March 31, 2010

		RECORD STORE DAY: SATURDAY, APRIL 17 Record Store Day is fast approaching and we're looking to make this year the best one yet. If you're in NYC on Saturday, April 17, swing by Other Music where we'll be offering lots of special and exclusive Record Store Day releases in the shop, with a great line-up of guest DJs spinning their favorite tunes throughout the day (including Scott from the National), plus live performances from the Drums and the Pains of Being Pure at Heart. We'll be announcing more details here and on our website in the coming weeks. And no matter what town you're in, save the date and please support your local independent record stores on Saturday, April 17.

		FEATURED NEW RELEASES The National (Pre-order) Black Tambourine Dum Dum Girls Omar Khorshid LP Phantom Band 13th Floor Elevators (Singles Collection) Wooden Shjips JG Thirlwell Pill Wonder Lagos Disco Inferno (Various)   Bless You California (Randy Newman) Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds (3 Reissues) ALSO AVAILABLE Donnacha Costello The Go Find Circus Devils Jawbreaker Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/othermusic

		APR Sun 28 Mon 29 Tues 30 Wed 31 Thurs 01 Fri 02 Sat 03   WIN TICKETS TO JOHN ZORN & FRIENDS This Thursday, Anthology Film Archives welcomes back composer-in-residence John Zorn for another evening of ecstatic films and electrifying music. Zorn, Trevor Dunn and Kenny Wollesen will be performing alongside Wallace Berman's Aleph, Harry Smith's Film 23, and Artifactual: Films from the Wallace Berman Collection. Other Music has a pair of passes up for grabs so send an email right away to giveaway@othermusic.com. We'll notify the winner by email by noon tomorrow (Thursday). THURSDAY, APRIL 1 ANTHOLOGY FILM ARCHIVES: 32 Second Avenue NYC

		APR Sun 28 Mon 29 Tues 30 Wed 31 Thurs 01 Fri 02 Sat 03   WE ALL OWE: MUSIC, ART & FILM FROM HELADO NEGRO, JULIANNA BARWICK, & KRISTI SWORD This Friday, Roberto Lange (a/k/a Helado Negro) and Julianna Barwick, along with visual artists Jonathan Dueck and Kristi Sword take over 92YTribeca with a night of music and month of art exhibitions. These artists will be engaging in a unique collaboration that blurs the divisions between studio, stage, touring and recording. While Roberto and Julianna collaborate to produce new music live on stage, Dueck will be documenting with drawings, video and photography which will later be incorporated into the packaging materials for the final product of this experience. We've got two pairs of tickets to give away and to enter, send an email to enter@othermusic.com. We'll notify the two winners on email Friday morning. FRIDAY, APRIL 2 92YTRIBECA: 200 Hudson Street NYC

		APR Sun 04 Mon 05 Tues 06 Wed 07 Thurs 08 Fri 09 Sat 10   SHARON JONES & THE DAP-KINGS LISTENING PARTY Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings have been leading the soul-funk revival for quite a while now and this Tuesday, April 6, they have a new album, I Learned the Hard Way, coming out on their Daptone imprint. After sneaking several listens, we're betting that this is going to be their biggest record yet. Other Music will be throwing a Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings' Listening Party this Sunday, at 6PM, so come by the shop where you'll get a chance to hear I Learned the Hard Way and purchase it two days before the official release date. SUNDAY, APRIL 4 @ 6PM OTHER MUSIC: 15 East 4th Street NYC

		APR Sun 04 Mon 05 Tues 06 Wed 07 Thurs 08 Fri 09 Sat 10   JONSI ALBUM PRE-RELASE PARTY We hope you can join us on Monday evening, April 5, at Other Music where we'll be celebrating the release of Go, the new solo album from Sigur Ros' Jonsi, which comes out the following day on XL Recordings. We'll be playing the record in the shop at 8PM, and you'll also be able to pick up your own copy before anyone else, as well as enter for a chance to win tickets to Jonsi's May 8 show at Terminal 5. MONDAY, APRIL 5 @ 8PM OTHER MUSIC: 15 East 4th Street NYC And the celebration doesn't stop... Swing by (Le) Poisson Rouge on Wednesday, April 8 between 6:30PM at 9PM, for another Jonsi Listening Party with happy hour drink pricing and vinyl give aways, plus another chance to win tickets to Jonsi's Terminal 5 Shows. RSVP for this event here.

