Science Class

In going back to the vaults, as I always do while the new music is slow, I came upon Laurie Anderson's 1982 Big Science, now reissued on Nonesuch. This album has intrigued me for 25 years, so I finally gave it a go. It was well-reviewed in 1982, and back then the only cut I heard, "O Superman" didn't sound like anything I'd heard before. But it and Anderson seemed to artsy for me. Listening to Big Science now, it definitely was ahead of its musical time. Talking over lo-fi beats would be considered just another alt-indie record today. But in '82 it seemed so primitive. Anderson explores the future as she saw it back then, and nothing's changed. I can't quite call it a classic. Anderson is an aquired taste, for sure. Maybe a single-disc compilation. But I'm glad I gave it a spin.