Mark Bradley - A Collection - The First And Last Five Years

You just might recall that Mark Bradley was gracious enough to offer up his previous release for free through my very humble blog. And the responses I've gotten about Mark's work since that display of generosity have been unanimous in their praise. And now, compliments of A Giant Fern, Bradley is back with A Collection - The First And Last Five Years, a compilation of thirteen tracks, spanning five years of head space expanding synth work. This release showcases (as one might expect) a great deal more variety in sound than the past two official Bradley releases. What I particularly enjoy here is the more subtle ambient side of things, and how that runs smack dab into something that sounds like Bagpipes played through a Korg N5 with heavy delay. The third track, Reality, places stark osscelating bass against echoing vocal samples. Like a lost transmission bouncing around inside a space station. It's just tremendously fun to listen through the various twists and turns of these gems from Bradleys' discography. Get hip to this.

Edition of just fifty, beautiful hand made wooden boxes with ink stamping, full liner notes. Stream in full and grab direct from the A Giant Fern Bandcamp.

Mark Bradley - Temple Music

I was recently enamored by the subtle tones of Offerings, from Mark Bradley on Cosmic Winnetou. And so it was with great anticipation that his latest, Temple Music, on Golden Cloud Tapes, was loaded into the Nakamichi 600. And again, as with his previous, this release from Bradley features the same intimate, and deeply emotional compositions. Two side long tracks, composed of multiple synth based movements. Elegant and confident, combining only a handful of layers, the whole thing just feels comfortable with itself. Each melody is allowed to stand, striking and poignant, on it's own merit. Some of the most refreshing tape you'll hear.

Originally released on Golden Cloud Tapes

Mark Bradley - Offerings

The second, (see above for the first) in a forward march of magnetic mind expansion from Cosmic Winnetou, comes in the form of Offerings from Mark Bradley. Clean, melodic modular synth work. Subtle shifts between the brief and numerous tracks create an incredibly unified aesthetic where things sound similar, and yet continue to surprise. I imagine the individual songs as winds blowing through autumn leaves clinging desperately to their branches. While fundamentally the same, with each separate moment, new leaves twist and reveal their shapes and colors, and then change again. A single action, yet unique and beautiful differences. I’ve enjoyed several of Bradley’s works this year, notably his output on Goldtimers, and I count this as the finest I’ve yet heard yet.

Edition of fifty, hand numbered, white shell tape, pretty much awesome. Unfortunately, this one is sold out at the source, but can still be ordered at the wonderful 905 Tapes.