Writing reviews

I have received quite a pile of relases for review during the past weeks. Pheew.. that means listening and listening and then listening and writing. What did I get? Jacob Kirkegaard's "Labyrinthitis", three discs by Zeitkratzer (coops with Carsten Nicolai, Keiji Haino, Terre Thaemlitz), two new Entr'acte releases, Roel Meelkop's "an ear for numbers", Aidan Baker/Tim Hecker, Palac, Morfrom. That's just to name a few.

Reviewing is at the same time a nice way to get into contact with new music, a way to express your thoughts on music and a time consuming effort. I take reviewing music quite seriously. Musicians and composers have gone through great lengths to produce the stuff and it would be quite disrespectful to just dismiss stuff at first hearing or just skipping through the music. So each disc gets at least two hearings before I start writing. So that takes almost two hours. Discs that I don't like or just don't appeal to me, or stuff that is completely off or blatantly following an easy path don't make it to the writing process. Unless someone is applying for a decent slashing, of course!!

Anyway, EARLabs will publish the reviews shortly.