October 9, 2008

		OTHER MUSIC SHIPPING RATE CHANGES After reevaluating our shipping costs, we have decided to make the transition to USPS. The changes in the shopping cart system on our website are forthcoming. For the time being, please note that the shipping charges notated in the shopping cart are invalid. Instead, you will be charged a new and, in most cases, lower, shipping price. For example, 1 CD, which weighs approximately 4 ounces, will now cost $2.00 to ship. In the majority of cases, USPS will be just as quick as UPS on top of being noticeably cheaper. If you enjoy UPS and the tracking number feature, which is unavailable via USPS, simply email orders@othermusic.com and we will accommodate you.

		PRE-ORDERS Arthur Russell Deerhunter Crystal Stilts caUSE co-MOTION! FEATURED NEW RELEASES Deerhoof Antony & the Johnsons Jay Reatard Department of Eagles Fucked Up James Din A4 DJ/Rupture Juana Molina Delta Dandies (Various Artists) George Coleman Gentleman Jesse & His Men In the Pines (Various Artists) Sun Ra Morgan Geist Bob Dylan   Marnie Stern Grails Lambchop ALSO AVAILABLE Crooked Fingers Women These Are Powers Oasis Castanets Spinto Band Land of Talk Annuals Robin Guthrie Rosebuds Catfish Haven BACK IN STOCK The Future/Human League Irma Thomas

		OCT Sun 05 Mon 06 Tues 07 Wed 08 Thurs 09 Fri 10 Sat 11   CATFISH HAVEN TICKET CONTEST Catfish Haven are the quintessential party band with a slew of soulful, rock-n-roll anthems that could be the perfect antidote to these past few weeks of bad economic news and nasty presidential campaigning. The group will be performing tonight (Thursday) at the Mercury Lounge before making their way back to Chicago, in support of their new album, Devastator. We’ve got two pairs of tickets up for grabs, so enter right away. Email enter@othermusic.com. We’ll notify the winners this afternoon. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9 MERCURY LOUNGE: 217 East Houston Street NYC

		OCT Sun 12 Mon 13 Tues 14 Wed 15 Thurs 16 Fri 17 Sat 18   WIN TICKETS TO THE DEAD C Next Monday, the Dead C will be making a rare New York performance at the Bowery Ballroom. Definitely a show not to be missed by any fan of noise rock, the legendary New Zealand trio will be joined by Sightings, Northampton Wools (Thurston Moore & Bill Nace) and King Darves. We’ve got two pairs of tickets to give away to the night, and you can enter by emailing tickets@othermusic.com. We’ll be notifying the winners on Friday. Good luck! MONDAY, OCTOBER 13 BOWERY BALLROOM: 6 Delancey Street NYC

		OCT Sun 12 Mon 13 Tues 14 Wed 15 Thurs 16 Fri 17 Sat 18 NOV Sun 02 Mon 03 Tues 04 Wed 05 Thurs 06 Fri 07 Sat 08   TICKET GIVE AWAY TO VIVIAN GIRLS We’re giving away tickets to two nights of reverbed, wall-of-guitar sound and girl group melodies courtesy of Brooklyn’s Vivian Girls, who’ll be performing at the Bowery Ballroom, first on Wednesday, October 15 (with Fucked Up and Mind Eraser), and then a month later on Saturday, November 8 (with Deerhunter and Times New Viking). We’ve got one pair of tickets for each performance. Send an email to giveaway@othermusic.com, and make sure to list what day you’d like to enter for. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15 & SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8 BOWERY BALLROOM: 6 Delancey Street NYC

		October 28th is a big release date for us here at OM and we are especially excited about these four records that we are offering for a special pre-order sale price both online and in the store... starting today.

		Pre-order Sale $12.99 CD   ARTHUR RUSSELL Love Is Overtaking Me (Audika) Staff and customers are going to be thrilled for this next installment in Audika's series of Arthur Russell releases. The latest CD, Love Is Overtaking Me, is filled with unreleased gems from his vaults, and it collects previously unreleased tracks that explore Russell's singer-songwriter side, as he ventures into folk, pop and country.

		Pre-order Sale $12.99 CDx2   DEERHUNTER Microcastle (Kranky) Deerhunter's follow-up to last year's Cryptograms is the definition of "highly-anticipated;" so much so, in fact, that the album made an unscheduled early appearance on the web months ago, to the ire of the band and label. What choice did they have, but to record an entire second bonus album for their actual paying fans! Their extended studio time finds Deerhunter making some of their most beautiful, hook-filled music to date.

		Pre-order Sale $9.99 CD Pre-order Sale $6.99 CD   CRYSTAL STILTS Alight of Night (Slumberland) CAUSE CO-MOTION! It's Time! (Slumberland) We are also proud to offer two albums on the newly resurrected Slumberland label, the debut full-lengths from two of our favorite Brooklyn bands. Crystal Stilts' Alight of Night is one of the finest records of the year, a masterpiece that is filled with minimal post-punk rhythms, C-86 melodies, distorted feedback and jangling guitars, and a distant vocal delivery. And finally, caUSE co-MOTION present us with It's Time!, a singles collection that compiles all four of their seven-inches and their track from the Jowe Head split. A stunning foray into frantic, lo-fi power pop, not a track comes close to the two-minute mark, and that is just perfect with us. Catchy as hell, and one to be played over and over, It's Time! is on sale for only $6.99! There really is no excuse not to add this to your collection!

		$13.99 CD $14.99 LP $9.99 MP3   DEERHOOF Offend Maggie (Kill Rock Stars) "My Purple Past" "Fresh Born" Deerhoof has yet to fail to impress with their continuing and graceful evolution as the most interesting rock band in America. For being such accomplished players, they never come off as overly serious or pretentious. For being such a hard-rocking band, they never come off as anti-accessible. For their ninth album, Deerhoof is a quartet again, adding longtime band friend and guitarist Edward Rodriguez (Flying Luttenbachers, Colossamite, Gorge Trio), who seems to have brought a bit more Fripp-chromaticism to the mix. Speaking of the mix, an immediate standout element of Offend Maggie is the fantastically tweaked and dynamic production, particularly the drum sounds, at times moving into '70s Bill Bruford territory. It doesn't take the listener long to realize that Maggie is rockin' the late-'60s/early-'70s British prog-rock vibe more fiercely than previous 'hoof outings. That said, they haven't abandoned what makes them so appealing: Deerhoof is the perfect compromise for fans of bubblegum pop music and cerebral rock -- like if the Monkees got really into Bartok and electric Miles, while maintaining their Monkee-ness. The album starts off with a bang with "The Tears and Music of Love," a rockin' number that thoroughly explores the undeniable authority of the riff to the point that Keith Richards would be satisfied (and he can't get no satisfaction!). As fiercely as they tear through the opener, they skip along with the album's second song, "Chandelier Searchlight," which wouldn't be too out of place on the Help! soundtrack. The next song, "Buck and Judy" is a heavy tune, much like early-'70s Yes or Genesis (maybe it's the arpeggiated keyboard line). The remarkable thing is that these seemingly disparate transitions are done without sounding forced. This trend continues throughout the album with elements of disco/funk, post-rock, west-African guitar, the Association (!), and cheerleading (if there is any justice "Basket Ball Get Your Groove Back" will be adopted by CBS sports as their college basketball theme song this season!) thrown into the fray. The most festive moment (and there are many) comes during the Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem covering Public Enemy-sounding jam, "Fresh Born." Totally ebullient! As critics are quick to point out, it's Deerhoof's childlike sense of whimsy and joy that separates them from the pack of ironic or stuffy indie-rock bands. Offend Maggie is more than a welcome distraction given the sorry state of our country right now -- which reminds me -- VOTE next month! [KC]

		$8.99 CD-EP $13.99 LP $4.99 MP3   ANTONY AND THE JOHNSONS Another World (Secretly Canadian) "Crackagen" "Sing for Me" Another World is the debut single from Antony and the Johnsons' much-anticipated new LP, due out in January. Since the 2005 release of the breakthrough I Am a Bird Now, pop chanteur Antony Hegarty has lent his singular voice to a number of other artists' projects, from Bjork's avant-pop to Hercules and Love Affair's soulful disco grooves. But in the context of his main outlet, the listener knows what to expect. Stark piano and voice arrangements, with the occasional orchestral flourish, again define this group's emotionally arresting sound, with only the barest of musical backing supporting Hegarty's wrenching vocals. "Another World," exploring the terrified musings of one man watching the world implode under the weight of mankind, is simply devastating. I need another place, will there be peace? I need another world; this one's nearly gone Still have too many dreams, never see the light I need another world, a place where I can go I'm gonna miss the sea, gonna miss the snow Gonna miss the bees, miss the things that grow I'm gonna miss the trees, gonna miss the sun I'll miss the animals, I'm gonna miss you all This openhearted sadness, fear and loneliness crossed with love and beauty, pretty much defines Antony's powerful, yet utterly fragile sound. The four b-sides all hold their own, from the spare "Crackagen" and "Sing for Me," to the almost bluesy power of "Shake the Devil," and the set-closing "Hope Mountain," which, with its post-apocalyptic after-the-flood tale of a girl walking on water and heraldic trumpet interlude, adds a piercing ray of hope to the pathos of the single. [JM]

		$13.99 CD $15.99 LP   JAY REATARD Matador Singles '08 (Matador) "No Time" "Trapped Here" I'm not sure what else can be said about Jay at this point; he's an asshole, he rules, he's a sell-out, he punches people, he forgets to show up for shows, he invented punk rock, he ruined punk rock, he's a millionaire, he's a raging party animal, he's booooring. At least that's what I've been told by countless message board jockeys, and that's only in the last five minutes. Any which way, this compilation of Matador 7" singles make for a great collection of damaged pop music, and feels cohesive like a proper album. It's a nice comedown after the rush of Blood Visions, to hear him fully settle into the pop mode, which the killer Goner single ("I Know a Place"/"Don't Let Him Come Back") that predated these recordings hinted at. Early on it sounds like Devo without keyboards (i.e. awesome) but by the time we've reached the last single, Reatard has gone completely NZ pop (I hear Chris Knox and the Verlaines in here) on us, only to throw a curve and make a brief Blood Visions detour on the fifth 45 ("DOA" is a top shelf punk killer). Completely and utterly unmissable stuff. [AK]

		$13.99 CD   DEPARTMENT OF EAGLES In Eark Park (4AD) "In Ear Park" "No One Does It Like You" The second release from duo Department of Eagles, comprised of Daniel Rossen of Grizzly Bear and Fred Nicolaus, is far more than what might be pigeonholed as merely a side project (despite also featuring both Chris Taylor and Chris Bear of GB). Five years after their last release, In Ear Park is the Thanksgiving dinner of albums: an ambitious mix of profoundly unrelated ideas that somehow work, equal parts tradition and modern experimentation. The lush orchestration is exceptionally varied and not overworked; style deftly meanders between speakeasy, honky-tonk, prairie, and film score sensibilities. Rossen's choral harmonies, as in "No One Does It Like You," are haunting, a lattice of angelic oohs and aahs evoking 1940's Disney soundtracks (particularly Snow White or The Adventures of Mr. Toad). Ghostly creaks and croaks melt into string flourishes and thundering, climactic swells. One of the most infectious tracks is a contribution of Nicolaus'; "Teenager" builds to a show-tune fanfare in the realm of Van Dyke Parks or Abbey Road-era Beatles. However, it is the lyrics of the album that are a subtle triumph, partially about Rossen's recently deceased father (some he had deemed "too personal" for Grizzly Bear), and saturated in dreamy, nostalgic warmth. Impressively prepared, densely flavorful, and just like Thanksgiving, impossible to refuse on seconds, I'm willing to bet In Ear Park will prove to be as enduring as turkey and cranberries. [MH]

		$13.99 CD   FUCKED UP The Chemistry of Common Life (Matador) "Magic World" "Black Albino Bones" As one of the most exemplary hardcore bands of the past few years, Canadian quintet Fucked Up have presided over some of the finest modern sides of melodic, snarling, and unkemptly ferocious punk rock. All the same, however, these gentlemen (and lady) have never been content to simply operate within the rigid confines of HC's orthodoxies, preferring to instead push hard against the boundaries at every opportunity. While this expansive approach has undoubtedly had both its high points (the eighteen minute A-side opus of last year's killer Year of the Pig 12") and nadirs (the band's somewhat limp Jade Tree debut), one can never accused Fucked Up of playing it safe and easy. If anything, The Chemistry of Common Life, Fucked Up's full-length debut for the Matador label, more than follows up on the promise of the group's recent recordings, avoiding any and all missteps to deliver eleven tracks of walloping menace that subtly challenge the definition of hardcore. Sure, singer Pink Eyes coats his words with a bitter, throaty rasp, but tracks like "Magic Word" add extra percussion and organ to thicken up the driving verses, while the Vivian Girls drop in for some backing vocals on the gristly wall of sound that is "Crooked Head." Moreover, tracks like the dour, pounding "Black Albino Bones" add a nice twist to Fucked Up's traditional punch, toying with more overt vocal melodies than ever before. A solid album end to end, The Chemistry of Common Life shows that while Fucked Up may have traveled a long way from their earliest singles, that same fire still burns bright in the service of a whole new set of sounds. [MC]

		$19.99 CD $9.99 MP3   JAMES DIN A4 Fistel Rose Power (Pingipung) "Rudolf Scharping" "Vater, Mutter, Kind" Even the most die-hard German house/electronica fans may have missed out on James Din A4's under-the-radar releases. Mostly EPs and the odd vinyl-only LP on the obscure ESEL label, I would never see more than a single copy any time I happened upon one of his releases; often, I'd scoop these records up in sales bins, slowly becoming the loyal fan that I am today. The Pingipung label has done us a huge service by cherry-picking many of his best moments for a CD retrospective that amounts to a shockingly good album. His sound has quite a bit of range -- from harsh, German toy-tronica, to playfully glitchy micro-house, James Din would always inject these sub-genres with his own signature style. Overall his music had the mad tinkerer vibe of Mouse on Mars/FX Randomiz, with the groove and love of acoustic accents like Herbert or even Brinkmann. This is stuff that has the rare ability of using elements that have been thoroughly explored through the last eight years, but still remains absolutely fresh -- all the found-sound, oil tub bass drums and skittering glitches with the aforementioned playful toy-tronicness that have the groove of Herbert (minus too much jazz), the playfulness of Karaoke Kalk/Sonig/Matmos as well as the effervescent/minimalist polka leanings of J. Burger (the Modernist). Did I mention that the mastering job on this album is amazing? If you know and love all of the guys mentioned above, you HAVE to get this. You've got to hear for yourself how the album plays out to fully appreciate what James Din A4 has to offer. Great, way underappreciated stuff from beginning to end. [SM]

		$13.99 CD $9.99 MP3 Uproot: The Ingredients (Unmixed) $9.99 MP3   DJ RUPTURE Uproot Mix (Agriculture) DJ/Rupture returns home to Brooklyn and delivers this, perhaps his most far-reaching and most listenable mix yet. A banging bouillabaisse of dubstep, Brazilian beat, dancehall, Moroccan jams, and even some string arrangements commissioned specifically for this mix! This is probably Rupture's most laidback, un-aggressive release yet -- echoing the vibe of his WFMU radio show than any record he's ever released in the past -- and it's all the better as a result. He gives these tracks plenty of breathing room yet keeps the pulse beating and the mix interesting; the more international scale used here compared to most dubstep mixes on Rinse or Tempa, as much as I love 'em, makes me hungry for more in this style. Possibly the first mix I've heard thus far that proves dubstep can be played with other records that AREN'T dubstep, and that the stuff just slays when singers from non-English-speaking nations flow overtop. Top-notch sounds, let's have some more, please! Highest recommendation!! NOTE: Those who dig on this and want to hear the original, unmixed tracks -- and you will, because they are killers -- should head over to Other Music's Download Store, where we are offering an unmixed collection called Uproot: The Ingredients. [IQ]

		$14.99 CD $9.99 MP3   JUANA MOLINA Un Dia (Domino) "Un Dia" "Vive Solo" In the wake of all the critical acclaim given to the "folktronica," one-man sampler-n-guitar efforts of El Guincho and Panda Bear, let's not forget the quiet, steady efforts of Juana Molina. For the past 12 years, this former Argentinean TV star has been putting out electro-acoustic, bedroom pop that is, for the most part, just as enchanting as her younger male counterparts. Perhaps it's because all of her tunes are sung in Spanish -- therefore relegating her releases to the World Music section -- is the reason she's not as popular as the other two. But more than likely, the problem has been that she was just a little bit ahead of her time. It's a good thing that her fifth album, Un Dia, is her strongest effort to date. If you're familiar with her past work, you know that Molina's songs are built around rickety, delayed loopings of her circular acoustic guitar melodies, organic percussion and nature sounds. This time around, however, there are traces of keyboards and the rhythms are punchier and more celebratory than previous efforts. The repetition is still a constant and it's what separates herself from the aforementioned artists. Molina loves the sound of repeating loops and the power they have to hypnotize the listener, so the "pop" is way more subversive and the tunes don't reach out and grab you. Rather, they reveal themselves with each repeated listen, when your ears peel layer after layer away. It's a relaxing, sprawling, accomplished record and one that I hope will help Molina to achieve the kind of acclaim her aforementioned colleagues have gotten over the past few years. [DH]

		$12.99 CD   VARIOUS ARTISTS Delta Dandies: Dance Bands in Nigeria 1936 to 1941 (Savannahphone) "Rocking in Rhythm" Gold Coast Police Band "Nkpo Nnam Isuhoke Owu" Etim Henshaw Savannahphone Records follows up their incredible collection of early popular music in Yorubaland with this outstanding compilation of sounds recorded by Nigerian dance bands in the late 1930s. This was the music that preceded and inspired the highlife craze started by the likes of ET Mensah et al. These tracks are the earliest recordings of their kind in existence, and still astonish in their genuine creativity and pure joyful noise. One of the most interesting things to note is the general lack of brass instrumentation on these cuts; being one of highlife's foundations, brass instruments at this time were still a rarity in Nigeria and as such, many groups had to make do with mandolins, fifes, tommy talkers (kazoos), and penny whistles. It is precisely this ingenuity in utilizing such instrumentation in the band's arrangements that gives the collection such a refreshing sound, while tying it at the same time to roots of Caribbean music and to English and even American dance bands of the period as well. This is an indispensable document of an important creative period in the history of Nigerian music, and is most highly recommended not only to our world music fans but to fans of our Americana/Roots section, and even to those who enjoy the sounds of Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, and the dance band period during which those songwriters thrived. Click on those samples and dig! [IQ]

		$14.99 LP   GEORGE COLEMAN Bongo Joe (Mississippi) I'd put the Texan outsider musician crop against any state's (and win handily). You've got your Stardust Cowboy and Roky Erickson, Jandek and Daniel Johnston. And you have George Coleman. Other reviews will pontificate on how Bongo Joe Coleman (a Houston street performer who thundered on dented oil barrels) links to both folk and hip-hop, not to mention dudes like Tom Waits, but to my ears, there's nothing before or since to even compare Coleman to. About the closest I get is another idiosyncratic practitioner of folk forms, Robert Pete Williams (both originally documented by Arhoolie and from that part of the country). Danged if this isn't some profound music though: funny, mesmeric, funky, preachy, wholly in its own world. [AB]

		$12.99 CD   GENTLEMAN JESSE AND HIS MEN Gentlemean Jesse and His Men (Douche Master) "You Don't Have To (If You Don't Want To)" "Highland Crawler" There's something going around these days and although I am not a doctor I do feel more than confident in my diagnosis: Power Pop Fever! Ultra rare, obscure power pop classics are being reissued at a healthy pace (Milk 'N Cookies, Toms, Blue Ash, Ardent Records rarities, etc.); whole festivals of both old and new bands are happening all over and being attended by not only the folks who never stopped flying the flag but tons of young people who, through the beauty of the Internet, are fully versed in power pop lore without having to sacrifice personal hygiene or dates like previous generations. Which brings us to Gentleman Jesse (Jesse Smith), also a member of Atlanta's Carbonas whose take on Killed By Death-era punk rock is as wild and thrilling as it is dead on. It is this same mixture of history and passion that Smith applies to power pop and the results are fantastic. The album is literally packed with hits from front to back (including a rousing Equals cover) and my personal favorites keep shifting, but the fact that this is one of the most solid and rewarding full-length albums in ages doesn't. Catch the fever! [DMa]

		$17.99 CD   VARIOUS ARTISTS In the Pines: Tar Heel Folk Songs and Fiddle Tunes Old Time Music of North Carolina 1926-1936 (Old Hat) "The Longest Train" Mainer's Mountaineers "Lindy" Proximity String Quartet Compilations, compilations, compilations...so many incomplete, insufficient, unsatisfying, and unnecessary comps are flooding the market these days. Not to belittle the compilation as an idea, but so many seem to miss the point. Not this one though; In the Pines: Tar Heel Folk Songs and Fiddle Tunes Old Time Music of North Carolina 1926-1936 hits its mark. Old Hat Records, who produced another Other Music-recommended album, Good for What Ails You: Music of Medicine Shows 1926-1937, has the knowledge and attention to detail to act as an outright authority on the subject they compile. In the Pines comes with the highest standards for content, providing 24 tracks of raw authenticity, a majority of these cuts having never been available on CD until now. With packaging to respectfully provide context, Old Hat pulls no punches; the beautiful, vintage pictures and well-written histories make the booklet actually worth your time. Tracks include numbers from Charlie Poole, Dock Walsh, the Blue Ridge Mountain Entertainers, and the Red Fox Chasers. Songs about railroads, mountain living, famous murders, and the gospel represent all of the characters and archetypes in the forever-changing faces of the American vernacular. From the familiar to the antiquated, In the Pines moves through without feeling like a history lesson. For the consummate collector of traditional American music, this provides some real gems and for the casual listener, this will tell you more about yourself than your grandmother can. [BCa]

		$15.99 CD   SUN RA & HIS ARKESTRA Secrets of the Sun (Atavistic) "Space Aura" "Solar Symbols" Here we have something of a mystery, which is very much case with most of the output from Mr. Omniverse. Recorded shortly after Sun Ra and his Arkestra moved to New York in 1962, at the Choreographer's Workshop, Secrets of the Sun finds Ra and his band bridging the gap between the post-bop of their previous compositions and the psychedelic leaning of where they were soon to travel. It's more straightforward than you might expect -- no wild synths, no intergalactic chanting, just pure free form jazz, at its sweetest and, dare I say, Ra-est. Joined, of course, by Marshall Allen and John Gilmore, providing some magnetic horns riffs, along with Eddie Gale, Ronnie Boykin, Pat Patrick and one or two interchangeable members on percussion and space drums, Ra and crew seem to settle into a dark and blues filled arena; like jazz for a haunted house, the spaced-out bells and percussion at the end of "Solar Symbols" are particularly eerie. Throughout the record, producer/percussionist Tommy Hunter brings in an echo/reverb effect that warps the sound, like being sucked into a black hole. Originally released in 1965 on Ra's Saturn label, legend has it that this is one of the rarest recordings to be reissued yet. The Unheard Music Series once again brings the mighty man-myth to the masses, adding a 17-minute bonus track as well. Though the sound quality isn't the best, they've done a good job, considering they were working with transfers from the original limited vinyl pressing, somehow it seems to add to the overall tone of the playing and mood of the music. Looking for that groovy and spooky soundtrack for your Halloween party? This is it! [DG]

		$14.99 CD $9.99 MP3   MORGAN GEIST Double Night Time (Environ) "The Shore" "Skyblue Pink" Pop this in your CD player and crank it up, because this is pure electronic dance pop at its best. Comprising half of the group Metro Area and "CEO" of Environ records, this New Jersey native really knows how to make the synthesizers shine. Geist has always been a fan of the analog, human aspect of disco, early Chicago house, Detroit techno and NYC boogie, and is a vocal critic of the digital "garage band" production aspects of most dance music today. Album opener "Detroit" is a clear nod to the source of much of his inspiration. The influence of early Motor City techno is hard to miss throughout this album, with clean drum beats and simple synth sounds that are polished to perfection, not to mention Geist's sophisticated ear for composition that is sorely missing from most of today's popular neo-disco. Every note seems perfectly plotted to deliver the maximum amount of energy and emotion without going into the realm of excess, and the tracks never succumb to ironic posturing. Frequent appearances by vocalist Jeremy Greenspan of the Junior Boys add an irresistible layer of soul to the music, fiercely drawing you in then gently massaging your ears with beautiful melodies and chord progressions that show off Geist's songwriting talents. This dance gem is his first full-length solo album release since 1997's The Driving Memoirs and re-establishes Geist as a guru of synth work, electronic song-writing, and masterful production. [CP]

