It's silly to talk about No Home Record, the first really "solo" release from Kim Gordon, as some sort of debut album of Kim as an artist. I mean, she's been part of Sonic Youth, Free Kitten, and Body/Head, among other projects, over the course of the last nearly 40 years, so Kim's no newcomer. However, in some sense, No Home Record, out on Friday via Matador Records, feels very much like a new start, and a fresh break with the recent past. In that sense, at least, No Home Record is the beginning of a new era for Kim Gordon.
And while one might wonder if the production by Justin Raisen (Angel Olsen, John Cale, Charli XCX) on this one signals a move towards something slightly more mainstream, those fears are allayed with one listen to "Murdered Out", the heavy, proto-industrial stomper that roared out ahead of this record's official release date. That cut and the brittle "Air BnB" positively seethe with a force that's impressive. With the currency that "Kook Thing" had in 1990, Gordon here embraces bits and pieces of modern pop only to smash them under her fists. The rhythmic shards of "Air BnB", for instance, are nearly as important as the big guitar riffs that push the song forward. The quieter "Paprika Pony" accomplishes more with less, the programmed hooks anchoring this one to some sinister design, while "Cookie Butter" goes even further, a jittery beat and throbbing bass holding this in place just before it spins out into the abyss.
Lots of what's on No Home Record seems stark, and every track here, loud or more subdued, has real menace to it. Leave it to Kim Gordon to sound more potentially dangerous on the percolating "Sketch Artist" than she did on some Sonic Youth tracks that were draped in feedback. While "Hungry Baby" here seems a sop to the hungry babies who are likely expecting this new stuff to sound like "Sacred Trickster" or something, so much of this first solo album is given over to genuinely experimental stabs of pop that even this long-time fan was very surprised at the chances taken here. And while "Earthquake" and "Get Yr Life Back" are more grounded in melodic terms, the music remains the sort of thing that takes you out of yourself a bit. I say that because Kim Gordon's best compositions in Sonic Youth and elsewhere always had that power. No Home Record is throughout -- thank goodness! -- not an easy listen, even though it dabbles in pop forms at times. However, it is a very good album, and one which rewards a listener even as it confounds expectations, and deconstructs styles.
No Home Record is out on Friday via Matador Records.
More details on Kim Gordon via the official Facebook page, or the official website.
[Photo: Natalia Mantini / Matador Records]