January 20, 2010

		FEATURED NEW RELEASES Yeasayer (LP pre-release) Lindstrom & Christabelle Surfer Blood Dirty Projectors (7") Spoon Josephine Foster In Aeternam Vale Philip Cohran Kenny Larkin Rick Wade BJ Nilsen   Richard Skelton Minamo Oh No Brilliant Corners Shindig! Magazine ALSO AVAILABLE RJD2 Cold War Kids Hotrats Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/othermusic

		JAN Sun 24 Mon 25 Tues 26 Wed 27 Thurs 28 Fri 29 Sat 30   OH NO ONO TICKET GIVEAWAY Denmark's Oh No Ono are celebrating the American release of their new album Eggs (out Tuesday on Friendly Fire Recordings) with a couple of dates in New York next week, including a show at Brooklyn's Union Hall on Thursday, January 28. The group's epic, genre-defying take on AM/FM rock and psychedelia brings to mind an unlikely pairing of Air and Flaming Lips performing ELO songs -- well, almost but needless to say it's pretty easy to get hooked. Opening the night are the Depreciation Guild and Hooray for Earth. We've got a pair of tickets up for grabs, just email giveaway@othermusic.com. We'll notify one lucky winner on Monday, January 25. THURSDAY, JANUARY 28 UNION HALL: 702 Union Street Park Slope, Brooklyn

		JAN Sun 24 Mon 25 Tues 26 Wed 27 Thurs 28 Fri 29 Sat 30   WIN SHDWPLY SHOWCASE TICKETS & VINYL Norfolk, VA's premier dealers of psychotropic bedroom pop and experimental sounds, Shdwply Records are throwing a showcase a week from this Friday (January 29) at Glasslands, featuring the Super Vacations, Sore Eros, PC Worship and Florida. You've probably already guessed that we're giving away a pair of tickets, but Shdwply are also sweetening the deal by throwing in some vinyl to the winner, including Gary War's numbered and now out-of-print New Raytheonport LP, Super Vacations' "Henry" 7-inch, and PC Worship's NYC Stone Age LP (recorded live at Brooklyn's Market Hotel and The Wallet). Email rsvpshdwply@gmail.com to enter for tickets, and please leave your daytime phone number and mailing address. FRIDAY, JANUARY 29 GLASSLANDS: 289 Kent Avenue Williamsburg, Brooklyn

		Many of our customers have been enjoying the ease of texting their orders with their mobile phone. To take advantage of this option with any of the items listed below, go to subports.com where you can create your free Subports account. Afterwards, just text the corresponding subcode listed underneath each item to 767825. "GIVEHAITI" Subports is also gathering donations for the Hatian relief effort, with all proceeds going to Doctors Without Borders, who are providing deeply needed medical treatment for the country. Because a Subports user's credit card is already on file and will be charged (not a cell phone bill), your donation will reach the charity almost immediately. Donate $10: Text "givehaiti10" to 767825 Donate $20: Text "givehaiti20" to 767825 Donate $50: Text "givehaiti50" to 767825 Donate $100: Text "givehaiti100" to 767825 Donate $150: Text "givehaiti150" to 767825

		$14.99 LP w/MP3   YEASAYER Odd Blood (Secretly Canadian) "Ambling Alp" "O.N.E." Early pre-release, LP only (CD and MP3 available February 9, full review then). It might be time to forget everything you've learned about Yeasayer and get with the 2010 space program. Odd Blood is the Brooklyn group's highly-anticipated sophomore album, brimming with excitement and strangeness in ways entirely different than their stunning debut All Hour Cymbals. With a pile of pop hooks and slick, 80's-inspired sounds and production, yet still retaining at its core the group's rhythmic and harmonic inventiveness, this record if fully ready for takeoff as a major crossover hit. Order LP by Texting "omlpyeasayerodd" to 767825

