archived brainwashed reviews
“Pakistan: Folk and Pop Instrumentals 1966-1976” (Sublime Frequencies, 2011)
This album is very deceptively packaged and presented, but in the best way possible: the tame cover art and the word “folk” did nothing at all to prepare me for […]
LA Vampires, “So Unreal” (Not Not Fun, 2011)
I never quite understood the popularity of Pocahaunted and I was pretty underwhelmed by the LA Vampires/Zola Jesus collaboration last year, so I figured it was pretty safe to conclude […]
Severed Heads, “Cuisine (with Piscatorial)” (Nettwerk, 1991)
One of the main stumbling blocks that people have with Severed Heads’ discography is that Tom Ellard’s long, slow evolution from harsh tape loop experimentalism to hooky electronic pop has […]
Disappears, “Guider” (Kranky, 2011)
Disappears’ 2010 debut (Lux) didn’t connect with me at all, largely because the band’s more Neu!-influenced elements were often buried beneath busy, heavily distorted guitars: it wasn’t bad, but it […]
Kawabata Makoto, “White Summer of Love Dreamer” (Blackest Rainbow, 2010)
I haven’t been paying too much attention to Acid Mothers Temple for quite some time, as their formula of tripped-out, burbling maximalism started to yield rapidly diminishing returns for me […]
Merzbow, “Aqua Necromancer” (Alien8, 1998)
Masami Akita is always at his best when he is either working with a well-chosen collaborator (like Christoph Heemann or Richard Pinhas) or paying tribute to something he loves (like […]
Natural Snow Buildings, “Waves of the Random Sea” (Blackest Rainbow, 2011)
More than a decade into their career, the evolution of Natural Snow Buildings continues to surprise me: Waves of the Random Sea might be the most accessible album that Mehdi […]
“Baby, How Can It Be?: Songs of Love, Lust, and Contempt from the 1920s and 1930s” (Dust-To-Digital, 2010)
I have yet to encounter a disappointing major Dust-to-Digital release, and this three-disc collection of the choicest bits from John Heneghan’s archive of early 78s continues that hot streak beautifully. […]