Body/Head
The Switch
Matador
Jul 09, 2018 Web Exclusive
Body/Head began life as an improvisational live project, but soon ventured into recorded territory, eventually releasing their debut LP, Coming Apart, in 2013. Post-Sonic Youth, Kim Gordon remains as inquisitive an artist as ever, and in experimental guitarist Bill Nace, she has found an atypical curiosity to match her own. Perhaps unsurprisingly, The Switch feels like its roots still lie in spontaneity and a lack of premeditation.
Nevertheless, the ambient textures they conjure certainly contrast with the immediacy of Coming Apart. Album opener “Last Time” features guitars that bow and arch around each other like a ghostly dance; each sound elongated and distorted with a light touch that only propagates an unnerving apprehension for what’s in store.
From the dark rumble of “You Don’t Need” through the spiky malevolence of the guitars on “In the Dark Room,” to the noise-drenched freakout of “Change My Brain,” they have created a rich world with a minimal palette. And amidst the noisy drone of the five tracks, Gordon’s increasingly abstract vocal is further aligned with the instrumentation’s contorted lines.
The protracted dissonance of “Reverse Hard” concludes a sonic suite that feels as instinctual as it does considered. The Switch is a restlessly searching work that requires a concentrated listener, yet for all its harshness, this eccentric and admirably inconclusive record has a deeply meditative quality. (www.bodyheadmusic.com)
Author rating: 7/10
Average reader rating: 10/10
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