archived brainwashed reviews
Vanishing Twin, “Ookii Gekkou” (Fire, 2021)
I was inexplicably late to the party on this wonderful London quartet, as the presence of drummer Valentina Magaletti is almost always a reliable indicator that something compelling is happening […]
Felicity Mangan “Bell Metal Reeds” (One Instrument, 2021)
This is my first encounter with the unique fare of Berlin’s One Instrument Records, but I have probably stumbled upon Felicity Mangan’s work before, as she released an EP of […]
My Cat Is An Alien & Joëlle Vinciarelli, “Eternal Beyond III” (Elliptical Noise/Up Against the Wall, Motherfuckers!, 2021)
This is the third and final installment of the Opalio brothers’ wild and oft-brilliant collaborations with Talweg/La Morte Young’s Joëlle Vinciarelli, as “according to arcane, ancient cultures, sometimes things must […]
Catherine Graindorge, “Eldorado” (Glitterbeat/Tak:til, 2021)
This second solo album from Belgian violinist/composer/actress is my first encounter with her work, but it seems like she has been releasing compelling music for quite some time (she has […]
Grouper, “Shade” (Kranky, 2021)
I suppose I have been a devoted Grouper fan since sometime around 2008’s Dragging A Dead Dear Up A Hill, but there was a long stretch during The Reverb Years […]
KILN, “Tungsten” (Ghostly International, 2021)
I have been vaguely aware of this unusual and beloved midwestern IDM/post-rock trio for years, but figured they were probably too conventionally likable for my taste. As it turns out, […]
Sarah Davachi, “Antiphonals” (Late Music, 2021)
In my review of Cantus Figures Laurus last month, I half-jokingly noted that Sarah Davachi’s creative arc seems unavoidably headed towards composing a full-on Mellotron-driven prog rock opus. While she […]
HTRK, “Rhinestones” (N&J Blueberries/Heavy Machinery, 2021)
This latest release from the long-running duo of Jonnine Standish and Nigel Yang is quite a bombshell, as Rhinestones was “inspired by a recent infatuation with ‘eerie and gothic country […]