Ping. Pang. Breath. Hold your breath. In sync and asynchronous, No Highs, the latest album by electronic composer and experimental musician Tim Hecker, has all the characteristic weirdness of his discography. There are many guest appearances on this record, but not like his previous work with Tokyo Gakuso, the Japanese gagaku ensemble, for his album Konoyo.
“Monotony” is constant, but always changing. Ebbing and flowing with long-winded vocal sounds, panging digital piano and synth sounds, harmonium, and synth strings that envelope the listener. But it ends like the title, monotonously. Like a lot of Hecker’s albums, the next track is really a transition into the third movement, “Total Garbage”, which begins with a beautiful funeral dirge, wailing brass and strings. This could go on four times as long as it does.
“Lotus Light” continues the motif that Monotony began. This time you have a midtone bass synth providing the pinging and the panging. Crawling slide guitars and harmonizing strings dance around it. It leaves without a trace—like nothing ever happened, leaving a void where ambiance flutters until the next track begins. “In Your Mind” pings and pangs at different speeds and tempos. It goes back and forth, speeding up and slowing down. It provides the release you need from the perpetuity of the previous five tracks. It brings the listener, beckons them to come closer.
No Highs | Tim Hecker (bandcamp.com)
The saxophone in “Monotony II” takes the spotlight. Performed by Colin Stetson, composer, saxophonist, Constellation Records mainstay, and previous member of Arcade Fire, he is known for his circular breathing technique that allows him to play for a very long time. It is inarguably beautiful. Just two parts envelope the listener in total bliss. This leads into the exceedingly smooth Pulse Depression that, like many of the other tracks, doesn’t stick around for long.
The way that the track “Anxiety” uses panning to confound the listener. It Is one of the most interesting renditions of this album-consuming motif of the unrelenting rhythm of keys. Stetson joins again and the track swirls in a way that few of the others does. It becomes one singular sound that falls into the abyss.
“Sense Suppression” has wailing strings and clicking sounds. “Living Spa Water” sounds like its name, a more Eastern atmosphere akin to his last two releases. Swelling synths overtake fluttering keys covered in reverb. The movement lets the listener down easy, crawling on the floor for a while before being overtaken by nothingness.
No Highs feels like it was an experiment. It has its successes and misses, but overall, the main tracks, which are longer, are the ones that stand out. Some of the shorter tracks feel like filler. Finally, compared to Hecker’s other work, the album doesn’t flow together as well as Harmony in Ultraviolet, Virgins, or Ravedeath, 1972. However, it’s proof that Tim Hecker continues creating despite success, notoriety, and becoming a film score composer. The love of creation seems to be what drives him and that’s a special thing to be cherished.
