Friday, July 20, 2007

the blood of a younger man

Polaris contenders (cont'd)

Tim Hecker - Harmony in Ultraviolet

I was warned that it's not possible to multi-task while listening to this album, but I'm a learn-it-the-hard-way kinda gal. It's true. It's physically impossible to do anything but be still and really listen to this album. The wash of noise never seems random, with sounds at times reminiscent of the natural world (waves on the beach, crackling fire and open spaces) and at others, reminiscent of a lived emotion. The album is a cyclical journey through sadness and hope, testing the boundaries of each, managing somehow to blur the two together. Hecker doesn't try to find solution, but solution finds itself in a less moralistic sort of "the journey is the destination." Though an instrumental mix of metal, ambient, noise and electronica influences might sound off-putting, Hecker's greatest talent lies in his ability to communicate experience and emotion, making this album warm, human and strangely familiar.

Tim Hecker - Radio Spirocon

Tim Hecker - Blood Rainbow

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