Total

The enigmatic noise guitarist Mathew Bower delivers another CD in his expansive discography of lo-fi feedback collages, this time on the New Zealand house label of improvisational group Rain. While numerous others appear on Majora and VHF either as Total, Sunroof, or with his noise rock band Skullflower. Housed in a delicate CD packaging uniquely designed, the minimal card gatefold is as distinctively homemade as the music contained. Within a cloudy layer of electric guitar noise shards of string abrasion cut though the drones, occasionally diverting the noise field into surprisingly subtle melodic tangents. While Total may share a kinship with heavy-handed noise artist Merzbow and Keiji Hano there is a charming ambience to his work that makes it deceptively easy listening. The monochrome wash becomes a deep immersion into the details of sound -- a certain amount of predictability can sometimes make for great listen with avant sound maneuvers such as this. ~ Martin Walters, All Music Guide