by Rolf Semprebon
This CD takes tracks from two deleted EPs, Yaga Blues from 1995 and Soresucker from 1990, with one track from each EP considerably extended to their full-length versions. "Yaga Blues," which can also be found on Who Can I Turn to Stereo, is some of Nurse With Wound's most rhythmic and accessible material, as a pulsing ethno-electro beat propels the piece along while Sarah Fuller adds jazzy non-worded vocals, and the instrumental version has more punch as well as more electronic effects. The title track, also from the Yaga Blues EP and now over half an hour long, is a much more ambient and meditative piece with lots of minimal drones, shifting tones, and no rhythms, quite similar to the material on Soliloquy for Lilith. Next up is "I Am the Poison," a somewhat unnecessary track since it's already been reissued on Sugar Fish Drink, though here it has a slightly cleaner, clearer sound, to give Tony Wakeford's bass more bounce. The other piece from Soresucker, "Journey Through Cheese," now extended to beyond twice its original length, consists of a harsh rhythm clanking mechanically over a collage of tweaked-out noises, from breaking glass and insidious laughter to loud pops of static and more drones. Sometimes the rhythms stop for a second or two, and then start again. Unlike the sublime "Funeral Music for Perez Prado," this piece does not benefit as much from the extra length. This CD is OK, though certainly not one of the group's best efforts.