Though this album generally gets billed as “ambient music,” the reality is much more complicated. Leading a musical team that includes Indian violinist L. Shankar, Latin percussionist Daniel Ponce, guitarist Nicky Skopelitis, and African percussionist Aiyb Deng (among others), Laswell takes us on a mysterious journey that veers between quiet but eerie soundscapes (“Lost Roads”) and sonically spacious but still beat-heavy grooves (“Assassin”). Hear No Evil sounds unlike any of his other solo work, but like no one other than Bill Laswell.

– Rick Anderson