Kriston Capps and Louis Jacobson lead the arts section with a look at why the closing of Bethesda's Fraser Gallery is such a loss—and why it happened. Ramon Ramirez checks in with South by Southwest dissenters Windian Records. In theater, Bob Mondello reviews two (or is it three?) plays by Edward Albee at Arena Stage, while Chris Klimek has fun at the noirish McCarthy-era farce Red Herring at Washington Stage Guild. Joe Warminsky reviews the strong new album by D.C. expat Carol Bui. Tricia Olszewski checks out a Phil Ochs documentary. Jeffry Cudlin reviews the National Gallery of Arts' troubling yet worthwhile exhibit "Paul Gauguin: Maker of Myth." And in One Track Mind, Benjamin R. Freed talks to goth-pop duo Lenorable.

Also in the Post, art critic Blake Gopnik addresses this argument by some who have called for the gay-themed "Hide/Seek" exhibit to be removed—that artists are eager to challenge Christianity (A Fire in My Belly contains an 11-second clip of ants crawling over Christ) but rarely take on, say, Islam. Wrong! says Gopnik, who talks to an artist from the Muslim world and some dealers that represent others.

Also, yesterday Gopnik was on CNN to debate conservative windbag Brent Bozell re: l'affaire NPG:

While many of last night's protesters were artists, much of the art world is in Miami right now for the Art Basel fair—including D.C. art blogger and artist Lenny Campello, who has been penning entertaining dispatches and offering updates on the D.C. artists down there to sell work.

Is there anything else to talk about? Celia Wren's review of the Keegan's Golden Boy contains as many if not more lame/borderline-lame boxing jabs (zing!) than boxer/WCP critic Chris Klimek's review of the same show. Carol Bui been guest-blogging on the Vinyl District all week in advance of her Black Cat show next Wednesday. Not shockingly, her taste in music is better than yours.

In City Lights, Louis Jacobson reviews "Directions" at the Hirshhorn. Plus! The Walkmen, Andy Summers' photography, Sonora Ponceña, Andrew Bird, Carol Bui, and Emma Donoghue.

It takes the soaring, aggressive emotiveness of Bui's earlier material and works in two of her more recently acquired interests: Middle Eastern sounds, and percussion. "If you're so inclined to sweep me off my feet/Leave a crinkled hundred out for me to keep," she spits, reflecting another topic she explored over the last few years, academically speaking: the culture of sex work. When I interviewed Bui in April, just before she left D.C. for Tacoma, Wa., she told me that some of the record's songs "are about things that other people consider dark but I consider joyful.”

“To me, it’s a big party record,” she also said. “Not in the oomph oomph oomph way. But it’s happy and celebratory.” Red Ship will be out early next year on Bui's Ex Oh Records.

DOWNLOAD: Carol Bui – "Mira: You're Free With Me"

Here are some of the things Carol Bui got into between releasing her last album, 2007's harrowing and cathartic Everyone Wore White, and recording her new project, which doesn't yet have a name, and which she hopes to release in 2011: Bellydancing. Drumming. Dogs. And, academically speaking, the culture of sex work. So understandably, she approached the new recordings from a very different perch.

The singer is moving to Tacoma, Wa., next month, leaving the city where she grew up and whose post-hardcore sound—angular, emotive, adventurous—has figured significantly into her own. So while her show tonight at DC9 with Aloha and Pomegranates won't be her last in D.C., it will be her last as a D.C. resident. "I started dating this guy, and we got really serious. He's in the Air Force and he’s being transferred out. I’m following him," she says. "Well, I’m following him and our dog. And plus, I figured I needed a change."

The few songs from the album that she's posted online bear that out. "'Geisha' Means 'Open Minded'" is soaring and searching with a large, open lead vocal, like a stripped-down variant of P.J. Harvey's more polished material; her cover of "Hayati Inta," by the Belgian-born Arabic pop singer Natacha Atlas, is gritty and elemental and ecstatic. In both songs, every aspect seems to hinge on the drums, which Bui got serious about after releasing Everyone Wore White. "I kind of went into hibernation. I got into bellydance, I picked up drums, and got into my own world," she says. "I think of things in more rhythmic and percussive terms. It’s more physical music."

Which may, she stresses, have more to do with D.C.'s post-hardcore narrative than is obvious. "I prefer music that is created from impact, from physical impact...I think that’s always been the case in D.C punk rock or post-hardcore or what have you. It’s more visceral or expressive in a different way,” she says. "That will always be in my music. It’s just kind of ingrained."

She recorded the album with a large group of musicians at Inner Ear in Arlington and produced it with T.J. Lipple (who mixed the album with Chad Clark). The songs, she says, came to life slowly, often because she began writing many of them on drums. "To me, it’s a big party record," she says. "Not in the oomph oomph oomph way. But it’s happy and celebratory."

She's considering self-releasing the record, probably in early 2011. And after she moves next month, she'll continue to play with Mark Raymond and Wes Garcia, who both played on Bui's new record and are former members of the disbanded D.C. group Len Bias. Raymond and Garcia both moved to the West Coast after Len Bias broke up last year. (Before she leaves, she also has two more bellydancing performances with the Sahara Dance school's Raquettes Tahia group. Those take place May 1 and 2 at American University’s Harold and Sylvia Greenberg Theatre.)

Thematically, she says, the album is less self-involved than its predecessor. Sometimes that means "songs about silly little things, like how I became a dog lover," she says. "Other songs are about things that other people consider dark but I consider joyful."

Hence: sex workers. "A roommate and I got really into sex-work culture after we started watching Diary of a Call Girl," Bui says. So she began researching the topic, became obsessed, and eventually worked similar stories into her songs.

But even where sex work's the subject, she says, she explored disarmingly jubilant themes. "It can bring joy to other people—joy and comfort and love and self-love to people."

-My fathers advice to me before I head out to Cali in the morn = "talk alot" Thanks dad, where would I be without you. LOL

-Got alot done so far & now I'm about to take a nap and dream about my pop life in 2010.

KingPen Slim

-DMV popping so hard these next two weeks, hu homecoming, Monday night football, bp3 tour and Halloween get sleep now

-Chris samuels set to retire due to his recent neck injury? Damn

Carol Bui:

-at inner year last night til 1am knocking out flute overdubs and my mouth feels just fine! we begin MIXING THIS WEEK...it's about damn time

Beauty Pill (Chad Clark)

-Doctor says BP can tour next Spring if I keep with the same regimen. Death 0, Chad 1. Hoping to defer the rematch.

Casper Bangs

-is listening to his new slim harpo record.

-Check out these two new songs: http://www.casperbangs.com/ You can hear them live at the two upcoming shows in DC and BKLYN.

The Dance Party

-Chillin with Bauhaus. We're so post punk.

-Playing The Rumble at Three Clubs in LA tomorrow. http://www.threeclubs.com http://bit.ly/UpV6Q

Carol Bui

-just tracked arab percussion and violin with scott robinson and winston yu, respectively. yea, this record will be fucking hot, yos.

Edie Sedgwick

-Some confusion about whether I can be killed by a stake through the heart...(no).

-Some confusion about whether I can be killed by silver bullets...(no).

–pancakes + hummus, sink or swim? let's go.

–Apparently my big Asian head is stenciled on trash cans up and down U Street. Foreshadowing? http://mypict.me/nqyT

Laura Burhenn:

–wish I'd never discovered toaster oven smores. now I'll eat 'em all the time... also, the windmill movie was incredible. highly recommended.

–how can they say mark twain was an ENFP? did the myers-Briggs folks hire a psychic & have him take the test from beyond the grave??

Carol Bui:

–Driving through Montana at night = terrifying. Driving through Montana during the day = exhilarating!

–My favorite part about portland? Burlesque.

Beauty Pill (Chad Clark) :

–If you ever get to sit next to Tony Maimone, it means you have won at the game of life.

–Tarantino. Please. No speak. Fermez la bouche. Hushy hush for hush time. Shhhh. Listen! Let's all enjoy the sound of you not talking.

–Enroute to Blakroc session. Your average Black Keys/Mos Def/RZA/Qtip/Joel Hamilton/Pharaohe Monch collaboration. Psyched to work on this!

Teenbeat:

–Millions of colors in the world and the color experts at Pantone® can only give us 1,089?