Inward

There comes a time when mysterious, near-ominous ambient is all you'll tolerate. Not quite a desire for silence, but something that could become silence without too much of a change. You don't want a lot, but you don't want nothing either. A little bit to nudge the environment into a slightly curious space. Atmospheric uber-dude Robert Rich has built a career on that aesthetic (or at least the stuff I've heard). If there's a sound for bringing your body close to its center to preserve precious warmth, this may be it. Today, at least.

Robert Rich - Glint In Her Eyes

What the heck

Tim Hecker's sketches are more beautiful than many people's masterworks. I could live in his echoes for days without food or engagement of the other senses. That's some ambition. Let's start with a minute and a half and go from there. I think he and I accidentally wrote the same melody. Debating whether or not to sue.

Tim Hecker - Sketch 6

Lunar interlude

With a pair of double-wide posts so far this week, I'd say a little interlude is in order. And I like that it comes courtesy of Jonny Greenwood, whose main paycheck band rarely gets play as a palette cleanser. At any rate, you may know of his compositional ambitions. This one is a lot less ominous, more a moment to pause and reflect on gravity, or conscience, or whether you may have left the iron on before leaving home.

Jonny Greenwood - Moon Mall

Elements

Low clarinets...sparse synth notes...space...imaginary saxophones...drift into thin air...phantom breath...brief swollen color diffusion...drop the head back...dream lengthwise...

Yasauaki Shimizu - Semitori No Hi

Upstate

Continuing with late masterpieces...Mercury Rev is another one where I depart from the longtime faithful. I appreciate the psychedelic mess of the early albums, but can't say I'm ever really compelled to jump into those worlds. Gotta say I'm with the masses on applauding the symphonic highs and lyrical lows of Deserter's Songs. But you've probably heard all that, so here are some of the creeky upstate ambient interludes between the pop payoffs. Which segues nicely into a note about my own upstate jaunt this weekend. I can think of no better salute to America than to take a few more days' leave from my calendar routine. Which is to say, savor these 3 dusky pieces; Songblague will be observing radio silence until next Thursday (I think).

Mercury Rev - I Collect Coins
Mercury Rev - The Happy End (The Drunk Room)
Mercury Rev - Pick Up If You're There