Published on
July 21, 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.
Mort Garson
Journey to the Moon and Beyond
(Sacred Bones)
From soundtracking the moon landing to designing music for plants, the variety and quirkiness of Mort Garson’s synth work is part of the charm, and this latest dive into the Garson vaults brings forth a host of projects that put his Moog synthesizer to good use. With the moon landing soundtrack as a focal point, the “beyond” of this collection stretches out to work for advertising, a soundtrack to the 1974 blaxploitation film Black Eye, and other soundtrack rarities. Keeping Garson’s unabashed embrace of the era’s electronic dreams at the forefront, Journey to the Moon and Beyond makes for an intriguing time-capsule of the composer’s space-age sounds.–JH
Various Artists
Barbie The Album
(Atlantic)
Mark Ronson compiles pink-shimmering cuts from Lizzo, Sam Smith, Billie Eilish and beyond to soundtrack Greta Gerwig’s Barbie. Genre-hopping from Charli XCX’s “Hey Mickey” sampling hyper-pop dream to Ryan Gosling’s over-dramatised “Hey Ken” glam-rock ballad and a short 90-second psych trip with Tame Impala, Barbie appeases the task Ronson was handed. Far from Barbie’s squeaky-clean origins, the soundtrack brings the Mattel brand into 2023 while playing with everything pop has to offer. Life in plastic really is fantastic.–BR
Kode9 / Burial
Infirmary / Unknown Summer
(fabric Originals)
fabric temporarily pulls Burial and Kode9 away from their long-time home at Hyperdub for a two-track split EP. While the EP sees neither artist reinvent the wheel, these are welcomed additions to both artists’ impressive catalogues. Kode9’s offering pulls from footwork in a lengthy yet self-restrained slab of dark electronic goodness. Burial’s side features a move towards the beats of his past, following a series of largely ambient releases from the producer. It’s a cut that does what Burial does best, a faded dance track steeped in melancholy that subtly builds itself towards an emotional payoff. Complementing cuts from two of the best.–KD
Alva Noto
This Stolen Garden Of Mine
(Noton)
Following on from his intricate soundtrack to the Komplizen theatre piece, Carsten Nicolai returns under the Alva Noto moniker with a set of enveloping themes for This Stolen Country of Mine. Soundtracking a documentary that’s focused on the resistance to Ecuador’s ongoing exploitation by international powers, Nicolai’s work takes on the documentary’s emotive and foreboding tones in complex entanglements of texture and insect-like pulses of electronica. Lovers of Alva Noto’s heralded Xerrox series will find much to delight in here.–JH
Alan Vega
Just A Million Dreams
(Futurismo)
As one-half of no-wave icons Suicide, anthemic ‘80s synths and decadent guitar solos are not what immediately comes to mind when thinking of Alan Vega. Yet, on 1985’s Just A Million Dreams—his first major label outing on Elektra Records (now reissued on Futurismo)—Vega revels in the glam rock excess: crooning and yelping over radio-ready guitar riffs and driving drums. On tracks like “Cry Fire” and “Shooting For You”, Vega emerges like a Springsteen from the shadows crafting soaring odes to desire from the underbelly—finding beauty in the mundanity and darkness of Americana.–AVD
Various Artists
Tracks From The Alley Vol. III
(Alley Tracks)
Italian record label Alley Tracks run by Bologna-based duo FLML plates up four Chicago house-inspired tracks for the third edition of their Tracks From The Alley series pressed on a strictly limited 12-inch. Featuring productions from Japanese producer Takeshi Kouzuki through to cult Greek producer DimDJ, the EP also includes sounds from the label founders and US DJ and label boss Chris Mitchell. Acidic basslines reverberate throughout with jacking beats and bouncing production–these are powerful DJ tools, perfect for every record bag.–EH
Cut Worms
Cut Worms
(Jagjaguwar)
Get whisked back to an early ‘70s-clad wonderland of yesteryear summer pop with Cut Worms’ eponymous third album. Cut Worms marks a move towards home recording with friends, over a professional studio set-up, and the result is a more intimate affair. “Ballad Of The Texas King” glosses over its murder-ballad subject matter with Max Clarke’s gentle acoustic strums, while “Is It Magic” battles post-Covid freedom with stunning harmonies and subtle electric melodies. As laid-back and easygoing as humanly possible, Cut Worms pulls from the best parts of vintage pop into a timeless collection of Clarke’s self-named “pop essentialism”. Perfect for spinning on a sun-kissed summer evening.–BR
Nina Simone
You’ve Got To Learn
(Verve)
From Verve Records comes a previously unreleased live Nina Simone album, recorded at the 1966 Newport Jazz Festival. Released in celebration of Simone’s 90th birthday, this electrifying six-song set showcases Simone’s musical prowess and maverick songwriting ability at a particularly fecund moment in her career. From the captivating titular track to the riveting political protest of “Mississippi Goddamn”—reimagined as a breezy, swinging number that brings a new dimension to the fervency of its lyrics—You’ve Got to Learn is a welcome addition to Simone’s already expansive discography.–AVD
Brontez Purnell
No Jack Swing
(Dark Entries Records)
Dark Entries is a label whose output is as consistent as it is regular, producing some slept-on iconic releases over the decades alongside fresh contemporary productions. No Jack Swing is the latter, a project conceived by Oakland-based musician Brontez Purnell and produced by Nightfeelings. It originally started as an audio zine of found materials, instrumentals, found tapes, and poems, but soon was shaped into so much more. No Jack Swing is an ode to queerness with nods to ‘90s US dance music, no wave and an additional dash of electroclash and gospel added for good measure–EH
Various Artists
Denshi Ongaku No Bigaku / 電子音楽の美学 (The Aesthetics of Japanese Electronic Music)’ Vol.1
(Cosmocities)
French label Cosmocities pays homage to its “life-long love story with Japanese electronics” on The Aesthetics of Japanese Electronic Music. Dipping between ambient, electronica and deep house, the compilation features a series of Cosmocities veterans and newer additions. It’s a well-paced collection, bringing the audience along on a touching, immersive journey that rewards deep listening.–KD
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