Album Review : An Imaginary Country by Tim Hecker

Released in 2009 on Kranky records.

Tim Hecker releases another album of cascading white noise, slow tectonic textures and shimmering sounds capes. Y'know, the standard Tim Hecker stuff. Maybe a little too standard.

But don't get me wrong, even an average release from Hecker is pretty good. I could see someone who hasn't listened to his back catalogue enjoying this a lot. I just didn't notice much advancement of his music or the development of any new ideas.

Imaginary Country is still an above average ambient album, it just doesn't have the emotive capabilities or the dramatic builds captured in his previous work. It still has Hecker layering abstract sounds and processed noises into huge, dense swells of sound that envelop you in white noise, but so did his previous albums, and to be honest I liked those noises a lot more. The ideas presented here seem just like Hecker revisiting an old muse.

The album has nice flow and the songs blend together really well. All the sounds generated here are crystal clear, some songs even have an bass line current flowing through them, which is something new, but not really a big deal.

As a one man ambient orchestra. Tim Hecker is still a cut above the rest, but Imaginary Country doesn't have the "essential album" feel he had on his previous work.

Fans of ambient music or abstract noise may still find elements to enjoy here, the music is still quite engaging, but to newcomers, I'd suggest you look into his past output for something truly spellbinding and mind blowing.

3.1/5

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[rickyshore]

i wish i lived in an imaginary country called alexland and i am the ruler and i eat grapes all day and make funny videos. alexland is a dream though. i should get over such childish aspirations of world takeover and focus on getting some dvds sold. pulse to the tracks of my tears haha - love your reviews.

[YoureWrongImRight]

Dude, come live in Philland ! It's full of kittens that cause no allergic reactions and they speak english and tell the best jokes. RickyShore makes 2 skits a day in Philland and you can eat whatever you want and never get a tummy ache. Also, every time you smoke up, you get just as baked as you did the first time you got high. We've got grapes, too.

[theneedledrop]

Shoutouts to Matt & Chad!!!

[YoureWrongImRight]

Those goons !

[theneedledrop]

This will be my first Tim LP. Hopefully, it'll blow MY mind. Maybe I'll try to snag an interview with him. He is a shut-in or anything like that?

[YoureWrongImRight]

ZOMG ! that would be crazy. I don't think he's a shut in. I googled interviews with him and a lot of music sites had some.

Don't tell him his older stuff is 100% better. Hopefully you dig this, but Harmony in Ultraviolet is really where it's at. I'm dead serious, Anthony. Dead serious.

[MrSuedehead72]

un album tout simplemnt magique......  clément the dreamer......

[sciurisciura]

utropics & paragon point compensates. I think I'm on the Harmony in Ultraviolet boat too though.

[zsibbadok]

the best album from hecker

[neonfoxincolour]

funny thing is I just found out I had a Tim Hecker album and I never new that! it's "Harmony in Ultraviolet" which is great. "Imaginary Country" is also great for a baby-step.