The Tamesis
“Come on, play me,” Kim Gordon sings on “Play Me,” the title track and opener from her latest album. The song’s set of groovy horn samples sounds like memories of being in the car during the summer, driving aimlessly with the windows rolled down, staring at the sun and clouds until your view becomes a kaleidoscope of colors. You let yourself be immersed in the hiss of the tape and Gordon’s signature voice, talking about “making out jams” and inviting you to “feel free.” Everything is great.
exist play with meWith her third solo album now out, Gordon is definitely feeling freer. If her last album “2024” was well received collectivethere’s the feeling of a giant machine hurtling across the landscape, its piercing bass discreetly blowing out your speakers every time you blast, play with meThe 72-year-old artist feels at home among the ruins as he confronts the realities of American life.
But perhaps the most surprising thing this time around is how darkly funny her lyrics are. When she re-recorded her 2024 song “Bye Bye,” Gordon replaced its lyrics (part to-do list, part modern version of Joan Diddy’s packing list (“Give Keller cigarettes, call the vet, call the groomer, call the dog sitter” and “Sleeping pills, sneakers, boots, black dress”)) with words slurred by our current administration: “trauma, privilege, uterus, MSM, measles, peanut allergy, abortion.” The result is hilarious, in a “you can laugh or you can cry” kind of way. Elsewhere, on “SUBCON,” she sings: “A house isn’t a home/It’s a dream/A mirage,” before turning it on anyone who wants to keep dreaming, asking: “You want to go to Mars…and what? Then what? Then what?”
