April 28, 2011

		APR Sun 24 Mon 25 Tues 26 Wed 27 Thurs 28 Fri 29 Sat 30   TONIGHT: TALIB KWELI RECORD SIGNING! Brooklyn emcee Talib Kweli will be stopping by Other Music this evening to meet fans and autograph copies of his latest album, Gutter Rainbows, before his performance at S.O.B.'s later tonight. We hope you can swing by after work and say hello to this true hip-hop great! TONIGHT, THURSDAY APRIL 28 @ 6:30PM (New Time) Free Admission | Limited Capacity | All Ages

		FEATURED NEW RELEASES Cass McCombs Prefuse 73 United Waters LP Kode9 & the Spaceape Mike Dehnert Gatto Fritto Times New Viking Thao & Mirah Explosions in the Sky Rick Wilhite Pearson Sound/Ramadanman (Fabric 56) Rhys Chatham Religious Knives Blank Dogs Del the Funky Homosapien Nitty Gritty Holy Ghost! Matthewdavid     ALSO AVAILABLE Fucked Up (Buy Early Get Now) Tindersticks Gozalo! Vol. 4 Reading Rainbow 7" Love Inks 7" Crocodiles 7" The Everymen 7" EP Of Montreal BACK IN STOCK Mueran Humanos LP Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/othermusicnyc Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/othermusic

		APR Sun 24 Mon 25 Tues 26 Wed 27 Thurs 28 Fri 29 Sat 30   FLEET FOXES LISTENING PARTY Tomorrow night, we're celebrating the forthcoming release of Fleet Foxes' highly anticipated new album Helplessness Blues (out Tuesday, May 3rd, on Sub Pop) with a listening party. Not only will we be playing the record between 6 and 8 p.m., there'll also be some great giveaways including a chance to win a super-limited edition white vinyl LP copy of the new album, several limited edition 19"x25" silk-screened posters, and prize packs featuring a variety of Sub Pop gifts. See you at the shop this Friday! FRIDAY, APRIL 29 - 6PM to 8PM OTHER MUSIC: 15 East 4th Street NYC

		APR Sun 24 Mon 25 Tues 26 Wed 27 Thurs 28 Fri 29 Sat 30   WIN TICKETS TO RUDY WURLITZER RETROSPECTIVE, W/READING FROM WILL OLDHAM + BEN CHASNY One of America's most original novelists, Rudy Wurlitzer has also tried his hand at filmmaking and Anthology Film Archives are presenting a tribute to his cinematic contributions, from April 29 through May 5. This Friday, he will appear with Will Oldham for a reading and conversation to mark the release of Oldham's recent audio book version of Wurlitzer's Slow Fade (Drag City), along with musical accompaniment by Ben Chasny (Six Organs of Admittance) and photographs by Lynn Davis. To enter for a pair of tickets, email giveaway@othermusic.com. We'll notifty the winner this Friday morning. FRIDAY, APRIL 29 ANTHOLOGY FILM ARCHIVES: 32 Second Avenue, NYC

		APR Sun 24 Mon 25 Tues 26 Wed 27 Thurs 28 Fri 29 Sat 30   GIVEAWAYS TO THE JOY FORMIDABLE & A-TRAK Our good friends at Bowery Presents have given us a couple pairs of tickets to give away to these great upcoming shows. First, this Friday, April 29, the much-buzzed-about Joy Formidable are headlining Webster Hall with the Lonely Forest opening for these epic Welsh rockers. To enter for a pair of tickets, email contest@othermusic.com. Then on Saturday (April 30), superstar DJ/producer A-Trak will be bringing the party to Terminal 5 with an A-list cast of openers including Clipse, Kid Sister, and the Gaslamp Killer! We've got a pair of tickets up for grabs to this awesome bill as well -- enter by emailing tickets@othermusic.com. We'll notify the two winners (we've got one pair per show) this Friday. FRIDAY, APRIL 29: THE JOY FORMIDABLE WEBSTER HALL: 125 E. 11th Street, NYC SATURDAY, APRIL 30: A-TRAK, CLIPSE, KID SISTER, & THE GASLAMP KILLER TERMINAL 5: 610 W. 56th Street, NYC

