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Bear the Sleuth — Whorl
(Bandcamp Right Brain Records RBR, 2024, DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2026-04-11

Whorl Cover art

We’ve encountered Dave Willey on a couple dozen albums by such groups as Hamster Theatre, Thinking Plague, 3 Mice, and others along with guest appearances on albums by Falter Bramnk, Mike Johnson, The Gatekeepers, and more. Whorl is credited to Bear the Sleuth, and features Willey along with experimental guitarist Michael J. O'Neill. The closest reference among Willey’s other releases is Ligeia Mare, a project of mostly-gentle improvisation. The music is completely improvised, and as an added twist, it was recorded with Willy and O’Neill in separate rooms, unable to see each other, only reacting to what they heard in their headphones. O’Neill is listed as contributing guitars and electronics; Willey is credited with electronics, editing, and mixing, and presumably the latter two activities happened after the fact. It’s not very often throughout these twelve tracks (most of which are quite modest in length) that you’ll identify an instrument — these noises flow and bounce around without developing into patterns or grooves, and there are no obvious keyboard sounds either. Still, it’s fascinating, even mesmerizing, to let the abstract sounds wash over you, and it’s not generally harsh, even when the sounds include white noise. At times, it hearkens to the early days of electronic music, especially Louis and Bebe Barron’s Forbidden Planet soundtrack — though with modern reverb. Lately I’ve been growing disillusioned with free improvisation. I’m not necessarily looking for structure or planning, but longing for musicians who are actually listening to each other, not just flailing away, each in their own little bubble. Listening to Whorl, you’d be hard pressed to even guess how many people are involved, since it all coalesces into a single morphing entity of sound, and it’s well worth noting for electronic explorers.

Filed under: New releases, 2024 releases

Related artist(s): Dave Willey

More info
http://davewilley.bandcamp.com/album/bear-the-sleuth-whorl

 

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