Murmur by Bit Graves
Murmur, the second album by Bit Graves, follows their 2020 self-titled with six new duets for Korg MS-20 and SuperCollider. Using microtuned drones and live processing, Matt Collins and Ben Roth patiently unfold simple tones into increasingly vast and unstable spaces which both envelop the listener and threaten to disintegrate around them. Each track has a distinct identity, from the hostile doomy rumble of "bigfish" to the stained-glass shimmer of "pluck2". A collaboration with producer Benjamin Marx brings a human element to the music by capturing not only the live synthesizers, but also the breath of the performers and the reverb of the Chapel Performance Space in Seattle. Algorithmic and physical echoes blend with one another to provide uncanny moments in an unfamiliar universe.
Noting the album's "exhilaratingly nerve-shredding timbres", Dave Segal of The Stranger describes Bit Graves as "utter masters of their dystopian domain" who "excel at suspense-building dynamics and creating a sense of perpetual ascension".
Watch the hydra visualizer for "pluck2" here: https://youtu.be/UTMJtcyKYT0
Watch the hydra visualizer for "bigfish" here: https://youtu.be/E-kVV_5_Th4
Read more about the process of creating this album here: https://reading.supply/@ben/
Credits
Written and performed by Matt Collins and Ben Roth
Produced and recorded by Benjamin Marx at Nels Motel, Seattle
Cover art by Jimmy Lee
Mastered by Adam Straney at BreakPoint Mastering
Special thanks to Steve Peters for use of the Chapel Performance Space
