Wilderness of Mirrors (Lawrence English album)

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Wilderness of Mirrors
Wilderness of Mirrors (Lawrence English album).jpg
Studio album by
Lawrence English
Released21 July 2014 (2014-07-21)
Genre
Length39:08
Label Room40
Producer Lawrence English
Lawrence English chronology
Suikinkutsu No Katawara Ni
(2013)		Wilderness of Mirrors
(2014)		Approaching Nothing
(2016)

Wilderness of Mirrors is a studio album by Australian record producer Lawrence English. [3] It was released on 21 July 2014 through his record label Room40. [4] It received universal acclaim from critics. [5]

Contents

Background

During the making of the album, Lawrence English drew inspiration from live performances by the bands Earth, Swans, and My Bloody Valentine. [6] The album's tracks were written with the "live experience of listening" in mind. [7] It took him two years to finish the album. [8] The album's title originates from T. S. Eliot's poem "Gerontion". [9] A music video was released for the track "Forgiving Noir". [8]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 82/100 [5]
Review scores
SourceRating
Fact Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]
MusicOMH Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [10]
Pitchfork 7.5/10 [11]
The Skinny Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [12]
Tiny Mix Tapes Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [13]

According to the review aggregator Metacritic , Wilderness of Mirrors received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 82 out of 100 from 6 critic scores. [5]

Brian Howe of Pitchfork stated, "Wilderness of Mirrors isn't groundbreaking in general, but it is new territory for the often-cerebral English, and he puts an engaging, commanding stamp on this style of ambient overdrive hymn." [11] Maya Kalev of Fact commented that "Drone albums are by their nature immersive, but it's rare to come across one so tempestuous, evocative and compelling from start to finish as Wilderness of Mirrors." [2]

Gary Kaill of The Skinny stated, "Built from almost intangible elements, Wilderness of Mirrors' aural scree is equal parts harmony and discord." [12] He added, "Its inarguable aesthetic makes for a listening experience as unsettling as it is exhilarating." [12] Pat Beane of Tiny Mix Tapes commented that "English makes us feel in our gut his sense of something-gone-wrong, which is central to our experience listening to this album." [13] He added, "To that end, he uses bass tones and shrill distortion to shake up the listener." [13]

Accolades

Year-end lists for Wilderness of Mirrors
PublicationListRankRef.
Fact The 50 Best Albums of 2014
21

Track listing

All tracks are written by Lawrence English.

Wilderness of Mirrors track listing
No.TitleLength
1."The Liquid Casket"6:20
2."Wilderness of Mirrors"2:37
3."Guillotines and Kingmakers"2:02
4."Another Body"6:26
5."Wrapped in Skin"3:18
6."Forgiving Noir"8:25
7."Graceless Hunter"5:10
8."Hapless Gatherer"4:47
Total length:39:08

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes. [15]

References

  1. ↑ Bland, Benjamin (16 December 2014). "The Finest Ambient Releases of 2014". Drowned in Sound . Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 Kalev, Maya (27 August 2014). "Lawrence English - Wilderness of Mirrors". Fact . Archived from the original on 4 September 2014. Retrieved 26 April 2025.
  3. ↑ Simpson, Paul. "Lawrence English". AllMusic . Retrieved 26 April 2025.
  4. ↑ "Stream Lawrence English's crushing new album Wilderness of Mirrors". Fact . 18 July 2014. Archived from the original on 3 February 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 "Wilderness of Mirrors by Lawrence English". Metacritic . Archived from the original on 27 February 2017. Retrieved 26 April 2025.
  6. ↑ "Lawrence English reveals Swans-influenced new album Wilderness of Mirrors". Fact . 30 April 2014. Archived from the original on 10 August 2017. Retrieved 26 April 2025.
  7. ↑ Twells, John (19 August 2014). ""I want to do things that have meaning": an interview with one of ambient music's modern masters, Lawrence English (page 1 of 3)". Fact . Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2025.
  8. 1 2 C Monster (15 July 2014). "Lawrence English - "Forgiving Noir"". Tiny Mix Tapes . Archived from the original on 4 February 2020. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  9. ↑ Byrne, Michael (8 June 2014). "Lawrence English's 'Wilderness of Mirrors': A Cold War Truth in Dark Drones". Vice . Archived from the original on 1 January 2025. Retrieved 26 April 2025.
  10. ↑ Johnson, Steven (23 July 2014). "Lawrence English – Wilderness Of Mirrors". MusicOMH . Archived from the original on 22 November 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2025.
  11. 1 2 Howe, Brian (31 July 2014). "Lawrence English: Wilderness of Mirrors Album Review". Pitchfork . Archived from the original on 31 March 2023. Retrieved 26 April 2025.
  12. 1 2 3 Kaill, Gary (1 July 2014). "Lawrence English – Wilderness of Mirrors". The Skinny . Archived from the original on 23 June 2024. Retrieved 26 April 2025.
  13. 1 2 3 Beane, Pat. "Lawrence English - Wilderness Of Mirrors". Tiny Mix Tapes . Archived from the original on 19 April 2021. Retrieved 26 April 2025.
  14. ↑ "The 50 best albums of 2014 (page 31 of 51)". Fact . 9 December 2014. Archived from the original on 6 May 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2025.
  15. ↑ Lawrence English (2014). Wilderness of Mirrors (CD booklet). Room40.

Further reading

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