reviews of contemporary underground psych, drone, sound art, and electronic/experimental music from the fringes
Shackleton, “Euphoria Bound” (AD 93, 2026)
Berlin-based producer Sam Shackleton has been on a white-hot run with his collaborations in recent years (particularly the Six Organs of Admittance and Holy Tongue ones), but his solo releases […]
Old Saw, “The Wringing Cloth” (Lobby Art, 2025)
Now with a second pressing due to drop in March, this sprawling double LP is lamentably the final release from this beloved rustic Americana collective from New England. The decision […]
Surface of the Earth, “In Color” (Knotwilg, 2025)
Inspired by the shambolic rock deconstructionism of their countrymen The Dead C, this Wellington-based trio of guitar noise enthusiasts quietly released their self-titled debut on cassette back in 1995. While […]
Drew McDowall, “A Thread, Silvered and Trembling” (Dais, 2024)
For some reason, I slept on this fourth solo album from former Coil/Psychic TV visionary Drew McDowall, but I decided to go back and revisit it after being blown away […]
Vox Populi!, “Sucre De Pastèque” (Unlikely Records (1986)/Dark Entries (2025))
This erratic yet endlessly fascinating group of Parisian iconoclasts has been enjoying a bit of a well-deserved renaissance in recent years, as Spencer Clark’s 2013 reissue of their finest album […]
HAYWARDxDÄLEK (Relapse, 2025)
This excellent and unusual collaboration between septuagenarian This Heat drummer Charles Hayward and Dälek’s Will Brooks was written/improvised over two “feverish” days during a brief 2023 residency in Salford. By […]
Hilary Woods, “Night CRIÚ” (Sacred Bones, 2025)
This latest solo album from this Irish composer/filmmaker is an impressively radical and revelatory reinvention of her sound—especially for me, as I was only previously familiar with Woods’ more dark […]
Paul Jebanasam, “mātr” (Subtext, 2025)
It has been nearly a decade since this Bristol-based composer/sound designer last surfaced with a new album, but that long wait makes sense given his love of grand statements and […]