California sound artists ilya monosov and preston swirnoff return with two more sonic labyrinths stretched over disparate terrain. as on their previous albums, monosov and swirnoff cast boundaries to the wind. disillusioned and wise to the ways of the world, the duo not only succeeds in propping up the shambolic planet they created on recorded works vol. 1 & vol. 2, but also in soaring toward the furthest reaches of distant suns. blurring the line between composition and improvisation, these new installments are rare, unearthed gems.

volume 3 begins with dancing shadows and acoustic myopia. monosov's minimal vocals lead swirnoff's piano ramblings deeper into the cerebral maze, inadvertently finding the best route out. setting off the shaky delicacy of the opener and side a closer, "repeat again" (with enchanting vocals from naomi) are the raucous, industrial rhythms of "snake lust" and "fly away." the indian-inspired drones of "with charles curtis" top the whole thing off with cinematic splendor. monosov and swirnoff manage to seamlessly mesh these ideas into a cohesive whole.- brad rose.