Tim Hecker, "Harmony In Ultraviolet"

Tim Hecker likes to stick to a formula. Sometimes that's shorthand for "stuck in a rut" but this particular rut (whoops, I'm not calling it that) is one that I never get tired of. Sure, he broke from the formula on my favourite release of his, "My Love Is Rotten To the Core", i.e. the sound of hair metal riffs shattered into a thousand pieces, swept up, and reassembled hastily (and sloppily). The typical formula rarely fails to awe me with its beauty, in which he goes from sparkly, fuzzed-out noise (perfect for stargazing) to darker, fuzzed-out noise (perfect for stargazing ... IN HELL). It's fascinating how those dark endings just keep getting darker with each new album. This time around, it seems as though Hecker's been listening to the likes of Sunn0))), judging by the quaking, rumbling, bass-heavy distorted tones that fill up the latter third of "Harmony In Ultraviolet". This album is typically great for Hecker, but here's hoping for something a little different next time. My personal choice: an entire album of pitch black darkness, featuring one long, slowly shifting deathdrone piece with perhaps a slight peek of happiness to alleviate the mood at the very end.