Culture
John Foster / 11 Feb 2022
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. (...)
Charlie Bertsch / 09 Feb 2022
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. (...)
Oliver Sheppard / 02 Feb 2022
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”.(...)
Charlie Bertsch / 27 Jan 2022
Post-Democratic Poland
Test Systemu, by Baraka Face Junta
Baraka Face Junta’s new album Test Systemu opens with eight bars of fabulous racket. (...)
John Foster / 21 Jan 2022
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.(...)
John Foster / 14 Jan 2022
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.(...)
Charlie Bertsch / 12 Jan 2022
When the Music’s Over
Antidawn, by Burial
What happens when the heart of a community stops beating?(...)
John Foster / 07 Jan 2022
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.(...)
Charlie Bertsch / 22 Dec 2021
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.(...)