Three Legged Race is the ongoing, ever-evolving project of Robert Beatty, a Lexington, Kentucky-based multi-media artist and founding member of noise band Hair Police. 2012 has been a busy year for Beatty, as he's provided his personal brand of visual art for countless excellent albums, and has also released new audio works (the outstanding Wrong Element 12" on Acoustic Division is essential). Persuasive Barrier is the debut full-length album from Three Legged Race, recorded over a period of five years. The album begins with "Traces of a Wet Crowd," creating a spacious and synthetic environment for the album to unfold upon with its rolling, cryptic vocal spray and high-frequency pulsing. "Traces" seamlessly collides with "Permethrin," a track which suspends the listener in juxtaposed clatter and wide open space. "Persuasive Barrier" plays like a lost Mort Garson theme accidentally found on Haruomi Hosono's soundtrack to the fictional film Cochin Moon. The lonely vocal passages and dream-like melody trails lead the listener down a very personal path, where the visual and audio aspects of Beatty's world leave the artist exposed for your examination. Listen carefully, these moments are woven together in a complex way that warrants repeat visits to this special stasis. The flip of Barrier starts with the warm "Butter Colored Hallway," which hovers over the stereo field like a hot cloud, slowly moving and dripping micro details as it floats into "Locked Eyes," which is another wonderful and melodic passage. The album heads for the abstract and jagged ("Budgeting Air") before arriving at a complex bed of rhythms ("Permethrin II") where the album comes full circle. Persuasive Barrier sees Beatty organize many of his musical ideas and themes old and new into a fluid, flowing and comprehensive debut. Mastered by James Plotkin.
