Xtrmntr

On 1997’s Vanishing Point, Primal Scream were ill at ease with the world. They still are but XTRMNTR transforms the darkness into fury. Their most thrilling and inventive record since Screamadelica, it’s a combustion of political sloganeering, pressure-cooker punk (“Accelerator”), agit-techno (“Swastika Eyes (Jagz Kooner Mix)”), scuzzy hip-hop (“Pills”), and throbbing psychedelia (“Shoot Speed / Kill Light”). Amid all the aggression and uprising, electro ballad “Keep Your Dreams” reminds us there’s still beauty and optimism at the heart of the band.