Thurston Moore releases new song ‘Isadora’
Later this year, former Sonic Youth guitarist Thurston Moore will be releasing an as-of-yet-unnamed studio album. We’ve already heard the haunting tones of his previous single, ‘Hypnogram’, and today we’re getting a second taste of the LP with a brand-new song, ‘Isadora’.
Named after the named American dancer Isadora Duncan, the new track softens most of the harder edges around Moore’s signature thorny guitar attack. Instead, the track mixes in some straightforward alternative rock crunch with a potent shoegaze fuzz that floats over the track. If you are picking up hazy shades of bands like My Bloody Valentine, you’re not too far off: bassist Deb Googe adds her low-end rumble to the track.
Other musicians that Moore has assembled to bring the track to life include guitarist James Sedwards from English noise rockers Nøught, percussionist Jem Doulton, and electronic musician Jon Leidecker from American experimental rockers Negativland. Rounding out the cast of collaborators is London-based poet Radieux Radio, who also directs the song’s video.
Speaking of the video, another special guest pops up in the song’s visualiser. American singer-songwriter Sky Ferreira is (allegedly) hard at work on her second studio album, Masochism. A couple of different release dates have come and gone as we approach a decade since her debut, 2013’s Night Time, My Time. She doesn’t seem terribly rushed, considering how she’s found some time to appear in Thurston’s video for ‘Isadora’.
“Sky is a talented friend who’s been spending time in London, and immediately understood the connection to this mysticism & music and sent through this magical digital diary for the song,” Thurston explains. “Sky’s insight into modern dance, including her love of Isadora Duncan and Martha Graham sparked off a conversation about Judson Theatre Group, Douglas Dunn, John Cage, Merce Cunningham, Yvonne Rainer and other artists of performance and dance who bring the word ‘freedom’ to mind and spirit.”
While ‘Hypnogram’ transcended thanks to Thurston‘s unmatched guitar skills, the mix of sights and sounds on ‘Isadora’ don’t quite land with the same ferocity. Moore is a man best suited for chaos and confrontation when he picks up a guitar, but ‘Isadora’ doesn’t seem to have any kind of edge to it other than the standard arsenal of noise. It’s missing something that makes Moore special, but I can’t quite put my finger on what that is.
Check out ‘Isadora’ down below.
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