		APR Sun 04 Mon 05 Tues 06 Wed 07 Thurs 08 Fri 09 Sat 10   WIN TICKETS TO ANTHONY MOORE & ARP Other Music is giving away a pair of tickets to the upcoming concert celebrating the release of the latest FRKWYS collaboration for Rvng Int. featuring ARP and Anthony Moore (Slapp Happy, Henry Cow). The two will be reuniting for this special Wordless Music event at (Le) Poisson Rouge, performing songs from the album and beyond. The winner will also receive a copy of the very limited leatherette version of the album! To enter, email tickets@othermusic.com and we'll notify the winner this Friday via email. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7 (LE) POISSON ROUGE: 158 Bleeker Street NYC

		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.

		Pre-order On Sale $12.99 CD   THE NATIONAL High Violet (4AD) To call this record "highly-anticipated" is an understatement! High Violet, the National's follow-up to 2007's The Boxer, finally sees release on Tuesday, May 11, but we're taking pre-orders now so you can have the album in your mailbox waiting for you on the day it comes out. This version is a limited deluxe pressing, featuring foli printing and a folded poster designed by the band. (Pre-orders will be shipped to arrive at your door on or near the release date.) Order CD by Texting "omcdnationalhigh" to 767825

		$13.99 CD $14.99 LP+MP3 $9.99 MP3   BLACK TAMBOURINE Black Tambourine (Slumberland) "For Ex-Lovers Only" "I Was Wrong" Given that they were incredibly short lived (the band only managed a handful of singles and compilation appearances in their brief career), the influence of DC jangle-poppers Black Tambourine is almost unbelievable in its longevity. From the time they disbanded in 1991 (that's almost twenty years ago now... golly) the group has gone from strength to strength, seeing in recent years a glut of bands taking their name as some kind of musical holy grail and citing them as the first wave of a discernable American musical movement. Vivian Girls, the Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Wavves -- all of these guys had to have come from somewhere, and surprisingly it wasn't directly from that old NME C86 tape as it surely was elsewhere in the world. No, in 1989 there was another band to absorb that influence for its future progeny, and Black Tambourine successfully managed to take the best bits of Talulah Gosh, the Pastels, the Wedding Present and the whole fanzine scene and rewire them with the kind of wall-of-sound production Phil Spector put his name to. The songs were ineffably catchy and have truly stood the test of time, oddly unlike many of the band's British forebears, and this latest LP purports to be the absolute definitive collection of tracks. That is to say that it collects the nine songs Black Tambourine released in their brief two-year lifespan (all of which were on the 1999 collection Complete Recordings, which now appears to be incomplete), and adds six new tracks here for fanboys (and girls) to pore over lovingly for another twenty or so years -- two demos, two originals and interestingly, two covers (Buddy Holly's "Heartbeat" and Suicide's "Dream Baby Dream"). The originals and covers are in fact new recordings that Black Tambourine made last year specifically for this collection, all of songs that the group played but never put to tape back in their heyday. While these tracks don't necessarily make the collection better per-se, they do help to contextualize the band's sound even more -- of COURSE they were covering Buddy Holly and Suicide. When you think about it, it just makes so much sense. This record should be an essential part of any discerning indie fan's collection -- buy it, and let it bring back memories of vividly colored felt-tip markers, pins, canvas bags, cassette mixtapes and of course fanzines. If only I could order it from the back page of a magazine... those blogs just don't cut it. [JT] Order CD by Texting "omcdblackblack" to 767825 Order LP by Texting "omlpblackblack" to 767825

