The Wire Tapper, Vol. 5 was offered as a free gift to subscribers of the U.K. avant-garde music magazine The Wire with issue number 193 in March 2000. This serving of music continues to push the radicalization of the magazine at the turn of the century. Dance-oriented electronica, rap, even world music are completely out of the picture to make way for experimental lo-fi pop (Yo La Tengo), glitch and experimental electronica (Stephen Vitiello, VVE, Fennesz/O'Rourke/Rehberg, John Wall, etc.), a few seconds of free jazz with the Aesop Quartet, and a final dose of noise with Fushitsusha. Highlights include Kimmo Pohjonen's avant-accordion, John Wall's Bob Ostertag-esque "Construction 1," and Daniel Givens' kalimba-and-electronics tune "Viaduct." This volume of the Wire Tapper series is a little cheap on unreleased material, only two tracks presenting any collector interest: a live recording of Yo La Tengo's "Our Way to Fall" and Wire's "Pink Flag/2," a cut taken from an obscure private release. ~ François Couture, All Music Guide