O'Rourke's version of Nurse With Wound's source material keeps very close to the spirit of a Nurse With Wound album. This is partly due to the common reference points both artists share, but partly because it seems that he has used much of the raw material provided by Stapleton and Potter without changing it at all. Nurse With Wound and O'Rourke are two of the few artists who can sustain interest while essentially presenting an entire LP side of creaking sounds set against doom laden ambient soundscapes. By gradually shifting the sound and by placing small gestures such as the sounds of bells among the existing soundscapes O'Rourke has created a sense of tension in his "Part One." By the time a noisy crescendo occurs toward the end of this build-up it feels like a true release. He clearly shares Stapleton and Potter's sense of letting a mood develop slowly, and the piece is stronger because so much is held back for most of the piece. "Part Two" has a completely different feel with the introduction of strings and has a more composed feel. It is here that O'Rourke seems to have done the most work to shape the piece. This section recalls his early work with tape music and also references the musique concrete that both he and Stapleton admire. As on the raw material LP, this section is much more chaotic, with all manner of sharp electronic sounds bouncing from left to right in the stereo field. O'Rourke introduces the section of saxophone, flute and hand drums played by members of Xhol Caravan earlier than it appers on the Raw Material LP. However, he hasn't done much to alter this material either. Since O'Rourke has a background as an accomplished composer, producer and musician, it is baffling why he hasn't made this album sound more like the product of his own imagination.

Jim Siegel