		$21.99 CDx2   BOB DYLAN Tell Tale Signs (Legacy) "Mississippi" "Series of Dreams" While we still anxiously await such hallowed fare as the complete sessions Dylan cut with Johnny Cash (only one turning up on Nashville Skyline) not to mention the complete Basement Tapes, the newest installment on the Bootleg Series is a nice surprise, comprising outtakes, soundtrack entries, and live versions of songs stretching from Oh Mercy on through to Modern Times. These years comprise the Renaissance of Bob and it's handy to have them in this set. Stripped-down takes of full-band tunes from Love & Theft commingle with Robert Johnson covers and choice live versions, Bob handles country blues and straight country swing expertly here. [AB]

		$13.99 CD $13.99 LP $9.99 MP3   MARNIE STERN This Is It and I Am It and You Are It and So Is That and He Is It and She Is It and It Is It and That Is That (Kill Rock Stars) "Rules" "Simon Says" Trying to get your head around Marnie Stern is a venture almost as hectic as her songs. Her debut, last year's In Advance of the Broken Arm, was a crystallized behemoth that ran together in a blur of pseduo-metal finger-tapping guitar and obscured earthy/mystical lyrical themes almost anyone would miss under the mountains of noise. We're not talking about a little bit of ironic guitar-hero jamming, either. Every song was a ridiculously technical composition based on Stern's virtuosic playing and complemented by equally bonkers drumming from Hella's Zach Hill. Listening to her latest record, I'm struck with the idea that she's actually attempting to throw us off the track to understanding her music with her music... That might seem a little meta, but hear me out. The songs are incredibly obtuse and go by so fast that there's almost no way to take it all in on one listen. "Ruler" sees Marnie employing a manual delay by multi-tracking her vocals and syncopating the phrasing in a way that's unexpectedly smart. So smart it's almost impossible not to miss because it seems way too smart to not be the focal point of the song. Then it dawns on you that every part is that impressive, enigmatic and multi-faceted and there are a thousand parts to every song. Hill's backing Stern again, and his drum tracks alone could be their own solo percussion record. The guitar and vocals alone would be a really captivating listen. Like a house with many rooms, we wander through This Is It... picking things up and putting them down before we get a sense of them. There might be too many things to pick up at first, or some might get put off or overwhelmed. However, closer inspection reveals the record as more than epic rock, peeling back layers of riffs and crashing sounds to hone in on a dark melodic core and schizo-yet-incredibly intelligent lyrical themes. The journey is hectic, but the end result, though potentially still head-spinning is worth the strange trip. [FT]

		$14.99 CD $9.99 MP3   GRAILS Doomsdayer's Holiday (Temporary) "Doomsdayer's Holiday" "Immediate Mate" Grails began life as a fairly average post-rock band, releasing a couple of decent albums on the Neurot label in the early 2000s. A few of years back, however, the band took a turn, shuffling their lineup and solidifying their sound around a globe-trotting approach that took eastern psychedelia, moody soundtrack pieces, and occasionally dour folk moves to heart. A talented crew of multi-instrumentalists, this foursome has since created a series of impressive records, each relying on increasingly varied instrumentation and a unique songwriting approach to convey otherworldly senses of doom and gloom. Doomsdayer's Holiday represents Grails' second effort for the Temporary Residence label, and in many ways it's easily their best. There's an obvious confidence that courses through these tracks, and a certain baroque majesty that imbue pieces like "Immediate Mate," all scattershot drumming and drones that grow from far-off melodicas to billowing walls of static, with a grim-scented grandeur. Alan Bishop stops by to quell the fires of "Predestination Blues" with his mantric chants, giving that track's propulsive rhythm section and serpentine strings an overarching theme on which to grab. Best of all, though, is the dreamlike closer "Acid Rain," a track that teases the listener with a sunny ambience before giving way to bursts of foreboding drone. [MC]

		$14.99 CD $9.99 MP3   LAMBCHOP OH (Merge) "Ohio" "Please Rise" The tenth full-length from the best band in EZ-country-soul is a low-key joyride on a slow-moving riverboat, an exercise in understatement from one of the most soft-spoken groups working. Shuffling drums, finger picked acoustic, tinkling piano, soulful bass guitar and muted horns gently nudge each other back on forth in this stripped down line-up of the 'Chop, casually leaving space for Kurt Wagner's breathless baritone. More and more these days Lambchop seem to be conspiring to disappear, with a cast of wonderfully nuanced players barely attacking some of the most sharp-witted and soulful songs of any country, indie or R&B artist today. What is there left to say about this band? They make sad and beautiful music about this sad and beautiful world, and we love them. [JM]

		$14.99 CD   CROOKED FINGERS Forfeit/Fortune (Constant Art) "Sinisteria" "Luisa’s Bones" The fact that Eric Bachmann has been performing under his Crooked Fingers guise longer than his time spent fronting '90s indie rock icons the Archers of Loaf is making a few of us at OM feel more than a little old. Produced by Mark Nevers and Alex McManus, Forfeit/Fortune is his most eclectic Fingers offering to date and with guests like Neko Case, Brian Kotzur (Silver Jews) and Tom Hagerman (Devotchka), it's quite opposite of his bare-bone recordings of the last few years.

