Algiers
eloquently addressed systemic injustice and hypocrisy long before many other acts grew a social consciousness in the late 2010s. Even so, they're on another level with
Shook
, an album whose title captures the fear, and potential for change, surrounding times of great upheaval.
weren't just shaken, but almost broken, before making the album. However, as
Franklin J. Fisher
and
Ryan Mahan
recorded during the COVID-19 global pandemic, they reconnected with their music, their friendship, and the resilience of their Atlanta hometown.
's creative rebirth underscores just how well-equipped
are to express all the sides of deep-seated, righteous anger. They might be full of revolutionary fire, as on "Everybody Shatter." One of many songs steeped in history, the album's opening track ties together the sounds of the Atlanta subway system,
DJ Grand Wizard Theodore
's "Subway Theme," memories of the 1981 Atlanta child murders, backing vocals from
the Pop Group
's
Mark Stewart
, and a verse from
Dungeon Family
stalwart
Big Rube
into a furious, quintessentially
statement of purpose. They might be somber and mournful, as on "Green Iris," a meditative mix of jazz and gospel that slowly becomes a call to fight. However, they're never resigned. If anything, hard times have made the band more willing to lean into uncomfortable territory: "A Good Man" transforms
Them Two
's "Am I a Good Man" into a searing punk vignette of questionable white allyship.
To make
's grand statement,
reached out to friends far and wide, and the numerous guests focus the album's message of unity. When it comes to speaking truth to power with a boundary-breaking style,
Rage Against the Machine
are kindred spirits, and
Zach de la Rocha
is a perfect fit on "Irreversible Damage" as it morphs from dense rap-rock punctuated with needling guitars and siren-like synths to a loping, almost Middle Eastern-inspired rhythm. "Bite Back" is a nightmarish standout, with
Backxwash
billy woods
depicting a world full of corruption, violence, and justified paranoia over lunging synths and prickly keyboards befitting a horror movie. On "I Can't Stand It!"'s heartbroken fusion of gospel, soul, and noise,
Future Islands
'
Samuel T. Herring
Boy Harsher
Jae Matthews
make as much of an impact. As
reach out for communion, they open up their music from their earlier albums' dense sonics.
's production is remarkably layered, whether on the ghostly interlude "Cleanse Your Guilt Here" or the intricate collage of
Sun Ra
and spoken word on "Out of Style Tragedy." This immersive quality is especially affecting when
trace
's pain and anger back to its roots. They evoke the centuries of trauma caused by slavery on "An Echophonic Soul," a spectral, string- and sax-laden collaboration with
DeForrest Brown, Jr.
, and find bittersweet reassurance on "Momentary," which closes the album with gospel choirs and a monologue by
the Glory Fires
Lee Bains III
. More of an experience than a set of songs,
's stunning, often harrowing journey of surviving and resisting is well worth taking. ~ Heather Phares