seven

Hailing from France, the Ultra Milkmaids have been quite prolific since debuting back in 1993, and the project is no stranger to collaborations. With s[e]nd, the Milkmaids' minimalism is complemented by Austria's Pure. Over the course of seven tracks both of their styles fuse, intertwine and bleed into one another with perfect consistency.

Pure's sound, simply described as 'avant-garde blips and scratches,' reminds me of something off the Mego label -- neo-electronic experimentations with unusual, abstract results. Breif, grainy, succinct punctuations to the Milkmaids drawn out, faded, warm atmospheres that provide the backdrop for the music.

With the predictability found in the washes of subtle melody and basic, repetitive compositions, part of me wants to find this music relaxing. However the constant, cold, electronic whistles, grinding pitches, and otherwise scratchy nuances keep this from happening.

Basically s[e]nd is riddled with interesting, alien noises that only computers are capable of emitting. With a host of these erratic sounds spread out over the disc's 46 minutes, including what sounds like a shot of digital flatulence to cap off the disc, this collaboration is definitely out on the fringes.