Come On and Turn It On Up

Free Kitten “Erected Girl” – As a Sonic Youth fanboy, one of the appealing things about hearing the individual players perform outside of that band is getting a sense of their tics, and identifying the common rhythmic and melodic themes specific to them. It’s kinda like reverse-engineering a meal, I guess — it’s never quite as good without the harmony and balance of flavors, but you do get to focus and meditate on just one aspect of the whole. Obviously, the new Free Kitten album isn’t a solo record — Kim Gordon is collaborating with Julie Cafritz and Yoshimi — but from the first moments of “Erected Girl,” we hear a distinctive tone and strum that ought to be immediately familiar to fans of post-Washing Machine Sonic Youth. Maybe it’s because she’s in a band with Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo, perhaps it’s because she’s mainly identified as a bassist, but Gordon has one of the most interesting, original, and underrated guitar styles that I’ve ever encountered. Whereas Lee and Thurston have become increasingly refined, Kim’s rhythm parts tend to sound a bit ragged and lackadaisical, and seem to patiently and curiously explore some indefinite horizon. “Erected Girl” sounds like a slow lateral progression, forever moving somewhere off to your side, occasionally shifting into a more determined stride, but generally more concerned with the moment rather than the mission. (Click here to buy it from Amazon.)

Meanwhile, on Fair Game: Silje Nes in session, and Sacha Jenkins of Ego Trip discusses Miss Rap Supreme.