The Other Music Update

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	July 23, 2008


	FEATURED NEW RELEASES The Tallest Man on Earth High Places Linda Lewis James Brown's Productions (Various) Diplo & Santogold Black Kids Fucked Up CSS Dr. Boogie Presents: Shim Sham Shimmy Earl Rodney Bernard Bonnier Rail Band Dr. Dog Helena Espvall & Masaki Batoh Josephine Foster Like a Kind of Matador Sic Alps Nico Muhly		Windmill John Hill Lawrence English Bodies of Water Varghkoghargasmal ALSO AVAILABLE Prurient VINYL PRESSING Jay Reatard After Dark (Various) BACK IN STOCK Paavoharju MARS The New Age

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WIN TICKETS TO THE BUNKER FEAT: DANDY JACK
This Friday, Chilean DJ/producer Martin Schopf a/k/a Dandy Jack (Perlon, Playhouse, Fax) will be making a rare stop in New York to play at the city's long-running techno party, the Bunker. On record, Schopf's known for infusing his minimal 4/4 beats with a little Latin swing, and he definitely cranks it up a couple of notches in his live set. Dandy Jack will be joined by Bunker resident, DJ Spinoza. Other Music has two pairs of tickets up for grabs, so email enter@othermusic.com right away. We'll be notifying the two winners on Friday morning. Good luck!

FRIDAY, JULY 25
THE BUNKER AT PUBLIC ASSEMBLY (FORMERLY GALAPAGOS): 70 North 6th Street Williamsburg, Brooklyn

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WIN TICKETS TO THE GUTTER TWINS
A meeting of the darkened minds, the Gutter Twins -- the new collaboration between Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees, solo career) and Greg Dulli (Afghan Whigs, Twilight Singers) -- will be performing in Brooklyn at Warsaw on Tuesday, July 29th, in support of their latest album, Saturnalia. We have two pairs of tickets to give away to the show and to enter, just email contest@othermusic.com. The two winners will be notified on Friday, July 25th.

TUESDAY, JULY 29
WARSAW: 261 Driggs Avenue Greenpoint, Brooklyn

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MAX RICHTER TICKET GIVE AWAY
Next week, Wordless Music presents producer/composer Max Richter who'll be in New York for three consecutive nights. On Tuesday, July 29th, Richter and a string quintet will perform Memoryhouse (2002) and The Blue Notebooks (2004). Kathleen Supove and Jennifer Choi open with music for violin and piano by Erkki-Sven Tuur, Neil Rolnick, Ramin Heydarbeygi, & Vijay Iyer. Then on Wednesday, Richter and the string quartet will perform The Blue Notebooks and Songs from Before (2006). Bruce Brubaker will open with music for solo piano by Philip Glass and Alvin Curran. For his final performance on Thursday, Richter and the string quintet will perform Songs from Before and music from his new album 24 Postcards in Full Colour. Bing and Ruth will open with original compositions by David Moore. Other Music has one pair of tickets to give away to each night. To enter, send an email to tickets@othermusic.com, and please list the date you would like to see. Winners will be notified on Friday, July 25th.

TUESDAY, JULY 29 / WEDNESDAY, JULY 30 / THURSDAY, JULY 31
LE POISSON ROUGE: 158 Bleeker Street NYC

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UPCOMING IN-STORE PERFORMANCES
NICO MUHLY: Tuesday, August 5 @ 9PM
Free Admission / Limited Capacity

CONOR OBERST & THE MYSTIC VALLEY BAND: Tuesday, August 12 @ 1PM
We will be giving away 100 tickets to this in-store event to purchasers of Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band's great new album, to be released on Merge Records on Tuesday August 5. The tickets will be divided between our shop, mail-order website and download store. Beginning at 12 noon on the 5th until the tickets run out, buy any format of the album and get one ticket to the show, with a maximum of two purchases/tickets per person.


