View Larger
Post Album to FacebookRate it!
Avg: 4.0 (28 ratings)
- Date Released: January 1, 2007
- Genre: Electronic
- Label: Room40 / IODA
Electronic maestro rejoices in the glorious sound of things falling apart.
-
We Say...
There's a rattle and hum, sometimes a hiss verging on a roar, throughout Hecker's abstract electronic mini-epic "Norberg." That noise is awfully familiar — it's there in the ever-present urban whoosh of cars and planes and trains; in the 60 Hz buzz that pervades the industrialized world; in the hypnotic spatter of a summer cloudbreak on hot pavement; and, more metaphorically, in the psychic static and haze that blur thoughts, perceptions and especially memories. White noise embraces both stasis and chaos, and it (actually more like pink noise) shrouds "Norberg," enveloping its minimal melodies and investing them with a deep and ineffable emotional impact. It's the same effect that makes a foghorn sound so forlorn and brings poignancy to a neon sign buzzing in the rain. It is about the heartbreaking difference between distance and detachment.
The piece is in several sections: in each, a treated organic sound — such as vibraphone, organ or what sounds like the hyperextended ring of a singing sawblade — plays an extremely simple theme swathed deep in a seething rumble. The melody grows more urgent, complex, and distorted, subtly morphing the emotional narrative; meanwhile, the veil of fuzz thickens like a decaying FM signal, eventually enveloping everything in a serrated vortex of digital feedback, like a celestial vacuum cleaner — from which emerges the next submerged melody, describing a familiar cycle of mortality, decay, and rebirth.
Interference and noise can make one focus harder and tickle and excite the ear and brain, as in the way a fuzz pedal can make even the most pedestrian guitar chord sound like the orchestra of the gods. Hecker's work rightly gets compared to My Bloody Valentine very often, but he takes MBV's approach to further extremes: the melodies are more rudimentary, the cloak of noise much thicker, the compositional structures far more attenuated. The approach still works.
In the longest section of "Norberg," long, low, bleak smears of organ-like chords undulate and peal melancholy changes from deep within digital chatter like hissing high-tension cables or spitting rain — "whitecaps of white noise," as one Hecker song title once aptly put it. The chordal bed eventually becomes so distorted that the distortion itself becomes a harmonic component, but then, inevitably, it recedes into the distance, amid shortwave squiggles and various neuron misfires. Soon, even the noise falls apart: the low frequencies suddenly drop out, producing a heady weightless feeling, and "Norberg" abruptly concludes with a quick paroxysm of digital noise.
And here's the kicker: The sudden silence instantly reveals the ambience of a large, resonant room. It's a little stunning to realize this music did not take place in the hermetic world of recorded space but in public, at a live performance in the Swedish town of Norberg. Somewhere, someone in the audience ecstatically cries "Oh!" just before a burst of clattering applause, which sounds a lot like the noise that saturated the piece. And of course, that fades away too. -
They Say...
Released in Room40's collection of short albums packaged in CD shells, Norberg features the final 20 minutes of a set performed by Tim Hecker inside a mine shaft in Norberg, Sweden, on the 30th of July 2005. A quick fade-in leads us straight into "The Drone," a typical Hecker texture spread all across the stereo spectrum. An introductory vibraphone theme gives the impression that the proceedings will remain quiet and pretty, but soon the vibes disappear and the vibe of the mine shaft takes over. Oppressive swashes of gritty noise and rumbling bass tones control an otherwise peaceful, almost new-agey piece. The music turns into a tug-of-war between light and darkness, as quiet chords and sonic grit battle for dominance, disembodied radio voices seeping in through them. Norberg is nothing new for Hecker -- some might even find it predictable -- but there is no denying the mastery and craftsmanship going into it. That, and how befitting it must have been for this unlikely venue. Not an essential item, but surely not a dud either.
“ The indie iTunes — Hardcore music fans are migrating to eMusic, the iTunes Music Store's cheaper, cooler cousin.”
Rolling Stone
eMusic Tip
Paid downloads are counted towards an album discount but free downloads are not.
COMPLETE FOR FREE!
You can download the rest of the tracks from this album for free! Just click the Complete Album button.
We’re sorry this album can only be downloaded using paid subscription download credits.
We recommend you Save it for Later by clicking the Save for Later button shown just above this message. For a list of related albums you can download right now, check out these recommendations.
We'll give you 1 additional free credit to download this album and start your paid subscription.
Get 1 bonus credit on us if you download this album. Sweet!
Loading...
Playlists If you like Tim Hecker, check out these member playlists
Explore music recommended by Tim Hecker fans
Choose from over 7 million
music downloadseMusic features legendary and emerging artists in every genre: classic rock to classical,indie to international, soundtracks to spiritual, jazz to country and many more.
MP3 downloads work on any digital media player
With eMusic, you OWN your music without any restrictions. Burn music to a CD, play it on your computer, mobile phone or any digital media player - including iPod®, Zune® and Walkman®.
Songs available for 50¢ or less
eMusic subscriptions start at just $11.99 a month for 24 downloads - that's just 50¢ per song! And it gets better from there - our plans go as low as 42¢ per song!
Music Discovery
eMusic is about discovery. We make finding new music fun again with music recommendations from our award-winning team of music experts, member playlists and new music features.
Cancel anytime
With all the great music and site features we're pretty sure you will love eMusic. If not, no problem. You can cancel at any time and keep the music you have downloaded.
© 1992 - 2009 All Media Guide, LLC