TIM HECKER

Dropped Pianos consists of piano tracks (none of them actually sound as if they are dropped, luckily) that are lightly treated with production but aren't quite ambient yet. It's a sort of raw demo of an ambient album that still has the ambiance but not the stereotypical ambient sound. It's actually a very cool sound and Hecker does this practically without trying.

When an artist can release basically a demo album and have it be critically acclaimed, that is a sign of greatness and Tim Hecker certainly would fall under the great category, Dropped Pianos will appeal to anyone looking for something to relax to as it really allows the listener to just unwind. It's a very soothing and enjoyable experience and keeps the hungry Hecker fans satisfied after the impressive Ravedeath album.

"Ravedeath,1972" is a perfect soundtrack to dystopia.

Tim Hecker is an ambient musician that has been around for while, and I just have never heard of him, until "Ravedeath,1972" came out.

Basically Hecker's music is a mix between ambient, drone, and even a little bit of noise music, although these genre aren't really mixed up together like they were forming a sort of pie, in fact these moments are carefully alternated. Mostly, the album is made of atmospheric synth sounds, but piano and organ are very frequent as well, especially in the multi part songs. The musician certainly owns a lot to electronic musicians like Brian Eno, Klaus Schulze, and many others.

The album has a very impressive structure: twelve songs, all of them have a perfect flow from one another, creating one epic fifty minute piece of music, which seems to be divided by twelve just for comfort. The concept of the album is very dark, because of the post-apocalyptic tones the songs have. There are some tracks here divided into 2 (Hatred Of Music), or even 3 parts (In The Fog, In The Air), but honestly I find that many parts of these movements can be boring and not really that evocative as they wanted to be. But the single songs, like the ethereal "The Piano Drop" or "No Drums", as well as some creepier, more tense parts like "Studio Suicide" and "Analog Paralysis, 1978".

An album that was praised by many during this year, and I can definitely see why. But I can't help having a few doubts about it, even though it's still a very enjoyable listen all the way through.

It contains some of the most beautiful ambiance ever recorded (a feat which Mr. Hecker flirted with several years earlier with Harmony In Ultraviolet but didn't quite accomplish) and this fact strikes the listener (or at least me, personally) from the first listen.

It's not rare for an ambient album to really impress me but this one has a certain quality lurking deep within the depths of it's wall of sound that separates it from other albums, a certain voluminous kind of quality that gives the illusion that the ambiance is deeper than our realm of thought.

For that aspect of the music alone, this album is enjoyable for even the most casual listener. Many non-ambient fans will find something in it they had not heard in ones they had tried previously and it may lead to renewed interest in the music. I, certainly, go into an ambient binge every single time I put this album on.

Basically, what the listener gets here is interesting music. Interesting music that gives the listener an inquisitive state of mind that does not come with other records. Although there have been much better ambient records, this one definitely remains unique.