| Tim Hecker Haunt Me, Haunt Me Do It Again |
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Full Review | User Ratings (7) |
| Summary: Haunting enough, at the very least. |
2 of 2 thought this review was well written
Over-hyping ambient albums should be a fun new craze, and if Alien8 records kept putting their mind to it, they could probably create more buzz for some truly unexpected albums. When Tim Hecker’s Mirages was lavished attention with a nifty ‘ambient death-metal’ label, was it not likely that a flocking of people would see how the two genres were going to clash together, if it all? Truthfully, the comment so confusingly thrown around barely works, and yet still fits in describing the music created by the man; not for its avid genre classifications, but more for the bubbles that so nearly burst on the outside of Hecker’s music, yet remain restrained by harmonic, beautiful layering. In that case, I suppose solo debut Haunt Me, Haunt Me Do It Again is another ambient death-metal (without the death-metal) triumph.
Being segmented into ever so many parts, most of Haunt Me, Haunt Me Do It Again differentiates from itself only in ways that are gone before you are able to translate them. In most cases, it scrapes the surface in an appealing way that occasionally boldly steps up without changing all that much. A few glimpses of laptop beats in “October” float for seconds over Hecker’s fuzz and create a calmly climaxing sound. It continues immediately with a little spoken word leading into “Ghost Writing” which is filled on one part devoid of nearly any chord change, and on the other more shaky glitches to make things seem a little less casual, and a little more haunting. Hecker’s ‘movements’ here are a lot less daunting than they look and ultimately of ease to digest; where opening parts offer a glazy layer of chords, continuous glitches and sound effects burst in and out sporadically, slackening the backdrop and drawing on a quite subdued post-rock influence to much of the album.
Haunt Me, Haunt Me Do It Again takes one particular mood and sticks to it closely, however never so indulgently that patience is lost in the surrounding. Hecker’s formulaic mix of guitars and piano hashed up on a laptop can be formal and robotic, only to suddenly revitalise the sound with something a little more touching and physical. “Night Flight To Your Heart” continues with one constant sweeping sequence, only gaining the momentum to sign off in its last minute. In this sense, Hecker’s debut is different from some of his more recognised creations such as Mirages because there is never silence that is built upon, but always layers of keys which are condensed or softened with subtle beats or eerie noise. The uniquely one-track "The Work of Art in the Age of Cultural Overproduction" is such a showcase; an atmosphere looped in a roundabout that is substituted for moments of occasional dumbfounding bliss, with texture aided by glitch and chord changes growing evermore bleak.
Probably the highlight of the fifty-three minutes, "The Work of Art in the Age of Cultural Overproduction" pushes through how Tim Hecker’s first ambient adventure moves; at slow speeds, but with definite force and reason. Hecker’s debut is structured with clever arrangements that switch from dispassionate to truly moving with a flick of one sound –simply a twist of the piano, or one sharp note of the guitar, and a new but miniscule tone is born. Haunt Me, Haunt Me Do It Again is in its own way an essential listen, due to its entrancing noises that simply bounce off one another and refuse to be unhinged or evaporated. More importantly, however, the ambience is not the least bit troublesome to fight ones way through, and oozes with articulation that is simply hard to match on a debut.
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Truthfully, the comment so confusingly thrown around barely works, and yet still fits in describing the music created by the man; not for its avid genre classifications, but more for the bubbles that so nearly burst on the outside of Hecker’s music, yet remain restrained by harmonic, beautiful layering.
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Whoa  Quote:
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Haunt Me, Haunt Me Do It Again takes one particular mood and sticks to it like a rock
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I've only found sticky rocks after partying and puking outside... is it one of those sticky rocks?
I love ambient music so I'll probably check this out.
Digging: Void Of Silence - Human Antithesis
| | | Album Rating: 4
i noticed the second thing you mentioned when i was writing the review. sorry.  the first bit i'll work out some more soon, but it's difficult. first "ambient" review from me, so apologise for its failure. i'll keep at it.
This Message Edited On 09.23.08
Digging: Sunburned Hand of the Man - Jaybird | | |
It's not a failure at all. It's just those two minor things. The second thing isn't even an issue really, it's just amusing. I pos'd.
| | | Album Rating: 4
the second thing was honestly embarassing. i'm also aware of the amount of times "haunt" or "haunting" appear on this page. but thanks.
This Message Edited On 09.23.08
| | | Album Rating: 4
Hecker is great, and I agree with The Work of Art in the Age of Cultural Overproduction is a great track here. I'm glad you did this, but I still might do Harmony in Ultraviolet.
Digging: Pink Floyd - The Wall | | | Album Rating: 4
definetely do it. i think someone should add his other albums to the database. i'd love to see how you do harmony considering how good your mirages review was, plus i haven't got harmony yet. 
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