Unwound
No Energy
Numero Group
Part three of Numero Group’s stellar Unwound retrospective picks up with the 1995 album The Future of What, followed by 1996’s Repetition, and includes eight singles sides and some previously unreleased recordings. What’s most immediately striking about these 33 tracks is how little interest the Olympia, Washington, trio has in repeating itself. While Justin Trosper (vocals, guitar), Vern Rumsey (bass) and Sara Lund (drums) still draw on deep roots in punk and hard rock, they often seem to be navigating uncharted territory. The songs are dark and jagged, more likely to generate brooding unease than provide easy catharsis. Check out either version of the tortured eight-minute epic “Swan” for an unpredictable, genre-defying experience that’s thoroughly fascinating.
