Ok, there are times when you hear something that maybe you just don't get, aren't tuned into or simply just can't stand. I think this is one of the few unfortunate times that I have happened upon a bit of music that for me, fits all three categories. "Animality" isn't for me. This fact saddens me as it does have very brief moments where I think I will find my "in". It has limited appeal in that the drums used sound very native and the music comes across in places as very wild and raw, like a pack of wild dogs hunting.

Now with that said, let me explain myself further. The CD is drums and drums ad nauseum. I am admittedly not a big fan of drum music but I have been known to adore the occasional hippie drum circle or dead can dance CD but this is exhausting. At over 51 minutes in length, it is, at best, a very tedious listen. I tested my theory on a few trusted music friends and each had the same reaction which was not unlike my own. Most turned it off or those who dared listen in its entirety simply said, "Horrible".

The saving grace of the beast, pun intended, is the packaging. Yes, this is one area that makes "Animality" remotely intriguing. Designed by wojtek bednarski (I'm presuming the lower case is intentional), the CD jacket unfolds into a 3D cubicle with the disc suspended in the center. It is a fine design and although somewhat impractical, it gives the impression that this disc is going to be really something special, a real treat. Sadly for the designer, Daniel Menche does not deliver with this release and it will spend most of its life in my collection folded and put away.

Since 1993, Daniel Menche has released around thirty recordings. In the last 3 years, he produced at least eighteen releases. My hope is that the releases that have coincided with "Animality" and those that will follow will somehow be more palatable. 2/10 -- Erica Rucker (24 April, 2007)