	$13.99 CD		THE TALLEST MAN ON EARTH Shallow Grave (Gravitation) "I Won't Be Found" "The Gardener" OTHER MUSIC NORTH AMERICAN EXCLUSIVE! For a while I'd been hearing about The Tallest Man on Earth, the moniker of Kristian Matsson. I finally tracked down a copy of his debut Shallow Grave and from the opening finger-picked guitar of "I Won't Be Found," I knew I was going to be hooked. And then Mattson's vocals came in, a truly stunning amalgamation of Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie, and Van Morrison. This first listen of Shallow Grave reminded me of how I felt the first time I heard Bon Iver's For Emma, Forever: shocked, amazed, and completely drawn in. The Tallest Man on Earth is just one man and his guitar, holed up somewhere in Sweden pouring his heart out into every note and poetic word. This man has definitely studied the greats, but instead of just emulating people like Dylan and Guthrie, he has taken this music and made it his own. Yes, the music on Shallow Grave has been done before. I mean, how many people have tried to create a Dylan-esque record? But, how many of them have truly come up with something that is all their own, and with the tunes to back it up? And that is the thing about Matsson; he is an amazing songwriter making music that will stick with you for a long, long time. A song like "Honey Won't You Let Me In," with its catchy strummed guitar line, Matsson's nasal vocal delivery, and some beautiful lyrics, will put a smile on your face from ear to ear. And at just under three minutes, it is a perfect little ditty that will have you hitting the repeat button before you get to the other half of the record. All 10 tracks are great but it is my personal favorite, "The Gardener," that really hits home -- a sparse, witty, love song with one of the catchiest melodies I've heard in years. It's a classic tune, and one that could easily be held up next to the greats of yesteryear. And that is just it; the man who calls himself The Tallest Man On Earth has created a truly timeless, classic album, one that can stand on its own as a near perfect work of art. Need I say more? Shallow Grave is one of the finest records this year, or any other! [JS]


	$12.99 CD $9.99 MP3		HIGH PLACES 03/07-09/07 (Thrill Jockey) "Shared Islands" "Jump In" At last! Brooklyn's most buzzed-about duo, High Places, compiles all of their out-of-print seven-inches and rare compilation tracks for 03/07-09/07, their first official release on Thrill Jockey. While bloggers have long been incredulous that they have waited so long to drop a debut full-length -- due out in late September -- remember that it's been just two short years since Rob Barber and Mary Pearson first met at a DeathSet show. Since then, these wholesome "kids next door" have done a mind-boggling amount of extensive touring and hometown gigging, so it's no surprise that their addictive brand of dreamy, tropical pop has netted a loyal fanbase from sea to shining sea. This collection of ten home-recorded tracks from 2007 documents the evolution of High Places' sound over the course of their first year as a band. Accordingly, Pearson's sweet, youthful voice -- occasionally tinged with her endearing native Michigan accent -- lingers on tales of discovery, togetherness, nature, philosophy, conservationism and in the case of "Jump In," a track written specifically for a performance at Gilkey Elementary School, the band's unwavering confidence in the potential of young people. High Places have a unique, instantly recognizable sound rooted in deep, catchy beats, energetic melodic hooks, layered vocalizations, wind instruments imitative of sea breezes, and a miscellany of contact mic'd shakers, rattles, and bells. Anyone who's ever taken a crack at home recording, with even the most modest set-up, can probably remember the first time they stumbled upon the one simple household item that surprisingly yielded exactly the sound they were looking for. With unscientific precision, High Places have repeated this experiment a thousand fold; behind every recording and live performance lays countless field recordings and self-recorded sound effects -- from the punchy clang of drumsticks on a recycled school desk to the more recognizable jangly strum of an acoustic guitar -- which the band then heavily manipulates and layers into well-structured, advanced pop compositions. In fact, first-time listeners might get the impression that High Places initially wrote an album's worth of lo-fi, striking pop songs and then expertly remixed them. Each and every one of these ten songs is an unforgettable pop winner, reflecting the utmost attentiveness to texture, confidence in silence as well as harmony, and equal respect for every instrument's voice. While recent comparisons to Beat Happening are way off -- no rambly lyrical monologues or jagged electric guitars here -- High Places are undoubtedly bound for comparable pop glory, as Brooklynites already know and fans of No Age, Abe Vigoda, Dan Deacon, Ecstatic Sunshine, and basically all modern outsider pop are long overdue to find out. Highest recommendation! [KS]


