Isa Gordon – 8Men
8Men is a hypnotic collection of traditional songs and covers from rising Lost Map-affiliated multitasker Isa Gordon
This woozy, wandering new album from Isa Gordon sees the Ayrshire musical magpie presenting four interpretations of trad folk tracks, alongside four eclectic covers. It’s an intense, otherworldly experience that rewards repeated listens. Vocoder laments twist through ambient soundscapes, never losing the melody at the heart of each track, like Laurie Anderson’s O Superman battling it out with the more introverted end of The Cure’s Songs of a Lost World.
The covers are a clever hook that showcase just how versatile Gordon can be. If you weren’t expecting to hear a trad ambient version of War Pigs by Black Sabbath, then today is your lucky day. This has clearly been a labour of love, choosing songs that, despite their diverse heritage, somehow hang together.
And it’s testament to just how arresting Gordon is on stage that these tracks occasionally struggle to match up to their live versions. That said, there is much to love here: textured synths and hypnotic vocals, mood swings and tonal shifts. Any attempt to pigeonhole Gordon would probably be futile, but imagine The Fiery Furnaces raised on folk music and The Old Grey Whistle Test and you’ll be some of the way there.
Listen to: Birken Tree, Wheely Down, War Pigs