Impermanent Candy: Xiu Xiu Aim for an Uncompromising Future
Two decades out from their wild debut, Xiu Xiu’s Jamie Stewart and Angela Seo reflect on their fans, band-free music videos, and uncompromising new LP.
art rock
No More Apocalypse Father Plead We Are Winter’s Blue and Radiant Children
On their first missive, We Are Winter’s Blue and Radiant Children create beauty amid the contemporary horror of a vicarious, voyeuristic existence.
The The’s ‘Ensoulment’ Is Pithy and Perceptive
Life is hard, and the world is a dangerous place. The The’s Matt Johnson has never shied away from these realities. He’s as pithy and perceptive as ever.
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds Declare “Now Is the Time For Joy”
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ Wild God teems with creative ambitions and sacred content. An ode to the surprise of joy, it is an audacious, reaching record.
Pom Poko Merge Complicated Guitars and Catchy Hooks
Pom Poko have figured out how to combine complex math rock with big pop hooks, but their willingness to stretch beyond these styles makes Champion intriguing.
Tim O’Brien of Blood Is a Multi-Dimensional Man
It’s raucous, it’s queer, and it’s uncompromising. Blood’s Tim O’Brien is sticking to his guns. “I won’t change the [band] name for the sake of search engines.”
David Bowie and Samuel Beckett’s Ghost Town at World’s End
How a stroll through the David Bowie exhibit at the Victoria & Albert to an auctioning of a Samuel Beckett manuscript at Sotheby’s left me at the World’s End.
Blood Deliver Catharsis on ‘Loving You Backwards’
Blood’s LP builds and occasionally explodes, providing catharsis in sounds more than shouted lyrics. It sounds more like a balm than ripping off a Band-Aid.
Patti Smith’s “Piss Factory” and “Hey Joe” Remain Prophetic 50 Years On
Patti Smith’s “Hey Joe” and “Piss Factory” expresses her unremitting fight for freedom: when she went from a factory girl to a poète maudit.
The Killers’ ‘Hot Fuss’ 20 Years On: A Layered Hit That Still Slays
The Killers’ Hot Fuss is made for the hips and heart, not the brains. Their best tunes are eminently digestible, meant to have you vibrating from the first few bars.
Wilco’s ‘A Ghost Is Born’ Marked an End to Their Greatest Era
A Ghost Is Born was Wilco’s fearless attempt to surpass ‘Yankee Hotel Foxtrot’ and move beyond the narrative that could have defined the band.
The Ophelias Want to Devastate You
The sad queer folk rock anthems of Ohio’s the Ophelias have pierced through the noise, and now, no matter how unusual the venue, they’re road-testing new tunes.