	$12.99 CD $12.99 CD		LINDA LEWIS Lark (Collectors Choice) "It's the Frame" "Little Indians" LINDA LEWIS Fathoms Deep (Collectors Choice) "Wise Eyes" "Lullabye" Linda Lewis is another one of those musicians' musicians from the past, who should be a household name but isn't. She had a crazy five-octave vocal range (a la Minnie Riperton) and was Robert Wyatt's roommate whilst still a teenager in the '60s, sang on Bowie's Aladdin Sane, duetted with Terry Reid at Glastonbury, counts Stevie Wonder as one of her biggest fans, has been sampled by Kanye West, and wrote a song with Basement Jaxx...whew! Oh yeah, she also produced and co-wrote two of the most underrated and unique folk-soul records of the '70s. These albums rank up there with Riperton's Perfect Angel and Shuggie Otis' Inspiration Information, and have been criminally unavailable, until now. Recorded in 1972 when Lewis was just 22, her second solo album, Lark, was all penned by her and she shared co-production duties with her boyfriend and future husband Jim Cregan (member of the acclaimed Blossom Toes). It's a remarkably surefooted affair that combines the sort of feminine acoustic-folk-earth-mama mystique of Joni Mitchell, with mellow, atmospheric soulful production reminiscent of Talking Book-era Stevie. It's for the most part a bright, folky soul record, awash with autobiographical odes to new love, spirituality and possibility. Her voice is the main attraction here though. As stated before, Lewis has the vocal range of Riperton, but while Riperton was all sweetness and light, Lewis' singing is huskier and idiosyncratic. A better comparison would be Melanie or Maria Muldaur (though Lewis is a better vocalist than either of them). Tracks like "Reach for the Truth" and "It's the Frame" find her utilizing all that range, and are two of the best tunes on here. While Lark garnered almost universal critical acclaim and established Lewis as a strong, emerging talent amongst her peers, it didn't translate into album sales. Undeterred, Lewis and Cregan went back into the studio and came out with Fathoms Deep a year later. It's an extremely strong follow-up that is notable for its wide range of styles incorporated. Songs such as "Red Light Ladies" and the title track boast rich string and vocal arrangements with touches of jazz instrumentation peppered throughout. Lyrically, it's a bit more introspective and self-confessional; "I'm in Love Again" and "Wise Eyes" respectively deal with emotional second-guessing and the aforementioned ladies, examining the loveless lives of prostitutes. Even with this strong showing, the record-buying public didn't show their appreciation. Lewis eventually got her hit songs, but only after adapting a more pop-oriented style. Lewis, however, still regards these two albums as her favorites, and they are fantastic. Recommended! [DH]


	$18.99 CD		VARIOUS ARTISTS The Godfather's R&B: James Brown's Productions (BGP) "New Breed" The Boo-ga-loo "I'm Lonely" Bobby Byrd The untimely death of James Brown was no doubt a tragedy, and now that some time has passed, the unearthing of previously obscure material has begun. The Godfather's R&B is a collection of production work by Mr. J. B. spanning 1962 to '67. This blueprint for what would become known as funk features an excellent selection of songs that have not been available on CD until now. Of course, Bobby Byrd and Vicki Anderson are showcased along with the various sidemen and women (including scorchers by Elsie Mae, Anna King, the Jewells, James Crawford, and many others) that formed from the communal live band; Brown worked endlessly, creating different configurations of combos, groups, and solo artists. Many of these songs are taken from singles and albums released on Brown's King label and other offshoots. This comp further places Brown at the top of his game, knowing who to surround himself with on stage and what he could do with them in the studio. Recommended for any lover of soul, funk, and '60s R&B, here's more proof that Brown firmly had his good foot on the pulse in the creation of them all. [DG]


