[1][2][3] In a review for AllMusic, John Duffy wrote: "The two dispense with nearly all conventions of song structure, instead focusing on angular drum-cornet-vibraphone collages that emphasize clashing dynamics and shifting moods... Once again, the members of the Chicago Underground balance the edge between avant-garde jazz and ambient, a crossover they very much helped to create.

"[5] Writing for All About Jazz, Mark Corroto commented: "Axis And Alignment returns to the duo's freeier work heard on the 2000 release Synesthesia... Taylor produces... varying beats, be they the thunder or the splashes of vibraphone color.

"[6] In an article for PopMatters, Marshall Bowden remarked: "Although the group sprinkles some electronics throughout the album, you are never overwhelmed, always getting the feeling that you are hearing an organic sound created by two musicians who are constantly listening to each other and responding rather than something that is programmed and sterile.

Axis and Alignment extends this flexible model, generating warmth in a field rife with the potential for cold, lifeless clashing... their music is a close approximation of those blissful, if transitory, moments which quietly enhance one's life.

"[10] A reviewer for Brainwashed noted that the album features "some great performances of very cool and modern compositions," and wrote: "This disc uses the free jazz idiom with different elements and ideas brought into fold, as the title suggests, making for some interesting listening.