Description:	CD on Kranky
	Format:	CD
	Genre(s):	Drone / Kosmische
	Label:	Kranky
	Price:	£12.49
	Availability:	Dispatched within 2-5 days (on average).

5
...according to our Brian on 26 March 2009.

Ha i've managed to locate the volume for my next audio treat. This one needs playing loud as it's by the prodigous Tim Hecker, one of my fave Kranky stars. I don't know quite how this man manages to construct such emotive, gleaming soundscapes, his warm banks of astral searching synths chatter away whilst pulsating waves of drone form a soothing sound base underneath. His compositions I find incredibly life affirming. For instance, 'Sea of Pulses' has these church organ like chords, a looming bassline & all manner of hazy keys wallowing all over the place to create a rich, indulgent sound. The brief 'Pond Life' has an angry, mangled & distorted spirit before apparently being comforted by those blissed waves, the fearful melee literally fading away, the pain subsiding. 'Paragon Point' is euphoric, chamber-like ambience that has beautiful hushed soft chords dallying with a disembodied drifting flow of subtle noise that is quite arresting. It's hard to pick key points from such a majestic sound sculpture, it surely needs devouring as a whole. As far as modern ambient works go, I think 'An Imaginary Country' is up there with that recent Jasper TX CD & the much adored Stars of the Lid.

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What their label says...

*  An Imaginary Country is the stunning second release on Kranky for Tim Hecker and his seventh album in total. Previous releases were on Alien8, Mille Plateaux, EN/OF, Fat Cat Records.

*  Follows a collaboration with Aidan Baker (Nadja) for the Alien8 label and a track on Kompaktís much praised ëPop Ambient 2009í compilation.

*  An Imaginary Country continues from the trajectory of Tim Heckerís last album, the critically acclaimed Harmony in Ultraviolet, while also showing a few new tricks. Tim has incorporated more pulses into this work and also works with a sound pallete including overdriven mellotron strings and synthesizer. At times this album is less overtly aggressive than previous works, but the notion that this is pastoral work would be dead wrong as there are plenty of the agitated crescendos for which Hecker is known. This music backs off from the void of immensity in favor of a terrain of lushness and warmth.

*  With this album Tim Hecker expands his palette as well as his range, further cementing his reputation as a singular and significant entity in the world of contemporary music.

*  There will be a double vinyl release of this record.

*  Tracklisting: 01. 100 years ago 02. sea of pulses 03. the inner shore 04. pond life 05. borderlands 06. a stop at the chord cascades 07. utropics 08. paragon point 09. her black horizon 10. currents of electrostasy 11. where shadows make shadows 12. 200 years ago