My Cat is an Alien - Cosmic Light of the Third Millennium CD (Important Records)

My Cat Is An Alien - The secret of the Dancing Snow CD (Ikuisuus)

"Every sound you'll hear is intentional," claimed the Opalio brothers on the sleeves of their early My Cat Is An Alien releases, but there was always something slightly dubious about the assertion. Nevertheless, on records like 1999's Landscapes Of An Electric City, the Italian duo's ability to sculpt soundscapes from a series of apparent accidents was engaging. Their lack of technical skill was compensated for by their attentive listening and willingness to allow their improvisations to follow their own logic, producing charming, occasionally fabulous results.
The ragged strengths of their early material are thankfully still present, and longtime fans will be relieved to know that they are still pushing their "no overdubs, no outtakes" policy. But there's a newfound sense of control and power to these MCIAA releases that makes for a rewarding listening experience. They have scaled back the ugly, emaciated noise and feedback that punctuated their earlier music and are aiming for a more pastoral mood.
Roberto Opalio's falsetto space whisper has become a key element of their sound, along with Maurizio's chiming guitar loops. Another welcome development is a far more affective use of percussion [..]
Also noteworthy is the presence (on Dancing Snow) of longtime ally Ramona Ponzini, laying down a bed of percussion that alternately smoothes the edges of the music and adds an element of cosmic astringency, particularly when fed through the brothers' distorting echo loops.
(Keith Molinè, October 2006, The Wire)