The bulk of Busman’s Holiday, the second collaboration between American noise masters Kevin Drumm and Jason Lescalleet, is totalitarian in its approach to volume. Opener "The Hunt", for instance, seems to be an exercise in how far and how slowly the pair can ramp the knob to the right, a shard of controlled static growing so loud it eventually overrides all other thoughts. And with its Sunn O)))-sized bass rumbles below and hovering electronic hiss above, "Belligerence" seems keen on crowding out all frequency interference, of fending off any intrusion into the world Drumm and Lescalleet have created. Indeed, as they write in the liner notes, "This album is a meditation on the inner mental environments of work-related travel" and, as such, is intended for careful listening in those situations. That is, it shuts out the crying baby in the next row. But there are quiet moments here, too, parts so silent relative to their surroundings that one must pay steadfast attention in order to hear what’s happening at all. Somehow, these are more isolating and magnetic than all the electronic power this duo can otherwise mount. It’s OK to put your hands over your ears in public, right? —GC

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