		$13.99 CD $19.99 LP+MP3 180 Gram $9.99 MP3   CASS MCCOMBS Wit's End (Domino) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store I've always thought that if some of the early great American singer-songwriters had lived in different, more permissive artistic times, they might have ended up making music like Cass McCombs'. Not to disparage the genius of a Roy Orbison or Buddy Holly, but they came of age in an era where clear lines were being drawn as to what and was not acceptable in musical expression. One could persuasively make the argument that, at least in the realm of top 40 acts, very little has changed. Then again, we also live in an era where Kanye can sells millions of records, and Animal Collective can crack the Billboard charts. What was the point I was trying to make? That Cass is a songwriter in the classic mold -- writing music that feels of a piece with the giants of yore, in a time where creative boundaries have eroded to a certain extent. With each successive album, he has been pushing his craft further off the beaten path and into the briars. Even as his records become more inscrutable, there still remains that "one" song that grabs and pulls you under. There's always a "That's That" or "Dreams Come True Girl" to soften the blow of the dark below, and Wit's End is no exception. Here, he gets it out of the way right up front, opening the album with "County Line," a lilting, classic melody with the lyrical solipsism that has marked some of his best work. At times like these, McCombs reminds me of Morrissey -- not only in his willingness to write lyrics that may read as shamelessly self-absorbed, but the fearlessness of his vocabulary and elocution -- making choices that require a nimble confidence that only work because he has practiced this sort of thing over and over again. And now it is convincing. It's a shame that the term "singer-songwriter" has acquired the bland coffee-house connotations that it now shoulders. It ends up being my default when trying to describe McCombs to the unfamiliar, and I always regret it. Seeing the falling face in front of me, I'm immediately scrambling to rectify the situation -- "no wait, come back -- IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!" Wit's End is a bold collection of minimal, intimate ruminations that have no qualms about setting up a simple melodic pattern and running it to the seven- to nine-minute mark. As his vocal range and techniques become increasingly daring, McCombs' albums are more and more becoming lyrical monsters -- not gaudier, but denser -- the musical accompaniment a restrained, tasteful accent to the main course. The writing and arrangements have become so insular and delicate; it's almost hard to imagine listening to these songs in the company of others. But don't let that dissuade you -- this is genuinely moving and timeless music by one of our generation's great, singular songwriters. This deserves your support. [JTr]

		$14.99 CD $21.99 LPx2 $9.99 MP3   PREFUSE 73 The Only She Chapters (Warp) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store For this latest chapter in the P73 saga, our man of many monikers, Guillermo Herren, continues to steer his Prefuse 73 project away from the pioneering fractal, Technicolor boom-bap that he built his career on. While Herren's still stacking and layering samples, this time around he's replaced the dome-crackin' drums of old with chamber folk and modern classical intonations. His love affair with harmonies and the female voice is still present as well, but the guest vocal turns on The Only She Chapters from artists like Zola Jesus and the late Trish Keenan are used more to disarm than to soothe. In recent interviews, Herren's alluded to his love for Morricone's experimental soundtrack pieces and it shows; "The Only Contact She's Willing to Give" is a disarmingly lovely psychedelic piece, punctuated by plucked piano strings and ghostly female harmonies, and "The Only Direction in Concrete" is a whirlpool of controlled cacophony. Throughout the recording I hear echoes of the ethnic psych of early Vangelis and the percussive texture of Harry Partch also seeps its way into the compositions, but from start to finish it's Herren's genius arrangements that ultimately shine through. The Only She Chapters is a record that keeps unraveling with every play and requires about two to three listens to properly consume all of the ear candy he's throwin at ya, and it's well worth it! Recommended. [DH]

		$14.99 LP   UNITED WATERS Your First Ever River (Arbitrary Signs) I almost hate to mention who the artist is behind the extraordinary debut album from United Waters, maybe instead just allowing the music speak for itself, especially as it seems so far removed from the work he's known for. But taking a leap like this artistically can be an asset too, and makes the end product all the more compelling. United Waters is the one-man project of Mouthus guitar player Brian Sullivan, who entirely forgoes that group's fearsome deluge of sound for a vibe that's almost wholly inward and reflective. Solely and painstakingly crafted by Williams over the last couple of years in his home, Your First Ever River sets warbly, ever-shifting grooves to a sub-aquatic landscape. The songs are oblique, and suffused with a kind of faded melancholy that continually shrouds the sound like the underside of a lily pad on a pond. The more I listen to the album, and it's honestly been the only soundtrack around my house for the last week and a half, the more I find that these songs gloriously blossom, slowly but surely expanding into focus. One of the most original and compelling new works I've heard all year, I hope it gains the audience it most certainly deserves. [MK]

		$16.99 CD $9.99 MP3   KODE9 & THE SPACEAPE Black Sun (Hyperdub) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store Hyperdub label head Steve Goodman returns to his own music making with Kode9's follow up to Memories of the Future, from 2006, with a new full-length. Goodman and his longtime collaborator/MC the Spaceape once again sequester themselves in the fallout shelter to build a modern electronic soundtrack for the collapsing world outside. But if that last album felt like a dust-covered memory of our collective downfall, Black Sun lets in some sunshine -- albeit of the black variety. The brightness that runs throughout the record is new for the duo, with dazzling neon synths, intricately woven percussion and bass, and a more upbeat stride than we've heard before. Add in a few bubbly female vocal turns from Cha Cha, and it's a whole different mood -- less of the dub-n-dread motif, replaced with a more intergalactic and sparkling atmosphere. Many of the song titles refer to colors, from "Black Smoke" to "Neon Red Sign," "Black Sun" and "Green Sun," and are presented with a soft texture that fits nicely with the soft-focus Japanese-inspired landscape painting on the cover. You get the feeling that the duo has been dreaming of rolling hills and endless desert expanses rather than burned-out construction sites and the usual mechanical wasteland associated with the genre. Never fear, though for those looking for their next classic bass album, it may take a few listens as the sound design at work throughout shifts the emphasis from the slow-and-low to the vibrant and rocking. Goodman brings elements of house, 2-step and ragga into the dubstep fold. Spaceape and Cha Cha often play a game of tag across the album, the female presence slightly echoing and reflecting a dual reality to the masculine words of doom. It's been said that Kode9 puts out better records than he makes himself, and though this is not a game changer, Black Sun sits perfectly in the evolution of dubstep from the dark, cold, desolate and isolated days of yore to the warm and basking days that seem to be coming for the genre. Black Sun gets brighter, and maybe not bigger, but definitely better with every listen. [DG]

