‘1967’ and Robyn Hitchcock’s Quest to Stay High for Eternity
Robyn Hitchcock’s memoir 1967 taps into the music high that untethered the restraints of boarding school and shaped his life and music for eternity.
post-punk
Ascending Mount Kimbie on ‘The Sunset Violent’
Mount Kimbie stir their influences into The Sunset Violent so well that it’s distinctly a record of theirs and an enjoyable one at that.
Disorientations ‘Echo’ Chameleons and Bunnymen Post-Punk
Antwerp Belgium’s Disorientations completely revamp their “Chameleons/Echo and the Bunnymen” post-punk sound on this impressive sophomore effort.
Les Savy Fav Stretch Their Sound on ‘OUI, LSF’
Les Savy Fav’s OUI, LSF is an energetic blast of post-punk that makes many of the newer bands in that scene sound pale in comparison.
Desperate Times Call for Poetic Protest From Cyril Cyril
Cyril Cyril’s Le Futur Ça Marche Pas is for agitators, a genre-be-damned assemblage of poetry and vivid effects in the form of well-produced electronic rock.
Elvis Costello’s ‘Armed Forces’ Remains a Potent Critique of Power
Forty-five years after Elvis Costello’s Armed Forces first arrived in record stores, its commentary on fascism is extremely relevant to today’s politics.
Moving Away From the Pulsebeat: Post-Punk Britain 1977-1981
This gargantuan post-punk collection has legends like Joy Division and the Cure, but it’s the lesser-knowns who provide the many unexpected thrills.
Yard Act’s ‘Where’s My Utopia?’ Suits Our Post-Pandemic Moment
Yard Act’s Where’s My Utopia? is a mother lode of cool sounds, critiques of late capitalism, meditation on fame’s futility, and a forecast of apocalyptic change.
Mary Timony Explores Grief with Clear Eyes on ‘Untame the Tiger’
Rock guitar virtuoso Mary Timony’s Untame the Tiger is a clear–eyed, unsentimental, top-shelf record that emerged during hard times.
The Wondrous Weirdness of Deerhunter’s ‘Weird Era Cont.’
Deerhunter’s Weird Era Cont., the companion to Microcastle, lives in its shadow and yet eclipses it with a bizarre brilliance all its own.
Sprints’ ‘Letter to Self’ Is a Powerful Reflection
Sprints’ lyrics are sharp and direct and their musicianship provides tension and release across all 11 songs, which have a hooky rawness that is addictive.
IDLES Continue to Bring the Joyful Noise on ‘TANGK’
IDLES are an easy band to like. They present a vision for hard rock and punk rock that’s inclusive, empathic, and open-hearted on their latest LP, TANGK.