Soulwax Scare Us on ‘All Systems Are Lying’
The more you listen to Soulwax’s new album, the less reassuring and more frightening it becomes. It delivers its message in concentrated and relentless doses.
alternative dance
Indie Pop Legends Saint Etienne Discuss Their Retirement Party
Saint Etienne discuss their career and philosophy amidst the release of their final album, International. They move your body as much as your mind.
Pop Academics Saint Etienne Say Goodbye with Final LP
With International, these pop academics have left us with one final lesson: if you must fade away, do so gracefully. Saint Etienne most certainly have.
Bloc Party Discovered Lightning in a Bottle 20 Years Ago
Bloc Party’s first and best record, championed by Franz Ferdinand, still captivates with its youthful energy, political commentary, and emotional center.
Saint Etienne Delve Into Ambient on the Bold ‘The Night’
Saint Etienne follow their creative intuition. The ambient music of The Night is a fascinating turn in their ever-adventurous discography.
New Order’s ‘Substance 1987’ Is Even More Essential on Re-issue
This is the complete story of how New Order assimilated US underground dance sounds and determined the direction of indie music for many years to come.
Hot Chip Hone Their Electronic Songcraft on Anxiety-ridden ‘Freakout/Release’
Hot Chip’s Freakout/Release is an extraordinary display of synthpop versatility and invention, born of collaboration, improvisation, and the psychological mess of lockdown.
Bloc Party’s ‘Alpha Games’ Is an Exciting Gem
Alpha Games is a superb return to form for Bloc Party, much-awaited, and an excellent entry to a fantastic and idiosyncratic discography.
‘Pop’ at 25: Revisiting U2’s Dark Night of the Soul
U2’s Pop offered a challenge to the short-circuited cultural certainties and held possibilities of cultural critique and reassessment, of a broader landscape.
Saint Etienne Return With ‘I’ve Been Trying to Tell You’
The first album in four years from the British pop aesthetes sounds distinctly like Saint Etienne, which is ironic given some of the source material.
How the Post-Britpop Era Influenced Saint Etienne’s New Album
Saint Etienne’s Bob Stanley talks about their new LP I’ve Been Trying to Tell You, vaporwave, and how to be cool in your middle age.
Stats Bring the Dance Party Even When They Go Acoustic on ‘Powys 1999’
Stats' Powys 1999 features songs that feel like they're gliding on a dance-rock groove, even when they actually aren't. The music is catchy and clever and always glossy.