Yanqui U.X.O.

On 'Yanqui U.X.O.', the band stripped away their characteristic field recordings for a sound the members described as "raw, angry, dissonant, epic instrumental rock." Recorded by Steve Albini, the album channels a direct and unflinching instrumental force, with long, dense compositions built on methodical, brooding repetition and explosive crescendos. Its overtly political stance is declared by its title—a reference to multinational corporate imperialism and unexploded ordnance—and its packaging, which contains a diagram linking record labels to arms manufacturers, cementing the work as their final, defiant statement before a decade-long hiatus.