Considering the raw talent and ability found on A Whisper In The Noise's impressive Steve Albini produced 2002 release, "Through The Ides Of March"; crafting an admirable follow-up would seem to be no easy task. Most would have expected the band to put their best foot forward and deliver something more mainstream friendly (or at least underground-mainstream friendly), thoroughly breaking down the door which they had previously so non-chalantly stuck their foot in. However, A Whisper In The Noise, in their typically against the grain demeanor, have instead thrown an unexpected wrench into the mix. For their latest opus "2d" is not a full-fledged album per say, but rather a collaborative effort between themselves and like-minded fellow Minnesota based outfit, If Thousands.

The kinship between the aforementioned two groups is readily apparent as the music here does not suffer from any overbearing presence from either side. Moodily atmospheric material in the vein of nine inch nails, Mogwai and Massive Attack downing tranquilizers while watching film noir is what this offering delivers, and it does so with phantasmic elegance. In turn, rich instrumentation in the form of stringed instruments and keys often break through the drone of ambient electronically driven noise, laying out a dynamic, if not bleak experience. Coupled with some startlingly emotional and at times even fiery vocals, including a volley of everyone's favorite expletive, this effort is fantastic at juxtaposing epic sounding musical environments with a gritty sense of downtrodden human emotion. When this outing really hits its stride though, it's usually in the form of contrasting nihilistic electronic elements bashing against the majestic beauty of strings and heart-worn vocals. The sense of longing and intermittent bursts of vitriol these moments manage to convey easily invoke both thought and reaction from the listener.

Unfortunately, the larger element at play comes in the form of sparsely progressive experiments in noise that often come off as meandering and self-indulgent. There is a focus to the madness though, and it is done both artistically and creatively, setting a remarkable atmosphere and mood. But once the listener runs through the album a few times, it's not likely that they will want to listen to the 6 minute and 59 second long droning ambiance of tracks like "Twelve Into None" when paired against the more moving selections included. When the two parties do manage to strike a synergy between each other, the results are nothing less than stunning. When they don't or are left unchecked, things tend to get slightly pretentious. As such, while it may not be an outright engaging affair, "2d" is still an advancement for all involved and hopefully one that will help elevate the burgeoning buzz surrounding these outfits from a whisper into a deafening scream.