Thursday, July 8, 2021

Beady Beast: On The Go (Pandemic duo, #5)

  Beady Beast is the acoustic guitar duo of Christy Doran & Franz Hellmüller. On The Go is the pair’s vastly enjoyable pandemic project. Hellmüller was Doran’s student once upon a time. They’re now good friends and with both living in Lucerne, Switzerland, this studio collaboration a very natural event. Doran’s Every Dog has its Day opens the program. It starts out as a sort of mutant blues, with insistent rhythms, drops back to a quiet passage, then picks up again and, well, let’s say the flow of the music is largely unpredictable but always sounds inevitable. Their rapport remains uncanny through performances of four more pieces composed by Doran and four by Hellmüller. Highlights include the zesty interplay on Doran’s Slippin’ , the high-spirited rapid-fire demands of Hellmüller’s Minimaxbum, the jagged freedom of Hellmüller’s Light in the Dark, and the angular provocations of Doran’s Paros in November. But really, every piece has its charms, as the acoustic environment brings out the best in both musicians. On The Go is totally enchanting, and happily recommended. 

between the lines BTLCHR71250; Christy Doran, Franz Hellmüller (acoustic guitars); Winterthur, Switzerland, January 26-27, 2021; Every Dog has its Day/ Slippin’/ Minimaxbum/ Far Away From Home/ Light in the Dark/ Paros in November/ Su Giudeu/ Lift the Bar/ Oneiron Street; 57:11. www.challengerecords.com


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