		$13.99 CD $16.99 LP   DUM DUM GIRLS I Will Be (Sub Pop) "Lines Her Eyes" "Jail La La" After barreling out of the gate with a couple of highly coveted singles, Dee Dee Dum Dum and her Dum Dum Girls makes a power move with this debut full-length for Sub Pop. While the buzzing immediacy and candy-coated appeal of the early singles was unmistakable, one had to wonder if the foundation would hold under the scrutiny of the album format. Like the first singles, I Will Be was recorded mostly solo by Dee Dee and then sent off to producer Richard Gottehrer (Blondie/Go-Go's, etc.) for a coat of polish. What comes out is a surprisingly mid-fi mix of noisier JAMC janglepop burners and slow-simmering odes to the Spector-era of girl groups. Beyond the spiritual debt to the Ronettes and the Shangri-Las, there's an ethereal, shimmering vibe in the production of some of these tracks that conjures a post-4AD/Cherry Red state-of-mind that I love to be in. But for all the nods to classic pop, there's a sparing touch here that makes it more than just another Raveonettes-style exercise in fastidious reconstruction. Look, I know there are a lot of manufacturers flooding the market with similar models at the moment, but don't be fooled by cheap imposter four-trackers -- this is real deal songwriting packed with actual, discernible hooks, feelings, and a VOICE that can really sing. Def. next-level breakthrough potential here, so get in the van while it's still a van. [JTr] Order CD by Texting "omcddumi" to 767825 Order LP by Texting "omlpdumi" to 767825

		$28.99 LPx2   OMAR KHORSHID Guitar el Chark (Sublime Frequencies) Guitar el Chark is definitely a feather in the already ornately jeweled cap of the Sublime Frequencies catalogue. It is well enough time for a proper compilation of Omar Khorshid's best recordings from his infamous years in Beirut between 1973 and 1977. There he took Western guitar sounds and blended them seamlessly with Egyptian beat group tradition, doing for guitar in the Middle East what Jimi Hendrix did for it in the West. Under the tutelage of composer Abdel Halim Hafez and the Lebanese George Martin, Nabil Moumtaz, Khorshid worked guitar and Moog into classical Oriental orchestra tradition, changing the landscape of all Arab music made afterwards. Referring to Khorshid as the Elvis of the Arab world begins to give us an understanding of his fame, recognition, and popularity, but there really is no suitable comparison for his virtuosic playing. Khorshid developed a signature guitar sound that melded '50s surf rock, traditional oud melodies, and a healthy helping of fuzzy reverb. In the West, his most recognizable records are his Belly Dance series on Voice of Lebanon/EMI -- and I'm sure these albums helped a few suburban housewives liven a few cocktail parties -- but under different direction these records could have easily been marketed with giant bubble letters and kaleidoscope graphics. Coming from a childhood in Egypt having grown up on equal parts Elvis and Oum Kalthoum, Khorshid emerged as a modern hero in the Middle East. He became a movie star and starred alongside Miss Universe, played for presidents, and recorded nine fantastic albums all in less than four years. After performing at an Egyptian-Israeli gathering at the White House, Khorshid's life fell into constant danger. His exuberant career and talented life ended with a suspicious car crash in 1981. This compilation has not left my turntable since I got my hands on it last week. Many thanks to the folks of Sublime Frequencies for not limiting this to one LP, there is not a dull second on here. I can't give this a high enough recommendation: absolutely essential! [BCa] Order LP by Texting "omlpomarguitar" to 767825

