Welcome to Breakdown, an unofficial resource and discussion list about the innovative guitarist/producer Michael Brook. This site is infrequently updated, but contains a great deal of background info which will remain online. For up-to-date news and information, visit Michael Brook's official site and MySpace page.

Albino Alligator review
by Lesley Sly
from MZ.com
[archived here without permission]

Brook, alone with his infinite guitar, is a clever and mesmerising player. Cobalt Blue, one of numerous solo albums, is a textbook case of how big music can be when made with taste, craft, ideas and ingenuity. Albino Alligator is the soundtrack to a Kevin Spacey film, an improvised ambient jam featuring a few guests, mainly on percussion; and, on the closing track, Michael Stipe on vocals. That, and some others, have a moody charm, a smooth, melting ambience. Others have a loose, disorganised bluesy swing, and sound as though Brook is just doodling about in his studio, following a train of thought until it runs out of steam, and shuffles off into oblivion. This incompleteness is part of the attraction, but it isn't always satisfying.