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Brandon Seabrook — Object of Unknown Function
(Bandcamp Pyroclastic Records PR 37, 2024, CD / DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2025-09-26

Object of Unknown Function Cover art

Object of Unknown Function shows Brandon Seabrook in even more abstract and experimental territory than Brutalovechamp (2023). For this release, he’s on his own with only his guitars, banjos, and electronic devices for ten tracks of unpredictable and surprising sounds. Sometimes it’s apparent which instrument is in play, like the banjo that starts the title track, but often it’s anyone’s guess how he made the piece — what the heck is going on in “Melodic Incidents for an Irrational World”? In addition to the instruments themselves and the electronic processing, Seabrook’s body was fitted with contact mics on his legs, throat, and chest, and the outputs of those were incorporated into the mix, further complicating the task of determining the sources of the music. But in the case of an audio recording, that’s not of primary importance, just a matter of curiosity for some listeners. The booklet provides sketchy notes as to what’s happening on each track: “guitar banjo → tapes → guitar banjo → tapes → guitar banjo → tapes with 6 bowed tenor banjos → guitar banjo → tapes → 6 bowed tenor banjos → tapes → guitar banjo → 1 bowed tenor banjo solo → tapes → 1 bowed tenor banjo → tapes → 6 bowed tenor banjos → guitar banjo → 6 bowed tenor banjos → guitar banjo → tapes → 1 bowed tenor banjo → tapes → 6 bowed tenor banjos → tapes” (that’s the title track, and if you think it offers any clue as to what it sounds like, you are quite mistaken). Some of the tracks only feature one instrument, but there’s no shortage of beautiful strangeness even on those. The tracks are described as compositions rather than improvisations, though it seems that a fair amount of chance must have been involved in the process — precisely controlling every aspect of such a complex process seems unlikely. Some of the tracks are very abstract, lacking a consistent beat of definable harmony, but others, like “Gondola Freak,” venture into tightly scripted lines reminiscent of 80s King Crimson crossed with Steve Reich’s “Electric Counterpoint.” Among the legions of guitarists producing solo albums, Seabrook sets himself apart by the sheer breadth of unconventional techniques involved as well as the vast sonic variety.

Filed under: New releases, 2024 releases

Related artist(s): Brandon Seabrook

More info
http://brandonseabrook.bandcamp.com/album/object-of-unknown-function

 

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