Essential weekend listening.
This week’s rundown is by VF’s Kelly Doherty and contributors Annabelle Van Dort, Emily Hill and James Hammond.
Jennifer Walshe and Tony Conrad
In the Merry Month of May
(Blue Chopsticks)
Eight years after the passing of Tony Conrad, In the Merry Month of May comes as his final collaboration in a career filled with similarly vibrant and radical explosions of known vocabularies. Jennifer Walshe is Conrad’s partner in crime here, with her vocals and contortions of language meeting the untethered approach of Conrad’s strings. From the drone-oriented opening track to the absurdist anxieties of “Wake Up”, an improvisational spark runs throughout the whole of this remarkably odd record.–JH
Jamal Moss
It Is My Fault, My Fault Alone
(Modern Love)
Jamal Moss, aka Hieroglyphic Being, Chicago-based DJ, producer and head honcho of Mathematica Recordings, delivers two tracks for Modern Love. Taking influence from his surroundings, Moss, an expert in all things in the acidic sludge realm, returns with two cosmic jacking house cuts on a special 7″. The kicks are dirty, the bassline is hard and psychosexual–Moss truly does it again.–EH
Machinedrum
3FOR82
(Ninja Tune)
Machinedrum is back with his thirteenth record, and it’s an absolute treat. Teaming up with an extensive cast of collaborators including Mick Jenkins, Duckwrth and Tinashe, Machinedrum examines the relationship between the contributors’ past and present selves–both lyrical and through the nostalgic hardware that produced 3FOR82. The result is a divergent collection of songs that pull from the yesteryears of future bass and early ’10s UK dance music with a new breaksy, futuristic slant. A thoughtful yet fun release bridges the gap between then and now.–KD
James Hoff
Shadows Lifted From Invisible Hands
(Shelter Press)
James Hoff’s compositional process has long made use of notions of inner sound and mental detritus and with Shadows Lifted from Invisible Hands, he looks to his earworms and tinnitus as abject creative prompts. Blondie’s “Heart of Glass,” David Bowie’s “Space Oddity,” Madonna’s “Into the Groove,” and Lou Reed’s “Perfect Day” appear in spectral forms and as four particular songs that have “haunted” Hoff for years in earworm-form. Reconfiguring these tracks away from their inherently catchy nature, Hoff’s work manages to articulate the oft-intangible remnants and mental shadows of what he refers to as “ambient media”.–JH
Harold Land
Choma (Burn)
(Wewantsounds)
Wewantsounds presents a stunning reissue of Harold Land’s second solo album, Choma (Burn)—originally released in 1971 on Mainstream Records. Featuring an esteemed cast of supporting musicians, including Bobby Hutcherson on vibraphone, Reggie Johnson on bass, Bill Henderson & Harold Land Jr. on piano/Fender, plus two drummers—Ndugu and Woody Theus, whose simultaneous playing throughout the record imbues Choma (Burn) with a radical dynamism. Full of unpredictable percussive flair and searching, spiritual grooves, Choma (Burn) is another welcome reissue from the prolific label.–AVD
Lina Filipovich
Music for an imaginary dancefloor
(BLANK MIND)
X–EH
mui zyu
nothing or something to die for
(Polyvinyl)
Eva Liu, aka mui zyu, crafts delightfully weird bedroom pop on her sophomore record, nothing or something to die for. Taking many of the established beats of melancholic singer-songwriter fare and twisting them out of shape, mui zyu explores technology and human connection in an intriguing and almost sci-fi approach. It’s sinister and playful, dark and melodic and wholly unique.–KD
