archived brainwashed reviews
“Shadow Music of Thailand” (Sublime Frequencies, 2008)
Now reissued on CD after a very limited vinyl-only release in 2008, this fun and absurd compilation of not-quite-surf may very well be the last (and first?) word on the […]
“Palenque Palenque: Champeta Criolla & Afro Roots in Colombia 1975-91” (Soundway, 2009)
The major recurrent theme for Soundway compilations is documenting that fragile and fleeting period when two cultures collide and the resulting music still seems exciting, fresh, and revolutionary. Palenque Palenque […]
My Cat Is An Alien, “Mort Aux Vaches” (Staalplaat, 2009)
Despite its utterly mystifying and goofy lenticular packaging, My Cat Is An Alien’s contribution to Staalplaat’s long-running studio session series is a very focused, formidable, and often incendiary affair. The […]
Area C, “Charmed Birds Against Sorcery” (Students of Decay, 2009)
Area C’s newest release borrows its theme from a passage in Claudius Aelian’s On The Characteristics of Animals (written around 200 AD); specifically one that states that doves can protect […]
Brock Van Wey, “White Clouds Drift On and On” (Echospace, 2009)
Brock Van Wey’s Echospace debut is the first album to be released under his own name, but its content will not surprise anyone familiar with his previous ambient work as […]
Nurse With Wound, “Spiral Insana” (Torso, 1986)
First released in 1986 on Torso, this enduringly bizarre collage of kaleidoscopic surrealism has now been reissued with the original cover art. More than two decades later, it still stands […]
Fenn O’Berg “Magic & Return” (Editions Mego, 2009)
Editions Mego has finally reissued the woefully out-of-print complete recorded oeuvre of this massively influential and infrequently convening laptop supergroup. Unsurprisingly, it still sounds great. Christian Fennesz, Jim O’Rourke, and […]
“Legends of Benin” (Analog Africa, 2009)
Analog Africa has unveiled another lovingly assembled and lavishly packaged overview of funky lost recordings from the birthplace of voodoo. Tireless German vinyl-monger Samy Ben Redjeb has already tackled Benin […]