Kim Gordon
Within a constellation of bold sounds, Kim Gordon’s chest voice rides along her songs. A force to be reckoned with in terms of sheer musicality and cultural influence, she was a founding member of Sonic Youth and formed multiple musical acts with others, collaboratively producing a discography that spans more than forty years. Recently, her solo act has gained critical acclaim, and in more electronic modes than ever, she is still trailblazing the avant-garde edges of music production. Her newest sound is rooted in a rawness that transcends a single genre in favor of a collection of interjecting elements that complement her politically charged lyrics. On June 23, Kim Gordon makes an appearance at Metro, where she will write the next chapter for what artistic rebellion is.
In 1981, Gordon created Sonic Youth with her then-lover, Thurston Moore, and Lee Ranaldo. Together, the band created a slew of classic rock hits that would go on to shape the alternative scene around the United States. Gordon, who hadn’t learned an instrument until this point, maintained a unique perspective that benefited the band’s ability to balance harmony and dissonance along a tightrope that pulled listeners ever deeper into the music. The band never topped charts but played a pivotal role in shaping the sound of rock music. In 2011, they disbanded as Gordon and Moore separated, allowing Gordon to pursue more experimental forms and even visual art. She has since reminisced about her time in Sonic Youth, going on to publish a memoir and sing about her experience as the cool band girl, reclaiming the project in a field that usually sidelines femmes.
Outside of Sonic Youth, Kim Gordon has released indie rock as Free Kitten and noise rock as Body/Head and, finally, culminating in releases under her name. These first solo releases, collaboratively with Yoko Ono and Thurston Moore, and then with Loren Connors, feature drawn-out soundscapes with extended moments of dissonance and tension, where Gordon more clearly than ever demonstrates her ability to respond and dictate the emotive qualities that bridge sonic art and music.
“The Collective,” her sophomore album released in 2024, was the first moment the academy recognized her artistry, with her only two career Grammy nominations. The album does not disappoint; songs like “Bye Bye,” “I’m A Man” and “It’s Dark Inside” walk along a nu-wave beat, sporadically propelled with drums that stutter in staccato. In each, Gordon takes personal issue with existence in an identity-driven society, soberly inverting cliches and narrativizing her songs with word collages. This past March, she released “PLAY ME,” with the all-caps stylization of each song and album art written on her. It’s a forceful piece of media that bridges modern musical elements like a sonic web. Disparate sounds rejoice together and reject cacophony through their distortion and bleed.
Kim Gordon’s “Play Me”
“Subcon” features a blown-out sub-bass that mirrors the extraterrestrial theme as she sings “Wanna go to Mars?/They’re not sure what they can do/But you wanna go to Mars?/You wanna go to Mars and then what?” The political is less than a stone’s throw from Gordon, as she more clearly than ever delivers her disappointment with the global political and economic situation. The cloud of subtlety that once wafted slightly opaque over Gordon has dissipated, and what is left on her most recent album leaves the listener dissatisfied, pulled too heavily toward trendy electronic distortion, seemingly placed to demonstrate her eccentric ability to weave elements. She’s in conflict with the establishment, which she shouts at in privileged protest, while still relying on underground aesthetics. Kim Gordon has not lost touch, but seems to be moving to headline a leftist resistance. Her Chicago show is shaping up to be a place for old fans to rekindle their political activism and inspire change in a generation, once trendsetters of rebellion, now lost to apathy.
Kim Gordon plays the Metro, 3730 North Clark, on June 23. Tickets available here.
