Album Review: Kim Gordon, The Collective

Former Sonic Youth legend and the uncrowned first lady of alternative rock, Kim Gordon has carved a stellar career by eschewing commercial concerns in favour of remaining true to her art, musical and visual.

This second solo album takes up where her 2019 debut, No Home Record, left off, with Gordon waxing poetical over scuzzy electronic soundscapes carved by producer Justin Raisen. Indeed, the closing ‘Dream Dollar’ could be a tongue-in-cheek indictment of commercialism, with Gordon repeating “Cement the brand” mantra-like over a hypnotic backing track.

Lead single and album opener ‘Bye Bye’ is a spoken word travel-list of sorts over a throbbing, electro-clash backdrop – think U2’s ‘Dirty Day’ put through a blender. It sets the tone for what follows, Gordon indulging in some word collages, mostly spoken over buzzingly uneasy backing tracks. They generally sound like Tom Waits’ rhythm section spewed out of an industrial mincing machine, from the uneasy listening of ‘I Don’t Miss My Mind’, to the stop-start staccato of ‘Trophies’ and the frantic ‘The Believers’.

‘I’m A Man’ and ‘It’s Dark Inside’ both flirt with the idea of catchiness, but then sidestep into cacophony, with only the slinky ‘Shelf Warmer’ likely to garner any radio attention. An interesting but unsettling listen.

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