2012.09.27 Tim Hecker - An Imaginary Country

Color: Black

Released: 2009, March 9

Label: Kranky

One of the many records in my collection that I fear no words can do justice. This evokes a certain feeling… a feeling of wordless emotion, a pulling at the heartstrings (to repeat a phrase from yesterday’s posting). There’s this prevailing feeling of something spiritual bubbling just beneath the surface of all the distortion and noise utilized to make these compositions. On the one hand, there’s this sort MBV or Slowdive type of vibe going on - this huge wash of sound - but where those bands kinda mellowed you out, Tim Hecker evokes a haunting sense of urgency and longing beneath the gauze of the many layers he weaves. Eventually Hecker does bring things to a crawl over a few tracks, but then the last two tunes bring us back to an otherworldly state of heightened awareness. This is so cliche, but I take away a lot more from instrumental records because the absence of narrative presents the opportunity for each listener to come up with or attach their own story. It’s also fitting that I posted this record after the Yo La Tengo record I posted yesterday. While the YLT record greeted me at the very beginning of a tough time, An Imaginary Country ushered me on my way out of that period. I look at the cover art for this record and it makes feel very similar to the music itself… there are all these colors clamoring to be seen but a wash of snow obscures them and you end up with this bewildered feeling of being on the brink of something but not quite able to fully ascertain what stands before you. An exciting record for sure… just not necessarily in the way might be thinking about when you consider the phrase “exciting record.”