Aldous HardingDesigner New Zealand singer-songwriter’s third album is sublime New Zealand-based Hannah Harding – who records as Aldous Harding – kicks down the doors of perception, like her druggy writer namesake. In her case, though, it’s the limitations of folk music that she skews. This, her third album, finds her on haunting and beautiful form. PJ Harvey memberContinue reading “Archive Review: Aldous Harding -Designer”
Tag Archives: Experimental music
Lost In Music: Angine de Poitrine
Seems like everyone has an opinion on oh-so enigmatic Quebec duo Angine de Poitrine at the moment, from Justin Hawkins to outspoken Glasgow comic Limmy. They’re becoming ubiquitous at the moment, possibly with good cause. Styled like a fusion of Tristan Tzara and Strawberry Switchblade with a soupcon of Noseybonk (those phallic noses, ugghhhhh) inContinue reading “Lost In Music: Angine de Poitrine”
Lost In Music: ESG- UFO (1980)
The three sisters – Emerald, Sapphire and Gold- aka the Scroggins sisters (there were actually five initially) made minimal music for the dancefloor, which wasn’t concerned with melody, but rhythm. ‘UFO’ really broke the mould though, with its disturbing space age noise, eerie scraping sonics juxtaposed with a killer funk bass line. It was excessivelyContinue reading “Lost In Music: ESG- UFO (1980)”
Overlooked Classic : Sonic Youth -EVOL (1986)
The front cover shows Lung Leg, in a still from Richard Kern’s notorious film Submit To Me, doing her typically fucked-up, possessed writhing. Kern of course had collaborated with Sonic Youth on the ‘Death Valley 69’ video, but EVOL, which remains my favourite Sonic Youth album beside Daydream Nation, is a much different beast thanContinue reading “Overlooked Classic : Sonic Youth -EVOL (1986)”
Lost In Music: Lucrecia Dalt- A Danger To Ourselves
Colombian artist Lucrecia Dalt’s seventh album was born in struggle. She’d suffered seizures and a near-death experience, which is possibly why the album is so intense, contemplative and beautiful. Co-produced with David Sylvian, her real-life partner, it covers many influences as you may expect from working with such an esoteric musician. It’s stunning. Juana MolinaContinue reading “Lost In Music: Lucrecia Dalt- A Danger To Ourselves”
Album Review: Scattered Purgatory- Post Purgatory
Taiwan experimental band Scattered Purgatory, the duo of Lu Li-Yang and Lu Jiachi, gleefully put genres through the mincing machine, cackling as they go. This new album, forthcoming on the excellent Guruguru Brain label, is full of glorious surprises. Essentially, they make giallo rock, deep, dark rock with saxophone cutting through drone and clattering percussion.Continue reading “Album Review: Scattered Purgatory- Post Purgatory”
Film Review: Bjork -Cornucopia Live
On massive screens behind Bjork and her fellow musicians, flora and fauna burst into kaleidoscopic life in Technicolour. Birdsong and insects provide looped natural percussion, reflecting the singular artist’s twin obsessions: the natural world and technology in symbiosis. Bjork herself, in trademark masks and sculptural costumes, is almost a secondary character amid the visual overwhelm.Continue reading “Film Review: Bjork -Cornucopia Live”
Overlooked Classics: Amiina- Puzzle (2011)
Puzzle from 2011 saw the genre blurring Icelandic band Amiina experiment and expand even more, having started out as an all -female string quartet in Reykjavik. They looked like some kind of mad fin de siecle inventors catapulted into the twenty first century on the front cover, which seems entirely apposite: vintage and contemporary coexisting.Continue reading “Overlooked Classics: Amiina- Puzzle (2011)”
Archive Review: Julia Holter- Aviary
Julia HolterAviary Uneasy listening from LA multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter In a sea of twee folksy singer songwriters, it’s reassuring that we are blessed with some genuinely unique and gifted artists who occupy their own sonic territory: singular women like Annie Clark, aka St Vincent; Kathryn Joseph, Solange, Jane Weaver, FKA Twigs, and Mary Epworth. Los Angeles based multi instrumentalist and singer-songwriter JuliaContinue reading “Archive Review: Julia Holter- Aviary”
Album Review: Model/Actriz- Pirouette
This simply has to be one of the best albums of the year. A mash up of so many exciting elements: the dancefloor burn of mid-noughties American artists like LCD Soundsystem; wild experimentation of no wave and sheer filth of glam at its sleaziest. It’s night time music for seduction or moving under neon lights.Continue reading “Album Review: Model/Actriz- Pirouette”
Hit The North 