		$17.99 CD $24.99 LPx2   MIKE DEHNERT Framework (Delsin) "Quattro" "Beatmatching" I jumped on the chance to hear this latest Delsin release, as the most recent EPs that the label had issued (the new Redshape and DVS 1) were both top 10 picks of the week for me. In true form, Mike Dehnert's Framework LP showcases his strong roots in classic techno (from Detroit's muscle to Chain Reaction's depth) while adding the contemporary, dynamic edge that we've come to expect from Delsin. You can also place Framework in the same rank as releases from Ost Gut stalwarts like Ben Klock and Marcel Dettman, who have made some of my favorite techno records of recent memory. There is indeed a distinct similarity to be found between these artists in the slightly primal yet gently pummeling sound of the deepest tracks and in how they create a dense, tightly structured and stripped-down house bent to the 'big room' cuts. Excellent, exceptional even, and not to be missed. I immediately grabbed the only LP copy we originally got in after the first listen, but we've since re-stocked the vinyl, and of course we're carrying the CD format as well, so don't sleep on this one. [SM]

		$17.99 CD $9.99 MP3   GATTO FRITTO Gatto Fritto (International Feel) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store Lindstrom's dance imprint International Feel has this far stayed below lots of folks' radar, but that should be changing this summer, with two big releases. Legendary British disco pioneer DJ Harvey's Locus Solus project drops soon, but the pump will be primed by this gorgeous album from UK producer Ben Williams. As Gatto Fritto, Williams has delivered some fine head-buzzing remixes and Balearic-indebted dance tracks over the past few years, but his debut album outstrips all his previous work. Opening with the percolations of "The Curse," Gatto Fritto moves through space-disco, house, electro, laid-back ambience and synth soundtrack moments, with highlights including the vocoder-laced "Lucifer Morning Star," the strummed acoustic guitar that propels the epic "Invisible College," and the closing swirls of "Beachy Head." What we have here is the first album of the summer, one recommended for fans of Boards of Canada, Lindstrom and Prins Thomas, and other open-ended electronic acts. [AB]

		$13.99 CD $18.99 LP+MP3 $9.99 MP3   TIMES NEW VIKING Dancer Enquired (Merge) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store We can more or less credit Times New Viking for being the band that spearheaded the modern "lo-fi" revival, but we are not to blame them for its repercussions, especially this late in the game. The Columbus, OH trio has been bashing away at their own take on tuneful, handmade pop music for several years and across a number of respected labels (it was their music, after all, that helped the dormant Siltbreeze imprint to march back into action), but with each effort the group has shown insight into their own methods, refining their sound and songs to fit a consistent ideology. They're definitely one of the very few bands out of the movement that seems to have a firm grasp on songwriting within the confines of the sound they've chosen, using the instrumentation they picked up at the start (full-stack Strat, tiny keyboard synth, drum kit, co-ed vocals); furthermore, this philosophy guarantees that their sound remains a constant, no matter what the treatments. Having gone through a large chunk of what came across as a veritable onslaught of lo-fi bands in the late '00s, it became evident to me that there was a line drawn, with bands like TNV, Pink Reason, and Psychedelic Horseshit on one side, and a bunch of random copycats who used the reductive qualities of a lo-fi recording to add an essence to their sound that just wasn't there; a lot of these bands just sounded like your average bar rock combo or sweater-rubbing twee popsters posing under a barrage of noise. On Dancer Equired, their fifth album altogether and their first for the venerable Merge Records, Times New Viking sounds as if the blowouts of their earlier efforts are finished; while this isn't a Lady Gaga record in terms of production, they have definitely shot above the rungs of mid-fi into "polished demo" territory, which suits this new set to a tee. Again, if you've enjoyed what this band has done in the past, you are likely to love these brief, touching ruminations, without question the most sincere and winning collection of songs they've assembled to date. Beth Murphy and Adam Elliott have mastered the art of vocal harmonizing within their range, and more than ever their music takes on the best qualities of both their local Midwestern musical background (Guided by Voices, Scrawl) and the psychic links to New Zealander pop of the '80s and '90s (the Bats, Jean Paul Sartre Experience, the Clean) and Californian pop masters (Refrigerator, Nothing Painted Blue, Diskothi-Q and the other members of the Shrimper roster). Dancer Equired hearkens back to a time when bands of their kind were strictly doing it for themselves, when indie rock was still very much insulated from any commercial appeal, and musicians could hope to touch the hearts of the very few. [DM]