	$12.99 CD		DIPLO & SANTOGOLD Top Ranking (Mad Decent) "Guns of Brooklyn" "Save Me" Aretha Franklin The crafty DJ Diplo is at it again, together with his new running mate Santogold, as they reshape and sculpt some classics and lesser known songs for a mix that really is Top Ranking. Across 34 tracks, timelines become blurred in true 2008 style. Call it a mash-up, a Diplo dub, a mix CD, or whatever you like, from Sir Mix-a-Lot to Panda Bear, or Devo to Aretha Franklin, nothing is spared and nothing is sacred. Exclusive freestyles and tracks from the "next M.I.A.," Santogold, are slammed next to and float atop a variety of post-post-modern jams, from dancehall to new wave, and rock to nu rave. Plenty of re-mixers and vocalists make appearances including XXXchange, Amanda Blank, M.I.A., Jammer, Ratatat, Disco D, Switch, Radioclit, Movado and more. There's even a cover of LL Cool J's "I Need Love" and a remake of the Clash called "Guns of Brooklyn." Looking for that head-twisting mix that may cause you a heat stroke? This is it. As an odd bonus, check the hilarious interlude by Mark Ronson commenting on his formula for a hit. [DG]


	$11.99 CD $21.99 LP		BLACK KIDS Partie Traumatic (Almost Gold) "Partie Traumatic" "I've Underestimated My Charm" The poster children for popular culture, the Black Kids were raised on Labyrinth, the advent of MTV, and the era of hooking up and casual sex -- making them the superlative millennial hipster party soundtrack. Produced by former Suede guitarist Bernard Butler, Partie Traumatic is one of the most anticipated pop albums of the year -- following last year's free and heavily downloaded four-song demo EP, Wizards of Ahhhh!. Since then, the Black Kids have received substantial buzz, and rightly so! The opening track, "Hit the Heartbreaks" starts with a knock-knock joke with lyrics that riff on that lame break-up cliche by admitting, "It's not me; it's you." The fist pumping first single, "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance with You" was an instant hit due to a viral Internet campaign. A romping fun sing-a-long, this song is only a taste of what the rest of the album has to offer. The catchiest and most infectious tracks are those where the lead singer, Reggie Youngblood (who sounds a lot like Morrissey or Robert Smith) asks a question that gets answered back by either his sister Ali Youngblood or Dawn Watley, who play dueling keyboards. This call-and-response aspect is addicting and similar to the Go! Team's aesthetic. Rounding out the Jacksonville, FL quintet are Owen Holmes on bass and Kevin Snow on drums. To steal a line from one of their songs and bastardized it: this album's the tits. [TL]


	$7.99 CD $6.99 MP3		FUCKED UP Year of the Pig (Matador) "The Black Hats" "Year of the Pig UK Edit" Matador re-releases the infamous Year of the Pig/The Black Hats 12", originally on What's Your Rupture?, and tacks on a bunch of bonus tracks, including an amazing cover of Another Sunny Day's twee anthem, "Anorak City". Here's what we said about Year of the Pig when it first came out: After about a hundred singles and a trailblazing and totally killer full-length (Hidden World on Jade Tree), Fucked Up have finally dropped the record that will alter people's perception of hardcore. In a genre that's remained pretty rigid over the years (politics, dress code, sound), the band has always done a good job of avoiding convention -- for instance, covering the Shop Assistants and Dolly Mixture is pretty evolutionary for a band in their world -- but this EP on What's Your Rupture? (America's premier hardcore label...ha!) delivers on many more accounts. First off, "Year of the Pig" is more than 18 minutes long. And yes, no matter how much you might doubt this, it does kinda sound like Poison Idea jamming with Pink Floyd. But along the way, the group manage to conjure up a gentle blues howl and then head into Bad Seeds territory with male/female vocal interplay, before launching the full-on repetitive Krautcore attack (wait, was it Neu! jamming with Poison Idea?). As the HC purists walk out the room, enter a whole new, and much larger, crowd. [AK]


