Muslimgauze

In title and general design meant to be the sequel to the first Gun, Part 2 turns out to be a slightly different beast in the end, one which in the end turns out to be rather more interesting than the original album. The one-two opening punch of the first "Sikh Needle" and "Shia Psalm" provides yet another fantastic start to a Muslimgauze release, the first track being based around an extremely atypical noise/rhythm collage mixed with sudden percussion and sample interjections, while the second begins with a similar wash of noise and conversation before breaking into a great hip-hop loop, distorted, tweaked and overlaid with other beats as it goes. This in turn settles in a barely-there midsection, with buried notes and beats gently rising out of nowhere, before returning to the original elements of the song, which then is further mixed with more expected Muslimgauze elements (acoustic percussion, moody keyboards) to create a masterful ending. Going from there into the crisp, minimal cymbal beat that starts the second "Sikh Needle," Part 2 surges from strength to strength, increasingly exploring breakbeats as a newer weapon in Bryn Jones' particular sonic arsenal, while also further refining his basic sonic approach. The attractive shimmer of metallic chiming mixed with a similarly metronomic beat and a series of interwoven vocal samples on the first "Sharia Limb," not to mention unexpected jolts of noise and harsh, relentless beats and clatters leading into a wheezing ambient wash punctuated with further conversational snippets, all on the second "Sharia Limb," are just two highlights worthy of note. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide