Published on
August 18, 2023
Category
Features
Essential weekend listening.
This week’s rundown is by VF’s Kelly Doherty and Becky Rogers, alongside contributors Annabelle Van Dort, Emily Hill and James Hammond.
Sonic Youth
Live In Brooklyn 2011
(Silver Current)
On August 12, 2011, legendary alt-rock experimentalists Sonic Youth played their final US show at the Williamsburg Waterfront in Brooklyn. Now, Silver Current Records presents this essential addition to the Sonic Youth archive with a live recording of the performance, mixed by longtime live engineer Aaron Mullan, with mastering from Carl Saff. Featuring an explosive 17-song set spanning their three-decade-long discography, Live in Brooklyn is a whirlwind of distortion and noise, traversing the deeper and darker edges of the band’s extensive catalogue.–AVD
Fran Lobo
Burning It Feels Like
(Heavenly Records)
London-based label Heavenly Records has brought us some of music’s biggest names, from Saint Etienne through to Mildlife. Carefully curating albums across various genres but retaining exceptional quality, their latest dish is the long-awaited debut album by North-East London’s very own Fran Lobo. Taking inspiration from an eclectic musical upbringing shaped by her parents’ far-reaching musical tastes, the record takes a winding journey through different energies and moods, existing in the complex corners of an anxious mind.–EH
Bonnie Prince Billy
Keeping Secrets Will Destroy You
(Drag City)
A work of homespun, intimate songwriting that looks to a room sound and the communal nature of the song, Will Oldham’s 17th album as Bonnie Prince Billy connects to the fundaments of his enduring craft. Shying away from the more overwrought innovations that might be expected from an artist at this point in their career, Keeping Secrets Will Destroy You is a work of quiet insistence and a must-listen for the BPB faithful.–JH
cumgirl8
phantasea pharm
(4AD)
Cumgirl8 welcomes you into their chaotic world of subversion and self-expression with their 4AD debut phantasea pharm. Across its six tracks, phantasea pharm rejects any pigeonholing as the New York art collective thrive on punk-powered anarchy. Where “gothgirl1” scraps around goth-rock beats and operatics, the playful “She’s a party what? A party slut!” chants sideline synth-led insanity in “pritney llc” and leftfield industrial throbs leak into “picture party”. Its embrace of femme empowerment through provocation is what pushes phantasea pharm into a new, necessary, realm of art-punk. Even opener “cicciolina” pays tribute to porn star-turned-politician Ilona Staller who “used her divine power of femininity to troll the status quo while disrupting it from the inside”. cumgirl8 are The Slits meet ESG with a heart of flamboyancy, and phantasea pharm is no different.–BR
Arnold Dreyblatt
Resolve
(Drag City)
Resolve finds composer Arnold Dreyblatt reigniting the Orchestra of Excited Strings with a set of works that abound in microtonal and rhythmic innovations. Connected to the spirit of Dreyblatt’s 1982 debut Nodal Excitation, on Resolve he’s joined by the crack ensemble of Oren Ambarchi, Konrad Sprenger and Joachim Schülz–a trio whose shared affinity for exploding the vocabulary of the electric guitar is in full bloom here. Playing microtonally and keeping 20 tones to an octave, these four tracks take insistent and simple rhythms and build up a ferment of shifting strings that channels the essence of rock music into unfamiliar zones.–JH
OSEES
Intercepted Message
(In The Red)
LA-based psych-rockers OSEES return with their 27th album, Intercepted Message. Self-described as a “pop record for tired times” and for “fans of Teutonic synth-punk”, Intercepted Message isn’t one to tie itself down. An explosive cover of Blurt’s “The Fish Needs A Bike” lands more in Blurt territory than OSEES with krautrock motoriks churning alongside a frenzied horn section. Elsewhere, “Goon” offers up ‘70s hair metal glamour, while “Always At Night” sees a softer side of the John Dwyer-led group. It’s not all serious with closer “Ladwp Hold” sampling the iconic “Opus Number One” hold music we all love to hate, with a swampy psych slant. Intercepted Message might dip into a world of psych-punk past, but for a band 27 albums in, it’s an inevitable route. Despite everything, OSEES still hold the garage-rock top spot and Intercepted Message is a release that will no doubt stand the test of time.–BR
Cautious Clay
KARPEH
(Blue Note)
Following collaborations with the likes of Billie Eilish and John Legend, Cautious Clay settles into himself on KARPEH. A multi-part reflection on family and personal history, KARPEH is a heavenly combination of jazzy dexterity and Cautious Clay’s warm vocals. Interspersed recordings of the artist’s family piece together an ambitious collection as KARPEH changes up between brightly lit grooves, soul swooning and pop-R&B sensibilities. Stand-out cut “Glass Face”, featuring the ever-excellent Arooj Aftab, takes an acoustic route, dreamily gliding by while showcasing the far-reaching corners of Clay’s exploratory ethos. A thrilling album from an understated talent.–KD
Mick Jenkins
The Patience
(RBC Records)
On his fourth studio album, Southside Chicago rapper Mick Jenkins returns with a renewed tenacity and a point to prove. The Patience, Jenkins’s first record released on BMG after years of a restrictive label deal with Cinematic Music Group, reflects on the pitfalls of a music industry that constrained his output for years, whilst asserting his newfound artistic autonomy in electrifying fashion. Adorned with slick boom-bap production and luscious soul jazz samples, Jenkins infuses The Patience with a lyrical maturity and presence, evolved from his past, concept-centric records.–AVD
Shamir
Homo Anxietatem
(Kill Rock Stars)
Shamir follows 2022’s Heterosexuality with a collection of ’90s-tinged alt-rock anthems. Throughout Homo Anxietatem, feelings are raw and detailed. Shamir’s post-Ratchet career has placed vulnerability to the fore and one of Homo Anxietatem‘s greatest strengths is its commitment to openness without becoming overwrought. Personal pain is presented with the same gravity as environmental concerns, amounting to what feels like a fair reflection of the anxious millennial mind. Against an ever-changing background of alt-rock goodness, Shamir continues to bare all through his trademark falsetto and mercurial approach to genre.–KD
Aphex Twin
Syro (2023 reissue)
(Warp)
The maestro Aphex Twin gets his 2014 album Syro reissued on Warp. One of the most anticipated records of its release year, Syro has been repressed for your enjoyment. Materialising in the form of three 12″s, it features pensive musical musings and hits all the high notes of intelligent dance music. Occasionally reserved but standing strong against the test of time, Syro continued Aphex Twin’s domination in the field of experimental electronica.–EH
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