Bandcamp Reviews: Mind Over Mirrors and "Andrew Tuttle & Padang Food Tigers"
Every Friday, I plan to buy one or two "new to me" releases on Bandcamp. ”New to me” is something I just now discovered or finally bought. Whether it be from 1972 of 2025. I will then listen to these releases for a couple of days and then post my unfiltered thoughts*. So, at the very least there should be a post a week (with some exceptions of course).
*there is no such thing as bad music – just music you dislike. So you won't ever see me saying something is bad etc – just why it didn't work for me.
This week I have struggled with both of the albums I am reviewing. Not because they are particularly difficult or because there is some dislike. Quite the contrary, I find both these albums extraordinarily good and it just amazes me how many amazing albums are still out there, waiting for me to find them. It is because I am not quite sure what words to use to give these albums justice. Suffice to say they are essential and should be purchased posthaste. Regardless, I will attempt to illuminate what I enjoyed about them.
Particles, Peds & Pores by Mind Over Mirrors
In a word, this album is understated. It feels ethereal – existing just below the surface. But that doesn't mean it is furniture music – it is more of a feeling the album gives the listener.
Long ago, this would have probably been classified as ambient techno but that is not entirely correct (it is the closest comparison though). The sounds are meticulously crafted to create sonic universes and there is language to this music that if learnt, can reveal to the listener, many worlds to explore.
Essential.
A Cassowary Apart by Andrew Tuttle & Padang Food Tigers
Unlike the album reviewed above, I know exactly how I discovered this release. I was exploring the band, Suss and saw that they had collaborated with Andrew Tuttle - which was a name I did not know. I then went to their bandcamp page and for unknown reasons, this release stuck out to me.
Such an astonishing album - anytime I listen to it, I can get lost in its pure ambience. Sounds that are familiar, gentle, organic, flowing and enthralling encircle the listener. These are ambient worlds (seems to be a theme this week) and drone landscapes that are reminiscent of an American West that never existed.
The versatility of the banjo and lap steel continue to astound me. Ambient folk as it was meant to be.
Essential.
Photo by Daniel De Los Santos, Round Rock TX