archived brainwashed reviews
Dagar Gyil Ensemble Of Lawra, “Dagara – Gyil Music of Ghana’s Upper West Region” (Sublime Frequencies, 2021)
This mesmerizing and unique gem from Sublime Frequencies documents some killer field recordings made by Hisham Mayet in the Upper West region of Ghana back in 2019. I knew absolutely […]
“MIEN (YAO) – Cannon Singing in China, Vietnam, Laos” (Sublime Frequencies, 2021)
This collection of (mostly) acapella field recordings from Kink Gong’s Laurent Jeanneau truly emphasizes the “sublime” part of the Sublime Frequencies vision, as this is quite an eerily lovely and […]
Richard Skelton, “Four Workings” (Aeolian, 2021)
This latest album from Skelton seems intended to be a major new statement, though not quite a formal follow-up to last year’s These Charms May be Sung Over a Wound, […]
Joe Colley, “Trance Tapes” (No Rent, 2021)
Back in 2016, noise/sound art legend Joe Colley returned from a lengthy hiatus to release the solid No Way In on Jason Lescalleet’s Glistening Examples, but he has been extremely […]
The Humble Bee, “A Miscellany for the Quiet Hours” (Cotton Goods (2009)/Astral Industries (2021))
It admittedly took me a while to finally connect all the dots in my head, but it dawned on me recently that The Boats were kind of the Throbbing Gristle […]
People Like Us, “Welcome Abroad” (Discrepant, 2021)
I was a bit surprised to see this album getting the “10-year-anniversary deluxe vinyl reissue” treatment, as I did not remember it making a particularly big splash when it was […]
Colleen, “The Tunnel and the Clearing” (Thrill Jockey, 2021)
It has been nearly four years since the last Colleen album, which is certainly not the first lengthy gap in Cécile Schott’s wonderful discography, but she definitely seemed to be thriving […]
Leven Signs, “Hemp is Here” (Cordelia (1985)/Digitalis (2013)/Futura Resistenza (2021))
Much like Vox Populi!’s Half Dead Ganja Music, Leven Signs’ Hemp is Here first began life as an obscure and deeply weird cassette from the ’80s, but eventually found its […]