		$17.99 CD $9.99 MP3   PHANTOM BAND Phantom Band (Bureau B) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store The Bureau B label has become one of the leading Krautrock reissue labels over the course of the past few years, being responsible for high-quality reissues of much of the catalogue of revered German label Sky; many of the endeavors of the Cluster camp, including some of Moebius & Roedelius' best solo works (many of which have seen superlative reviews in our own weekly updates); the debut album by OM faves 39 Clocks; recent recordings by Faust; and Reichmann's Wunderbar album. They follow up these top-notch reissues with perhaps two of their best yet -- the first two albums by Can drummer Jaki Liebezeit's Phantom Band. Recorded in 1979 at Can's Inner Space studio by mastermind Conny Plank, the first, self-titled Phantom Band record was one of the first creative fruits to fall from Inner Space's tree following Can's dissolution that same year. Liebezeit is joined by Rosko Gee, Can's bassist following the departure of Holger Czukay (though Czukay is here as well, playing French horn), guitarist Dominik Von Senger, keyboard whiz Helmut Zerlett, and percussionist Olek Gelba. They pick up quite nicely where mid-period Can records like Soon Over Babaluma and Flow Motion left off, blending electric Miles Davis/Herbie Hancock jazz motifs with a bit of Caribbean flavors, some dub atmospherics, African flourishes, and even a bit of Sound of Philadelphia funk flavorings. The album is predominantly instrumental, save for a few vocal turns by Rosko. It's an impressive debut, but the best was just around the corner. Order CD by Texting "omcdphantomphantom" to 767825

		$17.99 CD $9.99 MP3   PHANTOM BAND Freedom of Speech (Bureau B) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store In 1981, the Phantom Band released their second album, Freedom of Speech, on Sky. Bassist Rosko Gee left the fold, and rather than replacing him, drummer Jaki Liebezeit instead drafted in a vocalist from the outskirts of the Cologne scene by the name of Sheldon Ancel. It's clear from the opening moments of the album that we're in darker territories; keyboard textures take a more prominent turn amidst the cavernous dub atmospherics and Carib rhythms. The lack of bass guitar in the mix frees up the sonic landscape drastically, and Ancel's vocals evoke moods similar to those of original Can vocalist Malcolm Mooney recast as an apocalyptic street preacher. His lyrics tap into the Orwellian Big Brother paranoia running rampant throughout the world at the time, and their addition to the band's landscape only adds to the group's propulsive tension; this is compounded by Von Senger's guitar moves, going a little punk here, a little chicken-scratch funk there, and bit of reggae rhythm bounce everywhere. Liebezeit himself has declared this to be his favorite Phantom Band record, and one of his favorite works overall. I'd have to agree with him wholeheartedly; this is, without a doubt, one of the best things any member of Can has ever released, right up there next to Ege Bamyasi, Tago Mago, and Michael Karoli & Polly Eltes' Deluge LP. If you're a Can fan, you're going to want to check out both of the Phantom Band reissues for sure; if you can only afford one, Freedom of Speech is definitely the one to reach for. These albums, while retaining very timely elements, still sound fresh and invigorating, and are ripe for rediscovery. [IQ] Order CD by Texting "omcdphantomfreedom" to 767825

		$17.99 CD   13TH FLOOR ELEVATORS 7th Heaven: Music of the Spheres - The Complete Singles Collection (Charly) "Tried to Hide" "Livin' On" The 13th Floor Elevators saga is so packed with emotional highs and lows that it is truly amazing that it hasn't been turned into Hollywood cheese a few times over already -- I'm not saying I support that idea, just saying. The core of those highs is the music contained in this collection, which has the unique ability to fulfill the twin roles of a greatest-hits type introduction to the band as well as a collector nerd pacifier (try as I may, I just might resemble that remark). As often happens with bands whose stature has grown over the years, the overload of technical minutia about pressing plants, matrix numbers and the color of labels is far removed from the spirit of freedom that the music was created in, but the opening few seconds of "You're Gonna Miss Me" erases any sort of line between those two groups of fans and it is all basking in the glow of some of the best rock 'n' roll ever created. Collector nerd pacifying minutia: You got all of the mono single mixes, which in most cases are noticeably different from the album versions, as well as exhaustive annotation about the singles different pressings and, as an added bonus, they include the four tracks from the French Riviera EP which had unique stereo mixes, and it all comes in that swank hardbound digi-book packaging that Charley has been doing for their International Artists reissues. [DMa] Order CD by Texting "omcd13th7th" to 767825

		$14.99 CD $14.99 LP $9.99 MP3   WOODEN SHJIPS Vol 2 (Sick Thirst) "Loose Lips" "Contact" The second installment in Wooden Shjips' compilation series collects material from their Mexican Summer 12", Sub Pop 7", a bonus CD given away with an issue of Yeti magazine, their UK tour 7", and the Wooden Shjips/Heads split tour single. None but the most seasoned modern record hound, whose calloused finger rests on the Paypal "Pay Now" button, can claim ownership of all these releases, so once again, kudos must go to the band for making these odds 'n' ends available in one place. Includes covers of Neil Young's "Vampire Blues" and Serge Gainsbourg/Brigitte Bardot's "Contact," done up in the traditional Shjips style (a colleague refers to them as "excellent variations on the theme song to Beavis and Butt-Head," to which I have little compunction to say otherwise). This is not an obvious intro to the band, but if you were a fan before, these seven tracks are going to sit right alongside their trail of LPs and singles past, groovin' on a psychedelic journey out to the ever-expanding horizon. [DM] Order CD by Texting "omcdwoodenvol2" to 767825 Order LP by Texting "omlpwoodenvol2" to 767825

		$15.99 CD   JG THIRLWELL Manorexia: The Mesopelagic Waters (Tzadik) "Canaries in the Mineshaft" "Fluorescent Radiation" NYC collusionist composer JG Thirlwell (a/k/a Foetus, amongst many other names) delivers his debut recording for John Zorn's Tzadik records, reworking eight instrumental pieces from his two albums recorded under the Manorexia moniker for string quartet, piano, percussion, and electronics. That this is one of the strongest records in the man's 25-plus-year discography is impressive enough, but this also manages to simultaneously be one of his darkest yet most accessible albums. Thirlwell has always used the Manorexia moniker as the vehicle for what could be described in layman's terms as his most "serious" music, in a chamber music/modern classical/overtly composer-oriented vein. The Mesopelagic Waters dips into eastern psychedelic modes, a bit of Les Baxter exotica, some of the majestic head-trips of Jean-Claude Vannier, and even a bit of Bartok, but on the whole it's all distinctly Thirlwell's unique vision, with a sound that is unified while letting each piece retain its own unique sonic explorations. This album has also become a surprise near-unanimous hit amongst our staff; nearly everyone here who has heard the record has been very much enjoying it, and that's no mean feat when you work in a shop with as many diverse, headstrong individuals! Tzadik, and Thirlwell, have really outdone themselves with this one; it has made the shortlist for my favorite records of 2010, and I cannot recommend it highly enough! [IQ] Order CD by Texting "omcdjgmanorexia" to 767825

