Doctor’s Orders: Noah Yorke prescribes nine of his favourite albums
Although he made colourful, foundational strides under his early alias, Alec Owen, performing with Hex Girlfriend and contributing drum tracks for two songs on his father’s 2018 Suspiria soundtrack, Noah Yorke has now launched a solo career in earnest under his birth name. As the son of Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke, Noah has been forced to embrace both the perks and pitfalls inevitable on such an exposed platform.
The alias Alec Owen once warded off the all-too-easy labels relating to nepotism, but as we watch Noah emerge, proudly brandishing his father’s surname, his singular talent as a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist is impossible to deny.
The 23-year-old singer-songwriter opened his new solo venture in September 2021 with ‘Trying Too Hard (Lullaby)’. Since then, he has released three further singles; the latest, ‘Cerebral Key’, arrived on August 1st and will appear on Noah’s upcoming EP of the same name.
“My first time in a studio for my own work, it was a great experience, and I am proud of the results,” Noah said of Cerebral Key in a recent Instagram post. “It has been a reflective and formative process to write and record this project for you, and I hope you enjoy it.”
“Many, many things are on the way from me and from sly-tone records, and I will post more soon about what’s to come,” he added. “Thanks for being here.”
As Noah prepares to unfurl the next pages in his discographic diary, we thought it was high time we became better acquainted with the man behind the music. What better way to introduce a promising talent than to explore their taste in music?
Noah has kindly shared nine of his favourite albums for our ‘Doctor’s Orders’ feature in partnership with the mental health charity CALM. We say “nine of his favourite albums” because, of course, it’s near-impossible for someone with such an eclectic appetite to shepherd just nine albums without feeling one has done a disservice to a host of unselected gems. Alas, with selections old, new, classic and obscure, covering a broad range of styles, we think Noah has done a pretty splendid job.
Noah Yorke’s favourite albums:
Wand – Perfume
First up, Noah picked out Perfume, the 2018 EP by Los Angeles-based psychedelic rock outfit Wand. The band formed in 2013 with frontman Cory Hanson leading the march into their debut album, Ganglion Reef. The band has since released three further studio albums but is yet to follow up 2019’s Laughing Matter.
“This is an album that had a big influence on me when I was a late teenager, but it is also something I go back and listen to regularly and often, which is super telling,” Noah said of Perfume. “I love all Wand’s albums, and this is just such a rich tapestry of stuff. The textures and sonic pictures on this album get me very animated; the songwriting, the layers, the fucking Guitar Playing, it’s all really wicked. Cory Hanson also has some great solo albums that I have been listening to heavily of late.”
Joan As Police Woman, Tony Allen, Dave Okumu – The Solution is Restless
In 2021, the American singer-songwriter Joan As Police Woman created The Solution is Restless in a collaborative project with the legendary Afrobeat drummer Tony Allen, Dave Okumu of The Invisible and Blur and Gorillaz legend Damon Albarn.
“Damon Albarn introduced me to Afrobeat legend Tony Allen at the Africa Express event ‘The Circus’ in London in 2019,” Joan said in a 2021 press statement. “Tony and I played Nina Simone’s ‘I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free’ and made a pact to record together in the future. In November of that year, our pact was realised. My old friend and fierce musician Dave Okumu joined Tony and me in a Parisian studio, where we improvised, untethered by form or tempo.”
“A staple album for me since I found it (a little bit after it came out), and it has helped me a lot both creatively and emotionally, as interconnected as those things inevitably are,” Noah comments. “Some of my favourite drumming and singing ever, ever done. ‘Reaction’, ‘Enter the Dragon’, and ‘The Love Has Got Me’ have been some of my most listened-to songs in the last couple of years.”
Death Grips – The Powers That B
Since forming in 2010, the experimental hip-hop group Death Grips have consistently challenged and rewarded their strong fanbase in equal measure with inspired artistry. For his third choice, Noah pulled out the collective’s fourth album, The Powers That B, a choppy sample odyssey released across two discs between 2014 and 2015.
“Most definitely a therapeutic album, in such a beautifully cathartic way,” Noah notes. “A double album and not one fucking millisecond is wasted. A ragged landscape of terror and chaos and deep sadness and twisted humour, deeply human and yet freakishly alien.”
