reviews of contemporary underground psych, drone, sound art, and electronic/experimental music from the fringes
Ak’chamel, The Givers of Illness, “Spiritually Unemployed” (Akuphone, 2026)
The latest release from these enigmatic Texas psych weirdos did not grab me quite as quickly as some of their previous releases, but I am now quite convinced that it’s […]
Meitei, “Agate” (Kitchen, 2026)
This latest stunner from Japanese artist Daisuke Fujita’s Meitei alias seemed almost impossibly great the first time that I heard it, but that made sense once I learned that it […]
France, “Good Thoughts, Bad Thoughts” (the state51 conspiracy, 2026)
This latest live album from this “legendary hurdy-gurdy-powered kraut/psych/folk/drone band” captures an impressively raw, fiery, and thoroughly trance-inducing performance at state51 Conspiracy’s East London headquarters. In fact, it is damn […]
Water Is The Sun, “Ritual Fever” (Trome/Tocco Magico, 2026)
After a handful of digital and cassette-only releases, this duo of Mkl Anderson (Drekka) & Adam Parks (lightning white bison) celebrate the project’s vinyl debut with their finest album to […]
Terrence Dixon, “When Stars Remember” (Tresor, 2026)
This latest EP from the veteran Detroit techno producer feels like a killer outlier of sorts, as Dixon notes that he set out to make a louder, more dance floor-targeted […]
Caterina Barbieri & Bendik Giske, “At Source” (light-years, 2026)
I am always skeptical of collaborations between two solo artists with cool and unique visions, as the result is usually an underwhelming compromise or a collection of half-baked edits of […]
James Blackshaw, “Fractures On The Horizon” (Self-Released, 2026)
Back in 2016, this British fingerstyle supernova publicly announced that he was taking a hiatus from music due to the financial pressures of surviving as a working/touring musician, but he […]
Mike Majkowski, “Invisible” (Hands in the Dark, 2025)
This Australian double bassist has quietly become one of my favorite minimalists over the last few years, as he has perfected a signature strain of austere, slow-burning soundscapes that occupy […]