Tamafuri documents a unique excursion into the dynamics of duo interplay. Iro features husband and wife Toshio and Shizuko Orimo, and this disk features the pair on drums and guitar/vocals, respectively. Iro's commitment to free expression is evident in the contrast between the two 30-minutes tracks on this CD.

The "quieter" � using this term purely relatively � of the two tracks is the first. The overdriven guitar sound is apparently further altered by de-tuned strings that are caressed and scraped with objects rather than plucked. The drums are more traditional sounding: Toshio Orimo plays a standard kit and includes plenty of cymbal crashes and tom rolls. The open, respiratory tempo of the music, however, brings it closer to Asian folk music than to Western rock. The overall effect on this first track is something like Pansori meets dirge-y death metal.

Shizuko Orimo brings an impressive insistence to her playing here. The bestial tone and feel has been visited before in guitardom � Fred Frith's object guitar work and Eugene Chadbourne's electric rake come to mind. But where other players may flirt with howling tones and barely-controlled feedback before moving on to other approaches to the guitar, Orimo shares the relentlessness of such players as Borbetomagus's Donald Miller and (especially) Rudolph Grey.

Despite the singularity of approach, the interplay in the first track has a complexity that manages to keep the listener wondering what will come next. As difficult as the volume may have made it in the studio, the Orimos are clearly listening to each other. There is logic to how the music evolve � an aggressive, cathartic logic � but a logic nonetheless.

By contrast, the second track fits more readily into the noise genre. The dynamic between the players seems to be less about listening than releasing. The difference in the sound of Shizuko Orimo's guitar compared to the first track is immediately apparent. Here it is a study in extremes. There is an intermittent low rumble � perhaps from an extremely loosely tuned string � that creates a quite ominous feeling. These nearly sub-sonic explosions are punctuated by piercing high-end feedback. Iro seems to have moved into more apocalyptic territory.

For a few minutes, near the middle of the second track, Iro pulls back from the No Wave maelstrom. The guitar stops, the drums rumble along, and Shizuko begins a recitation in her normal speaking voice. However, the group quickly returns to near-cacophony, cymbals blending with the throaty bellowing of the guitar to approximate the roar of a typhoon. Shizuko now screams her words, pushing her voice to its limits. Like many noise pieces, this one seems partly a contest of endurance, challenging both players and listeners.

The CD is a re-release of an LP from 1985. The disk provides a peek into the more primal musical past of a group later known for exploration a more mystical aesthetic featuring flutes and dance.