		$16.99 CD   LINDSTROM AND CHRISTABELLE Real Life Is No Cool (Smalltown Supersound) "Lovesick" "High & Low" Lindstrom has always been an artist whose music I've respected more than enjoyed -- it sounds great, it works in its cosmic Kraut-centric disco context, but I've never found enough meat to chew on when going back for repeated listens. But this new album with singer Christabelle is an entirely different story; I straight up love this record! The sounds here are deeply indebted to a favorite sub-genre, the Compass Point/Paradise Garage-era of underground R&B/new wave-influenced dance grooves of folks like Grace Jones, Gwen Guthrie, and much of what we've raved about in reviews for recent compilations like Dimitri from Paris' Night Dubbin'. Many tracks from Real Life Is No Cool could even pass as vintage jams in a blindfold test, with a heavy dose of dub's spatial dynamics and loads of liquid synth work throughout, and occasional flourishes like horns and spidery guitar runs adding additional flavor. But Christabelle's vocals are the glue that keep the party together, showing a keen ear for when to lay back and let the tracks breathe, delivering her vocals in coolly soft pillow-talk murmurs, yet occasionally letting loose and tearing it up with the sass and grit of a true '80s disco darling. Lindstrom juggles the tempo throughout, but manages to keep the vibe sultry, and a bit more chill than the cosmic pulsations of his last album; he also keeps the track lengths concise and easily digestible, letting the songs develop without overstaying a groove's welcome. Had this album been released back in the day, Christabelle's name would probably get top billing, and diggers would have to scour the liner notes for Lindstrom's name. We're in the age of the producer now, and though in many ways this IS Christabelle's record, Lindstrom has stepped up his game; he sweats up the floor with the best of them, and it clearly takes two strong talents to make the magic of this album. Another strong contender for my best of the year list -- highest recommendation! [IQ] Order CD by Texting "omcdlindstromreal" to 767825

		$11.99 CD $14.99 LP w/MP3 $9.99 MP3   SURFER BLOOD Astro Coast (Kanine) "Floating Vibes" "Fast Jabroni" Surfer Blood has been getting tons of blog love as of late, and for good reason: this young West Palm Beach quartet creates some of the catchiest rock music around. It's completely opposite of the groundbreaking avant-pop made by store favorites like Dirty Projectors, Animal Collective and more recently Owen Pallett. There's nothing too heady or out-there about this record at all in fact, but that's okay, as these ten tracks will have you hitting the repeat button time and time again -- never mind that Astro Coast was created by four guys barely out of high school! Songs like "Floating Vibes," with its rolling, distorted bass line and James Mercer-influenced vocals, will surely gives the Shins a run for their money, while "Swim" is a perfect slice of pop music featuring a Weezer-esque chorus guaranteed to lodge itself into the head of any music fan between the age of 16 and 46. (And does anyone have a problem with that? Certainly not me.) Surfer Blood also mirrors indie's current fascination with high-life and Afro-pop during "Take It Easy," but they own it here with their jaunty distorted guitars and slippery reverb melodies, and what results is something that's both fun and new. It's almost unbelievable that a group of 19-year-olds has made one of the best pop records that I've heard in ages, and I can attest that they back it up on the live stage as well. Expect big things from Surfer Blood this year, they deserve it. [JS] Order CD by Texting "omcdsurferastro" to 767825 Order LP by Texting "omclpsurferastro" to 767825

