Body/Head – The Switch
(Matador)
Reviewed by Bridget Herlihy.
Imagine the soundtrack to your wildest dreams. Unpredictable, distorted, intimate, and above all, fascinating. The Switch might just be that soundtrack.
Upon the release of Body/Head’s debut album Coming Apart in 2013, Kim Gordon admitted “its not happy music”. Fast forward five years, and the band’s second studio album The Switch is upon us, and some of the darkness that helped define the mood of Coming Apart has dissipated, resulting in an collection of tracks that is more light than dark, without compromising their distinctive sound.
Body/Head is the brainchild of Gordon, perhaps best known as bassist of the much adored Sonic Youth, and guitarist Bill Nace (Vampire Belt, X.O.4, Ceylon Mange). One of the most interesting and admirable elements of The Switch is that a majority of the album was improvised, and this is how the magic happens. The result is a free-flow of ideas and artistry, taking the listener on a magical ride through an abundance of heavy, guitar-driven soundscapes. Opening track Last Time begins the sonic journey with an ode that is like two guitars calling to each other, and segues almost seamlessly into the album’s first single, You Don’t Need, almost seamlessly. Change My Brain and Reverse Hard are auditory epics in their own right, at over 10 minutes in duration each. The album boasts only five tracks, yet they run between 4 and a half and over 10 minutes each. Vocally the tracks are sparse, leaving the music to take centre stage and speak for itself.
This isn’t an album for the faint-hearted, or for the unadventurous. The Switch defies genres, and like Coming Apart, continues to push musical boundaries. It may take a moment or two for your ears to adjust; but cast aside any pre-conceived notions about what you might expect to hear, and just listen. You are in for a ride.
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