Ethel Cain’s ‘Perverts’ Is Extremely Terrifying and Haunting
The experience of Ethel Cain’s Perverts is gloomy, powerful, and extremely terrifying. It’s practically a masterclass on how to score for a horror film.
drone
Sunn O))) Bring Thunderous Drone Metal to Lincoln Center
Sunn O))) brought their thundering drone metal to Lincoln Center as part of Unsound New York, resulting in a performance both constrained and elevating.
Ambient Composer Rafael Anton Irisarri’s Dispersion of Belief
For a record conceived of following the 2016 US election and a global pandemic, ambient maestro Rafael Anton Irisarri is ready to soundtrack our downfall.
Godspeed You! Black Emperor’s Opus Remains Powerful and Prescient
Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven by Godspeed You! Black Emperor reminds us that sometimes the most powerful protest is (nearly) wordless.
Yuko Araki’s ‘IV’: Torn Between Voice and Noise
Experimentalist Yuko Araki highlights her vision’s first new element: the human voice, which was either absent or lost beneath the layers of havoc in the past.
The Spark of Indian Electronic Music Is on ‘The NID Tapes’
When a Moog was placed in an Indian design college, students and staff casually broke ground for electronic music. The NID Tapes is a worthy document.
Requiem Construct Heavy, Dreamy Soundscapes on ‘POPulist Agendas’
The first full-length release from Requiem packs an emotional, post-rock punch with its unique sense of adventure and calming, cathartic hope in the darkness.
The Nuanced History Eluvium’s Many Clockwork Fables
Ambient maestro Matthew Robert Cooper (Eluvium) is two decades into his career, and on his latest LP, overcomes surprising obstacles physical and geographical.
The Sounds of the Fathers: An Interview With Codeine’s Chris Brokaw
Recording a series of guitar improvizations at a decommissioned Norwegian power plant is a tall order for any musician. For Chris Brokaw, it just makes sense.
Greg Davis Dives Into Compositional Properties of Prime Numbers with ‘New Primes’
On New Primes, Vermont experimentalist Greg Davis explores process-based composition, with a little help from a record label that revels in the concept.
Jon Porras Drifts Downstream for ‘Arroyo’
Fans might be accustomed to Jon Porras working in the dark, but on Arroyo, he offers genuine light and rest throughout the trip.
It’s All About the Mood on Birds of Passage’s ‘The Last Garden’
Electronic minimalist music comes in many forms, but Birds of Passage’s The Last Garden could be the most minimal electronic music I’ve encountered so far.