		$14.99 12" $7.99 MP3   PILL WONDER Jungle / Surf (Underwater Peoples) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store I have no idea who the exact members of most of the bands on the Underwater Peoples label are. Are all of the groups distinct entities, do they even have "members"? The same familiar faces seem to all be in each other's pictures, smiling and hanging out in birthday hats. I'm looking at Pill Wonder's MySpace, and there's a photo of a quilt, a bonfire, and a mythological five-headed trout creature dressed in British colonial garb coming ashore. Which, in fact, seems somewhat appropriate, as Pill Wonder sounds like just that -- half-man, half-beast. Their debut Jungle/Surf 12" is part safari, complete with scratchy elephant, frog, and screeching bird samples, and part beach-bum bliss, with reverb-y, melodic Beach Boys-style sing-a-longs. Pill Wonder produces the most blown-out and chaotic pop noise that we've heard on the exciting young Underwater Peoples label thus far -- this is no soothing Real Estate haze -- but the content seems related, about suburbs and misfits, with lyrics that are youthful ("Find a new job if your current one sucks") and nostalgic ("Still, I got my friends on the porch in the sun"). The 18-minute record boils over with activity, reminiscent of the skronk of Micachu & the Shapes and the quirky chime of Architecture in Helsinki, with hooky guitar lines reminiscent of labelmates Alex Bleeker and Real Estate. While comparisons to Animal Collective or a lo-fi Grizzly Bear are inevitable, you can hear Blues Control and R. Stevie Moore in there too, and Pill Wonder attacks the sanctity of best-selling pop with razor-sharp claws. Almost as though the record were a mix of short clips inspired by a six-year-old's post-bedtime story dreams, Jungle/Surf is a breathless show-and-tell of thunderous drums, clapping, and yelping. Here's your chance to make your delirious escape into the wild! [KS] Order LP by Texting "omlppillpill" to 767825

		$15.99 CD $24.99 LPx2   VARIOUS ARTISTS Lagos Disco Inferno (Academy LPs) "Take Life Easy" Christy Essien "Grotto" Bad City Girl It's been a few weeks since we've had a legitimate Afro Jam (can you believe it?!), but here we are again, on the dancefloor, grooving to the sounds of Academy Records' newest platter of African disco and funk sounds that move away from your standard Nigerian post-JB's beat into straight-up glitter and roller skates territory. Scanning the song titles alone, you get a feeling for what you're in for -- "African Hustle"! "Boogie Train"! "Boogie Trip" (most likely taken on the Boogie Train, I'd assume)! These tracks could easily slip into sets at classic NYC discos like the Loft, the Garage, hell even the ubiquitous 54 on an adventurous night, and they'd be rocking the party without question or effort. I'm not even going into individual track details because they are ALL killers. Anyone who has picked up a compilation of underground disco from any city's scene at our shop needs to check this out, and anyone who has grooved to the Nigeria Special compilations, wiggled their butt in their chair at the Fela musical, or just wants an excuse to Secret Apartment Dance (don't front, you all know you've done it at least once in your life) should grab this post haste. It's not just a jam, it's the AFRO JAM OF THE WEEK, living long and going strong, so groove it all day long, people! [IQ] Order CD by Texting "omcdvariouslagos" to 767825 Order LP by Texting "omlpvariouslagos" to 767825

		$17.99 CD   VARIOUS ARTISTS Bless You California: More Early Songs of Randy Newman (Ace) "Hold Your Head High" Jackie DeShannon "Let's Burn Down the Cornfield" Lou Rawls Two years ago, Ace released On Vine Street, which highlighted the great Randy Newman's time in the early '60s as a young, in-house songwriter for Metric Studios based in California. It successfully showcased Newman's enormous talent as a songwriter and introduced his extraordinary back catalog to a lot of people who may have only known him for his 1970s-era "novelty" tunes and more recent Pixar movie themes. Bless You California picks up where that previous volume leaves off, taking the young songwriter up through 1970. During this period, Newman took the opportunity to write tunes in a variety of different styles for a variety of different singers, so you'll hear bright '60s pop ("I Got Over You" by Dick Lorry), soul ballads (the excellent "Anyone Who Knows What Love Is" by OM Fave Irma Thomas), soft rock (the gorgeous "Snow" by Claudine Longet), and even some instrumental lounge jazz ("Scarlet Mist" by Martin Denny) and swing ("Look at Me" by Bobby Darin). Throughout all of this genre-hopping and experimentation Newman was doing, his unique first person character narratives, sardonic skewering of societal cliques and uncanny ability to express the complexities of human longing within a three-minute pop tune was pretty much fully formed. "Davy O'Brien (Leave That Baby Alone)," performed by Duffy Power, is a hilarious glimpse into the lecherous minds of lusty old men. "Debutante's Ball," sung by a young Liza Minnelli, and Eric Burden's "Wait 'til Next Year" are good-natured pokes at the arrogance of wealth. But to me the highlights are always the ballads. The Fleetwoods' "Ask Him If He's Got a Friend for Me" is a heartbreaking, slightly pathetic plea for companionship and "Let Me Go," performed by a young Alex Chilton and the Box Tops, is a funny, desperate cry for independence from a confining relationship. There are highlights aplenty; for those still unfamiliar with the genius of Newman, I urge you to start here, and for fans of the first collection in this series, this surely doesn't disappoint -- I'm ready for a third and fourth volume already. Recommended!! [DH] Order CD by Texting "omcdvariousbless" to 767825