		$5.99 45   DIRTY PROJECTORS Ascending Melody (Domino) Who can believe that it's been seven months since Brooklyn's Dirty Projectors released their groundbreaking pop album Bitte Orca? It seems like only yesterday that the band was crowded together behind the counter here at the store, rehearsing their complex harmonies in hushed tones before treating us to a rare and unforgettable acoustic record release performance. Less than a month after topping many critics lists for best album of the year, Bitte Orca is flying off the shelves just as quickly as the day it was released -- and now as a bonus to passionate fans, the band gives us two additional songs from the now-legendary Bitte Orca sessions. Previously released on the UK-only Temecula Sunrise EP, these extra tracks neither reveal a new dimension to the album, nor fall short as inadequate "B-sides;" the point is, as with each and every song by the incredibly prolific Dave Longstreth and his ensemble throughout the years, they deserve to be heard. A-side "Ascending Melody" kicks off with the band's signature African-inspired rhythmic structure, with twinkling guitars weaving a playful and teetering, but nonetheless focused and intricate melody. The confident R&B-influenced harmonies of Angel Deradoorian, Amber Coffman, and Haley Dekle surface, and the divas underline their omniscient words with taunting schoolyard-style "Ooo"s. The anticipation builds, and Longstreth finds his entrance, his stuttering interjections punctured by jarring cymbal crashes and Nat Baldwin's hiccupping bass. The light tune is unexpectedly joined by a ghostly string drone, momentarily making you second-guess whether you missed a news byte about a Projectors collaboration with No Age, almost anticipating three-chord punk to rip forth. Coincidentally, the B-side starts off with a shimmering softness similar to quieter moments on "Nouns;" "Emblem of the World" is an emotional, contemplative, understated powerhouse, and is without a doubt one of the band's most memorable songs. Longstreth is at his best here, his no-hold-barred vocal dynamics confirming that he has one of the most arresting voices in modern music today. The Dirty Projectors wonder aloud, "Are you happy to repeat yourself?" This extraordinary sextet continues to push pop in new directions, light years ahead of the rest, although we'll be the first to admit that contained within this 7" are the very same qualities that we have loved the DPs for throughout the years -- a refreshing honesty, unashamed intellectuality, anticipatory optimism, and most importantly, an ability to encapsulate the explosive tenuousness of the present moment. [KS] Order 45 by Texting "om45dirtyascending" to 767825

		$13.99 CD $19.99 LP w/MP3 180 Gram Vinyl $9.99 MP3   SPOON Transference (Merge) "Trouble Comes Running" "Before Destruction" This will be the seventh full-length go-around for Austin, TX indie-rockers Spoon, following their Billboard top 10-penetrating Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. So far this year, Britt Daniel and company have fed us a couple of outstanding singles from the new album, first with the Got Nuffin EP, then the throat-rending "Written in Reverse." Of the two, "Written in Reverse" is the clearest link between Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga and Transference, with its smelting hammer stomp and crumbling piano arrangement beating a crazed, tribal tattoo of desperation and grit. After the lush, wall-of-sound production on 2005's Gimme Fiction, Spoon has continued to minimize, emphasizing the empty spaces between instruments and notes as a means of raising the stakes and ramping up tension. But this new one takes an even bolder step away from that lushness; self-produced by the band, Transference is a simple, unfussy indie album, not raw or ragged, but without the sheen and precision this band has become so well known for, closer in sound to their earliest albums than recent hits. Repetition continues to be the group's strong suit, with the typically melodic instruments often taking on a percussive quality and sticking to one note throughout a song while Daniel rasps poetic. But where Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga functioned as a true dirt and nails break-up album, Transference plunges the listener into a seedy nightclub filled with dread and dancing, surrounded by garbled and broken instruments and a whole lot of demons interjecting cryptic questions like "Is love forever?" Whereas the Fiction-era Daniel was the voyeur, threatening to "turn his camera on," Transference-era Spoon sees Daniel in the role of prophet, encouraging us in the in-limbo strut of "The Mystery Zone" to "picture ourselves." And as always, he continues his reign as the 21st century's premier writer of one-liner barbs like "everyone loves you for your black eye" in opener "Before Destruction." The best cuts on the record are evidence that Spoon continues to create haunting, sand-blasted pop songs like "I Saw the Light" and the twinkling lullaby "Goodnight Laura." Chances are, if you stuck by Spoon during their transformation from the beat-poppers who wrote "That's the Way We Get By" to the shattered pop innovators responsible for Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, Transference will be easy to slip into and very hard to take off. [MS] Order CD by Texting "omcdspoontransference" to 767825 Order LP by Texting "omlpspoontransference" to 767825

