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As the prime mover behind Kortatu and Negu Gorriak, two of the fiercest rocking punk-rooted bands you probably never heard, Fermín Muguruza is almost certainly the single most important catalyst in the development of the radical, Basque language rock/punk scene that flowered in the '80s and '90s. A political radical who believes in music as a vehicle for spreading anti-system ideas, his lyrics combine a fervent Basque nationalism with an anti-imperialist internationalism grounded in human rights and self-determination for indigenous peoples from the Zapatistas in Chiapas to the Palestinians on the West Bank or the Gaza Strip. All of which sounds way too no-fun didactic but fortunately, Muguruza is also a musical true believer in the pure sonic power of memorable hooks, rampaging rhythms, and high energy that connect on a gut physical level. He's a born songwriter with a flair for framing his ideological charges, calling for action and consciousness in catchy choruses, and a great produ...