ZWERG, Played Wits (Waspy Mic Mac Records) [REVERB Magazine October, 2000]
By Lezlie Lowe

It’s been two years since I’ve heard a new disc from Monctonite Jason Betts, AKA Zwerg (though I’m pretty sure I missed a full-length in the interim). Back then, Betts handed the world Sepsis, a seven song collection of classical piano and chilling, severe voice. It was a highly enjoyable disc, intricate and interesting, and though its sounds were so mixed and messed and combined, it was an easy listen. As complex as it was, Sepsis required no striving to digest. And ditto for Betts’ latest Zwerg project, Played Wits. The difference is this: I suspect Betts has undergone some major physical transformation since Sepsis. I think he’s become a robot. At least it suits him.

Played Wits is synth to the core. Where the Zwerg musical equation once included bass, guitar and percussion, now there are keyboards, vocals and programming – all from Betts himself. And again, I insist, it’s suitable.

Played Wits’ songs run from straight up ballads (OK, OK, Zwerg-esque ballads with plenty of noise), like “At Thingvellir” to the Space-Invaders rock of “From Nome to Nain” to the full-on pop of “Red-Feathered Sunshine.” It’s a sweet mix of music, like nothing I’ve ever heard before. And that’s not so much because Betts submits himself relentlessly to the ‘80s sound, but because he submits himself so relentlessly to whatever sounds he’s making at a given time.