		$14.99 CD $14.99 LP $9.99 MP3   WOMEN Women (Jagjaguwar) "Cameras" "Lawncare" Hailing from the Great White North, the self-titled full-length from these noise-pop virtuosos is a refreshing lo-fi outing that bristles with the same kind of claustrophobic tension that made the Swell Maps and early Guided by Voices so exciting at first listen.

		Taro Tarot $11.99 CD $5.99 MP3 Terrific Seasons $14.99 CD $9.99 MP3   THESE ARE POWERS Taro Tarot (Dead Oceans) "All Night Services" THESE ARE POWERS Terrific Seasons (Dead Oceans) "Little Sisters of Beijing" Hopefully you've caught the blog entries Other Music's Karen Soskin has been sending us from the back of the van as she's been documenting These Are Powers' 23-show tour across much of America and into Canada. Gearing up for their upcoming full-length All Aboard Future (out in February), Secretly Canadian offshoot Dead Oceans reissues the Brooklyn/Chicago noise trio's first album, Terrific Seasons, and Taro Tarot EP. Both are a mesh of rapid, cyclical rhythms amid sections of raw, ethereal guitar and ominous repetition. Eerie spaciousness contrasts with prickly atonal melodies, shrieks and howls, creating a sound that undeniably fits the ghost-punk descriptor frequently used in describing These Are Powers.

		$17.99 CD   OASIS Dig Out Your Soul (Reprise) "Ain't Got Nothin'" The biggest band in Britain returns with Dig Your Soul which sees the Gallagher bros craft more of their now copywritten brand of Beatles-worshipping, bombastic rock. It's all here: the rockers, the vaguely psychedelic pop, and the majestic ballads.

		$14.99 CD $14.99 LP $9.99 MP3   CASTANETS City of Refuge (Asthmatic Kitty) "I'll Fly Away" Ray Raposa spent three weeks in a deserted Nevada motel room recording this album while I probably spent most of that time laying in bed watching baseball and Project Runway while eating popcorn. So, it's no wonder he came up with City of Refuge, a beautiful, spaghetti-westerm tinged singer/songwriter record, and not me. He adds mystical chants and electronic buzzes and whirls, which only add to the mysterious, sunbleached ambience.

		$14.99 CD $9.99 MP3   THE SPINTO BAND Moonwink (Park the Van) "Pumpkins & Paisley" The Spinto Band return with Moonwink, and it's another heaping dose of the same kind of sugary indie pop that made fans go crazy for 2006's Nice and Nicely Done, only not as many kazoos. No real evolution for the band to speak of, but goddamn, if this isn't one of those fun, feel-good albums that coulda, woulda, shoulda been playing on the iPod during all those pre-McCarren Park Pool Show barbecues that Jeremy was throwing in his backyard over the summer.

		$13.99 CD   LAND OF TALK Some Are Lakes (Saddle Creek) "Yuppy Flu" Produced by Bon Iver, the full-length debut by Canadian trio, with dynamic vocalist Elizabeth Powell (who moonlights as a touring member of Broken Social Scene) at the helm, Land of Talk could be the start of something big. The vibe here is similar to early Cat Power and PJ Harvey, with Powell's soulful voice always at the center of attention, but with a more fleshed out sound.

		$12.99 CD $17.99 LP   ANNUALS Such Fun (Columbia) "Confessor" "Hot Night Hounds" No sophomore slumping for Raleigh, NC's Annuals. Such Fun finds the six-piece jumping off from where their breakthrough, Be He Me, left us, with an even wider array of instrumentation and clearer production, thanks to Modest Mouse/Tom Waits producer Jacquire King. Even though frontman/songwriter Adam Baker has finally made it into his twenties, he and his band still seem too young to be able to create music so effortlessly hook-filled and nuanced. There'll probably be a little less Flaming Lips and Arcade Fire comparisons being thrown around this time around, not because the band is any less epic but rather because Annuals have found their own voice.

		$16.99 CD   THE CLASH Live at Shea Stadium (Epic) "Tommy Gun" By 1982, the Clash might've been in decline but this document of the legendary Shea Stadium show might be the best thing to ever happen to that arena (barring the 1969 and '86 World Series, obviously). The band sounds tight and locked in, and Joe Strummer snarls his way through super versions of "Career Opportunities" and "Tommy Gun," and when they segue into a red hot "Armagideon Time," there's nothing to do but surrender.

