Here is yet another fascinating release by Merzbow through Montreal's fabulous Alien8 Records. Animal Magnetism is a pretty accessible album which keeps the unbearably harsh noises to a minimum while putting emphasis on rumbling rhythms, guitar melodies, analog loops and animal samples (probably Akita's own chickens which figure on the album's cover). As usual, this album features extremely long tracks which most won't be able to get through in one go, and who can blame them. As much as I get a kick out of all this noise, I rarely take the time to actually sit down and "enjoy" the track from beginning to end. Shorter tracks like the oddly-titled Super Sheep don't pose too much of a threat, but the title track and A Ptarmigan might be a bit more challenging. The latter is quite interesting and sounds like the sounds of the night amplified a million times (as some would do with a microscope, Akita does through sound).