Unwound
Challenge for a Civilized Society

THE REVIEW

They were born in 1990 after a long gestation period, with two of the most important names in the American indie-noise scene of the '90s as parents, namely Sonic Youth and Fugazi.

As expected, the first albums have a sound very close to father and mother and remain hidden amidst the myriad of bands that clog American venues. However, right from the start (thanks also to their devastating live acts), they prove they know what they're doing, and the name begins to circulate in the environment. In '95, The Future Of What is released, and the sound that was once just a copy starts to become personal until the explosion of this Challenge for a Civilized Society.

The album begins with a bang with Data, which immediately explains who Unwound is and whom they are inspired by; with Laugh Track, you start dancing, immersed in "digital" guitars. Sonata For Loudspeaker presents the first instrumental of the album with sax at the end, and shortly after, perhaps the best part of C.F.C.S. arrives: No Tech!, fast, screamed, with a guitar that seems to hit wrong chords, and that strange growl that distracts for a moment while Untitled 3 starts with its 10-minute length immediately engaging and psychedelic, fading into a disturbed tribal, and here I prefer to stop to not spoil the surprise of the remaining tracks.

So, the child has grown up, not abandoning the family sound but shaping it to their liking by adding what was missing, like some scattered winds here and there, a bit of electronics just for good measure, deliberately dirtier recordings, and above all, a breath of sadness pervading the entire work, enveloping the listener in their sound world. A group unjustly remained unknown yet capable of offering emotions reserved for great bands. Unmissable. Highly recommended is the European version with 2 bonus tracks.