	$13.99 CD		CSS Donkey (Sub Pop) "Jager Yoga" "Let's Reggae All Night" CSS, your favorite Sao Paulo sextet, is back with a 12-pack of infectious electro-pop jams that reflect a slight departure from their brash and innocent eponymous debut. While their last record was playful and subversive, Donkey shows a band that has evolved stylistically and technically -- notice frontwoman Lovefoxxx's comparatively polished and poetic vocals or Adriano Cintra's idiosyncratic production. On "Give Up" they evoke Bloc Party's breakout Silent Alarm, whereas at other moments, like the world-synth standout "Move," they bring Talking Heads to mind. Throughout the record, their attitude is omnipresent but not all-encompassing and their youthful enjoyment is palpable. CSS take sizable cues from '80's art-pop and '90's alt-rock to great effect, though their seemingly translated lyrical stylings leave something to desired. But stanza scrutiny obviously isn't the point here, as this conscious party record plays like a blueprint for the future of pop, and if it proves prescient, then musical nihilists will be able to temporarily rest their critical blogging hands and give the dance floor some much needed attention. [MG]


	$15.99 CD $9.99 MP3		VARIOUS ARTISTS Dr. Boogie Presents: Shim Sham Shimmy (Sub Rosa) "Shim Sham Shimmy" Champion Jack Dupree "I'm Off That Stuff" Eddie Snow An impeccably curated compilation of mostly unknown blues artists recorded from the forties to the sixties. This is the third installment in a series produced by Walter De Paduwa a/k/a Dr. Boogie of Belgium, who does his part in ensuring culture prevails through his home grown museum dedicated to boogie woogie and his radio programs in devotion to the same. Highlights on this album include better known artists absolutely killing it with holes in their amps, damaged and sloppy guitars, and out of tune pianos like Champion Jack Dupree, Homesick James, Doctor Ross (whose "Texas Hop" is worth the whole disc), Lonnie Johnson, and Albert Collins. True down home fans will die for Moses Williams' "Which Way Did My Baby Go," which is a washboard and jug recording appropriated into modernity and urbanization with a crying baby in the background. Another absolute gem is Hasker Sadler's "Do Right Mind," which is interrupted by a repetitive and hysterically maniacal laugh in the background. Whether a person arrives at this album as a blues aficionado or a casual listener, it is compiled to suit everyone's needs, balancing the accessible with the challenging. Shim Sham Shimmy sits up high with a handful of blues compilations I've revered over the years. My shortlist includes a title called West Coast Down Home Blues, from the Audio Book and Music Company, the Modern Downhome Blues Volumes I - IV compiled by a young Ike Turner and Joe Bihari on Ace records, and the compilations on Boulevard Vintage under the labels Down Home Blues Classics. What these all share with the album highlighted in this review is a freedom of creation that can only exist in music made for the sake of making music. These musicians were definitely hustlers, but they did not yet -- if ever -- fall into the grips of a "clean" producer. The listener can fully imagine this music played in juke joints in the Mississippi hills, backroom bars in Memphis, card rooms in Oakland, on the corners of Maxwell Street, or in dive bars in Los Angeles in this special time between the early forties and the sixties that lead to this unbelievably idiosyncratic music. Frankly, you just won't find the original 45 of Slim Gailard's "Fuck Off" where he sings the title in imitation of a clucking chicken, and you just won't hear what that means unless you own this compilation. Fans of Fat Possum records listen up, Sub Rosa's done it again, and now it is time to pay up. [BCa]


	$21.99 CD		EARL RODNEY Friends and Countrymen (EM Records) "Juck Juck" "Conversations in Love" The brilliant Japanese reissue label EM Records strikes gold again with this, the fourth disc in their excellent Steel Pan Series" of obscure and overlooked carib groove albums, and this one may prove to be the best yet in the series. The liner notes describe this 1973 album as "a never-before-heard interpretation of the African musical experience in the Caribbean," and that's pretty much hitting the nail on the head. What you get here are bright rock-solid Afro grooves of a Fela/Cedric 'Im' Brooks variety, but with pan melodies and improvisations taking center stage as opposed to Kuti or Brooks' sax solos. This isn't your typical steelband, either; rather, you get Rodney as the sole panman with a wrecking crew of horns, electric guitar (sometimes taking some mildly psyche/funk-tinged solos), drums, congas, bass, and great call & response vocal chants. The funk here is solid, and the soul is deep -- take one listen to opener "Juck Juck" and decide whether you're in or out. Recommended! [IQ]


