Essential weekend listening.
This week’s rundown is by VF’s Kelly Doherty, and contributors Annabelle Van Dort, Emily Hill and James Hammond.
I. JORDAN
I AM JORDAN
(Ninja Tune)
An early contender for park drinks and pre-party soundtrack of the summer, I. JORDAN’s long-awaited debut is a blast. An economic storm through club genres, I AM JORDAN wears its rave, donk and hardstyle influences on its sleeves as it frantically moves through all things hard, fast and fun. Jordan has described the record as being “about my joy as a trans person, and trans joy generally” and with the giddy euphoria to be found throughout this debut, the joy of I AM JORDAN will be echoing across club soundsystems for the foreseeable. –KD
Yaya Bey
Ten Fold
(Big Dada)
To date, Yaya Bey’s releases via Big Dada have been hypnotic and enchanting and her second album since her debut back in 2022, does not disappoint. Oscillating through genres and spiralling emotional frequencies, the lyrical penmanship on here mesmerises. Across 15 tracks, her honesty lyricism connects, layered between upbeat rhythms and downtempo smooth R&B moments. It’s a classy, sensational body of work and a real highlight of 2024 so far.–EH
Various Artists
In The Beginning There Was Rhythm
(Soul Jazz Records)
Out of print for over twenty years, Soul Jazz Records present a much-needed repress of their essential UK post-punk compilation In the Beginning There Was Rhythm. Across eleven incendiary tracks—ranging from the searing dance funk of 23 Skidoo and A Certain Ratio, to the industrial synth experiments of Cabaret Voltaire and the fervent radical politics of Gang of Four and The Pop Group—label-head Stuart Baker captures the incredibly influential hotbed of creativity that emerged in reaction to the bleak realities of Thatcherite Britain.–AVD
Les Savy Fav
Oui, LSF
(Frenchkiss Records)
Via a palpable sense of fun and exhilaration, Les Savy Fav have long carved out their identity within the confines of a verse-chorus-verse rock band. With frontman Tim Harrington as the embodiment of that credos, a new LP and a series of live shows have come to reawaken Les Savy Fav from a fourteen-year recording hiatus. Shaking off the rust with gusto, Oui, LSF rolls on the neatly phrased, interlocking guitars that are synonymous with LSF’s approach and with enough space and risk for the eccentricity of the group’s long-standing chemistry to shine through.–JH
Conrad Schnitzler
Slow Motion
(Bureau B)
Bureau B return to the archive of electronic pioneer Conrad Schnitzler with their reissue of Slow Motion— Schnitzler’s score for German multi-disciplinary artist Karl Horst Hödicke’s 1976 film of the same name. Recalling the expansive experimental approaches of Schnitzler’s work with Kluster, Slow Motion conjures otherworldly, fluid soundscapes that shift from oscillating synths that sound like spectral whispers to propulsive acid sequences that dart into the unknown.–AVD
Eivind Lønning, Jim O’Rourke
Most, but Potentially All
(Smalltown Supersound)
Having already collaborated for an exhibition-based work, Eivind LØnning and Jim O’Rourke join forces again for this three-act electroacoustic marvel. With LØnning working on the acoustic end of this divide, it’s his trumpet performance that meets O’Rourke’s electronic permutations that put a careful ear and kyma processing to good use. Striking a careful balance between the acts of performance and manipulation- the extrapolated, spectral quality that augments Lonning’s performance make Most, but Potentially All a very worthwhile listen.–JH
Various Artists
I Saw The TV Glow OST
(A24 Music)
Upcoming Jane Schoenbrun-directed A24 horror-drama I Saw The TV Glow is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated releases of the year and if its soundtrack is anything to go by, we’re in for a treat. A who’s who of 2024’s weird-pop stars, I Saw The TV Glow OST brags Caroline Polachek, yeule, L’Rain, Florist and Phoebe Bridgers among its contributors. As a standalone release away from the film that it compliments, I Saw The TV Glow OST is an aching collection of lonely indie cuts from some of the finest artists of the current indie scene. Time to get a little weepy.–KD
REZZETT
Puddings
(RZ)
REZZETT self-releases some sexy lo-fi house after several impressive beat experiments for iconic London-based imprint The Trilogy Tapes. This latest EP, Puddings, leans on the fuzzy, distorted house tip with some distinctive sparkling rhythms. The duo dips through experimental sound frequencies balancing ethereal synths and boiling basslines with a healthy variation of electrified static for good measure. “Spotted Dick” on the B side has a huge vibe–euphoric yet driving in all the right ways.–EH
