The New Cue #307 August 3: Andrew Hung, Wilco, The Guy Hamper Trio, The Linda Lindas, Will Butler + Sister Squares, Saint Leonard, Jacob Slater

Plus a guest spot from Peter Gabriel's barber Derek

Good morning,

Have you had your breakfast? I hope so but also we don’t care, we’re just happy you’re here, full belly or not. Mmm, wonder if our Recommender editions work better on an empty stomach or not? Maybe have a little banana beforehand and something more substantial afterwards. You’re about to go on a big Recommender workout and we don’t you passing out or vomming up over the screen. We’ve got a nice little Album To Blow Your Mind from Andrew Hung to get you warmed up too.

OK, here ends all the weird workout metaphors, let’s get this party that’s not actually a party, it’s more of a chilled get-together started with this week’s playlist:

Enjoy the edition,

Ted, Niall and Chris

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An Album To Blow Your Mind 

Fuck Buttons’ Andrew Hung picks experimental, existential angst from Brighton-based Scot-Thai musician.

Andrew Hung is a British musician, songwriter and producer who was a founding member of electronic noise overlords Fuck Buttons, who released their last album in 2013 and formally confirmed their split on 2022. Hung has subsequently worked as a producer for Beth Orton, composed soundtracks and released his own solo records, their third of which, Deliverance, is released on August 11, i.e. next Friday.

Helen Ganya
Polish The Machine (2022) 

“I’ve been part of the ESEA music group (East and South-East Asian) since last year. Helen is also a member of the group, but I hadn’t met her until quite recently. However, even before I met her I’d been listening to her album a lot; I think she’s incredibly talented and severely underrated. 
 
I don’t really know too much about her except she’s Thai-Scottish and is on Bella Union. I think she used to call herself Dog In The Snow, but I’ve only heard this recent record so far. That’s quite interesting, I don’t have an urge to check out the older stuff yet; maybe I will someday but right now, I’m completely immersed in this record, and very interested what she does next.
 
I think because of how noisy and discombobulating our platforms for delivering music are, I find a lot of music that’s pointed toward me to be a bit underwhelming. The last record I heard that was good was Indigo De Souza’s, but when I heard Polish The Machine it completely blew me away.

The standout tracks for me are Wedding In The Night and Afterparty. They’re both anthemic tracks and remind me of Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill. That marching propulsive sound lead by a singular powerful voice at the front, like a parade of love barging through the crowds. Both those songs are like chanting affirmations, like declarations of who she is. I love that power in vulnerability; it makes her bulletproof.

Afterparty begins like a gentle lullaby but then breaks into a marching militaristic track, like it’s geeing you up to get off your arse and do something about whatever it is that’s bothering you.

The album has the feeling of The Lost Boys film, but with a very much modern sound. It reminds me of that film in spirit; i.e. it wears innocence like a shield, but the impeccable execution denies any idea that this is a fluke. I think it most reminds me of those initial albums of Bjork when she teamed up with LFO; it’s got that experimental pop sensibility with an innocence. It’s really very enjoyable to listen to. I think she’s severely underrated; check this record out, it’s really good.”

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