There's no evading Mille Plateaux's ambitions with Clicks & Cuts, Vol. 2, a mammoth triple-disc compilation pretentiously attempting to both summarize and further the German techno label's self-termed click movement. The label's first volume appeared a year earlier and took some time to resonate before garnering tremendous critical praise by the year's end. Thankfully, after a year's worth of follow-up records, press releases, and year-end awards, the curiously awaited Clicks & Cuts, Vol. 2 doesn't disappoint, proving that there is more to the click movement than hype and overwrought theorizing. First of all, contrary to what this album's academic liner notes may have you believe, don't get too hung up on exactly what the click aesthetic implies: Just know that the music found on this compilation was composed on computers rather than analog gear, the artists tend to employ some sort of subtle glitch-like sounds, and that the sonic vocabulary for composing this music is remarkably vast. Given these common attributes, it's no surprise that the 36 artists featured here present an oceanic breadth of styles. Some (SND, Farben, Auch) drift toward stark yet melodic minimal techno, some (Vladislav Delay, Kid 606, Rude Solo) aim for the dancefloor; others (Andreas Tilliander, Mikael Stavostrand) revel in murky dub, others (All, Full Swing, Thomas Brinkmann) unleash dizzying whirlwinds of sound. And, unfortunately, several (the near-entirety of the third disc) present unpleasant experiments where the jarring, abrasive, and/or boring characteristics outweigh anything of interest. So, as you would probably expect with a compilation this vast, no matter how diverse your tastes, you're not going to like everything here -- there is just way too much variety. Still, you have to acknowledge Mille Plateaux for being comprehensive, even if it dilutes the album as a whole; they've perfectly summarized a vibrant techno movement. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide