reviews of contemporary underground psych, drone, sound art, and electronic/experimental music from the fringes
lilien rosarian, “a day in bel bruit” (Self-Released, 2019)
This self-released 2019 debut from NY-based tape loop artist Lilien Rosarian has become something of an underground cult classic, but there is not a hell of a lot of biographical […]
Nein Rodere, “Form & Feeling” (Horn of Plenty, 2023)
This wonderfully unique and unsettling album is the work of Berlin-based artist David Roeder, who apparently has a background in both painting and psychodynamic art therapy. The latter adds quite […]
the fun years, “baby, it’s cold inside” (Barge (2008)/Keplar (2025))
Newly remastered and reissued, this drolly titled 2008 album is generally regarded to be the jewel of the fun years’ discography, so it is quite a pleasant surprise to have […]
Cyrus Pireh, “Thank You, Guitar” (Palilalia, 2025)
I had not encountered this Detroit-based guitar visionary’s work before this debut for Bill Orcutt’s Palilalia label, but it seems like Pireh was already blowing minds with his previous album […]
Death and Vanilla, “Whistle And I’ll Come To You” (Fire, 2025)
This is Death and Vanilla’s third re-imagined soundtrack to date (the others being Vampyr & The Tenant), but it seems like a much higher profile release than the previous two […]
Biosphere, “The Way of Time” (AD93, 2025)
This latest album from Geir Jenssen’s long-running ambient/techno project admittedly blindsided me a bit, as I had not been keeping up with his recent releases on his own Biophon label. […]
Cucina Povera, “Hilja” (Night School, 2018)
This was the debut album from Glasgow-based voice artist Maria Rossi, who originally hails from Finland. The project’s name translates as “poor kitchen” and is a reference to an Italian […]
Jake Muir, “Campana Sonans” (enmossed, 2025)
Colorfully described as “a synapse-popping electro-acoustic soundwalk around Western Europe’s cathedrals,” Campana Sonans is a pair of deeply immersive and hallucinatory sound collages inspired by the daily sounds of church […]