Culture
Dreaming of Another Politics
Capitalism and the Death Drive, by Byung-Chul Han
Philosopher Byung-Chul Han is as emblematic of German cultural life as it’s possible to be. (...)
German Labour Music
Songs of Gastarbeiter Vol. 2
To begin a compilation of decades-old tracks with a remix is a bold move. But Songs of Gastarbeiter Vol. 2 deploys it brilliantly. (...)
Reappraising Steady Diet of Nothing
The 30th Anniversary of Fugazi’s Most Underrated LP
"Though the album is a bit of a 'sleeper’ in many people’s eyes (ears?)," Ian MacKaye recently wrote to me, "the songs on that album were probably played by us live more than the others over the years”.(...)
Post-Democratic Poland
Test Systemu, by Baraka Face Junta
Baraka Face Junta’s new album Test Systemu opens with eight bars of fabulous racket. (...)
Neoliberal Crisis Analysis
Aftershocks, by Colin Kahl and Thomas Wright
The rapid spread of the Omicron variant has buried hopes the world might be ending its morbid embrace of COVID-19.(...)
Communist Artificial Intelligence
Work Without the Worker, by Phil Jones
The robots are coming to take our jobs. Well, perhaps not universally. Truth be told, not everybody thinks it’s a bad thing.(...)
When the Music’s Over
Antidawn, by Burial
What happens when the heart of a community stops beating?(...)
The Democrats Fail on Race
The Cruelty is the Point, by Adam Serwer
As a Black man, a Jew, and a journalist, Adam Serwer is a three-time loser to Donald Trump.(...)
Hip-Hop Spring
Jolfa, by Alexie Ivanovich
People often speak of a need to express themselves in music. But few in the West contend with the difficulties that face Iranian hip-hop artist Alexie Ivanovich.(...)