Review at jazzpreview.com by Lyn Horton

Right when the Nihilist Spasm Band was beginning to repeat itself, transforming into a caricature, the group released No Borders, a fresh, stunning two-CD set with guest Joe McPhee. Disc one was recorded live on October 27, 2000; disc two culls studio recordings from the day before and after. Only four of the 18 tracks feature all seven musicians playing at the same time. On the other ones, subgroups explore exciting new directions. Vocalist Bill Exley and McPhee's "Duet" is a disquieting drone piece. "Trio" puts together the booming bass of Hugh McIntyre, John Clement's drum pounding, and the saxophonist's free jazz train of thought. That last element is the source of a number of surprises. McPhee can play abstract free improv, but here he often falls back to instant head lines. On "Meateater," he develops a melody, something unheard in the group's "repertoire." Exley screams to disrupt him, Art Pratten bursts into a violin frenzy to drag him into flaming dialogues, but McPhee insists. The resulting tug of war is a lot of fun and ends with the jazzman screaming his lungs out. Other highlights include "Unlikely," a duet between Murray Favro and Pratten, "Boing," and "Going Too Far." Exley brought in new texts, true to the group's nihilist ideas, which he delivers in his usual declamatory style. The NSB's level of musicianship has rarely been so high and McPhee, as unlikely as it may sound, turns out to be a perfect partner, heartiliy contributing to the music while motivating the other players to give their best. The only negative point is the fact that Exley's voice was recorded with an awful microphone during the live session. Still, No Borders comes strongly recommended to both fans and newcomers. — François Couture, All Music Guide

Everyone's favorite bunch of old Canadian guys making crazy noise, the one and only Nihilist Spasm Band of London, Ontario, teamed up with outside jazz saxophonist Joe McPhee for this double CD set of studio and live improvisations. Armed with their usual array of kazoos, bizarre invented instruments, and surrealist vocal rants, the NSB is one of Canada's national treasures, even if most of their countryfolk have never heard them and probably wouldn't want to. But they've been playing together for over 30 years now, including a weekly gig at a local bar! (And they were recently subject of a fascinating documentary film by Zev Asher). Their chaotic, creative spirit finds a fine match in the horn blowin' of '70s free jazz vet McPhee. Quirky, fun, jazz-noise-improv unlike anything else! We could probably go on to say something meaningful about this meeting of untrained spontaneous music making and the avant-jazz tradition, but better than that, just check it out yourself. The only problem with listening to a Nihilist Spasm Band recording is the generally unattainable urge to join in. (I mean, you could turn your stereo up really loud and bust out with the pots and pans, but your neighbors might not like that.) — unsigned review at Aquarius Records website

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