| Raw Silk Uncut Wood | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 13, 2018 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 32:26 | |||
| Label | Latency | |||
| Producer | Laurel Halo | |||
| Laurel Halo chronology | ||||
| ||||
Raw Silk Uncut Wood is a mini-album by Berlin-based American electronic musician Laurel Halo, released on July 13, 2018, through Latency Recordings. It consists of six ambient instrumental tracks. [1] [2]
Halo announced the release of a "mini-LP" titled Raw Silk Uncut Wood on June 13, 2018, alongside the release of the title track. In a press release, Halo stated that the album was inspired by her work on the 2018 documentary film, Possessed. The album features contributions from cellist Oliver Coates and percussionist Eli Keszler. [3] It was described as "a meditative, cinematic listening experience." [2]
The title is derived from Ursula Le Guin's translation of the Tao Te Ching . [4]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 84/100 [5] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| NME |   [6] |
| Pitchfork | 8.0/10 [7] |
| PopMatters |   [8] |
| Resident Advisor | 4.1/5 [4] |
| Tiny Mix Tapes | [9] |
| The Wire | [10] |
Raw Silk Uncut Wood received acclaim from music critics upon release, with a Metacritic weighed aggregate score of 84 out of 100 based on seven reviews. [5] Writing for Pitchfork , Sasha Geffen said "Raw Silk Uncut Wood marks a departure from her usual mode of thorny, cerebral electronic compositions, but as her most ambient record to date, it also boasts some of her most unabashedly beautiful music." [7] Hans Kim of PopMatters said, "Whether Raw Silk Uncut Wood is the precursor to a forthcoming ambient full-length or just another stint of experimentation, Laurel Halo continues to break expectations in the most bemusing way. The mini-album is a beautiful practice of minimalism that also maintains her intricate perspective." [8] Resident Advisor 's Nina Posner wrote, "Inspired by this sentiment, as well as Halo's time scoring a film for the Dutch art collective Metahaven, the more abstract aspects of Raw Silk Uncut Wood allow her to establish moods that are at once non-prescriptive and immediately visceral." [4]
| Publication | Accolade | Rank | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| The A.V. Club | Best Electronic Albums of 2018 | N/A | |
| The Vinyl Factory | Top 50 Albums of 2018 | 20 | |
| The Wire | Top 50 Albums of 2018 | 33 | |
| Tiny Mix Tapes | Top 50 Albums of 2018 | 33 |
All tracks are written by Laurel Halo
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Raw Silk Uncut Wood" | 10:00 |
| 2. | "Mercury" | 3:56 |
| 3. | "Quietude" | 2:32 |
| 4. | "The Sick Mind" | 4:24 |
| 5. | "Supine" | 1:27 |
| 6. | "Nahbarkeit" | 10:07 |
| Total length: | 32:26 | |
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Raw Silk Uncut Wood. [15]
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