i've heard the same about this record. "it's a waste of money"...and so on. i don't have it. but the melvins have done things like this in the past. for example, their album "prick" (amphetamine reptile) consists of mostly field recordings. one song cracks me up, it begins with a spoken introduction introduction and then allows a "moment of.......pure.....digital.........silence". brilliant. i think that the reason why the melvins do these things could be: a) to alienate certain listeners that they might not want to attract, or b) to do something truly different and all their own. it is nearly impossible to do something new now adays, and perhaps these recordings are not the first ever in their field, but they are certainly "experimental". as john cage said once, experimental music is not necessarily new to the composer/performer, but it can be experimental if it is an experiment for the listener; something they have never heard before. therefore the act of listening becomes what is experimental. so i suppose it is not necessarily false if someone who might not be as schooled as the zornlisters in music calls radiohead "experimental". if the listening process is an experiment for them, let them have their experiment. but getting back to the point, i think the melvins are trying to live up to a truly experimental reputation. they didn't know what the reaction would be if they released these albums. it was an experiment. possibly musical, possibly social. but all in all, uniquely their own. -adam morosky n.p. vincent gallo "recordings of music for film" _________________________________________________________________ Protect your PC - get McAfee.com VirusScan Online http://clinic.mcafee.com/clinic/ibuy/campaign.asp?cid=3963