There's no air of mystery surrounding sound manipulator Matt Davignon. He debunks Bwoo's candystore of hypnotic sounds with a liner note diagram that reveals their sole source -- a Boss DR-660 drum machine -- and the devices he used to achieve them. His song titles tell you exactly what you're in for: "96 Clocks" ticks and knocks, "Click Sel" boasts a series of modulating clicks, and "Bwoo" and "Uut?" make their titular sounds. There's no heady theory or deconstruction in Davignon's aesthetic; his interest lies in creating organic, breathing sound experiences by toying with machines. Bwoo is more about childlike exploration than big boy sound sculpting.

Davignon only betrays his lack of total innocence through his immense patience. He has a fetish for colorful tones, yes, but he's not greedy -- when he finds a promising sound, he'll ride it out for as long as it merits. "Pad", for instance, barely budges from its beautiful opening notes, expounding gamelan style upon the same series of notes for six glorious minutes. With an ear for the pure and life-affirming, Davignon presents a number of sounds that could prove endlessly engaging. It's not that sitting and staring at the same spot for an extended period of time is a fun activity in its own right -- it's that the spot's so damn interesting.

Bwoo's best tracks display ample development, though, demonstrating Davignon's steady hand in multiple compositional approaches. "Flam Ratio" feels like a natural environment rather than mechanical manipulation -- it sounds like a field recording from an empty hallway, capturing echoing tones that could double as footsteps. "Uut?" opens with a fascinating ratcheting noise that simulates its title. It eventually moves from its mechanized animal calls to a threatening rising tide of static. It's the album's most marked progression, and the only time that Davignon seems the least bit aggressive or disruptive. It's also the album's most rewarding track.

If there's anything holding Bwoo back, it's the fact that it's almost paradoxical. Generically, Davignon creates avant-garde music, but his techniques are so simple and his results so humble that it hardly feels as if he's on the cutting edge of anything. He has produced one of those rare albums that's both a journey outside the norm and a trek through well-worn territory.