Challenging. That is the one word I would use to describe Axolotl's self-titled album and other experimental albums like it. For many it is simply a challenge to sit and listen to what may be considered as noise exploration, but to attempt to go beyond such a simple classification in a review is even more difficult.

The easiest way to describe Axolotl may simply be to describe the basic parts of each composition. Instead of guitar, bass, drums, and vocals, this album's seven untitled tracks breakdown into low drone, occasional low to mid-tone pulsations resembling a heartbeat, and higher frequencies likely to hurt your ears. This classification of sound is of course an oversimplification, but over the course of Axolotl's forty minutes it becomes easy to begin overlooking the subtleties.

The one thing that may provide a bit more depth to the experience is some more insight into the creation of the music. This information can act as a guide for the listening experience providing landmarks to look for on the way to understanding what Karl Bauer and William Sabiston wanted the listener to experience with the music.