Julia Reidy - World in World

Finally, one of 2022's finest back in print. World In World was record number seven for the ever-prolific Jules Reidy, and a bit of a jaw-dropper at that, walking a slightly different line to previous works, emerging in a fog of minimalist guitar digressions of a particularly spectral quality. Reidy's playing is markedly uncanny, utilising odd-tunings and supplemented by ghostly vocals, and subtle production details and flourishes, imagining a purgatorial halfworld (the world in the world!), the kind of which we might also associate with, say, Jandek or Loren Connors. It's a heavy brew for sure, the importance of performance far exceeding that of process, though both are key to Reidy's sound. The point is that this is an emotional record more than it is a clever one, and it's still a very clever record. It's hugely affecting composition work, showing never telling, suggesting tradition and canon, but bending it off to one side so as to render it a little odd, or unfamiliar, or just very particular. The latter is the key point - Reidy's voice is a distinct one, even when it makes allusions to others. What was an end of year contender in 2022 now starts to sound a bit like a future classic.

Note also that In Real Life, Reidy's venture into musique concrete from 2019, is now also back in print and available here.