One of my favorite records of all time easily, I used to listen to it nearly everyday for years. I used to come home from school tired and just put this on and daydream until I eventually I took a nap. Weirdly enough I can't really listen to it too much anymore, it makes me feel too emotional. I think you really hit the nail on the head with your analysis. Tim Hecker's music goes through so many emotions and sonic landscapes it can occasionally feel like an open canvas for your own personal embellishments. There's so much emotion packed into it, but its so vague you can interpret it however you want. The last track of this album is actually an expanded version of the first track on the album (something he did with the record after this too). Its an idea I wish more people did to be honest. Another thing I love is Tim Hecker's cover art and song/album titles. It draws you in, I mean who wouldn't want to listen to an album called Harmony In Ultraviolet? With this type of music I feel like it also establishes necessary imagery to give the listener something to base the sound off of.
Super excited to see you finally get to Hecker'e earlier albums! This is without a doubt my personal favorite album of all time. Personally I feel like these tracks benefit heavily from the context of everything that came before them on the album. Would be over the moon if you did a full album listen one day!
If you'll have an opportunity to go see Tim live, GO. It was my first live music event ever, and it was amazing. We stood in front of him, with no lights in a room and a lot of smoke, at moments it was so loud you couldn't catch a breath of air.
This album really holds a special place to me and many others, and it's interesting to see you analyse it (or at least these two songs) to such a degree; to me this music really just is, in a quite profound way. As you pointed out, it's very ambigous, neither light and pleasant and easy, like much of ambient, but also not really on the dark ambient side either, existing in this weird twilight-zone where it is probably more up to you, what you get out of it. I just find it very comforting and love to just have it on in the background while reading or doing other stuff or just late night drifting in the sound. Also, Tim Hecker probably mastered the craft of making true albums in the ambient genre, they're all very coherent and thematic, while still functioning as ambient music, but also being listenable with more of an active hearing, as you did here. I liked the interpretation of something "willing itself into being" against the struggles and the chaos of the world, whatever that something is, it might even be more of a place than an entity.
Man this track really paints the story really well and reallyu quickly. What a blend of chaos and structure with a huge range of emotions. Really an ambient masterpiece. Bryan, if this song really captured your interest, you really ought to listen to the album "Hey What" by Low, though only partially ambient.
I learned assuage from a Stephen Sondheim musical so as usual I'll pass the thanks on to him for teaching me something neat that I can share :) And I have no idea about the mushroom thing, though it sounds like a mushroom name.
One of the best ambient albums ever made
One of my favorite records of all time easily, I used to listen to it nearly everyday for years. I used to come home from school tired and just put this on and daydream until I eventually I took a nap. Weirdly enough I can't really listen to it too much anymore, it makes me feel too emotional. I think you really hit the nail on the head with your analysis. Tim Hecker's music goes through so many emotions and sonic landscapes it can occasionally feel like an open canvas for your own personal embellishments. There's so much emotion packed into it, but its so vague you can interpret it however you want.
The last track of this album is actually an expanded version of the first track on the album (something he did with the record after this too). Its an idea I wish more people did to be honest. Another thing I love is Tim Hecker's cover art and song/album titles. It draws you in, I mean who wouldn't want to listen to an album called Harmony In Ultraviolet? With this type of music I feel like it also establishes necessary imagery to give the listener something to base the sound off of.
Oh cool,i loved his Ravedeath,1972 album.
Super excited to see you finally get to Hecker'e earlier albums! This is without a doubt my personal favorite album of all time. Personally I feel like these tracks benefit heavily from the context of everything that came before them on the album. Would be over the moon if you did a full album listen one day!
This man Tim hecker can do no wrong, one of the best to ever grace the ambient genre, my favorite album of his is the pristine Radio Amor
If you'll have an opportunity to go see Tim live, GO. It was my first live music event ever, and it was amazing. We stood in front of him, with no lights in a room and a lot of smoke, at moments it was so loud you couldn't catch a breath of air.
This album really holds a special place to me and many others, and it's interesting to see you analyse it (or at least these two songs) to such a degree; to me this music really just is, in a quite profound way. As you pointed out, it's very ambigous, neither light and pleasant and easy, like much of ambient, but also not really on the dark ambient side either, existing in this weird twilight-zone where it is probably more up to you, what you get out of it. I just find it very comforting and love to just have it on in the background while reading or doing other stuff or just late night drifting in the sound. Also, Tim Hecker probably mastered the craft of making true albums in the ambient genre, they're all very coherent and thematic, while still functioning as ambient music, but also being listenable with more of an active hearing, as you did here. I liked the interpretation of something "willing itself into being" against the struggles and the chaos of the world, whatever that something is, it might even be more of a place than an entity.
Man this track really paints the story really well and reallyu quickly. What a blend of chaos and structure with a huge range of emotions. Really an ambient masterpiece. Bryan, if this song really captured your interest, you really ought to listen to the album "Hey What" by Low, though only partially ambient.
Harmony in Ultraviolet is such a great ambient electronic album, probably one of the best in the last 20 years. Tim Hecker is a Sound Artist.
felt like walking in an abandoned building in a futuristic city
Heck(er) yeah!
2:38 ambient is anti-radio music. innocent on the surface but can achieve the most unexpected things
You gave me a new word - assuage - to make less severe, to appease, to sooth. Aren't Whitecaps a type of Mushroom?
I learned assuage from a Stephen Sondheim musical so as usual I'll pass the thanks on to him for teaching me something neat that I can share :)
And I have no idea about the mushroom thing, though it sounds like a mushroom name.
When are you analysing will wood again?
At this point I don't know. Self-ish is heavily requested though so I'm sure it'll be done eventually.