		$15.99 CD   JOSEPHINE FOSTER Graphic as a Star (Fire) "Trust in the Unexpected" "Tell as a Marksman - Were Forgotten" Chanteuse Josephine Foster has always been a talented chameleon, bounding from one sound and style to the next, confidently tackling blistering psych rock, German lieder, and pure acid folk in her own inimitable style. Graphic as a Star, her latest and first for the Fire label, is every bit as high concept as her other works, yet it finds her taking an almost simplistic approach, matching twenty-six Emily Dickinson poems to exceedingly spare and oft-gorgeous arrangements. Foster displays a unique mastery with this record, subtly complementing the variety of moods Dickinson channeled so that a track like "She Sweeps with Many-Colored Brooms" sounds as slyly playful in musical form, accompanied by strums and the occasional burst of harmonica, as the poet's original piece about a sunset did. "In Falling Timbers Buried" is even better, imbued with a graceful power that shifts the songs tone from pleasantly conversational to quietly mourning within a matter of seconds. Foster's voice has a unique and forceful presence all its own throughout the album, and yet when left unaccompanied on Graphic as a Star, it beautifully complements nonpareil originality of Dickinson's meters, playful rhymes, and inspired phrasing. Often extremely brief, tracks like "Exultation Is the Going" and "Beauty Crowds Me Till I Die" add nothing but faint birdsong in the background to the voice, each a cappella rendition a spotlight on Foster's keen understanding of Dickinson's words. An extremely pleasant surprise, Foster's latest continues to see her develop as an artist, while performing the not-so-simple task of successfully adapting the work of a poet who hardly needs embellishment. [MC] Order CD by Texting "omcdjosephinegraphic" to 767825

		$21.99 LP   IN AETERNAM VALE In Aeternam Vale (Minimal Wave) Minimal Wave is celebrating their fourth anniversary and with that comes four new releases, including this LP from In Aeternam Vale, a French synthwave project featuring a rotating cast of one or two guys known for their crazy 200-something-long discography. Even more impressive than their resume, however, is this kick-ass album itself. Like a lot of musical love affairs, I first felt repulsion, but before too long had given in to its many decadent charms. While many of the reviews have been talking about the album cover's "genius collage work" -- something I'd describe as artwork heavily resembling Carcass meets Nurse with Wound in a '70s science fair/Museum of Skin Afflictions -- it did not make me anxious to pull the record out of its sleeve. I could only imagine that the LP would sound like a bummed-out, lonely teenager with a synth and a handful of b-movie samples randomly thrown in. But oh how wrong I was. In Aeternam Vale's throbby, synthwave art-rock comes off like a cross between 39 Clocks and Thierry Mueller, and I mean that as a heavy compliment. All the caustic, lazy, lowbrow/highbrow genius is there and even though the music is still raw, ramshackle and DIY-sounding, it's produced and mastered like a MOTHERF***R! And for all the buzz-qualities that make this "my kinda" album, it still manages to sound SPECIAL. That should be enough info for anyone that knows me, but I'll throw ya some details. The opener is a perfect mix of buggy, fruggy, smart/dumb art-pop, with spoken/sung vocals blubbered out like a mush-mouthed, junk-sick Mark E Smith and dirty like a pedophiliac. I'm tempted to make the ridiculous claim that the album could end there but won't bother, as it goes on to fulfill the immediate hope, inspired by the first song, that there are plenty more good tracks to match. I love In Aeternam Vale's cover of "Money (That's What I Want);" it not only outdoes the Flying Lizards' version, it also makes you forget how dead tired you were of the song. There is one sample-y, collage-soundtrack cut that slightly resembles what I assumed this album would sound like, but it becomes a welcome addition to the song selection in light of the other more "standard" gems. And then you reach a venomous, funky art-pop track featuring a lead vocal that has the crazy flow of Rakim and Serge Gainsbourg's lovechild. If you haven't noticed, this one's a bit different for Minimal Wave, but nonetheless, it abso-f**in-rules. Certainly one of my new faves, I'll give it 4 out of 4 stars. It's a wrap. Don't sleep on this record, as it WILL disappear, and it's already hard enough to see: clear vinyl. We'll be reviewing the three other new Minimal Wave releases in the coming week. [SM] Order LP by Texting "omlpinin" to 767825

