Noise albums sometimes have a small dynamic range, presenting a loud wash of complex sounds, an opaque surface which first resists then rewards efforts to penetrate it. Psychoacoustics has a wide dynamic range, and each of its sounds are clearly distinguishable one from the other. That, and the sheer warmth and even softness of much of Psychoacoustics may make it an excellent album for introducing people to the noise world.

“At one extreme is the beauty that is associated with a sense of lightness and balanced order. It does have a faintly decorative quality to it. At the other extreme we have the much darker form of beauty that we associate with profundity and truth.” Although quoting liner notes is usually a chump’s game, this description is so apt, I couldn’t resist.

Whether Psychoacoustics will wear as well as some of the harsher and more uncompromising albums of Ground Fault remains to be seen. And who cares, anyway? In the mean time, even though there are a couple of places where there’s actually a tune (!), this is an engaging and entertaining album—after six or seven listenings, its interest for me has not flagged.

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