Algiers - “Dispossession”

SXSW 2020 - OEB Score: 9; Popularity Index: 8 

Pairs Well With…IDLES, The Dears, Bad Brains

Algiers debuted five years back, excitedly turning over new musical stones by blending gospel and punk forms to reverberating and passionate results on their explosive, self-titled record. That early sense of experimenting across new plateaus has deepened even more judging from early singles off their upcoming third LP There Is No Year. “Dispossession” is the clearest link to their original roots, an electro-soul burner that marries an infectious choral refrain with industrial edged rhythms. The record’s second single “Void” is a full punk release, guitars and vocals both screaming with youthful intensity. Sharing this range could be a sign that There Is No Year is going to be Algiers’ most explorative collection, sweetly in between serious and fun, energized and spacious. Algiers is biting off serious fare that fits right into 2020 (There Is No Year is due in January) - appropriation, racism, and politics are confidently dissected within the Atlantan band’s eclectic and fearless musical passages. (Kevin McStravick)