When I talked to Mike Doughty seven years ago, the ornery, deep-croaking singer-songwriter was pretty emphatic that he'd never feel good about Soul Coughing, that he just had no positive relationship with the music he wrote with his first band, and the notion of being proud of it, or even being neutral about it, "is something I can't comprehend. But who knows what the future will be like?" At least he admitted to the possibility of changing his mind. Because Soul Coughing were way ahead of their time, their brand of alt rock more like dark, reflective post-jazz with hiphop and electro production qualities and surprising moments of catchiness. It's nice to see that Doughty has finally come to appreciate the work he did with them—his own fucking work. Because 1994's Ruby Vroom (which he now calls "the sonic embodiment of lower Manhattan in the early 1990s") is perfect, fan-fucking-tastic from start to finish, confident, loose, grooving, and just plain fun. Excited that Doughty is playing the entirety of it for its 25th anniversary, and with a full band in tow. Also, I feel old. by Leilani Polk