Tom Waits – Rain Dogs
For his first 20th-century pick, Noah harkens back to 1985, the year of Tom Waits’ mid-career essential, Rain Dogs. This eclectic marvel has it all, from tumbling piano ballads to dusty saloon blues. Waits’ ubiquitously absorbing lyrics are tightly framed throughout with masterful production and, of course, some cracking guitar lines from his old pal, Keith Richards.
“Impossible not to include,” Noah says of the classic. “All of these songs are imprinted onto my brain from years of listening to them in the car with my parents when I was small, and as I have grown up, they have never left. A very formative album for me; Waits’ cast of colourful characters pretty much feel like old friends.”
Sonic Youth – Dirty
At 23, Noah has already exhibited enviable variety in his music, from high-tempo alt-rock to tranquil, reflective balladry. Profoundly influencing the former is a fine selection from the American noise-rock stalwarts, Sonic Youth. Moving forward to 1992, Noah dusts off the band’s seventh studio LP, Dirty.
“My favourite Sonic Youth album, and a big influence on me huge as a central part of my teenage life,” Noah asserts. “Riddled with angst and squalling walls of guitars, scratching an itch for me that few other things do. When I play guitar live with Hex Girlfriend, it very often becomes chaos and horrific noise, and that is this album and 17-year-old me pulling the strings in a desperate, distinctly pale imitation.”
Talking Heads – Remain In Light
When it comes to 20th-century art-rock, it didn’t get much better than New York’s Talking Heads; Remain In Light is widely accepted as the band’s pinnacle, the crème de la crème. The 1980 release deftly waltzed the tightrope between commercial accessibility and cutting-edge experimentation with a colourfully oblique convergence of Afrobeat and post-punk.
“There’s nothing like this record for me,” Noah says of his choice. “Same as it ever was, which is the best it’s ever been, which is the same as it always will be. Mind-blowing stuff all round, and Adrian Belew’s guitar work is some of my favourite ever. I was watching a live video of ‘Born Under Punches’ from Rome in 1980 the other day, and it’s almost frightening how ahead of its time it feels.”
Jon Hopkins – Music for Psychedelic Therapy
For his next choice, Noah picked out a cathartic 2021 masterpiece by the English electro-innovator Jon Hopkins. Throughout his career, Hopkins has performed and produced dance music and collaborated with the likes of Coldplay, Brian Eno and Imogen Heap. In recent years, however, Hopkins has remained loyal to ambient soundscapes; in Music for Psychedelic Therapy, he’s certainly giving Sensei Eno a run for his money.
Noah said: “The title may lead you to believe your listening experience should perhaps be psilocybin influenced, but believe it or not, it doesn’t have to be! This is just a lush ambient listening experience, and one that I find very therapeutic in any context where psychological space is needed.”
John Frusciante – To Record Only Water for Ten Days
Most readers will know John Frusciante as the innovative guitarist of Red Hot Chili Peppers, but during his various hiatuses from the band, he’s created some venerable solo material. Between 2009 and 2019, Frusciante ventured into experimental electro territory courtesy of Aphex Twin, but during an earlier hiatus, he stuck to experimental rock releases. 2001’s To Record Only Water for Ten Days is the essential album of this period.
“I found it very hard to decide which of Frusciante’s albums to include, but I went with To Record Only Water because it means the most to me emotionally, and it has helped me through many a dark time, as well as being an important songwriting influence for me,” Yorke says of the perfect prescription. “I love how raw and brutal it sounds whilst still being so pretty, and I love how simple and impactful the writing is both lyrically and musically.”
Nala Sinephro – Space 1.8
Bringing us back to the 2020s but keeping things left of centre, Yorke closes his selections on the beautiful 2021 debut album of Caribbean-Belgian experimental jazz musician Nala Sinephro, released on Warp Records. These eight captivating tracks hear Sinephro’s pedal harp, modular synthesiser, and keyboards in a rapturous ambient jazz symphony.
“My girlfriend Lily put me onto this album, and I had a long drive recently during which I listened through it in depth,” Yorke says, remembering his first experience with the album. “I was blown away by the unearthly resonances that she uses and the beautiful blending of jazz with ambient electronic music. It’s now in heavy rotation for me, especially when I need some time to relax or get my head in shape. Thanks Lil!”
