In 2004, 'Thunder, Lightning, Strike' landed like a crowd already in motion. The Go! Team piled boom-bap drums, handclaps, TV-sampled voices, distorted guitars and cheerleader chants into something that feels less like a record and more like an event.
In 2000, Common released 'Like Water for Chocolate.' A political record that pulled hip hop back toward warmth, musicianship and collective memory.
In 1986, XTC released 'Skylarking.' All birdsong harmonies and quietly panicked thoughts that drift between childhood memory and adult unease.
In 2013, The Knife released 'Shaking the Habitual.' A record that stretched pop music until it buckled under the weight of politics, grief, gender and rage.
In 2008, Air France released 'No Way Down.' A brief, weightless EP that feels suspended between afternoons and evenings, all of it glowing softly.
In 1997, Modest Mouse released 'The Lonesome Crowded West.' A record that sounds like the American West collapsing inward.
