This 5 song EP by Berlin band Contriva is the first real release we've seen by the band. Previously, all we saw was a double disc compilation and a remix 12". I always wondered what an actual release of the band would sound like. The EP has 4 instrumentals and one unexpected treat: a Depeche Mode cover sung by Jeff Tarlton, a solo artist from Berlin. Of the four instrumentals, my fave is 'The Key' (#1) which has a strong and tight sound with a drum part that reminds me of Joy Division's 'Transmission'. 'The Key' has an almost Mina-esque sound to it with the rhodes playing over a strummed electric guitar. The three other instrumentals sound more like demos than sharp edged swords. The Depeche Mode cover 'The Things You Said' (#5) steals the show. The treatment of the cut is more like Karate than Depeche Mode. If any of you remember the NJ band Native Nod, that is another band this version reminds me of. The recording is polished by the mastering of Stefan Betke. As I had kind of expected, the first actual release I've heard by Contriva outside of a remix or collection is a bit spotty, but has 2 songs that are completely worth buying this for.
Faves: 1,5

LTM is a label that was run by James Nice, a student from North Essex in 1984. It endured through his move to Belgium and his job at Crepescule Records till today, even as the student became a lawyer, coming full circle around to use his skills to fight London Records (who own receivership of Factory Records) to get clearance for some of the Factory bands (many of which overlapped onto LTM) to release songs which had previously been tied up in legal red tape. 'The Night Watch' is a compilation of rare and unreleased tracks from Section 25, The Names, Tuxedomoon, Crispy Ambulance, Josef K, William S Burroughs, Paul Haig, Ultramarine, Berntholer, Jazz, Jacques Derrida, Minny Pops, Jean Cocteau etc. Initial copies include a free Section 25 CD Illuminus Illumina, a full-length 72 minute archive CD of early material plus 1980-1981 jams by the original three-piece group. There are many songs on 'The Night Watch' that deserve the exposure this disc will hopefully give them. Fans of Tuxedomoon will enjoy tow songs: 'Shelved Dreams' and the 13:52 'I Was An Apple In The House Of Orange'. The Josek K song 'Chance Meeting' (#2) is a phenomenal song if you have never heard it. If you have, you can enjoy 2 songs by Paul Haig (the bassist/vocalist of Joself K) 'Somewhere In Between' and 'Paradise Angel'. For me, the highlights of the disc are The Names song 'Nightshift' (#1), the Ultramarine song 'Saratoga' (#6) which is an instrumental that samples the riff from The Eagles 'One Of These Nights', Section 25 'Looking From A Hilltop (edit)' (#7), and Minny Pops 'She Said Go Go Go' (#13).
Faves: disc1: 1,2,6,7,13 disc2: 14

About the band - 'Outrageous Cherry were formed in 1993 by Matthew Smith. Matthew is a native of the Detroit area and has played in bands with Bar None's Epic Soundtracks, Simon Bonney (Crime & The City Solution), Warren DeFever (His Name Is Alive), and wrote most of the songs and played guitar on the Volebeats debut album, Up North, on Safehouse/Caroline'. This is Outrageous Cherry's second album for Poptones, their fourth overall (that I know about). They released an excellent self titled disc on Bar None in 1994 (seek this one out!), 'Stereo Action Rent Party' (all covers) on Third Gear in 1995, and 'Out There In The Dark', which came out both domestically and overseas on Poptones. 'The Book Of Spectral Projections' has a reverb drenched production that on some cuts (particularly 'Shadow Of My Universe') recalls both Pink Floyd's 'Astronomy Domine' and the wah wah guitar in '1969' from The Stooges first album. Seeing them live, the initial impression you have will probably center on the drummer. She plays standing up with only a stripped down kit. On this CD I don't really like the production - too much reverb! 'History Of Magic' (#12) and 'When You Emerge' (#16) use the reverb sound in a softer setting, sounding a lot like the 60's band Gandalf (a band which The Clientele also sound like). Other than that, may favorites are ''Shadow Of My Universe'' (#2), 'My Demon Friend' (#8), the psychedelic 'Is It Time' (#14), 'Everything's Back To Normal' (#15). Matthew Smith's lyrics and phrasing remind me of Syd Barrett and Robyn Hitchcock without having a voice that sounds like either one of them.
Faves: 2,8,14,15

