Mark Bradley

"Eternal" CDR

Blackest Rainbow

Genre: drone scene's Jandek?

March 2010

The secret is out on faceless drone stalwart Mark Bradley, that mysterious drone scene prodigy who came out of nowhere in 2008 and quickly amassed an enormous discography of entrancing ambient work. This criminally brief collection of six works follows a rather strange progression. Its first two tracks whirl about brilliantly in an illuminated synthesizer haze, employing flowery keyboard tones which evoke fleeting percepts of eighties-era neon colours. But both end abruptly in mid-note, making me wonder if there is something wrong with my copy. And then the rest of the disc tempers the high-pitched synth licks in favour of grittier, denser feedback drone. I can't complain, though I find the transition a tad unusual. Nevertheless, whereas the disc's first moments were utterly blissful, later tracks mine some downright stupendous content: true to its title, “Ohm” is a positively electric subterranean voyage which ebbs and flows magnificently, whereas “Prism” is an epic haze riddled with atmospheric intricacies. Eternal is an odd release, but Bradley's considerable talent renders it stunning.

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Michael Tau

[Vitals: 6 tracks, distributed by the label, released 2009]