		$12.99 CD   PHILIP COHRAN & THE ARTISTIC HERITAGE ENSEMBLE Spanish Suite (Katalyst) "The Spanish Suite 1" "The Spanish Suite 2" As those who have followed the trickle of excellent reissues from Philip Cohran and the Artistic Heritage Ensemble know already, any new -- or more accurately, newly unearthed -- recording is cause for celebration. Over the past few years, we have welcomed the releases of the group's On the Beach, Malcolm X Memorial, and Singles. A member of Sun Ra's mid-'60s groups, Cohran's music could be compared to his mentor's late '50s/early '60s forays into African music (Angels & Demons at Play and Nubians of Plutonia come to mind). The music of Cohran is characterized by flowing, groove-oriented, soul-searching qualities equally influenced by African traditions and modern American Black Power. Recorded in 1968 but never before released, The Spanish Suite does indeed open up with some searing Spanish horns. However, it might be more appropriate to see this 39-minute composition as a moon hovering over the sky-space between Spain and Morocco. Combining Moorish influence with the Ensemble's usual brilliant tapestry of North African, Southern gospel and American jazz, the sound is flowing and proud, bluesy and noble, earthy and astral. Anyone who's taken to the Ethiopiques series -- in particular the Ethiopian jazz of Mulatu Astatke -- will undoubtedly love this. The Spanish Suite is another masterpiece from this group. Philip Cohran and the Artistic Heritage Ensemble can, apparently, do no wrong. [AG] Order CD by Texting "omcdphilspanish" to 767825

		$19.99 CDx2   KENNY LARKIN The Chronicles (Rush Hour) "I hope this collection stimulates people to dig further into the history of Detroit techno. It was a special time and you almost can't compare it to the way techno is made today". - Kenny Larkin This two-disc retrospective, from one of the most important techno producers of the last 15 years or so, is long overdue. Kenny Larkin, alongside Carl Craig, Daniel Bell, Richie Hawtin and Claude Young, is part of what techno historians call the "second wave" of Detroit/Windsor, Ontario techno producers. They were all a bit too young to ever attend the legendary "Shari Vari" parties in Detroit or "Jack the Box" at the Music Box with Ron Hardy in Chicago. But all were deeply affected by the music of the techno holy trinity, which consists of Juan Atkins, Kevin Saunderson and Derrick May. Although Juan, Kevin and Derrick set the standard, it was Kenny & Co.'s productions that propelled the sound worldwide, as rave culture was hitting its apex. Where Dan Bell and Hawtin's productions tended to be dry, stripped-down and direct, Larkin's veered towards a more cavernous, open and emotional sound. I hear just as much of a Vangelis influence here as I do Kraftwerk. Tracks like "Northern Lights" and "Sympathy" are deep and meditative in nature, complete with airy synth lines, hissing hi-hats and chunky breakbeats. Also included are rave classics like "Q," an intoxicating orchestral tech-anthem, complete with invigorating snare-rushes and stabs of percolating keys. The sci-fi experimental techno of "Lifeforms" is classic Detroit electro-bounce a la Juan Atkins, offset by spooky effects that sound like wookies having rough sex...awesome! Around 2000, Larkin officially retired from making music, disillusioned with the direction techno was going in, opting to pursue a career in standup comedy, but the bug to create hasn't left the man and he's put out two excellent albums in the last couple of years, which are worth picking up if you can find them. I've often lamented the fact that much of the classic dance music of the '90s has been getting harder and harder to find and there are so many amazing producers whose names have faded away, but collections like these are a godsend and provide such an important service. [DH] Order CD by Texting "omcdkennychronicles" to 767825

