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Vetiver are at the forefront of California’s neo-folk scene and on their new album, "Thing of the Past," this San Francisco-based five-piece tear through an eclectic choice of covers ranging from Townes Van Zandt to Loudon Wainwright, with Michael Hurley and Vashti Bunyan lending guest vocals to the proceedings.
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Paavoharju’s last album, "Yha Hamaraa," was a bestseller here at OM and after hearing "Laulu Laakson Kukista" there’s no doubt it will follow suit. The Finnish band exist on an entirely different plane, seemingly possessed by forest spirits and psychedelic ghosts. The sound shifts seamlessly from organic folk lullabies to radio static, via exotic electronic rhythms and swirling psych, playing like Cocteau Twins, Sun City Girls, and Vashti Bunyan all at once.
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Finnish acid folkie Laura Naukkarinen's sophomore release is an enchanting, spare and slightly intoxicating record, anchored by her affected, yet surefooted and focused execution. A natural progression from 2005’s "Kuutarha," Naukkarinen has created an out-of-time album that will set the standard for psych folk in 2008. Mum, Marissa Nadler and Colleen fans should take note.
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A great new song from CocoRosie, which finds Sierra and Bianca Casady in a fairly upbeat, albeit, ethereal mood. Usually ones to experiment with sounds and juxtapositions of music styles, "God Has a Voice, She Speaks Through Me" relies less on the sister's earlier lo-fi folk ornamentation, and the hip-hop influences are far more subtle than what we heard on 07's "Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn," the track gliding on a more atmospheric electronic path.
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Respected abstract beatsmith/poet Daniel Marcellus Givens (who many of you will also no doubt recognize as a member of Other Music's staff) turns in a trippy but very focused album. “Egress” successfully distills the murky MPC funk of J Dilla, Madlib and Prefuse, while combining it with the open-endedness of spiritual jazz and the discipline of classical avant-garde composition.
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Part of the charm of Port O'Brien's debut "The Wind and the Swell" was the intimate warm hiss of its home-recorded sound. So it is with joy that we find their new studio album so hypnotic and alluring, like the call of the sea. Ten great new songs (and one excellent remake) from this nautically-inclined folk-rock band, beautifully recorded to capture the depth of Van Pierszalowski's voice, the scratch of the guitar and the cry of the fiddle.
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Aside from being a super producer who also records for Aphex Twin's Rephlex label as Soundmurderer, Todd Osborn (no e) fixes and flies planes, built a hovercraft, owns an electron microscope and speaks fluent Japanese. Sounds like the guy your last girlfriend dumped you for! Now add to this list an amazingly great record that approaches techno and house with a wide-eyed sense of excitement that's been lacking in so much recent electronic music.
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Devon Williams is a young L.A. singer-songwriter with a resume that belies his years, most notably recent guitar-ring with Lavender Diamond, and most famously fronting So-Cal punkers Osker, on Epitaph (really, that was his band). His solo debut is a stunning pop album, an orchestrated beauty, but of the most economical sort, with lovely, simple melodies and sharp lyrics, bridging the gap between Alex Chilton, East River Pipe, and Papas Fritas.
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Three years in the making, power duo Modey Lemon present "Season of Sweets," another primitive yet futuristic rock ‘n’ roll record. Stripped bare, with guitar, synths, and drums only, the twosome churn out a brilliant noise, full of garage rage, synth-fi angst, motorik Kraut rhythms. The kicker here is that underneath this messy barrage, lies some of the sweetest pop melodies this side of Times New Viking. Nice.
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