New Music: Tim Hecker

By Jason Herring, April 1 2016 —

I listen to a lot of ambient music. I began exploring the genre as a soundtrack to help me focus while doing homework, but was soon captivated by the style. Good ambient music does a lot with little, forging unified and enthralling soundscapes from disparate pieces. And there are few better practitioners of the craft than Montreal’s Tim Hecker.

The composer has been creating ambient drone albums for over a decade, with his best work to date coming in 2013 with the cathartic Virgins. He now returns with Love Streams, a follow-up that marks a stylistic shift. While Virgins felt reverent — music that wouldn’t sound out of place in a cathedral —  his newest work explores a glitchier and more detached sound.

“Obsidian Counterpoint” opens the album with a jumbled array of synthesizers soon joined by a woodwind line, creating a strangely playful atmosphere. This mood soon evaporates, as heavier synths punctuate the track and the backdrop becomes muddled by static-like noise.

This chaotic deconstruction of beautiful music is common throughout the album. Hecker builds a comfortable atmosphere, then suddenly shifts the track’s mood with jarring noises. “Castari Stack” exemplifies this, beginning with a background of choral voices before a sound reminiscent of an old TV set without a signal overtakes the track.

This kind of discordance may be offputting for some, but it works well throughout Love Streams. The imbalance of sounds offers a beautiful contrast, and it’s clear there’s a method to Hecker’s madness.

The album is full of highlights — the most notable is “Violet Monument II,” a track whose combination of synths, strings and percussion creates a gorgeous cacophony. “Bijie Dream” is a short, upbeat excursion similar to the work of contemporary Oneohtrix Point Never. And “Black Phase” is a worthy closer to the album, bringing in the Icelandic Choir Ensemble to vocalize on top of a grim, droning instrumental.

Hecker’s work is ethereal. He’s established himself as both a brilliant composer and one of Canada’s most innovative musicians. While it’s certainly not a bad backdrop for some end of semester studying, Hecker’s form of ambience is enthralling in its own right.