The Switch (Vinyl)

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Body/Head is the duo of Kim Gordon and Bill Nace. Creative alchemy doesnt just happen in the studio or in the practice space; so much of it is the product of solo time with ones in strument, learning how body and wood and electronics fuse, and of subconscious processes as one lives ones daily lifepicking up the ambient noise of the world outside, listening to others work, talking through ideas with friends. For Kim and Bill, time together these days is limited to live performances and recording, so theyve got to bring all their magic to every encounter. Lucky for us, these are two experimental sorcerers of significant renown. Their debut album together as Body/Head, Coming Apart, from 2013, was more of a rock recordheavy, emotional, cathartic, spellwork in shades of black and grey. The Switch is their second studio full-length, and it finds the duo working with a more subtle palette, refining their ideas and identity. Some of it was sketched out live (if youve not had the fortune of seeing them in that natural environment yet, see 2016s improvisational document No Waves), but much of it happened purely in the moment. Working in the same studio and with the same producer as Coming Apart, here Body/Head stretch out, making spacious pieces that build shivering drones, dissonant interplay, Gordons manipulated vocals, and scraping, haunting textures into something that feels both delicate and dangerous. Less discrete songs than one composition broken up into thematic movements, a slow-moving narrative that requires as much attention and care from the listener as it did from everyone involved in its creation, it is a record that sticks around after its done playing. This is Naces favorite of Gordons guitar work; shes truly come into her own as a guitarist, having built up her confidence through solo shows. The way the duo work together, youd never know they spend so much time apart; on The Switch, their vision and focus feel truly unified. If Coming Apart was dark magic, The Switch works with light, though it never forgets that these approaches are two sides of the same coin, and that binariesblack/white, near/far, emotion/analysis, body/headare made to be broken open, and that the truth of things is in the energy between. Tenuously and perfectly balanced between experimental challenge and punk efficiency. - Pitchfork All sorts of wild, enthralling noises with little more than a pair of guitars and some amplifiers. - The New York Times Their minimalist drones evoking the tumultuous inner spaces of the heart and the mind. - SPIN Format Detail: LP standard Jacket Format: Vinyl Genre: Rock Show more