The latest in a recent flood of 60's compilations has somewhat of a different slant to it. The theme of this compilation is Scooters, the time honored transportation of choice for Mods (and French or Italian citizens!). The 17 songs on this disc fall roughly into three categories: 1980 UK Mod Revival bands, original Motown/Northern Soul groups, and Ska/Skinhead styled cuts.

1980 UK Mod Revival bands: Merton Parkas 'You Need Wheels' - a band I never liked. They only had one good song, and it is here. The only song on this comp actually written explicitly about scooters. Secret Affair 'Time For Action' - A great band. This was their biggest song. Ian Page was the coolest guy in the early days of the 1979 Mod Revival scene. The Purple Hearts 'Plane Crash' - I love this band, yet their LP has never been re-released. A lousy choice to represent them. It is a later song after they had lost their sound. Squire 'Livin' In The City' - Same situation as Purple Hearts. The Lambrettas 'Go Steady' - Maybe the only Mod Revival band that had a US released LP ('Beat Boys In the Jet Age'). Not a great choice to represent them either. The Odds 'Saturday Night' - a one-off band who put out one great single. 'Saturday Night' was the A-side of that 7". The Deadbeats 'Choose You' - pretty good song from a band I never knew about. The only Deadbeats I knew were the amazing Los Angeles band who put out the 'Kill The Hippies' 7" on Dangerhouse.

Original Motown/Northern Soul groups: These songs are my faves for this compilation. I didn't know any of them, and each rule! The Exciters 'Blowing Up My Mind', The Cavaliers 'Hold To My Baby', Rose Valentine 'I've Gotta Know Right Now', The Metros 'Since I found My Baby', and Tobi Legend 'Time Will Pass You By'.

Ska/Skinhead styled cuts: Lionrock 'Rude Boy Rock', Buster's All Stars 'Skinhead Love Affair', The Riffs 'These Things', The Selecter 'Too Much Pressure (96 version)'.

On the same label as Electro Sun, added last week. Like Electro Sun, Die Welttraumforscher love to use minor chords. However, Die Welttraumforscher spice things up by throwing in many cool ideas. 'Sie Kam Aus Der Sonne' (#1) has a part that sounds like the music from B-52s 'Planet Claire'. 'Princess Of Darkness' (#2) likewise turns in unexpected ways several times. The vocals in Die Welttraumforscher remind me of Eno. I like this record a lot better than Electro Sun because it has more songs (12 vs. 7) and because each song cannot be judged by listening to just a part of it. Die Welttraumforscher allow each song to change in large degrees - stuff is not linear verse/chorus/bridgeverse/chorus. 'Am Sternsteig' (#4) has the whistle of a model railroad train as part of it's riff. It's a great sound that has seen little use in any music I know. 'Spaceboy' (#7) is the most like a regular rock song. It is a real pick me up, and sounds really unique and fresh. 'Micronauts' (#9) has call and response guitars that are not quite 'in', with drums that sound like Devo's version of '(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction'. I guess to be fair we have to go back to Der Plan, the band which so influenced legions of German bands, including Helgoland and Groenland Orchester. Die Welttraumforscher are guitar based distant kin of Der Plan. I knew that this record had to be special: I have an LP on Gagarin Records called 'Remixen Die Welttraumforscher'. It has a lot of bands remixing Die Welttraumforscher songs. You don't get remix records with you as the theme by releasing run-of-the-mill records. Die Welttraumforscher deserve any attention we'd care to give them.
Faves: 1,2,4,7,9