	$17.99 CD		BERNARD BONNIER Casse-tete (Oral) "I Can't Sing" "Blue Marine" Great to see another gem of a reissue arriving in the shop from Quebec's Oral label, who were also responsible for resurrecting the supremely delicious, must-have Monoton reissues last year. Mikey IQ pointed out that Creelpone actually leaked a few of these in their CD-R reissue series, but the few that made it out before the cease and desist are long gone now. This stuff is analogue synth, musique concrete, new wave improv(?) -- it's "open" yet "poppy" at the same time -- that isn't weighed-down by ANY of those genre/catch-phrases. Listening to the first three songs, my initial capsule description for this stuff was "catchy Throbbing Gristle" (Second Annual Report). The homemade vibe keeps it down to earth and fresh, while the rhythms unfold quite naturally, introducing shifts and additions. The pace is so unhurried, but the subtle richness of the sounds keeps the ears waiting for the surprises. While this record could have simply explored the ideas found within the first three songs and had my vote, it only develops further from there. Casse-tete reminds us of the simple fact: It's those in love with sound over style that end up creating the most compelling music. You know, the stuff that keeps you listening and coming back to listen again! Track three, "Vero Lo Toto" uses child voices, real, almost Jaki Liebezeit-textured drums and arpeggiating synthesizer to make tape-splice Boards of CAN-ada. In the next song, "Blue Marine," a delectable loping, cumbersome beat is folded with gurgling synth and intermittent looped voice. Track six has a full-on homemade, personal, analog Art of Noise vibe with voice loops, drums and layered, pulsing Blurt dub-trumpets. I can't stop imagining this stuff as another found-gem/precursor to the aesthetic of Mouse on Mars' Sonig label, in the same way that Ryuichi Sakamoto's 1980 solo LP, B-2 Unit and Canavarro's Plux Quba are. (But I have to say, Bonnier sounds fresher than those right now.) The last track, "Soldier Boy" is Bonnier's anti-war version of Terry Riley's "You're No Good!" (Soldier Boyyy...Tell me why.../Tell me why.../Tell me why..." So sick!!) Fantastic reissue! Effortlessly great. Recommended!! [SM]


	$21.99 CD $17.99 MP3		RAIL BAND Belle Epoque Vol 2: Mansa (Syllart) "Marisa" "Dioula" The second two-disc set of a three volume series documenting the Mali supergroup Rail Band's most prosperous years (1970-1983) picks up right where last year's first volume left off. As we stated in our review of the first volume, Rail Band "adapted the melodic lines usually played on traditional Mandingo instruments like the kora and the balafon into virtuosic and serpentine patterns, while adding elements of Arabic, French, Cuban, and American pop." The results are nothing less than sublime examples of African music during the golden years of the 1970s, before political woes, famine, and the like precipitated a decline (not to mention the infusion of synths and other "earmarks" of world music that came about in the early '80s). Rather than mark this state-sponsored band's trajectory chronologically, these sets alight on three distinct phases. There's the band's formative start, wherein singer Salif Keita grew to be a superstar, as well as the albums made directly after Keita's departure, when balafon/ kora player Mory Kante took over the vocal duties. The third phase documents what music was made when Kante and virtuosic guitarist Djelilmady Tounkara were fired from the band. All three phases of the Rail Band's career are amply documented, from the Keita-led ebullience of "Rail Band" and "Gansana" to the more languid and jazz-inflected "Demba" and the group vocals of "Balakononifing." Needless to say, the Rail Band's music is a long train running. [AB]


	$14.99 CD $19.99 LP $9.99 MP3		DR. DOG Fate (Park the Van) "Hang On" "The Ark" I dare say it was fate that brought me upon Dr. Dog's fifth full-length. After hearing friends and acquaintances rave about them for years and years, what really roped me in was this sassy Bonnie Parker-like woman holding up a shotgun up to a pale-faced gentleman on the album's cover. I knew that now would be the right moment to familiarize myself with this quintet from Philadelphia; if they're alright with young outlaws then they're certainly alright with me, and by no means was this the wrong conclusion. Dr. Dog certainly don't hide their serious devotion to the three Bs: the Beatles, the Band, the Beach Boys -- not to mention most any Apple recording artist; but I do think these influences strengthen their sound while never overshadowing some real talent. I guess I'm trying to say that these songs are really something and they stick with you in a dreamy haze far after the listening experience has come to an end. It's the details in each song that really make this something special: the tickling pianos, the playful percussion, the spaceship synthesizers/loops, the urgent riddle-like lyrics and, of course, the constant emphasizing harmonies -- all these elements create layers and layers of sounds to engulf these perfect pop songs and give them a quirky nature full of surprises. [AC]


