Isa Gordon - For You Only (2022)

First heard on JD Twitch's "I'd Rather Not (If You Don't Mind)", Glasgow's Isa Gordon arrives on Optimo with a charming debut of outsider pop and quirky electronics. Genre-fluid is an overused descriptor now, but Isa Gordon's "For You Only" truly has us stumped. It's an outsider music album that sounds like someone trying to appropriate genres but drastically missing the mark. Tracks start out as if they're gonna go one way, and then veer off into a completely different direction. Opening instrumental 'Second Love' gives us an electro fake-out, before approximating Muslimgauze and then dissolving into widescreen, orchestral ambience. 'A Coin in the Bush' follows awkwardly on from that point, sounding closer to Yellow Magic Orchestra's jerky city pop, while 'Joanna Picollo' is a placid piano jam. Gordon's a versatile producer, who's able to manufacture unsettling electro-pop ('Stride Breaker') and completely bonkers sound design-heavy vocal neo-funk ('Blue Fire'), while still finding time for freeform plunderphonic jazz ('For You Only'). We won't pretend this one's easy to get through, but it's a fascinating ride.

1.01 - Isa Gordon - Second Love (3:02)
1.02 - Isa Gordon - A Coin in the Bush (3:11)
1.03 - Isa Gordon - Joanna Picollo (3:50)
1.04 - Isa Gordon - Isolee with Sarah (2:32)
1.05 - Isa Gordon - Stride Breaker (2:49)
1.06 - Isa Gordon - Three Airs (2:59)
1.07 - Isa Gordon - Blue Fire (2:00)
1.08 - Isa Gordon - For You Only (2:20)
1.09 - Isa Gordon - Definitely Defy (2:35)
1.10 - Isa Gordon - Stranger Than Disguise (3:36)
1.11 - Isa Gordon - Lament Crescent (3:12)
1.12 - Isa Gordon - Parting Game (4:01)