		$17.99 CD   RICK WADE Harmonie Park Revisited (Rush Hour) Sadly, inexplicably, very few fans of minimal house seem familiar with Michigan native, Southside Chicago DJ/producer Rick Wade. I know him mostly from his killer tracks on the Moods and Grooves label, but he's also produced for Trackmode, CLS, M3, Elevate, Chord 44/Container, and Out of the Box. I've name-dropped him in our last two Cassy mix CD reviews as his style (his sets are deep, swinging and loop-driven but nevertheless lively sounding) is one of the definitive building blocks of Cassy's. It takes some serious love and a strong understanding of dance music to take post-disco repetition, keep it minimal, non-static and deep, and make it funky, soulful and grooving in a real way. Real drums, a signature rising drone of heavenly, moody strings, a perfectly looped vocal phrase, his is the sound I associate with early minimal house masters like Pal Joey and Chez Damier. For contemporary artists, Melchior Productions is a good reference point, but frankly, Rick Wade is more of the real deal here (and don't get me wrong, I love me some Melchior Productions)! Many thanks to Rush Hour for hooking us up with these limited reissues of criminally unavailable music from Danny Wang, Kenny Larkin and now Rick Wade. Excellent and essential. [SM] Order CD by Texting "omcdrickharmonie" to 767825

		$15.99 CD   BJ NILSEN The Invisible City (Touch) "Meter Reading" "Into Its Coloured Rays" BJ Nilsen has always been a favorite Touch operative of mine, and this latest full-length is an apt distillation of his sound to date. His last record, The Short Night, pulled into focus his amazing lightness of touch, as he carefully sculpted haunted field recordings and layered icy-cold monosynth. The results were ineffably affecting, and The Invisible City poises itself as the logical extension of those themes. Here the environmental recordings are pushed still further into the background, cloaked in dusty, buzzing synthesizers and malfunctioning oscillators. The drones that gradually trickled to life on its predecessor form the backbone of the album, giving it a doomed register Sunn O))) fans will no doubt be drawn to. When the guitar feedback drones of "Gravity Station" morph into machine noise and binary chatter there can be no doubt of the spine chilling potential of the record, and its ability to incite fear and awe from the listener. Thankfully, Nilsen calms his arsenal for the central section of the album, slipping into a gaseous ambient haze (helped by fellow Touchy Hildur Gudnadottir) which never totally disappears, fading into the album's second half like the ghost of Florian Fricke. There is something crucially human about Nilsen's productions; whether this comes from his use of the sounds around him or from his defiant compositional touch I am not sure, but it serves to make his albums incredibly listenable. Those who think ambient experimental is all horn-rimmed glasses and studied theories... well you're half right -- but try not to forget about the humanity in it all. [JT] Order CD by Texting "omcdbjinvisible" to 767825

		$15.99 CD $9.99 MP3   RICHARD SKELTON Landings (Type) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store After partnering with Type for a limited-run vinyl LP this summer, Richard Skelton gets a well-deserved large-scale release with Landings. He has been producing dazzling music for some time, in shifting hybrids of modern classical composition, post-rock and experimental ambient, often appearing as Clouwbeck or A Broken Consort. In the past, Skelton has released most of his work under his own independent UK imprint Sustain-Release; appropriately, his first album for Type is also his most ambitious and accomplished yet. Skelton's music expresses deeply sorrowful and emotional feelings, bowed and bent, wrested from strings in minor keys. Notes spill out, reverberating with exquisite resonance, filling the album with a profound and lasting watery sound. Knocking and dragging noises flow as an undercurrent, placing the music in a natural setting, referring to the rivers and landmarks of the song titles. Each listen has begged my focus in a different direction. Between the layers of floating screeches and bellows of strings and the palpable ambience of their wake, the music is staggeringly evocative. There is a lot to dig into on Landings, and fans of Stars of the Lid, Mountains, and Christian Fennesz's Black Sea will find much to like here. [BCa] Order CD by Texting "omcdrichardlandings" to 767825

