Collecting a variety of concert appearances over the course of some four years, the double-disc Fighting 2 Quarters & a Nickel means more Rake than most casual fans would normally want to investigate. That said, as an example of the improvised noise jams which Rake specializes in, it’s a worthy enough listen, of equal appeal to neo-space rock types as it is to appreciators of skronk chaos and back again. With occasional guest appearances cropping up throughout, along with appropriately odd credits — one common instrument is Rahsaan Rob Wynn’s elephant keyboard — Rake covers a fascinating range of extremes. All tracks are untitled beyond a reference to recording time and location, but then again not much more is needed. The first disc has plenty of frazzled and fried offerings to go through; the feedback rampages would make more than a few metal bands proud, but mingled with slow, moody rhythms and snippets from other performances where non-rock-instrument drones hold way, the end result is a trip of the mind. On the second disc, “Duke University Coffeehouse, 2.3.95″ begins with a growling drone that gets all the more unsettled, while ear-piercing feedback scrapes through the mix, while the brief “Northern Virginia Community College 12.4.95″ has an almost soothing start before a keyboard freakout takes center stage. “Black Cat 1.10.94″ goes for a brief space rock beat before descending into silence, while “9:30 Club 5.27.94″ finds something of a cool jazz groove to play around with initially before taking off to various mysterious stratospheres. At 35 minutes, “Tommy’s Warehouse 4.12.97″ is initially barely there, but restrained silence and space give way to a somewhat more intense mid-section before settling back into a slightly melancholy re-creation of a Middle Eastern ensemble jam. – Ned Raggett
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