Best of 2013

10) Tim Hecker – Virgins

I saw Time Hecker a couple years ago at a local venue. At the show little pamphlets were handed out, sort of like a playbill, but it described how Tim had designed the sound system for this particular theater over a period of weeks, positioning certain speakers in just the right places, making absolutely sure to have the audience in a state of complete immersion during his performance. It was one of the most unique musical experiences I've ever had. 

At first it was very chaotic. His signature sound is less about pleasant melodies and consonant harmonies and more about aural texture and frequency contrast. Soon the overwhelming vibration of low bass and upper register frequencies became a little more comfortable and I closed my eyes for the rest of the set, completely at the mercy of the enveloping sound. The performance was a journey, at times uncomfortable, at times hypnotizing, at times very calming, and ultimately a very emotional and rewarding experience.

Virgins is a continuation of his signature style, which is to say unlike any other electronic music you're likely to hear. Using sampled percussive beats, distant breathy instrumentation layered into lattices of hypnotic texture, Hecker tries his absolute hardest to immerse you. And without any words or obvious emotional direction, it's up to you what kind of experience a spin of this record is going to be. For me it's exactly the type of album I want playing on long, lonely drives at night.