If you have been tuned into the underground music scene for ten years you will remember the mysterious Charles Brown Superstar. Radio stations across America were sent the great looking vinyl double LP 'Days Of Our Drive / Sweet Piece Of Ass' by this band in 1995. There were no credits or song titles anywhere on the sleeve or records. Charles Brown Superstar ended up never leaving the impression that I thought they would. The leader of the band (Bobby Hecksher) went on to form Magic Pacer. The vocalist, Benett Rogers formed the extremely Charles Brown Superstar-esque Benett & The Strawberry Jams, the acoustic Aloha Wednesday, and eventually Benett. This single is the latest from Benett. If you loved Charles Brown Superstar you will immediately recognize her voice. If you never heard them, her sound is like the band Vinyl Devotion, or Jenny Mae (the vocalist of Vibralux who went solo). 'Hard To Be You' has the sugar n' spice sound of Charles Brown Superstar minus some of the electronics. The guitar solo sounds like Brain May in Queen. 'Just Because I Liked You (In the Summertime)' is my favorite track. Benett's voice is great, and the timpani (or is it Linndrum?) sounds so fine. A major kudos to contact Records for putting this out!

Burning Spear are one of Jamaica's institutions. Winston Rodney and crew have been putting out discs and touring for almost 30 years. This collection focuses on 1975 - 1979. It is formatted to have the vocal version of each song followed by it's dub version. For me, the dub versions are the winners every time. Nothing wrong with the classic originals, this is just my personal preference. Despite the brilliance of such dub stars as Augustus Pablo and King Tubby, by favorite dub record remains the 1976 record 'Garvey's Ghost'. It was the song for song dub version of the LP 'Marcus Garvey' which came out around the same time. Here in the US you can get a CD on Mango Records (Island subsidiary) which bundles these two LP's together. 'Spear Burning' is the high profile newest release of the highly respected Pressure Sounds label from England. The disc has 16 songs - none duds. My faves of the dubs are 'Natural' (#4), 'Free' (#6), 'Love Everyone' (#8), and 'Jomo' (#10), with bass a solid as a stone.

Single of the month in the July issue of Sleazenation. This single had been haunting me since first reading of it as a 10' in a Rough Trade update months ago. It is not until now, with the imminent release of Felix Da Housecat's 'Kittenz and Thee Glitz' CD, that a version of this single made it to Other Music. Hearing this song for the first time is akin to the first time you heard Chicks On Speed or Adult. The appeal is immediate. Miss Kittin's vocal is perfect for the song. All she says is 'Sweet seduction in a magazine, Endless pleasure in a limousine, In the back shakes a tambourine, Nicotine from a silver screen'. And it is enough! The sleeve says that the lyrics were emailed by Tommie Sunshine in Chicago. The music is electro in a pop format. The two other versions are the much longer Laurent Garnier and FC Kahuna remixes. Both mixes are tops as well. The only benefit the original version has is that it knocks you out, and then is over before you know it. Just like the first 2 Blondie records (their best), this music feels like it will be a favorite for a few weeks, then will seem completely played out until rediscovered at a later date. That means: ENJOY it now!

