Staring back

Darkness, an absence of light, is an obvious, unavoidable presence in the visual realm. We live in a world of … More

Balancing act

So what happens when you take one of the most distinctive and stylish rhythm sections of the post-punk era and … More

Sharing the fun

Herbie Hancock was right at the beginning of his career as a sideman when he made his debut recording as … More

What punk is for

A lot of the time, I listen to contemporary punk records, and I wonder where the anger’s coming from. I … More

Presence

There are no cum shots in Black Oni. There are long builds, ecstatic crescendi, contemplative soundfields, thunderous riffs, all the … More

Being themselves

I reviewed this album in 2013 when it came out, but I didn’t spend a huge amount of time with … More

Staying true

There’s a sense that musicians (and other artists) are supposed to keep innovating, to follow an endless quest for the … More

A body speaks its truth

Having trained as an instrumentalist, and associated with other instrumentalists over many years, I’ve often found myself having to argue … More

Surprisingly coherent contempt

Public Image Limited was the band that John Lydon actually wanted to be in. I have no idea whether he … More

Adversity included

‘Let’s be bold’, Hope and Social admonish their listeners in the song of that title, the third track of this … More

Brash beauty

I knew nothing about Julian Lage before beginning to listen to this album, on the recommendation of James Beaudreau (an … More

Luminous possibilities

Cwtch is a long-distance collaboration which concluded last year, between Paul Foster, a Welsh electronic music producer, and Marie Craven, … More

Worth digging

Funk Factory is something of a period piece. It comes from an era where the boundaries between jazz fusion and … More

Lining up their ducks

The Clash were one of the first bands I got into as a teenager—late as usual, they broke up just … More