Laurie Anderson: Let X=X
By Kit Macdonald
Laurie Anderson (and specifically her 1982 No 2 UK chart hit O Superman) is the living embodiment of the kind of experimental music that was sometimes able to infiltrate the upper reaches of the charts in that era. An avant[garde piece of electronic art-pop built around a looping, vocodered “ha-ha-ha-ha” and minimalist synth textures, its popular success remains an incomprehensible and utterly wonderful event in our shared cultural history.
It's more than likely that O Superman will make an appearance in some form at this luxuriant show at L'Auditori, which is presented as part of the Barcelona Jazz Festival. The show title is Let X=X – a reference to Big Science: Let X=X, the album on which O Superman appeared – and it will unfold in the company of Sexmob, "a jazz band without borders" founded around the legendary Knitting Factory in New York and comprising five first-class musicians: Steven Bernstein, Briggan Krauss, Tony Scherr, Kenny Wollesen and Doug Wieselman.