Another One Bites The Dust

First Stranger Things, and now this…

Brainwashed — essential reading for anyone interested in truly independent and underground music — is closing down on April 16. Their weekly digest, “The Brain”, was one of the first sites I checked out on Monday mornings, with extensive reviews of some truly obscure music.

But the real loss will be the many band websites that Brainwashed hosted and lovingly maintained: Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Bedhead, Labradford, Current 93, Tortoise, and many more. These weren’t just fansites; they were treasure troves of information done with a fan’s passion and a professional’s touch.

God bless you guys… and here’s hoping the site continues to live on in some form. It’s a sad commentary on the web today. Sites that are actually worth reading continue to get shutdown because the costs continue to outstrip the resources. You may be reading for free, but it can cost a heckuva lot to run a site as extensive as Brainwashed, a fact that’s all too evident now.