The year 2022 marked the fortieth anniversary of multimedia artist and composer Laurie Anderson’s first studio album Big Science (1982). Nonesuch Records commemorated the milestone with a flashy red vinyl re-release, sparking renewed interest in and re-examinations of the album’s persistent relevance both as a strikingly insightful account of American politics and as a commentary on emergent communication technologies’ alienating effects and expanding corporate power in the late 1970s and early 1980s. S. Alexander Reed’s engaging and informative Laurie Anderson’s Big Science is one such re-evaluation that addresses the political and creative contours of Anderson’s multimedia practice.

Throughout eight chapters, Reed’s book weaves together detailed analysis, new archival gems, and convincing theoretical framings that offer fresh perspectives on the album and Anderson’s career more broadly. This book was published as part of the Oxford Keynotes series that features publications dedicated to a single composition or album. Reed situates Big Science...

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