		$13.99 CD $9.99 MP3   MINAMO Duree (12K) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store Japanese quartet Minamo (which features Fourcolor's Keiichi Sugimoto) has been hard at work for over a decade now, releasing a string of beguiling records that filter lengthy improvisations through precision post-production to affect truly haunting pieces of electroacoustic and microsound music. Duree is the group's first record in three years, and it's at least partially inspired by philosopher Henri-Louis Bergson's ideas that consciousness is entirely of a piece. It's an interesting conceptual starting point for a record, and one that Minamo is inclined to tackle by focusing on the preservation of group interaction more so than they ever have. As a contrast to some of their earlier work, the four players that make up Minamo concentrate heavily on acoustic instruments this time out, relying on a bright mix of pianos, guitars, and gentle percussive flourishes. Tracks like "Be Born" build almost organically, relying on acoustic guitar and gently processed harmonica at the start, before giving over entirely to warm drones and lazy percussion. Elsewhere, pieces like "When Unwelt Melts" are equal parts digital processing and live performance, with simply plucked strings balancing out layers of rising, manipulated melody. Ultimately, while Swedish trio Tape (with whom they've collaborated) or the more gauzy ends of Stephan Mathieu or 12k label Taylor Deupree's work are a good reference point for Duree, Minamo's sound is distinctly their own creation, showing a nice refinement of a lot of the ideas on which they have been working for years. [MC] Order CD by Texting "omcdminamoduree" to 767825

		$15.99 CD $9.99 MP3   OH NO Dr No's Ethiopium (Stones Throw) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store I'm sure that having Madlib as a brother can be both great (the vinyl hand-me-downs) and problematic (the constant comparisons). Being a young California musician named Michael Jackson probably has its ups and downs as well, thus giving rise to the wholly appropriate stage name, Oh No. Anyhow, through the years Oh No has carved a unique path for himself. Though his debut was as a rapper, he has since spent more time behind the mixing boards and at the editing table. His tracks can be heard on records from Mos Def, MED, Wildchild, and Percee P, and he had released several solo albums as well, to increasing acclaim. On his own productions, like Madlib, Oh No seems to favor themed albums. In 2006 he rapped over Galt MacDermot cut-ups; 2007 saw his take on the Donuts style of re-edits truly shine with Dr. No's Oxperiments, where he cut and reassembled Turkish, Lebanese, Greek, and Italian psych-funk; and in 2008 he thrilled a lucky few with the promo-only Oh No vs. Oneness of JuJu disc. Jackson's most recent outing, Dr. No's Ethiopium, is an exciting twist on the music of Ethiopia. Arguably, the music of this country from the 1960s and '70s is some of the most rich, unique, and funky sounds to come out of Africa. More than 20 volumes of the Ethiopiques collections made that point clear, and Jackson digs deep into that series for inspiration, yet he moves beyond the obvious in search of a good loop. Jackson takes the brassy funk, ecstatic vocals, jazzy riffs, soul fusion and groovy xylophones of Mulatu Astatke, Alemayehu Eshete, Asnaketch Worku, Mahmoud Ahmed, Tilahun Gessesse and many others into the b-boy arena. Blending his own synth and percussion playing with the loops and samples, the 36 tracks on Ethiopium, none lasting more than two minutes, are tight and rocking, inspiring plenty of head nodding and hip shaking. He even turns the pop and crackle of old vinyl into a soulful and sizzling strut called "Fresh Bacon." A fun and great listen from beginning to end that crosses borders, genres, and decades effortlessly and is as addictive as the drug it's named after. [DG] Order CD by Texting "omcdohdr" to 767825

		$16.99 CD $9.99 MP3   THE BRILLIANT CORNERS Growing Up Absurd + What's in a Word + Fruit Machine EP (Cherry Red) "Growing Up Absurd" "Jim's Room" There really is no rest. Just when you think you're done -- ready to pack up and move on to Early Music or something -- another bomb drops and there you are, back in your old haunts, ordering another round. People! Let me tell you, one day soon I will claw my way up to some real rarefied ground. But in the meantime, I'll settle for refined pop, and the good folks at Cherry Red have been digging in their heels lately, delivering so many excellent and obscure reissues in that vein, they are keeping me busy, belly up to the bar. Brilliant Corners were a UK outfit operating in the margins of the mid-'80s jangle pop scene. I definitely get whiffs of early Wedding Present at moments, though presented with an altogether more refined touch, a la the Glaswegian school of Josef K and Orange Juice. Basically, nice young lads looking urbane and sophisticated -- not quite Paul Weller -- but certainly clean enough to be extras at a Style Council photo shoot. They're as anti-rock & roll as they come, which hardly registers a shock, placed in the historical context of UK underground pop at the time. Being a bad-ass in a leather jacket and safety-pinned jeans had ceased to be a subversive gesture somewhere around the time that the first PIL record came out. The prep-school pop movement did punk one better, stripping the music of any nascent threat of machismo, rebellion, or danger. Put-together lads making presentable, highly-sculpted music. It's not at all hard to see a straight line moving from the Brilliant Corners to Belle and Sebastian and their offspring. Of course, this will bring to mind any number of fellow forces at work in the day: the haunted library of Felt, the detached coyness of Lloyd Cole's Rattlesnakes, and the aforementioned moves of Glasgow's smoothest. File this one up there with the recent Moose and Another Sunny Day reissues in terms of quality and good public works. An early standard-setter and beacon of hope leading the way forward into the young year. Bring it on! [JTr] Order CD by Texting "omcdbrilliantgrowing" to 767825

		$8.99 MG   SHINDIG! MAGAZINE Vol.2 No. 14 (Shindig! ) The first Shindig! issue of the year tells the unbelievable story of Britain's most eccentric merry psychedelic pranksters, the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, in a lengthy ten-page article, and explores the activities of Procol Harum in the '70s. Additionally, there's an expose on the '60s Bosstown sound spearheaded by Ultimate Spinach, Orpheus, and the Beacon Street Union, and a feature on actress Mimsy Farmer, most known for her roles in Riot on Sunset Strip and Argento's amazing Four Flies on Grey Velvet. And as usual, there's a hefty chunk of music and book reviews, making it another top-notch issue. [AK] Order Magazine by Texting "ommgshindig214" to 767825

		$11.99 CD $14.99 LP   RJD2 The Colossus (RJ's Electrical Connections) "Giant Squid" "A Son's Cycle (featuring Catalyst, Illogic, and NP)" Whether or not the decisions were in direct reaction to the poor reviews garnered by 2007's The Third Hand, on XL, RJD2 has made some changes with his fourth studio album. First off, it's on his own RJ's Electrical Connections label, and while it is still self-produced, and RJ does indeed sing again on a few tracks, it is not so relentlessly indie as the last one. There are head-snappers, there are pop songs, there are a broad array of sounds and a number of fine guest appearances, and RJ's own playing and production sound as varied and interesting as ever. Order CD by Texting "omcdrjd2colossus" to 767825 Order LP by Texting "omlprjd2colossus" to 767825

		$6.99 CD-EP   COLD WAR KIDS Behave Yourself EP (Downtown) The piano-heavy, soulful single "Audience" is a bit of a return to form for the Kids, a step back from their bluesier 2008 album Loyalty to Loyalty, and a nod to their earlier work. Not a throwaway, this EP is a must-have for fans of the band. Order CD by Texting "omcdcoldbehave" to 767825

		$13.99 CD $9.99 MP3   HOTRATS Turn Ons (Fat Possum) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store Supergrass' Gaz Coombes and Danny Goffey save their best songwriting for their other band, but with the Hotrats' Turn Ons, the duo deliver their favorite songs, by artists as diverse as the Beastie Boys, the Kinks, Gang of Four and the Sex Pistols. Some are radical reinterpretations, most are just a fun go of it, but with Nigel Godrich producing, and the boys clearly having a blast, it is almost always a good listen. Order CD by Texting "omcdhotratsturn" to 767825

		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 [BCa] Brian Cassidy [MC] Michael Crumsho [AGe] Alexis Georgopoulos [DG] Daniel Givens [DH] Duane Harriott [IQ] Mikey IQ Jones [SM] Scott Mou [KS] Karen Soskin [JS] Jeremy Sponder [MS] Michael Stasiak [JTr] Jonathan Treneff THANKS FOR READING - all of us at Other Music

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