New Music Critique: Black Tar Audio

With some fine-tuning, film/TV prospects are possible for Indiana artist Black Tar Audio. “Twist And Burn” offers a plethora of sound-bites and audio-clips set to trippy, echoplexed synths and a cool beat, all of it keeping you off balance and intrigued, but ultimately leaving you stranded––the piece seems half finished. Better focused is “Orcas” where BTA conjures an eerie, epic, undersea realm where giants lurk. Its symphonic section made us think of TV’s Stranger Things and the Final Fantasy VII game. “Paranoia and Pills” nails its title with a jittery, swerving vitality and dynamic edits. Though its drums are distracting, a persistently hooky keyboard makes it the composer’s most memorable piece.