New Arthur Russell album, ‘Corn’, streams in full

In 2004 Steve Knutson started the Audika label in honour of the late Arthur Russell, releasing a series of posthumous records brought together from the reels of unreleased material left behind. ‘Corn’ is the latest collection to be issued by Knutson and Audika – the first new Arthur Russell material since 2008 - and it’s streaming in full today.

The recordings on ‘Corn’ are taken from a selection of sessions from 1982-1983, the same sessions that gave birth to Audika’s first Russell compilation ‘Calling Out Of Context’. The sonic similarities are instantly traceable with the glitchy distortions of the electrified cello, programmed beats and the borrowing of rhythms from the dance records that Arthur was releasing on labels like Sire, West End and Sleeping Bag during the same era.

The majority of these tracks are reimaginations of songs released in different versions on previous releases, including some of his best known works – ‘This Is How We Walk On The Moon’, ‘Keeping Up’, ‘Let’s Go Swimming’ – but hearing these different presentations reaffirms the versatility of Russell’s work in a way like never before.

Last year, Russell was honoured by a Red Hot Compilation of tributes from big names such as Sufjan Stevens, Blood Orange, Hot Chip and Robyn. Catch up with DIY’s take on Russell’s continuing influence here.

Stream ‘Corn’ in full via NPR here.