The first thing you might notice about Ladyz in Noyz is that the music on these three discs doesn't all qualify as noise. The second thing you might notice is that the mastering needs a little work; the volume fluctuations make it hard to listen to it as loud as you might like without potentially breaking an eardrum if you aren?t prepared.

The third thing you might notice is that neither of those things matter. It's an excellent cross-section of music made by women who don't fit into the usual mainstream genres. Inspired by Women Take Back the Noise, Ladyz in Noyz somehow improves on it as well. With a dizzying number of tracks (52 in all) plus a cast of both well-known and not-so-well-known female musicians, this compilation breaks out of the ghetto it could so easily find itself in.

It?s tempting to describe each song in order; each one jumps on and endears itself to you like a friendly pet. The first CD starts off with the lovely, crunchy noise of Adrien Barbobott, resonating and spiking like a bad thunderstorm. Next comes Marissa Magic?s ?Nostalgia Tricks?, which combines a simple beat with punky singing and a synth-y melody. This is followed by the slow drone drill and narcotic lyrics of Katherine Plummer?s ?A Building That Houses My Heart?. But one of the best songs on this CD, which I can?t neglect to mention, is ?A Delicate Balance (Edited Version)? by BCO Women?s Auxiliary. Underlined by the intimate purring of a cat, it turns into a pretty and peaceful lullaby with just enough ugliness in it to keep it from being Enya. The angry hammer of Paid in Puke?s ?Anal Laan Party? mixes nicely with distorted sound outtakes to make a warped collage of sexuality. Beeping Sleauty?s ?Awww?, a voice-based masterpiece, is just too short at only a minute and 13 seconds (unless you play it on song repeat, like I do), while The Vivian Girls Experience almost-pop song ?Pigeons on Parade? is catchy and deliciously irreverent. ?Buzz Chant? by U.S. Girls is just about the only noise song I?ve ever had get stuck in my head; Sun Shine Sanitorium?s ?The Nest Is a Large Heap of Sticks? and Bonnie Mercer?s ?9th March 2008? are songs that can?t be described, they have to be experienced.

And all of these are just on the first CD. With a beginning like that - and ladyz like Sharkiface, Child Bride, HNY (Heather from Social Junk), and Rosemary Krust on the other CDs - you know it's going to be good. 9/10 -- Eden Hemming Rose (17 September, 2008)