Various Artists
Working With Children And Animals Vol. 2
By I. Khider

A volume of varied dark floor, disco noir and ballads akin to music on the 4AD label, as well as various other influences, like Depeche Mode, Ministry and Nine Inch Nails. Each artist featured on Working With Children gets two tracks for breadth, and to better showcase their sounds. Bands like Dust, Katscan and Freudstein are for the dance floor, in the tradition of Ministry and Nine Inch Nails. With strong, dark techno keyboard lines and deeply rhythmic 4/4 beats, these bands unleash an aggressive execution and maintain a good intensity. Conversely, Spray has a crass Euro trance/big beat quality to their music with cheesy lyrics. For Wasp Factory's sake, I hope these guys are a joke, or at the least, sarcastic. But the best bands on this compilation are Swarf, Psychophile and Seventh Harmonic, likely heirs of the 4AD legacy. All the aforementioned band members have beautiful voices and deeply emotional, yet strong, melodies. In particular, Seventh Harmonic is clearly Dead Can Dance wannabes, yet the vocalist and instrumentalists do manage to do the group some measure of justice. (Wasp Factory)
AK1200 - Shoottokill
Assemblage 23 - Defiance
Birthday Massacre - Nothing and Nowhere
Boards of Canada - Twoism
Cabaret Voltaire - Best Of: The Original Sound of Sheffield - '78/'82
Cass - Spundae presents Cass
Cassius - Au Reve
COH - Mask of Birth
DJ Krush - The Message at The Depth
DJ Me DJ You - Can You See The Music
Djinji Brown - Sirround Sound
Dust - A Dust Track Odyssey
F.S. Blumm - Ankern
Fennesz - Field Recordings 1995-2002
Gilles Peterson/Various - Desert Island Mix
Jori Hulkkonen - Different
Karsh Kale - Redesign
King Kooba - Indian Summer
L.S.G. - The Hive
Merzbow - Merzbeat
Michael Zorn - Cruel Summer
MIDIval PunditZ - MIDIval PunditZ
Miguel Migs - Colorful You
Mobius Band - Three
Mr. Scruff - Trouser Jazz
Mr. Velcro Fastener - Otherside
Nigel Dawson/Various - Progressive Development, Vol. One
Patrick Dream & Nav Bhinder/Various - Bombay Two: Montreal Live
Pig - Genuine American Monster
Richie Hawtin/Sven Vath - Cocoon: Sound of the Third Season
S. Process - Sensual
Shifted Phases - The Cosmic Memoirs of the Late Great Rupert J. Rosinthrope
Squarepusher - Do You Know Squarepusher
Stereo Total - Musique Automatique
Tadd Mullinix - Panes
Tinkertoy/Polmo Polpo - "I Understand Why You Want To Move To Montreal"/"Acqua (Slight Return)"
Tomas Jirku - Entropy
Tyler Stadius/Various - Fabric 06
Ultramarine - Every Man And Woman Is A Star
Various Artists - French Girls
Various Artists - Jazzland Remixed
Various Artists - Subvert Sampler
Various Artists - High Fidelity House
Various Artists - Star Switch On
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