		$16.99 CD+DVD   NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS Tender Prey - Remastered (Mute) This trilogy of albums is actually a slightly better introduction to Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds than the first set of recent reissues, which covered the first four albums (one of them comprised of all cover versions). On his first two albums particularly, Cave was finding his feet and building a solid line-up of cohorts with which to best express himself post-Birthday Party. Although the first two albums are certainly strong, Your Funeral, My Trial and this round of reissues really represents the best of his solo work to date. By 1988's Tender Prey, Cave has gathered an enviable Bad Seeds lineup that really makes his work special. There's no better guitarist than Blixa Bargeld to provide a backdrop for Cave's vocals on "The Mercy Seat," delivered from the point of view of a man on Death Row. It remains one of the best songs Cave has ever recorded and sounds just as fierce now as it did 22 years ago. The addition of guitarist Kid Congo Powers allowed Mick Harvey to flourish as more of a multi-instrumentalist in this period, playing whatever was needed for each song. What makes these LPs stronger than some Bad Seeds offerings is that they presented a wider range of material, both sonically and lyrically, within each album. Whereas post-Let Love In, Cave LPs seem rather single-minded, on Tender Prey a mischievous romp like "Deanna" exists alongside a dark ballad like "Watching Alice." While Cave was making overt references to old blues greats on The Firstborn Is Dead, here he is assimilating that language into his own and channeling the essence of those influences in a more personal way, as heard in the subtle harmonica sweeps of "Mercy" or the deserted ghost town evoked by the chanted vocals of "City of Refuge." The album also benefits from the brief ray of light that is the closing track "New Morning." This song's redemptive tone sets the stage for the next phase of Cave's career. Order CD/DVD by Texting "omcddvdnicktender" to 767825

		$16.99 CD+DVD   NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS The Good Son - Remastered (Mute) 1990's The Good Son immediately announces itself as a more mellow affair with the gentle "Foi Na Cruz." Although half of the song is sung in Portuguese, Cave conveys a wealth of emotion, aided by strings, Harvey on vibraphone and a smooth blanket of background vocals. The sound palette of the album is unique in the Bad Seeds catalog. Although his image shifted gradually, it must have been shocking to be confronted by the cover photo of Cave seated at a piano, with two young children listening attentively. Just a mere seven years prior, no one would have dared allow their children anywhere near the half-man/half-beast that barked out "Dead Joe" and rambled about sticking a six inch gold blade into the head of a girl. It's a testament to Cave's long-term success that he did not attempt to repeat the triumphs achieved on Tender Prey. By The Good Son he has become a master of contrasting blasts of fire and brimstone fury with delicate string-heavy arrangements, and both are at play on the title track. "The Ship Song" is the quintessential Cave ballad, and features a breathtakingly beautiful arrangement, featuring a vibraphone-led coda that is at once uplifting and reflective. Having nailed it so perfectly with this first grandiose attempt at a tender love song, it could be hard to accept later stripped-down confessional moments on the ballad-heavy The Boatman's Call. Yet somehow Cave gets away with the biblical rave-up that is "The Witness Song" and stays on just the right side of self-parody. It's a testament to his talent and charisma that he can pull off what would easily sound like a pastiche of gospel by a lesser talent. It instead adds a burst of upbeat excitement to an otherwise lush and somber album. Order CD/DVD by Texting "omcddvdnickgood" to 767825