		$12.99 CD $16.99 LP+MP3 $9.99 MP3   THAO & MIRAH Thao & Mirah (Kill Rock Stars) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store The pairing of Thao Nguyen (of Thao with the Get Down Stay Down) and Mirah Yom Tov Zeitlyn (of... Mirah) is one so inspired, it seems like a joyful reunion more than a shot in the dark. The addition of producer Merrill Garbus (of tUnE-yArDs) in the studio on the recording of Thao & Mirah's self-titled debut was simply a stroke of genius. These three women, each in their own way, have been making some of the most original and exciting indie-folk-pop-whatever of the past five or ten years, and together, playing off each other's strengths, quirks and talents, they have made an album that is as good as the best stuff any of them have done on their own. Each woman brings her own songwriting style to the table (even Garbus, who penned the stellar first single "Eleven"), but it is the way they all help each other out that is so joyful; Thao's trademarked swooping falsetto "ooh-ooh-ooh's" on the end of Mirah's whispering "Little Cup," or the intimate, embracing chorus that arrives on Thao's "Teeth." Garbus' sonic thumbprint is everywhere, in the clattering, distorted percussion and soulful, surprising interludes, like the punchy horns and Afro-funk bass of "Rubies and Rocks." What else do you need -- if you like any of these talented artists, you will love this album, and I hope this is not the last we hear from this supergroup. [JM]

		$13.99 CD $28.99 LPx2+MP3 $9.99 MP3   EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY Take Care, Take Care, Take Care (Temporary Residence Ltd.) "Human Qualities" "Trembling Hands" It's doubtful that even the likes of William Jennings Bryan or Clarence Darrow could make a successful case for Austin, Texas quartet Explosions in the Sky ever being subtle. Then again, with over a decade in the trenches, subtlety is hardly something the band's fans have come to expect, be it in their sound, their song titles, or even their artwork. Plying a form of bombastic, endlessly building post-rock across a decade when most of that genre's practitioners have either worn the idiom to a nub or faded off into irrelevance, these guys have stayed their course, issuing albums that always managed to inject enough new life and tiny variations into their sound to make 'em worth repeated listens. In a lot of ways, Take Care, Take Care, Take Care, the band's latest for the Temporary Residence Limited imprint, hardly breaks from their mold. When it does, though, it's more than enough to keep you coming back for more. Six oft-epic, oft-aching tracks housed in a fairly ridiculous package that folds out into an ornately painted house (no joke), the album immediately highlights everything for which the band has come to be known. Diving headlong into a forlorn riff, album opener "Last Known Surroundings" immediately picks up where the band last left off -- all driving rhythms and chiming guitars that build to the type of climax for which these guys are revered. From there, though, things surprisingly switch up. "Human Qualities" introduces some gentler percussive and string sounds to the mix, and works backwards into a beautiful moment of distant vocals, before giving in to the urge to go all in with the big payoff. "Trembling Hands" approaches pop brevity as well, with chanted vocals punctuating the song's urgent and succinct drive. From there, the band manages to tackle what might be the most unabashedly pretty song of their entire career (the lovely "Postcard from 1952"), before closing out with the ethereal "Let Me Back In." Nice to see that after five albums, Explosions in the Sky only seem to get better at delivering the goods. [MC]

		$15.99 CD $24.99 LP+CD   RICK WILHITE Analog Aquarium (Still Music) "City Bar Dancing (Basement Mix)" "Blame It on the Boogie" When compared to fellow contemporary Detroit masterminds like Kenny Dixon Jr. (Moodyman), Theo Parrish or Omar S., we are used to regarding Rick Wilhite as a somewhat more approachable, less abstract-sounding producer. But it's his new album, Analog Aquarium (on Chicago's Still imprint, home of the first Trus'me LP, Bim Marx, Devarne), in which we really discover just how effective abstraction and deconstruction can be in the hands of someone with such a high level of sophistication and knowledge. Besides collaborating in the Three Chairs project with Parrish, Moodyman and Marcellus Pittman, Wilhite has also run his own record store (Vibes) and it's this longtime experience with such a fertile collective of producers matched with his curatorial expertise running a great record shop that really shines through on this truly uncommon album. The entire first half of Analog Aquarium explores some rich, deliciously subtle territory; it strikes us as a record that many younger, contemporary techno/house producers would love to make but simply cannot. To our surprise, it's incredibly spare for a Rick Wilhite production, but what is stupefying is that there is nothing missing -- the tracks simply do not lag! During "Sunshine," gently rolling hand drums, maracas and tambourine syncopate forward in a skeletal Villalobos-type rhythm, with slight Efdemin-esque accents. I only mention these names, however, as reference points because the results are truly Wilhite's. Again, he's found a new level here, touching on the deep-reaching soul elements of Moodyman and the raw abstraction of Parrish, but injected with his newfound higher-fi production as heard on his Presents Vibes collection. There's also a slighter deeper sound that approaches minimal techno, but still remains full via many subtle, well-placed layers of string tones and bits of vocal and percussion. Furthermore, it is an exploration of the sounds normally found within and between classic house tracks that make their way to the forefront here. There is a deft turning inside out of the typical house aesthetic that makes Analog Aquarium stand far apart from your usual house record. The sounds come across as very familiar and alien at the same time -- something that can only be done well by a true veteran. Add to that the fact that the entire album is made with strictly analog equipment, instruments and voice only is even more mind-boggling -- that's right: no pro-tools or software. With results like this, Wilhite is making the strongest case for experience/ingenuity over easily accessed info/technology that these ears have heard in a looooong time. Best New Music! Okay, maybe "Analog Jam of the Week"? No, seriously... This is in the top 5 of my top 10 of 2011 already. [SM]

