Fluxblog 531: 50 post-punk art funk greats
Plus new songs by Lexi Jones, Jenny Hval, and Emjay
This week’s playlist is 50 POST-PUNK ART FUNK GREATS, which is exactly what it says it is and includes classics by the likes of Liquid Liquid, A Certain Ratio, The Slits, ESG, Talking Heads, Gang of Four, The Pop Group, The B-52’s, Delta 5, Kid Creole and the Coconuts, Public Image Ltd, The Clash, Joy Division, Orange Juice, Grace Jones, Lizzy Mercier Descloux, and more. You like that spiky punk-funk sound? This is the party for you.
[Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube]
It’s The Fog In Your Eyes That’ll Make You Blind
Lexi Jones “Along the Road”
I enjoyed listening to this song several times over and decided to write about it before ever learning a major biographical detail about Lexi Jones: she’s the daughter of David Bowie and Iman. I suppose this is the dream scenario for the “nepo baby” – to be heard entirely on their own terms as an anonymous artist; to be approached without resentment or comparison to their artistic family members. I know I’ve ruined that for you if you haven’t heard this yet, but trust me, “Along the Road” is a song that succeeds on its merits, and there’s no more Bowie-ness in this than any other sort of arty rock song that’s been released in the past 50 years. If anything, this sounds more plausibly like the offspring of Electrelane or Cass McCombs.
“Along the Road” is built around a relatively simple descending piano figure that seems to roll like a wheel while the rest of the arrangement either glides along with it, or passes by like scenery. A string arrangement and Jones’ somewhat androgynous voice carry the drama, but even that’s low-key. There’s no big feeling or revelation here, it’s more about accruing little bits of wisdom and minor epiphanies on the path to some unknown destination.
Buy it from Amazon.
A Stage Without A Show
Jenny Hval “The Artist Is Absent (89 Seconds Rewrite)”
This is kind of a “Outdoor Miner” situation, if you know what I mean. The “89 second rewrite” version of “The Artist Is Absent” is a minute longer than the proper version, which is basically the same but more terse and a little less emphatic. In the context of the lyrics, which list a series of artistic notions that are left incomplete, I get why Jenny Hval would favor the brief version on her album. She wants to make you feel the parts that are missing like a ghost limb. I appreciate the concept, but I simply prefer the version that gives the music space to spread out and resolve a bit.
Buy it from Bandcamp.
Emjay “Flash y Pose”
“Flash Y Pose” is a sexy and unhinged banger about being sexy and unhinged, rapped mostly in Spanish over a frantic beat and grinding electronic noise. Emjay switches to English briefly midway through the song to introduce a list of “3 very important lessons to become what you’ve always wanted to become – the bitchiest bitch ever.” She switches back to Spanish for the list, but it includes “if my nails are longer than your dick, I’ll cut it off.” Yeah, pretty bitchy! But incredibly charming, and essentially the Spanish language equivalent to Yelle’s classic “Je Veux Te Voir.”
Buy it from Amazon.
LIVE LIVE LIVE LIVE
I went to the second of Charli XCX’s four sold-out shows at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn and was extremely impressed by how much audience excitement she can get out of doing so little, at least relative to her immediate peers in the pop lane. There’s no band, no dancers, and the set and lighting is very minimal. Her performance is very light on choreography and her vocal parts aren’t showy – she’s selling all of this on attitude, vibes, and sheer force of will. You don’t need to work too hard to get a big room excited if you have that kind of charisma and 90 minutes of bangers people want to dance and scream along to.
LINKS LINKS LINKS LINKS
• I loved the pilot episode of the new Seeking Derangements game show Interior Motives, in which Jacques Gonsoulin, Hesse Deni, and Ben Mora try to figure out who people are and where they live by looking at photos of their living space and refrigerators. You can watch the episode here for free on their Patreon, and if you’re not familiar with the Seeking Derangements crew I think this is a great way to be introduced to their dynamic and sense of humor.
• Thank you to Tom Breihan for giving me a nice little shout out in his piece celebrating the 20th anniversary of Robyn’s self-titled album!
• Check out Nicole Tremaglio’s new Physical Media Renaissance zine, which is available as a free pdf in the new issue of the Nicstalgia newsletter. It’s very cute and smart and I’m into the idea of digital zines bundled into a newsletter, sorta like how newspapers will have a special magazine folded into a Sunday edition.
