Salvo Beta

As if Abrasive Stuttering, Salvo Beta's aptly named debut album, didn't give you enough high-octane IDM and drum'n'bass freneticism to keep you jittery well into the next year, Evil Against Evil takes the material from the original album and feeds it to a motley crew of like-minded junglists, glitchmongers, and mad tweakers, turning tracks that were seriously and gloriously off-kilter to begin with and folding, spindling, and mutilating them into a kaleidoscopic smorgasbord of beats and textures. Some of the finest contributions here maintain a precarious balance between beat-freak anarchy and sweet melodic delicateness, as on Atropa's take on "Nag Champa." Other highlights are darker and more ominous, such as Instigator's moody "Clugy (W.O.J.L.T.I.M.L.T.T.D. RX)" and the chugging "Marsh Salve Boat Reconstruction" by Solenoid. And still others are just downright goofy, like Pele's borderline-unlistenable "Banana Pudding." To call all of it brilliant would definitely be an overstatement, but those who love to mix avant-garde weirdness with their funky breaks will come away happily disoriented. ~ Rick Anderson, All Music Guide