		$17.99 CD   PEARSON SOUND / RAMADANMAN Fabriclive 56 (Fabric) "Late Night Jam" Levon Vincent "Demons" A Made Up Sound The latest installment of the FabricLive mix series comes from a person that I would call a producer's producer, David Kennedy a/k/a Pearson Sound and b/k/a Ramadanman. Head honcho of the British label Hessle Audio, Kennedy has his hands deep in the new bass movement that includes Joy O, Digital Mystikz, A Made Up Sound, Appleblim, Sigha (all included here), and countless others. Kennedy approaches this set with a loose-fingered, cross-fader-heavy technique of blending tracks across stretches of time, not simply sequencing slight transitions; this is a sort of new bass mash-up. Moving across the thin lines that separate UK funky from house, or dubstep from garage, this is a very 'now' sound. Lots of layering creates dizzying meshes of bass and beats, clipped snares, muted hi-hats, smeared synths and gooey digital ooze. Tight and energetic from start to finish, most tracks last no more than two or three minutes, helping to push the mix forward with a great stride. Kennedy includes many of his own cuts along with snippets of Burial, Panagae, Pinch, MJ Cole, Lil Silva, and Jam City, among others. Fans of the Dubstep All Stars or the Rinse mix series won't be disappointed; this is definitely not a typical dubstep mix, it's more varied in rhythms and vibes, yet with more than enough bass to satisfy even the greediest of bass heads. A top-notch exploration in contemporary low-end theories! [DG]

		$15.99 CD $18.99 LP+MP3   RHYS CHATHAM Outdoor Spell (Northern Spy) "Corn Maiden's Rite" "Outdoor Spell" New album from the legendary Rhys Chatham, exploring sounds ranging from the practically heraldic to the improvisatory. Comprised of four longish tracks, each use the trumpet as the central instrument and also bend its sound qualities from the familiar to the inscrutable. "Outdoor Spell" is perhaps the most triumphant, a merging of voice and ringing horn that seems to soar from the crest of some glorious rampart. "Corn Maiden's Rite" is the other stand-out track, an intriguing duet for trumpet and the obscure Peruvian percussion instrument the cajon, played by Beatriz Rojas, which provides resonant vibrations to Chatham's long, fluttery tones. [MK]

		$14.99 CD $15.99 LP+MP3 $9.99 MP3   RELIGIOUS KNIVES Smokescreen (Sacred Bones) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store Religious Knives are back in action after a brief hiatus (they had a baby!), exploring the same psychedelic sounds last visited on 2008's The Door. The emphasis here is on repetition and atmosphere within a blurry rock context; guitar and organ leads snake around a solid rhythm section, and vocals are often intoned, rather than sung, as with the mantra "watch out" in "Big Police." These tunes skillfully navigate the precipice between formlessness and structure, and having now worked as a full band for several years, there's a real chemistry evident within the group. On "Private Air," the gang kicks up a dense cloud of drone rock, in which squealing feedback guitar battles with persistent rolling toms and tambourine. Vocal duties are split between Michael Bernstein and Maya Miller, the male/female duality altering the palette slightly and providing a welcome back-and-forth element to an otherwise similar foundation. The staccato organ in "Garbage Can" gives a nod to reggae, without sounding out of place in the bigger picture; rather, it's touches like these that add color to the proceedings. A highlight, the title track closes the album with a brooding workout that floats by like a hazy recollection. This is music to lose yourself in, and Religious Knives are a welcome addition to the Sacred Bones roster, alongside such psychedelia-tinged acts as Moon Duo or Naked on the Vague... smoke 'em if you got 'em. [NN]