	$13.99 CD $15.99 LP $9.99 MP3		HELENA ESPVALL & MASAKI BATOH Helena Espvall & Masaki Batoh (Drag City) "Polska" "Uti Var Hage" Drag City has the unnerving ability to regularly release records that embody collaborative efforts by creatively ambitious musicians in albums where the synthesis of talent rarely falls below astonishing. This self-titled duet is no exception. Last year alone found Drag City with a great release from Mick Turner and Tren Brothers, the combined cinematic sound of Espers and Fern Knight in The Valerie Project, and even an American issuing of the phenomenal Boris with Michio Kurihara's Rainbow. So when a member of Espers teams up with Kurihara's co-Ghost collaborator (another group Drag City released stateside) Masaki Batoh, we are as guaranteed an enjoyable listening experience as one can be. Not to let the label banter distract from the album at hand, Helena Espvall and Batoh's self-titled release is mesmerizingly delicate and entrancing. They play Scandinavian folk songs in an improvised format, exploring the possibility and creative license so inherent to folk music. Espvall sings the majority of the tunes in Swedish, and Batoh takes vocals on two songs, one of which is a psychedelic stab at Son House's "Death Letter." Espvall's cello is the central theme of the album, but banjo and guitar also make appearances, while Batoh fills in on various instruments -- but primarily guitar -- providing ghosting, atmosphere, and a deliberate, if subtle, tension. As an improvised effort, the music finds a dissonant release within the seventeen minute closer "Kuklopes." This avant-garde dissent brings to mind Morton Subotnick's ghost electronics compositions, while harp and plucked strings rise to a chilling climax out of a seven-minute preamble. The album is an altogether comprehensive piece, with a sense of unity and cohesion. Espvall and Batoh combine explicitly for beautiful experimental folk music. Fans of Espers must absolutely give this a listen, while anybody unfamiliar with aforementioned bands can appreciate this as a solitary piece of pristine improvisation. [BCa]


	$16.99 CD $9.99 MP3		JOSEPHINE FOSTER This Coming Gladness (Bo Weavil) "A Thimble of Milk" "The Garden of Earthly Delights" Though a talented multi-instrumentalist in her own right, singer-songwriter Josephine Foster's main attraction is and always has been her voice, a forceful, quivering set of pipes that evokes a calming gentility as much as it echoes across rooftops. While they're oft labeled "operatic" (thanks in no small part to the formal vocal training she once pursued in university), her unique and occasionally forceful vocalizations hardly seem exaggerated or overwrought in the context of her songs. Generally considered a member of neo-folk's overstuffed post-millennial class, Foster has still always sounded worlds away from her contemporaries, be it in the barren duo work of Born Heller, the spiraling electric guitars and loose rhythms of the Supposed, or her abrupt 2006 turn into 19th century German lieder. Returning to the fold now after a two year absence, Foster now presents This Coming Gladness, a record that perfectly encapsulates the seemingly disparate ideas she has thus far pursued. Limber all the way through, Gladness strikes as one of the most subtly refined recordings Foster has managed to date. Her voice still darts throughout these ten songs, refusing to be tethered to any specific hook or instrumental anchor. Yet it floats effortlessly across the reverbed guitars and steadily encroaching percussion of album opener "The Garden of Earthly Delights," while she adopts a distinctly matronly tone for "Lullaby to All," contrasting neatly with the song's driving rhythm and discordant keys. Elsewhere "All I Wanted Was the Moon" gently crests into lysergic balladry, while the sprightly "A Thimble Full of Milk" beautifully strips everything back to just voice and acoustic guitar. Undoubtedly one of her best albums to date, This Coming Gladness is staggering proof that Josephine Foster's talents continue to blossom. [MC]