Key Ray

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Birds of Tin (Brooke Oates) is a decidedly underground artist whose music seems only to reach the initiated, due either to low-profile marketing or limited runs or perhaps some combination of both. Fellow American Ene (Scott Hudgins) is dug in at least as far underground as Oates. However, whereas the former is known for his somewhat industrial ambient soundscapes, the latter's reputation is more of a lo-fi samplemaniac. 'Key Ray' brings them together for the first time to produce a sound highly appropriate to the name of the label imprint, Mystery Sea. Underground goes underwater. Juxtaposing low drones with vocal, vinyl and environmental samples, sound and texture float and drift, but also occasionally run aground on jagged rocks, or get lost in labyrinthine coral reefs or tangled up in seaweed. Although aquatic drift is the main order of the day, it is not an entirely unhazardous experience and signals of distress intrude at times. Creating an overall impression both broad and minimalistic, with spurts of aural collage, it is as if, speaking in the broadest terms, Gavin Bryars' 'Titanic' had sunk containing electronic instruments instead of an acoustic orchestra.