		$10.99 CD $17.99 LPx2+MP3   BLANK DOGS Collected by Itself 2006-2009 (Captured Tracks) "Slow Room" "Leaving the Light On" While Mike Sniper has embraced a higher fidelity production in his more recent recordings, it's still impossible not to associate Blank Dogs as one of the purveyors of the decidedly murky lo-fi coming out of Brooklyn and beyond for a better part of a half-decade. The man is as prolific as 4-track greats like Barlow and Pollard before him, though he is far more informed by cold wave and downer post-punk, a la Joy Division, than either Lou or Bob's indie-rock missives. And unlike so many of his scrappy bedroom-punk contemporaries, Blank Dogs knows how to write a song. Collecting 27 re-mastered tracks culled from out-of-print singles, EPs, cassettes and compilations, these not-so-old rarities come from a time when Blank Dogs was cloaked in a sort of Jandek-shroud of mystery, no one knowing exactly who he was with lots of crazy speculation (Stephen Malkmus?!) -- let alone that he was Captured Tracks label owner Mike Sniper. The recordings themselves were even more-so mysterious, with a cheap array of guitars, basses, synths, drums and primitive drum-machine beats drenched in a cloud of hiss that lent an extra air of detachment to Sniper's already detached Ian Curtis-inspired vocals. It was during this era that Update contributor John Twells would describe Blank Dogs as sounding like "Ariel Pink covering the best of early Factory." That's about as apt a description as you can get and, echoing John's sentiment, not a bad thing in my book either. A solid collection spanning just a couple of years, it's hard to believe that there are still more tracks waiting in the archives -- so much for being a completist. [GH]

		$15.99 CDx3   DEL THE FUNKY HOMOSAPIEN Golden Era (Council) "Calculate" "Raw" "DelFunk" Back in the '90s, my friends and I waited for a new record from Del the Funkee Homosapian with bated breath, but it was always slow in coming -- as a founding member of both Da Lench Mob and Hieroglyphics (and Ice Cube's cousin!), Del's records both pushed the weird, novel aspects of '90s hip hop and incurred the wrath of the major labels who had to pay for them, all the while employing an agenda of marijuana smoke and skate sponsorships. Even more insane was that his best tracks often ended up as b-sides. Del spent much of the '90s with recordings coming forth in dribs and drabs, before launching the Deltron 3030 project with Kid Koala and Dan the Automator, only to have that group's membership subsumed by multimedia supergroup Gorillaz. No Del solo output appeared for a while -- eight years, in fact, the run of the entire Bush administration -- but a late-blooming album for Def Jux and a collabo with Team One put him back on the map, one which had been decimated by the ongoing collapse of the recording industry. So then, in a time of massive drought for quality hip hop releases, Del comes up with the bumper crop: The Golden Era is a brand new studio album, full of funk-laden boasts, whacked out lyrics, and production which is both challenging and a throwback to ... well, his golden era, the early to mid '90s. But that's not all: two entirely separate Del full-lengths, which had never been officially released (Funk Man: The Stimulus Package and Automatik Statik, both previously available only from his website as digital downloads), are included here as well. All three albums sound as if they could have been cut from the same sesh, so integrated their sounds and styles are with one another. If you're into Del, Souls of Mischief, the sounds from their era, and the like, get ready to be overwhelmed with greatness. [DM]

		$15.99 CD   NITTY GRITTY General Penitentiary (Dug Out) "Can't Test Me" "Moonlight Dub" In the early aughts, German techno imprint Basic Channel stunned us when they began to reissue vintage reggae as Basic Replay, going so far as to unearth and revitalize the obscure yet brilliant New York label Wackies. Crucial cuts from the likes of Horace Andy, Wayne Jarrett, Sugar Minott, and the Bullwackies crew came back around for a new generation of listeners with their distinct take on the dub reggae sound, but by the end of the last decade, that reissue program wound down, leaving listeners in the lurch. Thankfully, Mark Ainley (of Honest Jon's) and Mark Ernestus (the other half of Basic Channel) have kept the fires burning with Dug Out, focusing more on the great sounds that came when roots reggae began to embrace the digital gruffness of dancehall. And they have also dug up another obscure but killer New York reggae imprint, Black Victory. Last go-round, they dropped the label's Tempo riddim album, and they follow it up now with this set from Tenor Saw associate Nitty Gritty. Nitty Gritty was in the first wave of digital dancehall, coming out of Prince Jammy's stable with "Hog in a Minty" back in '85. This full set is a compelling soundclash between old and new in the best possible way. Backed by players coming from both Studio One and Bullwackies, this album mashes together piano, sax, and digital effects that enhance the beats. Hand percussion meets drum machines and throughout, Nitty Gritty's voice comes across sweeter and gentler than his name would suggest. Much like Tenor Saw though, Nitty Gritty's life was cut short by violence, as he was gunned down outside of a Brooklyn record shop in 1991. This album stands as testament to the talent he was, and is a great addition to the excellent work Dug Out is doing to keep this music alive. [AB]

