Raw Silk Uncut Wood

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]

Raw Silk Uncut Wood
Studio album by Laurel Halo
Released	July 13, 2018 (2018-07-13)
Genre	Ambient minimalism
Length	32:26
Label	Latency
Producer	Laurel Halo
Laurel Halo chronology
Dust (2017) Raw Silk Uncut Wood (2018) Atlas (2023)
Singles from Raw Silk Uncut Wood
"Raw Silk Uncut Wood" Released: July 13, 2018

Release

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]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

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]

Accolades

Publication	Accolade	Rank	Ref.
The A.V. Club	Best Electronic Albums of 2018	N/A	[11]
The Vinyl Factory	Top 50 Albums of 2018	20	[12]
The Wire	Top 50 Albums of 2018	33	[13]
Tiny Mix Tapes	Top 50 Albums of 2018	33	[14]

Track listing

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

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Raw Silk Uncut Wood.^[15]

• Laurel Halo – production
• Oliver Coates – cello (tracks 1, 6)
• Eli Keszler – percussion (tracks 2, 6)
• Jill Mulleady – artwork
• Hugo Blanzat – design