L&Q Weekly
A speeding new single from Sofie Royer, Jerskin Fendrix live in London, Fyre Festival The Musical, the ghost of Andy Rourke emails Morrissey
Supported by Domino Recordings
Track of the Week
Austrian artist Sofie Royer has this habit of popping up every now and then with a bedroom-produced synth-pop track so perfectly formed you have to wonder how big of a star she’d be if she signed a major label deal. Of course, it would probably kill her unsanitised sound dead, but you get my point. New track ‘AUTO’’s urgency and computer-game backing revs makes you want to learn enough German to sing along, as Royer takes motorway driving in a different direction to the propulsion of Kraftwerk, swerving in and out of lanes with fellow Austrian musician Falco on the brain, whose reckless driving ended his life.
3 sentence live review
JERSKIN FENDRIX, THE WINDMILL, BRIXTON, 10 SEPT: Heads crane towards the low Windmill stage where Jerskin Fendrix performs new music from his forthcoming album Once Upon a Time… in Shropshire, one piece from his Poor Things score and ‘A Star Is Born’. We simply need to see those fingers work that piano, everything a crescendo of chiming, falling keys from a maestro. A small DIY venue becomes the only night at the Proms. Stuart Stubbs
First Base: the month’s best debut albums
A column rounding up recently released first albums, in a world delirious on nostalgia. Read now
What people forget when they say music critics have lost their edge
A couple of weeks ago the Loud And Quiet group chat pinged with a message that read: “New music criticism is dead op-ed just dropped”, with a link to this from The New Yorker. Another journalist group I’m in shared it too. I’d snipe that for all the articles labelling post-social media critics toothless beg-friends our fangs are quick to come out on these occasions, but it would be a lie: “New music criticism is dead op-ed just dropped” captures the mood perfectly – a tired, smirking eye-roll at the inevitability. The other chat took a more direct approach: “How many times is that article going to be written. Snooze.”... Continue reading
Albums for your diary announced this week
Armand Hammer x The Alchemist – Mercy (7 Nov, Backwoodz Studioz): New York rappers billy woods and ELUCID haven’t announced their follow up to 2023’s We Buy Diabetic Test Strips with a track, only news that Mercy is a collaboration with producer The Alchemist.
Emergence Collective – Swimming in the Early Hours (7 Nov, Redundant Span): A bit classical, a bit jazz, a bit folk – the 300 (only a slight exaggeration) members of Sheffield’s Emergence Collective made their debut studio album in one day with no plan before they stepped inside. They came out with 4 improvised bucolic pieces, including the album’s title track.
feeo – Goodness (10 Oct, AD93): The AD93 label continues an impressive run of underground must-haves with the debut album from the minimal and evocative feeo, who’s collaborated with Loraine James and fits neatly on the bills she’s shared with Mica Levi and Tirzah. New track ‘The Hammer Strikes the Bell’ gives you a taste of her unhurried ambient style.
Hirons – Future Perfect (7 Nov, Western Vinyl): A hard recommend for fans of dreamlike DIY pop akin to Virginia Wing, Jenny Hirons’ debut EP was launched this week with ‘Being the Cause’, shaking off the drudgery of daily life.
Stella Donnelly – Love and Fortune (7 Nov, Brace Yourself): After a period away from the limelight, the Australian with a knack for indie pop melodies returns with a third album on a new label, which will include new track ‘Feel It Change’.
Also this week
The Mercury Prize nominations were announced, and they are: CMAT, Emma-Jean Thackray, FKA Twigs, Fontaines D.C., Jacob Alon, Joe Webb, Martin Carthy, Pa Salieu, PinkPantheress, Pulp, Sam Fender and Wolf Alice.
Mitski has announced a live concert film called Mitski: The Land, which will received a worldwide cinema release on 22 October for a limited time. Tickets are available here.
Having been one of the clutch of indie artists to pull their music from Spotify last month, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard have now added all of their albums to Bandcamp with a pay-what-you-like price tag. Dig in.
Actor-director Taika Waititi is producing Fyre Festival The Music, with music by Paul Epworth. Naturally, it’s a comedy, and its synopsis reads: “It’s not just a Greek-sized tragedy of one man’s con. It’s a satirical indictment of an entire generation. Fyre Fest the Musical. It’s about as wrong as a bad idea can go.”
Julia Jacklin’s side hustle garage rock band Phantastic Ferniture have released their first music in 8 years. No album news, but 2 new tracks, ‘Change My Mind’ and ‘Dare To Fall In Love’.