		$14.99 CD $9.99 MP3   HOLY GHOST! Holy Ghost! (DFA) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store While DFA flagship LCD Soundsytem may have taken its final bow, the label/production team is still going strong, with a steady stream of releases in the works including the anticipated new album from Planningtorock, along with this nu-disco nugget that just hit our shelves. Holy Ghost! is possibly the DFA's most straight-forward act (not counting glam-rock revivalists Free Energy), the duo of Alex Frankel and Nick Millhiser being well-versed in the synthetic R&B and pop sounds of '80s radio, all neatly re-imagined here as new millennium party jams. Existing somewhere between Chromeo and Cut Copy -- but without the tongue-in-cheek irony of the former and minus the dream-pop sheen of the latter -- necessary singles like "Hold On" from 2008, "Say My Name," and the title track off of last year's Static on the Wire EP are grouped with several new cuts which all follow the same slippery, electro-pop trajectory. Songs like "Wait and See" pairs the British new wave meets blue-eyed soul of Curiosity Killed the Cat and Naked Eyes with Jellybean Benitez-styled electro-funk production, while disco-pop thumpers "It's Not Over" and "Slow Motion" are driven by pulsing Moroder-esque synths with lockstep bass and guitar lines grooving atop. Though the album is a fun ride from start to finish, Holy Ghost! does mourn the death of good friend and powerhouse drummer Jerry Fuchs during "Jam for Jerry," a tasteful tribute addressing the forever-unsettled emotions of this tragic loss while also celebrating his great talent in the form of a propulsive dance anthem. The duo saves the big guns for the end of the record, however, not only enlisting a choir but also the legendary Michael McDonald, whose unmistakable baritone couldn't be better fit for the funky, '80s-inspired synth-pop of "Some Children." Let's get a full collaboration happening, guys! [GH]

		$14.99 CD $16.99 LP   MATTHEWDAVID Outmind (Brainfeeder) "Noche y Dia" San Raphael "Like You Mean It" Leaving Records label head and leftfield producer Matthewdavid's debut full-length, Outmind (released on Flying Lotus' Brainfeeder label), is one of those albums where genres and sonics collide with varied effect. Fans of the loose-knit Brainfeeder crew (Gaslamp Killer, Daedelus, Teebs, Lorn) may find this release a bit abstract and dense, while others familiar with the current sun-drenched beat science of the Cali scene will marvel at the kaleidoscopic layers of sound, beats, emotion, and imagination at work here. At 31 minutes, the 12 tracks create a slow-moving psychedelic collage, cerebral and experimental, subtle headphone beats for the A.D.D.-afflicted chillwave generation. Snares are muted, smashed, smeared, and crushed underneath layers of skittery noise and texture, screwed beyond recognition samples, and lots of MIDI instruments, bringing to mind the cut-ups of Prefuse 73 or the crunchy and wonky beats of Hudson Mohawke, yet with less emphasis on banging rhythms, and more on rich atmosphere. If you like your new-school sonics to drive deep into the cortex of your brain, bringing about images of Drew Barrymore trapped in the television static of Poltergeist, the speaking computer from Electric Dreams, or even the dicey, glitchy Max Headroom, this is for you. [DG]

		Pre-Orders $34.99 CD $44.99 LP   BUY EARLY GET NOW FUCKED UP David Comes to Life (Matador) Fucked Up's forthcoming new album gets Matador's Buy Early Get Now treatment! Pre-order David Comes to Life, and we'll email you a code good for downloading five non-album tracks and the three digital singles that are already released. Then, between May 10-13th, you'll be able to stream the album in full and will receive a high-quality download of the record in four parts (one per day). On June 7th, the album and poster will be available for pick up at Other Music (or we'll ship it out to you if you prefer, to arrive at your doorstep on or near the release date), and you'll also receive a download of the Record Store Day exclusive David's Town LP. Finally, on June 28th, the four bonus 7"s will be available for pick-up/delivery. So what are you waiting for?!

		$52.99 CD $29.99 MP3   TINDERSTICKS Claire Denis Film Scores 1996-2009 (Constellation) Preview Songs on Other Music's Download Store Since the mid-'90s, Tindersticks have been scoring the wonderful films of French director Claire Denis, and this set brings it all together in one place, ranging from Nenette et Boni (1996) to the recently acclaimed White Material (2009), it also includes 35 Shots of Rum (2008), Trouble Every Day (2001) and two solo soundtracks: Stuart Staples' score for The Intruder (2004) and Dickon Hinchliffe's music for the sensual Vendredi Soir (2002). Tindersticks pretty much set the stage for all the swooning orchestrated indie pop that has proliferated over the last decade, and they are still one of the very best. As such, their music is perfect for film, rich with mood and emotion, and this is great stuff.

