Bettis, Chuck

Sonic Sigils [CD EP]

Label: Scarcelight Country: USA

"A word of warning: if it's a hungover morning, skip opener "Night On Fire (for Nick Bohn)". It will hurt you. In fact, it might be a good idea to skip the disc altogether if you're in a fragile state; make yourself a cup of tea, add a shot of whiskey to it and listen to some nice Belle & Sebastian while you curl up on the couch and wait for the liquor to work. If you're feeling adventurous, however, Bettis has a little trip for you. Sonic Sigils begins with the aforementioned "Night On Fire"'s aural assault, all low-pitched whine and digital shuffle, punctuated by rapid-fire layers of hard-panned tape rewind. It tapers from there... all the way down to the subterranean radar of "Neuromancy" and the disconnected, barely audible mutter of the untitled track that follows it. Bettis's work falls into that category of "ambient" that is decidedly not background music. "Blipitle Flimalfa"'s watery squiggles and piercing sonic needles, "Light in Extension"'s space-robot effects-mongering, the machine-like but strained cycling of different rhythmic lines in "Faith is Fear" -- all demand your attention. It ain't pretty, but it's strangely beautiful."-Sarah Zachrich, splendid.com