		$16.99 CD+DVD   NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS Henry's Dream - Remastered (Mute) Henry's Dream, originally released in 1992, is a more aggressive follow-up, but doesn't simply repeat past glories. It seems to be the closest blueprint for many of the recent Bad Seeds albums. "Straight to You" nears the heights of "The Ship Song" in the ballad category, yet is a lot more ragged in its arrangement. The background vocals work particularly well on this album and give the effect of Cave as preacher and the band as congregation. All of Cave's obsessions and motifs are firmly in place by this time, from the biblical/supernatural content of "Christina the Astonishing" to the hellfire spiritual rage of "I Had a Dream, Joe," to the confessional balladry of "Straight to You." "Jack the Ripper" closes out the set on a high note with a sense of uneasiness and a strong lurch. Cave has remained relevant over several decades since this period, and continues to be a captivating live performer, but has never topped this era in Bad Seeds' recorded history. The bonus DVDs offer more installments of "Do You Love Me Like I Love You," during which a succession of talking heads speak of their connections to the album at hand. Photographer Bleddyn Butcher's insights are particularly enlightening, and Mick Harvey's matter-of-fact recollections offset the gushing of various fans and peers. It would have been helpful to see captions on screen identifying each person the first time they speak; although their names are all revealed during the closing credits, even some of the better-known interviewees are unfamiliar by face alone. [MM] Order CD/DVD by Texting "omcddvdnickgood" to 767825

		$17.99 CD   DONNACHA COSTELLO Before We Say Goodbye (Poker Flat) Retro and futuristic, beat-driven and ambient, Donnacha Costello has delivered a wonderful new full-length inspired by progressive house, Detroit techno, pop-ambient shape shifting, and minimal composition. Costello has been sticking to decidedly vintage, pre-MIDI gear of late, and somehow it helps him build a warm and secluded universe all his own. Order CD by Texting "omcddonnachabefore" to 767825

		$15.99 CD $9.99 MP3   THE GO FIND Everybody Knows It's Gonna to Happen Only Not Tonight (Morr Music) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store Typical to the Morr stable, the Go Find craft sweet and melancholy pop that blends indie and ambient in equal measures, using guitars, drums, keyboard washes and simple loops to make their soulful songs. Bands like the Postal Service and Notwist have "broken through" with versions of this amalgam, but the Go Find opt for subtlety over showiness, and the listener wants to lean in and hold this one close. Order CD by Texting "omcdgoeverybody" to 767825

		$14.99 CD   CIRCUS DEVILS Mother Skinny (Happy Jack) Bouncing back from their recent acoustic outing, Robert Pollard's art-rocking Circus Devils have brought a thumping, soaring epic-filled album to you, humble fan, and we think you just might enjoy it. For their eighth (or so) album, these devils delivered. Order CD by Texting "omcdcircusmother" to 767825

		$13.99 CD $13.99 LP+MP3   JAWBREAKER Unfun: 20th Anniversary Edition (Blackball) Jawbreaker's 1990 pop-punk-emo debut with the shadowy kitty cover art is back in print, in cool CD-with-bonus-tracks (Whack & Blite EP and 7" mixes) or clear vinyl versions, and it still sounds fresh. Order CD by Texting "omcdjawbreakerunfun" to 767825 Order LP by Texting "omlpjawbreakerunfun" 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 [DH] Duane Harriott [IQ] Mikey IQ Jones [DMa] Dave Martin [MM] Marc Moeller [DM] Doug Mosurock [KS] Karen Soskin [JT] John Twells [JTr] Jonathan Treneff THANKS FOR READING - all of us at Other Music

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