		$16.99 CD   VARIOUS ARTISTS Gozalo! Bugalu Tropical Vol. 4 (Vampi-Soul) "Saludo Maracaibo" Pedro Miguel y sus Maracaibos "La Guarachera" Nico Estrada y su Sonora The new Gozalo! collection from Vampi-Soul delivers a sweet mess of '60s Bugalu Tropical, Peruvian-brewed cumbia, mambo, boogaloo and more that bridged the gap between '50s big-bands and the dawning salsa movement and the wild Latin sounds of the '70s. It's a great addition to this already-wonderful series, and a must for any fan.

		Reading Rainbow $7.99 45 Love Inks $5.99 45 Crocodiles $5.99 45   READING RAINBOW Cover the Sky (Hell, Yes!) LOVE INKS Black Eye (Hell, Yes!) CROCODILES Neon Jesus (Hell, Yes!) The latest installment in the series of one-sided 7"s from Italian label Hell, Yes! is from Philly band Reading Rainbow. Limited to 400 copies worldwide, new track "Cover the Sky" is more somber than the band's previous work and it's great to see this dream pop duo tackling more beautiful, melancholic melodies with ease. Also in stock from Hell, Yes! is a new 7" from Austin, TX duo, Love Inks. The band operates in the same realm as bands like the xx and Glass Candy, creating some seriously catchy, minimalist pop music. Tracks "Black Eye" and "Don't Go" are nice teasers for their forthcoming album E.S.P., out later this summer. And, just in case you slept on it before, we've got a small handful of copies of the repress of the first Crocodiles 7", Neon Jesus, on clear blue and green vinyl. We've said it before and we'll say it again, collect 'em all before they're gone!

		$7.99 45   THE EVERYMEN Hello Nice Evening. We Are the Everymen. (State Capital) Jersey Shore punks the Everymen take out the trash and run with it on this great new four-song EP. Not as blown-out as their Rotocoma Pollution 7", but still as fuzzy as your dirty old uncle's moustache, with guests like Kurt Vile and Joe Centeno (Plugspark Sanjay) stopping by. If you can imagine Greg Cartwright and Twin/Tone-era Replacements getting sloshed on $2 whiskey shots with the Boss and then rolling tape, you're almost there. You know those are some jams you'd wanna hear, and so are these.

		$7.99 CD $11.99 LP+MP3 180 Gram   OF MONTREAL thecontrollersphere (Polyvinyl) This new EP from Of Montreal is the final chapter of a trilogy of sorts that Kevin Barnes prophesized in 2007, in a lyric from the band's "Faberge Falls for Shuggie," and realized with 2008 album Skeletal Lamping, and 2010's False Priest. It seems that some of this may have been recorded during the Jon Brion sessions that spawned that last record, but it's not a scraps EP by any means, and includes what is perhaps the darkest, heaviest, and most twisted song Barnes has ever hatched, in longtime live favorite "Black Lion Massacre."

		$13.99 LP   MUERAN HUMANOS Mueran Humanos (Blind Prophet) "Horas Tristes" "Altar Hogar" Recently, I stumbled across this Argentinean band in a live setting, in the best sort of scenario imaginable. Many friends were in the audience telling me I had to check them out (including Sean from Cult of Youth who put this LP out after discovering them on Myspace), the mood in the room was great, and suffice to say, these guys fully blew my mind, bringing many influences together in a way that I digested eagerly but couldn't quite place right away (that's always a good sign). The songs are built on a primal throb that immediately draws you in, as the atmosphere slowly but surely climbs and builds around it, with male and female voice, synth, incessant plodding and in-the-pocket basslines reminiscent of both the Fall and early Wire. But Mueran Humanos reach beyond the typical post-punk ghetto, with genuine roots in basic rock and roll as channeled by the Stooges, Cramps, Gories and Dead Moon -- all different sounding bands, I know, but nonetheless unified by an undeniable devotion and understanding of rock and roll. And now add in the primitive art rock of Rema Rema and a soaring late-Swans-like beauty with a slowly revealing outpouring of passion, and you start to get the idea. I was hearing an ideal, living mixture of cold/passionate synthwave post-punk with a strange blend of non-urgent but still balls-out rock. These songs really must be listened to in their entirety; as a track progresses, the rhythms inevitably build and climb into another zone altogether. For Mueran Humanos, catchy coldwave isn't just about being cool and putting on airs; this stuff slowly builds, shifts and builds some more, often until the band is shouting and chanting the chorus in unison with the listener swirling somewhere in the middle of it all. It's especially awesome to hear this music move into such transcendent territory considering the trappings: guy/girl couple, from Argentina, living in Berlin, synth, drum machine, bass with and without distortion -- let's be honest, it sounds like a potential electro-fashion clusterf*ck, but believe me, it is definitely NOT that. Hear and believe, this is the real deal. Top ten material, and highly recommended. [SM]

		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 Burkholder [MC] Michael Crumsho [DG] Daniel Givens [GH] Gerald Hammill [DH] Duane Harriott [MK] Michael Klausman [JM] Josh Madell [DM] Doug Mosurock [SM] Scott Mou [NN] Ning Nong [Jtr] Jon Treneff THANKS FOR READING - all of us at Other Music

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