Aldous Harding

[wproffitt]

Has anyone heard Aldous Harding’s album, Designer? I heard the song “the Barrel” (https://youtu.be/QyZeJr5ppm8) on the radio and loved it. Apparently, there’s a genre known as gothic folk. I’m not up on that but am really enjoying the whole album.

[parry]

Yep. Have been obsessed, since hearing Horizon.

[Telliot]

Yep. I liked her last album, but think this one is much better.

[dc]

i'm liking the "Fixture Picture" single a lot, and i've certainly found her past work really striking. i really need to listen to her full albums though, in a variety of contexts, and try to form some mental images apart from her videos which are generally quite mad. i think she's in complete command of her art, maybe not always her faculties -

[Telliot]

That’s fairly accurate, although I have to say I admire people who can so freely express themselves. I’m too much in my own head most of the time.

[Trout]

Love her

[shadowplay]

Regardles of her quality or otherwise* she's a -10 on the 'There is no Shame in Death' Goth or not scale panda eyed scientists at the Institute of the Dark Arts have created to stratify such things.

D

*pretty much early 70's acoustic singer songwriter give or take IMO.

[wproffitt]

Regardles of her quality or otherwise* she's a -10 on the 'There is no Shame in Death' Goth or not scale panda eyed scientists at the Institute of the Dark Arts have created to stratify such things.

D

*pretty much early 70's acoustic singer songwriter give or take IMO.

Yeah, I’d certainly never heard the term “gothic folk” before I read a review of her work. The aesthetics of her videos aren’t for me, but I sure do dig the songs, regardless of their goth/not goth status.

[shadowplay]

Regardles of her quality or otherwise* she's a -10 on the 'There is no Shame in Death' Goth or not scale panda eyed scientists at the Institute of the Dark Arts have created to stratify such things.

D

*pretty much early 70's acoustic singer songwriter give or take IMO.

Yeah, I’d certainly never heard the term “gothic folk” before I read a review of her work. The aesthetics of her videos aren’t for me, but I sure do dig the songs, regardless of their goth/not goth status.

Dark folk, neofolk, apocayptic folk are pretty well established going right back to Current 93's Earth Covers Earth and even futher back but that would be applied retrospectively, plus there's the Americana noir side of things and also reams of subgenres where folk and electronics meet.

I am in no way besmirching AH, even though she's not my sort of thing, she is a talent. To be honest I was more concerned the G word might put folk off since it's become tainted by metalisation of the term. For me she's a got a foot in baroque folk and another in more early 70's singer songwriter realms, she's more quirky than gothy.

D

[Telliot]

For me she's a got a foot in baroque folk and another in more early 70's singer songwriter realms, she's more quirky than gothy.

I totally agree with this.

[lefty]

The Barrel drew me in hearing it getting hammered on the radio, and especially watching the vaguely bonkers video on Youtube. I like the new album a lot and, although not exactly the same, there's some melodies and times she drops her voice down an octave that makes me think of Nico. I need to go back to the earlier album that passed me by for a better listen.

[dc]

this was my introduction to her a few years ago. it struck me at the time that she may be the first artist i've heard on "new" 4AD that might actually have fit in somewhere on "old" 4AD:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3Wds4gDGRc

[shadowplay]

this was my introduction to her a few years ago. it struck me at the time that she may be the first artist i've heard on "new" 4AD that might actually have fit in somewhere on "old" 4AD:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3Wds4gDGRc

I always though she was a Bella Union sort of act, in fact in my head I'd filed her as a Bella Union act.

I've often thought that Carmen Villian particularly Infinite Avenue period was perhaps the sort of woozy ethereal singer songwriter 4AD would have signed if the old label hadn't started signing a lot of American rock bands (Red Desert and Quietly are good examples) and then...well...I'm not sure what they stand for these days.

I still find it weird to see 4AD releases I'm absolutely not interested in (that would be most to all of them) when prior to them signing Throwing Muses (who I liked well enough up to the first single from The Real Ramona) and a good time after I blanket bought them for going on a decade and own everything up to a few years into the 90's.

D

[mijmog]

Aldous Harding is on another astral plane, I read all the time words like "game changer" but she really is - its the sound and the delivery, it kicks the shit out of a lot of drab stuff and reminds you what performance is all about.

I can't watch her yet I can't take my eyes off her. She's captivating live. I'd recommend to go see her, feel uncomfortable and enjoy it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3tCsmeRG6Q

[Luciad48]

i'm liking the "Fixture Picture" single a lot, and i've certainly found her past work really striking. i really need to listen to her full albums though, in a variety of contexts mutuelles entreprise, and try to form some mental images apart from her videos which are generally quite mad. i think she's in complete command of her art, maybe not always her faculties -

When we love something, we must logically master it. So, this is a normal case.