appearances by M. Ward, Ben Gibbard and Conor Oberst. There's even a faithful cover of the Traveling Wilburys' "Handle with Care," in which the aforementioned guest musicians and Lewis play the parts of Dylan, Harrison, Lynne, Orbison and Petty. While Rabbit Fur Coat doesn't exactly mine the depths as Cat Power's new southern soul-inspired album, Lewis has delivered a solid collection of alt-country, that surpasses any of her output with Rilo Kiley. [GH]

GINGER JOHNSON & HIS AFRICAN MESSENGERS
African Party
Cyclone

"I Jool Omo"

"Talking Drum"

Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Ginger Johnson formed this ensemble while living in England, bringing to the UK the polyrhythmic pulse that made his native country one of the most musically inspired places in the world. Recorded in London in 1967, by Fairport Convention's John Wood, the music is not simply a copy of Fela Kuti's American funk inspired Afro-beat. Here, the rhythms are more rooted in the Latin and African traditions, utilizing to great effect the talking drum, bush piano and, literally, elephant feet, along with call and response vocals, flute, trumpet, electric bass, sax, and percussion. ("All my songs on this record are inspired by the emotions of the jungle," Johnson states in the liner notes.) The band's mix of jazz and African music would be embraced in London's underground mod scene, and Johnson would also appear on stage with the Rolling Stones in '67. This remastered reissue is another chance to dig into the hypnotic magic of African music, in line with artists like Bembeya Jazz National, Thomas Mapfumo, and pre-US Fela. Guaranteed to get you moving from the first minute. [DG]

"Snow on Dead Neighborhoods"

Morr Music's latest signing, this Florida duo debuts with an album that will inevitably get compared to the Postal Service because of its mix of indie rock and electronic elements, not to mention a vocalist who's ever-so-slightly reminiscent of Ben Gibbard. But far from a carbon copy of Give Up, Electric President produce a sound that's deeper and dustier, with mysterious arrangements fueling the stark, somber emotions.

"Standing in the Way of Control"

Recorded by Fugazi's Guy Picciotto, the Gossip return with their third album, and a new drummer, Hannah Blilie (ex-Chromatics). Fronted by the enigmatic Beth Ditto, the Olympia trio's potent mix of Stooges, blues and Motown soul has never sounded better...Dance punk, dance!

"The Skin of My Yellow Teeth"

No one can dispute the fact that Clap Your Hands Say Yeah set the indie rock world on fire last year. Their self-released album topped both fans and critics' best-of lists, and was also Other Music's number one seller of 2005. This vinyl version of their eponymous debut has finally arrived and is already flying off our shelves.

THIS WEEK'S CONTRIBUTORS

[AB] Adrian Burkholder
[DG] Daniel Givens
[GH] Gerald Hammill
[KH] Koen Holtkamp
[MK] Michael Klausman
[AK] Andreas Knutsen
[JM] Josh Madell
[SM] Scott Mou
[JO] Jennifer Orozco
[MT] Mahssa Taghinia





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