Three Sixty Records is a small label formed in San Francisco by Arcade America A&R head, Graham Shrimpton. This CD is a re-release of the first Tim Love Lee record, which has been unavailable (at least I've never seen it, and I've looked) for several years. When things like this show up, they usually don't meet the expectations you've set for them during the years you've searched. Happily, this CD does. I like it better than the newer 'The Continuing Confessions of ...' disc (see March 6 gullbuy). It has less of a lounge feel than the newer disc, and more of a percussive disco dance dub feel, like Los Chicarrons, a band on one of Tim Love Lee's labels Tummy Touch (he also runs the label 'Peace Feast'). Some songs are instrumentals, some have male vocals, and some have female vocals. 'One Word' (#3) is an instrumental which has enough bongo that it could fit on the CD by The Incredible Bongo Band. 'One Word' is an ace track - I will play this (and my other faves here) for months to come. 'Nu Pholk Sound' (#4) has vocals by Tim Love Lee. On this track his vocals are bathed in echo and some kind of compression effect, making them sound like an indie version of 'house' vocals. The best part of 'Nu Pholk Sound' is in the second half, when the song gets really dubbed out and 'Yee-haa'-ing rustlers start appearing in the mix. 'Everybody Loves The Jungle' (#5) slows us down to a downtempo pace with bird sounds and a female vocal saying 'Sunshine'. It is a bright and warm track that I like a lot. 'Love's Gonna Get You' (#8) is the second of the female vocal tracks. It has the same high level of percussion as the other tracks, and a clean and smooth chorus vocal of 'I'm gonna get you, I'm gonna get you boy'. No complicated stanzas and verses here! As with some of the other tracks, vocals and music get echoed in a fashion taken directly from Jamaican dub records. 'Mo' Bounce' (#9) is a Pigbag styled funk track with slap bass and coolness to the core. The last quarter of the record (songs 10 - 14) have a kinked out saga of a boy who curses and gets caught by his mother. His father takes Billy inside to punish him, but requests that the boy him instead. Questionable taste indeed. The last song in the saga 'Again Son' (14) is a great cut that also has been released as a split 12" with Groove Armada (their side has the Lee co-written song 'Disco Insert').
Faves: 3,4,5,8,9,14

Can you even believe that the White Stripes were in Rolling Stone? Entertainment Weekly? On the Craig Kilborne show??!! What's next, Rosie O'Donell?? This is all very difficult to soak in for those of us who have been following the Stripes since their inception (or thereabouts). I mean, I wasn't around when Devo and REM went from being under the radar to, well, BEING the radar... are the White Stripes next? After listening (over and over and over again) to their latest record, White Blood Cells, I can only say that I have no idea if they will remain America's sweethearts or end up just a flash in the pan that is commercial buzz. Their sound is as irresistible as ever, with anthems like ''Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground'', ''Hotel Yorba'' and ''Offend in Every Way'' embodying the rock-along, pound-away style that has won the band a gazillion fans, miraculously enough, without getting boring. I can't say it's surprising that so many people enjoy listening to catchy, simple, yet rockin' pop songs. One thing in particular, however, is really remarkable about the White Stripes' newfound success. Unlike most other college radio typa bands that broke big, the brother-sister/ex-husband/wife/who-gives-a-crap duo of Jack and Meg White have stuck with the little label that gave 'em their start, in this case the idiosyncratic Sympathy for the Record Industry. In the long run, this was probably a smart move- it allows the band to sell records based more on word-of-mouth than cheap publicity stunts, and ensures them some cred with people like you n me. Plus, when the fit hits the shan, there is something about the White Stripes that remains a little too edgy, a little to true for John Q. Public. In any case, the new album rocks and I'm sure all the Z DJs and listeners will have more than enough of an opportunity to check it out. It thwaks and thrashes and riffs the Stripes back into the hearts of cynics and into the personalized internet mix CD's of the masses.

The debut full length by East Berlin artist Michael Zorn. This CD follows up a 12" he put out. Described to me as sounding 'a bit Morr Music, with parts that sometimes violently break out of that (calm) sound', this CD is instrumental electronic music with a beat. You can hear the dub Pole-type sounds in here, but the pace is faster, and the palette is busier that anything Pole have recorded. Michael Zorn seems to have chosen as his craft the skill to combine elements that we already know from IDM into his own sound. I think he is most successful in 'Deconsoled' (#5), 'Nachtbus' (#8), and 'Kopfleuchten' (#10). These are the three songs that have the most angular parts and up beats in them. I really like them, but could take or leave the rest. There is nothing wrong with any of the cuts on this CD. Unlike the shark who gorges on overwhelming schools of squid, I choose to only feed on the choicest morsels from this plentiful genre of music.
Faves: 5,8,10