William Basinski - A Shadow In Time (Album Review)

 

William Basinski - A Shadow In Time

(2017)


My copy: 2017 press by Temporary Residence Limited.


Basinski is one of the big names in ambient music to still produce albums at a consistent pace. 2017 brought A Shadow In Time, one of Basinski’s earlier releases on the Temporary Residence Limited label. Basinski is a master of traditional tape loops, but sometimes he loses all sense of direction leaving pieces to slowly and painfully putter out. 

The A-side consists of the 16-minute title track, which begins with high pitched but gentle synthesizer tones slowly gliding overhead. There is a soothing juxtaposition between the deep, watery low-end and the soaring highs, creating a production that feels incredibly full. The piece grows more powerful over time, with the oscillating bass tones evoking imagery of a mythological giant awakening from a long slumber. The composition itself is focused on a singular chord that is both tense and grand, suiting it to themes of mystery or fantasy. Unfortunately little is done to evolve the structure beyond stacking more sounds overtop. 

“For David Robert James” is a 20-minute loop of a beautiful progression that turns into a trial in subtlety and patience. The core of the song is a repeated chorus of angelic voices with matching chords that have been manipulated to sound as though they were coming from behind heavy doors (they are heavily muted, that is). New synth chords pool in meekly before a tenor saxophone adds dissonance through a series of filters. The saxophone is an interesting touch, but mostly sullies the sweetness of the core progression rather than contrasting it nicely. The drone then locks itself into place, with little bits and bobs changing slightly through the rest of the track. 

Even early ambient geniuses such as Eno or Roach would evolve the structure or bass notes of their arrangements as a sort of “hook” so that listeners would still feel engaged. It is true that the ethos of ambient music is both lull and stir simultaneously, but Basinski’s work here threatens mostly to lull all who partake into a deep sleep. A Shadow In Time contains some truly beautiful sounds, it just lingers on the same ideas for too long.

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