Spoken word albums of note
Spoken word records are hard to pull off, but when they’re great they often number among my favorite musical expressions. Today I thought I would offer up a few interesting favorites in this medium. If you’re looking for something a little more thoughtful and poetic to chew on, look no further.
The Shadow Ring - Lindus
Image courtesy Discogs
One of this writer’s absolute favorite records. The Shadow Ring were a UK-based trio that began as an avant-folk unit before graduating to some incredibly sinister electroacoustic spoken word. It’s full of cold, wet tones that evoke the bleariness of their home country, but the lyrics are what really send this into deep disquiet. Here’s a sample to whet your appetite: “We let you into his life/He lives in a damp room under the stairs/Making weird noises/And eating moldy sandwiches/He leaves strange messages for you/on bits of paper over the house”. Absolutely essential, especially if you like to stew in bad vibes for a while.
Steven Jesse Bernstein - Prison
More traditional spoken word than the previous entry, the late Steven Jesse Bernstein’s work sits pretty firmly in the “punk poetry” realm. That makes sense given his relationship with William S. Burroughs; Bernstein’s poems are both in the beat tradition and downstream of John Cooper Clarke’s “Evidently Chickentown,” full of venom and acrimony. Producer Steve Fisk took recordings of Bernstein’s poems and soundtracked them with bombastic jazz. A favorite is “More Noise Please”: “I'm going to hang a sign out my window that says ‘More Noise Please’, or ‘Thank You For Making Noise!’ Maybe we are the kind of people who need to have what we don't want just to get along, to do the basic things.” Altogether it makes for Bernstein’s definitive recording, and one of the most interesting things Sub Pop ever released.
Anne-James Chaton with Alva Noto and Andy Moor - Décade
Décade pushes this list further into experimental territory. Anne-James Chaton, a French poet and sound artist, frequently collaborates with experimental musicians. On this one, he links up with electronic musician Alva Noto and Andy Moor, guitarist of storied bands The Ex and Dog-Faced Hermans. Chaton weaves a strange narrative that you sort of just have to infer the meaning of; some tracks are in French, some are in English, and frequently they’re just lists of activities and words that paint a vaguely sinister picture. It rewards repeat listening to get the full picture, or at least something close to it.
Robert Ashley - Perfect Lives
Probably the most legendary work on this list, Robert Ashley’s Perfect Lives is many things — an opera, a television miniseries, an opera. Robert Ashley composed the work with American experimentalists Peter Gordon and “Blue” Gene Tyranny. Gorgeous instrumentals back Ashley’s murmuring as he tells the story of a symbolic bank robbery. The recording is terrific and stands on its own, but the full 3-hour television opera is the gentlest headfuck you’re liable to encounter.
Gil Scott-Heron - I’m New Here
Gil Scott-Heron really shouldn’t need any introduction. While you could say his entire body of work was in the medium of poetry, I’m New Here from 2010 is probably his most pure spoken word album. Some of my generation first encountered his work through this album and its sort-of-companion album, We’re New Here with Jamie xx. Released a year before his death, I’m New Here has a beautifully reflective tone, with XL Records owner Richard Russell handling the production. (Its companion is quite different instrumentally.) Starting here and working backwards is a great way for younger people to get acquainted with his sprawling catalogue.
