Tim Hecker – Harmony in Ultraviolet

Tim Hecker’s always been my favourite artist to ever dabble in the world of “ambient”. His ability to blend abrasiveness and calmness into beautifully cohesive and complete projects has never quite been matched by any other ambient artist for me. Hailed as one of his best, Harmony in Ultraviolet encapsulates what makes Hecker so great, throwing you a harsh cacophonous wall of sound but always delivering the well-needed calm beyond the storm. There are some gorgeous moments of pure beauty on this album, requiring you to listen to the subtlety of what’s being played to you, but there are others which hit you like a tonne of bricks, captivating anyone listening to ambient in the background. The extremely clever soundplay and transitions between different sections and pieces on this album doesn’t make itself apparent even on your first few listens, but when it does you’re in for a fully-realised and brilliantly executed ambient and drone album.

While I think the hard and soft juxtaposition of Hecker’s music was later perfected on Virgins, this is undeniably one of his best albums and one I find myself coming back to for its diversity and undeniable depth.

KEY TRACK: Radio Spiricom – one of my favourite Hecker tracks (period), this piece explodes after the Harmony in Blue progression into something that’s all-encompassing and larger-than-life. That cracking and disintegrating effect Hecker puts on the lead in the second half (even though I have no idea what that sound actually is) stuns me everytime I hear it, and it’s without a doubt the shining moment on this entire record for me.