Country : Spain / United States Label : Mute Genres and styles : Art Rock / Experimental / Contemporary / Rock Year : 2020

Names of North End Women

· by Michel Rondeau

It’s been almost ten years since Sonic Youth suspended activities. Since then, although he was already quite active in this respect during SY’s time, Lee Ranaldo has been accumulating collaborations. We find him here in the company of Barcelona musician and producer Raül Refree (Raül Fernandez Miro, by his real name), who had already produced the very pop-rock Acoustic Dust, by Lee Ranaldo and the Dust, in 2014, and then co-produced the more experimental Electric Trim, which featured a host of musicians, including Nels Cline, Alan Licht, Kid Millions and Sharon von Etten, released in 2017. (Refree also, by the way, made a superb record with Richard Youngs last year, in the folk vein: All Hands Around the Moment). 

With Names of North End Women (the title refers to the Winnipeg neighbourhood whose streets all bear feminine first names), we move away from the indie-rock universe to venture into less charted territory. It’s indeed from improvisation sessions that the pieces were assembled and constructed. Composite soundscapes, sparse, using an old Studer tape recorder and a cassette recorder rigged as samplers, with here and there electronic punctuations or noise, a rhythm most often provided by the marimba or vibraphone and the occasional presence of choirs, serve as a background for lyrics that are both abstract and poetic, sometimes recited, sometimes sung, to catchy melodies, especially on “Humps (Espriu Mix)” and the title piece, which turns into a real sing-along. Unclassifiable, we’re tempted to say, and interesting enough.

Latest 360 Content

A party with post-punk Brooklynites

A party with post-punk Brooklynites

FIRE! Orchestra at FIMAV: Power Trio Meets Canadian Community of Avant-Garde Players

FIRE! Orchestra at FIMAV: Power Trio Meets Canadian Community of Avant-Garde Players

Blondshell – If You Asked For a Picture

Blondshell – If You Asked For a Picture

Hitting a Fever Pitch at the Ribbon Skirt LP Launch 

Hitting a Fever Pitch at the Ribbon Skirt LP Launch 

Wu-Tang Clan & Mathematics – Black Samson, the Bastard Swordsman.

Wu-Tang Clan & Mathematics – Black Samson, the Bastard Swordsman.

Dalit Hadass Warshaw, Boston Modern Orchestra Project / Gil Rose – Sirens

Dalit Hadass Warshaw, Boston Modern Orchestra Project / Gil Rose – Sirens

Howard Shore/Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France – Shore : Anthology

Howard Shore/Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France – Shore : Anthology

Quatuor Diotima – Boulez : Livre pour quatuor

Quatuor Diotima – Boulez : Livre pour quatuor

LMNL – Rainbow

LMNL – Rainbow

Strat Andriotis – Exits

Strat Andriotis – Exits

Richard Reed Parry – The Actor

Richard Reed Parry – The Actor

Tamara Stefanovich – Organised Delirium

Tamara Stefanovich – Organised Delirium

Galan Trio – Embrace

Galan Trio – Embrace

Jack Van Zandt – A Chaos of Light and Motion

Jack Van Zandt – A Chaos of Light and Motion

Tommy Crane – Reality Curated: Live at Ursa

Tommy Crane – Reality Curated: Live at Ursa

Thomas DeLio – Anti-paysage

Thomas DeLio – Anti-paysage

No Hay Banda – Steven Kazuo Takasugi : Il Teatro Rosso

No Hay Banda – Steven Kazuo Takasugi : Il Teatro Rosso

Vancouver Contemporary Orchestra; Vancouver Chamber Choir – Christopher Tyler Nickel : Mass; Te Deum

Vancouver Contemporary Orchestra; Vancouver Chamber Choir – Christopher Tyler Nickel : Mass; Te Deum

Hypercube – The Force for Good

Hypercube – The Force for Good

PUP – Who Will Look After the Dogs?

PUP – Who Will Look After the Dogs?

Duo AYA – Cycles

Duo AYA – Cycles

Papillon Social Club – Dur de la feuille

Papillon Social Club – Dur de la feuille

Coalescent Quartet – The Wall Between Us

Coalescent Quartet – The Wall Between Us

Subscribe to our newsletter