First Listen: Viet Cong, ‘Viet Cong’
The band’s frigid, deafening, brutalist post-punk nods toward experimentalism. A massive production, Viet Cong’s self-titled debut culminates in a furious bonfire of rage and release.
The band’s frigid, deafening, brutalist post-punk nods toward experimentalism. A massive production, Viet Cong’s self-titled debut culminates in a furious bonfire of rage and release.
The rock trio’s first album since 2005 sounds as fresh and vital as a debut, but also as nuanced and skillful as the work of three players with a decade-long, inimitable rapport betwixt them.
Along with the brass band’s Punjabi roots, you’re likely to hear ’70s-style D.C. go-go beats, hip-hop, funk, trance-inducing South Asian Qawwali sounds and traces of South American cumbia.
The Cuban-American singer-songwriter’s debut is filled with the fire that comes from being in an abusive relationship. She’s been in love, hurt, scared and angry — but she’s nobody’s fool.
On the Vancouver songwriter’s fourth album, he plays with abrupt changes of tone and texture. Carefully conceived instrumental passages expand upon — and sometimes upend — his lyrics.
The beloved vocal quartet says goodbye with an all-American album that suits our troubled times. These Civil War and Reconstruction songs help us reflect on what divides us and binds us together.
They might seem dusty, almost mystical or supernatural, but the vibrant songs on this three-disc set come from a golden age of gospel that set the path for rock ‘n’ roll.
The collaborative project made by rapper Royce Da 5′ 9″ and producer DJ Premier is in actual fact a hardcore rap fan’s dream come true.
A superstar cast made a real life love story — disguised as an action movie — just because.
Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward cover pop standards with the timeless impeccability for which they’re known. Once again, Ward hovers mostly in the background, leaving Deschanel to steal the playful show.
If this is the first time you’re hearing of somebody called Your Old Droog, don’t even trip.
On its second album, the D.C.-area duo borrows heavily from the legacy of Dischord Records — at times recalling Fugazi, Smart Went Crazy and Shudder To Think — while still sounding fresh and vital.
Before James Mercer became famous in The Shins, he sang in a like-minded band called Flake Music. Its newly remixed, remastered and reissued 1997 debut contains many ideas he would later revisit.
Whether its songs are bleak and primal, grandiose or seductively dreamy, the Cleveland duo delights in searching for the unexpected.
The Roxy Music singer channels his classic work while still sounding fresh. Ferry’s sound remains full, clear and direct, with intricate layers of instruments shifting in and out of focus.
A double-length set provides an ambitious introduction to the prog-rock legend. Selections include songs from Wyatt’s bands Soft Machine and Matching Mole, solo work and unlikely collaborations.
The Manchester electronic producer alternates between ethereal beauty and viscous sludge, and with vocal assistance from Alison Skidmore, glints of light keep poking through the darkness.
K.R.I.T. raps about what many rappers probably want to discuss (spirituality, discrimination, insecurity) but are afraid to. This strain of authenticity has cemented his place in the hearts of fans.
A box set collects nearly all the recordings by the 1990s indie rock band that perfected the art of holding back. Bedhead’s minimal, whispered songs made boring beautiful.
On its second album, the Leeds band is beholden to a motorik beat and the pulse it leaves behind. But Hookworms’ members also explore the energy and chaos that such a solid anchor can provide.