		$13.99 CD   ROBIN GUTHRIE 3:19 Soundtrack (Darla) "3:19 Intro" "Comprension" The former Cocteau Twins man adds to his soundtrack resume with the score to the Spanish film, 3:19. It's pretty much what you'd expect from Guthrie, with plenty of ethereal soundscaping, sprinkled with piano, strings, and subtle sound effects. Like a lost, instrumental Cocteau Twins album.

		$14.99 CD $15.99 LP $9.99 MP3   ROSEBUDS Life Like (Merge) "Border Guards" North Carolina duo Rosebuds ditch the synth-heavy leanings of their last album in favor of a well-crafted, guitar-based indie pop sound. While the songs on Life Like might be uptempo and breezy, the lyrics are dark and sinister (most effectively so in the title track and "Cape Fear"). Rosebuds have created an album that appears simple on the surface, but becomes more and more nuanced with each listen.

		$14.99 CD $14.99 LP $9.99 MP3   CATFISH HAVEN Devastaor (Secretly Canadian) "Are You Ready" The first two records by Chicago's Catfish Haven showcased the trio's ability at crafting immortal bourbon-soaked no-frills rock & roll. With Devastator, they've amped up the soul in a major way; at times horns-backed groove or riotous party jam, at others backwoods garage blues, this is an album of heavy, wild anthems delivered in front man George Hunter's smoky croon.

		$19.99 CD 10 Track Sampler EP $7.99 MP3   THE FUTURE/HUMAN LEAGUE Golden Hour of the Future (Black Melody) "Blank Clocks" "Pulse Lovers" "Conclusion/Manifesto: Interested in combining the best of all worlds. The Human League would like to affect the future by close attention to the present, allying technology with humanity and humour..." -Human League, 1977 Criminally under-heard vintage, foundation laying, dark synth-wave with a lot less in common with "Don't You Want Me," and closer to Throbbing Gristle (though much more melodic) and Suicide (just as dark, no rockabilly, and more "new romantic"). Believe it. But instead of going to art school, these guys dropped out of high school and had more fun. This gem-loaded collection (featuring material from their pre-Virgin days including tracks from when the band was earlier known as the Future) immediately places the listener in the right frame of mind with a faux-radio announcement from a "network television" host who claims to have had Human League as a guest on his show and is impressed by the band's "new and melodic music when the majority of bands were just trying to shock people." The album is rich with totally sincere, forward-thinking, yet totally unschooled and homemade synth jams. Yeah, a few precursors to what was to come in later days (still raw and great) but jaws will drop upon hearing the dark chasmic reverb of "Daz," the minimal industrial beat of "Disco Disaster," the digital barrage of "4JG" and the instrumental, piston-pumping beat version of the Four Top's "Reach Out (I'll Be There)." This is prescient, vital music that doesn't feel like homework and the closest thing to O.M.D. meets Throbbing Gristle (check "Pulse Lovers"). I'm in Heaven. [SM]

		$13.99 LP   IRMA THOMAS Sings (Change / Mississippi) For the past two years, the folks at Mississippi Records have been blowing our minds with a series of insane LP-only reissues. Where they find some of this stuff is anyone's guess, but it's all been amazing. From random anonymous gamelan records to the unthinkably good rock-n-roll gospel comp Life Is a Problem, the output has been otherworldly and constantly strong. This reissue of New Orleans soul-shaker Irma Thomas' early songs is Mississippi's latest offering, and it follows suit -- totally monophonic, earthquaking early '60s soul. Recorded when Ms. Thomas was still at a very young age, it's amazing how much restraint and control her voice shows in these tunes. Where artists in their early days usually give off the "young and hungry" vibes, Irma seems to have it figured out already, and clicks into place with the songs so naturally it's seamless. "Two Winters Long" comes on with northern soul organ hooks and doo wop-ish backing vocals setting up an upbeat melancholy background that Irma just dominates with the vocals. Later on, the Alan Toussaint-penned ballad "Cry On" gets a reading so heartbreakingly lovely it really becomes the only version you need. There really isn't a weak song here. It's a shame this comes our way at the start of the fall, because the whole thing just screams, "summer record." Regardless, this is a timeless collection of relatively unheard soul and another remarkable edition from a label to keep your eye on. [FT]

		PHONE ORDERS Phone orders are accepted at (212) 477-8150 (ext. #2, mailorder) Mon-Fri, Noon - 7pm EST EMAIL For general inquiries or other information please email sales@othermusic.com. Do not reply to this message. REMOVE This is an automated list. If you would like to be removed for any reason, please visit: digital.othermusic.com/subscribe.php   THIS WEEK'S CONTRIBUTORS [AB] Adrian Burkeholder [BCa] Brian Cassidy [KC] Kevin Coultas [MC] Michael Crumsho [DG] Daniel Givens [DH] Duane Harriott [MH] Molly Hamilton [IQ] Mikey IQ Jones [AK] Andreas Knutsen [JM] Josh Madell [DMa] Dave Martin [SM] Scott Mou [CP] Chris Polcyn [FT] Fred Thomas THANKS FOR READING - all of us at Other Music

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