Hell Hoarse [Chuck Bettis & Brendan Murray]

Skull Puddle

Label: Living Myth / Uppercase Country: USA

"Featuring Chuck Bettis on electronics & throat and Brendan Murray on electronics. Bettis is also a member of Brown Wing Overdrive who have a great CD out on Tzadik and has collaborated with Ikue Mori, Dafna Naphtali, WW3 and the Meta-Matics. Brendan Murray is a Boston-based electronics musician with a half dozen discs out, all worth checking out for further study.

Chuck's voice is chopped up and slowly manipulated is a most fascinating way. The voice shimmers and is bent into odd shapes while other strange electronic sounds are added one line at a time. Each sound is manipulated slowly and turned inside out. Static-like sounds are placed one upon another and eventually certain lines melt away and become something else. For "Pud" many of the sounds are like those older analogue synth samples that I haven't heard in a long while. It sounds like a bunch of electric razors humming or singing together in odd harmonies. What amazes me about this that these two have learned how to combine their talents and take a handful of different electronic lines and weave them together into one fascinating fabric well worth your time and consideration." -Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery