William Basinski - A Shadow in Time (TBA)

Apparently the CD version has a special 'tag' at the end. I wonder what they mean?

 

http://crackmagazine.net/2017/01/basinskishadow/

Tag? Like metadata?

 

I'm not so feeling this one. His hair still looks amazing

I think that track would sound a lot better if the sax was buried way down in the mix - an almost spectral-like presence.

Pitchfork Review

 

http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/22738-a-shadow-in-time/

Bleep pre-orders up. Includes 24Bit option. Surely that's a first.

 

https://bleep.com/release/78326-william-basinski-a-shadow-in-time

The sax is different, it puts it in a different listening mood for me but I actually really like it. Going to let the 10 min I've heard be enough before I buy it.

I think the second half of this performance is the first track on the album - A Shadow In Time.

 

  On 1/13/2017 at 6:49 PM, lamourfou said:

The sax is different, it puts it in a different listening mood for me but I actually really like it. Going to let the 10 min I've heard be enough before I buy it.

Weird, I could've sworn the soundcloud version fumi posted on page 1 was different to how it sounds now ... Maybe it's just these different headphones but the loop sounded a lot 'softer' before making the sax section really stick out as being nasty. Now the whole thing sort of crunches together in overdriven-ness and there's less disparity between the two elements...

  On 1/17/2017 at 4:40 PM, mcbpete said:

 

  On 1/13/2017 at 6:49 PM, lamourfou said:

The sax is different, it puts it in a different listening mood for me but I actually really like it. Going to let the 10 min I've heard be enough before I buy it.

Weird, I could've sworn the soundcloud version fumi posted on page 1 was different to how it sounds now ... Maybe it's just these different headphones but the loop sounded a lot 'softer' before making the sax section really stick out as being nasty. Now the whole thing sort of crunches together in overdriven-ness and there's less disparity between the two elements...

 

 

 

Yeah, I was thinking that too. Weird. The SoundCloud embed on the Pitchfork review is gone too.

That makes me feel a little better - thought I was going crazy ! It sounds now like the whole thing has now been ran through a guitar distortion pedal or something ...

  On 1/17/2017 at 4:51 PM, mcbpete said:

That makes me feel a little better - thought I was going crazy ! It sounds now like the whole thing has now been ran through a guitar distortion pedal or something ...

 

 

Obviously he lurks here and saw that I wasn't pleased. He phoned the record company and told them to put things on hold while he twiddled a bit further. Unfortunately it now sounds worse.

 

 

Maybe I should have been given production duties. Could have saved everyone a lot of grief. Perhaps next time. 

Interesting video but surely it's extremely pretentious to refer to your own work as 'Classic Basinski'.

 

  On 1/17/2017 at 5:05 PM, fumi said:

Interesting video but surely it's extremely pretentious to refer to your own work as 'Classic Basinski'.

 

He's so lovely and fabulous.

 

Also, he was hamming it up when he said 'classic Basinski' there. Sarcasm detectors awry?

Edited January 18, 2017 by Goiter Sanchez

Listening to this right now (third time through). 

 

On a decent system (not Safari playing a SoundCloud file), the sax is a lot less in-your-face. I like it. Lots of review sites saying this is the best thing he has done since DL. I don't think they've listened to a lot of Basinski.

 

The other track is okay for six or seven minutes but gets uninteresting quite quickly.

 

I think I would have preferred just a 45 minute version of the Bowie track.

  On 1/20/2017 at 2:22 PM, fumi said:

Listening to this right now (third time through). 

 

On a decent system (not Safari playing a SoundCloud file), the sax is a lot less in-your-face. I like it. Lots of review sites saying this is the best thing he has done since DL. I don't think they've listened to a lot of Basinski.

 

The other track is okay for six or seven minutes but gets uninteresting quite quickly.

 

I think I would have preferred just a 45 minute version of the Bowie track.

 

Bought it today, and I agree.  The Bowie track is the winner, and it's kinda prime Basinski material.  But definitely the release isn't in the top five of his albums.

  On 1/18/2017 at 11:56 AM, Goiter Sanchez said:

 

  On 1/17/2017 at 5:05 PM, fumi said:

Interesting video but surely it's extremely pretentious to refer to your own work as 'Classic Basinski'.

 

He's so lovely and fabulous.

 

Also, he was hamming it up when he said 'classic Basinski' there. Sarcasm detectors awry?

 

 

If you listen to and not watch he sounds like a Jeff Goldblum pitched up 5-10%

Did not hear the soundcloud version, only the released one, interesting to read that there was a difference.

 

At work listening to it now, came in before the sun rose so I listened to "For David Robert Jones" as the sun came up (...sorta. It's overcast but still, night slipped into day as I listened to it)

 

In that sense this is a wonder release, beautiful music but if I wasn't listening to it in that context it would not be as arresting. Midday on a spotify playlist, work commute, coffee shop background music. Wouldn't have been as wonderful as how i listened to it just now. And that's fine. I think that's the subtle difference between good and great and spectacular ambient music. It's all subjective BUT truly great stuff, for me anyway, will literally stop me in my tracks regardless of the context .

 

Also, I suppose I would of preferred to hear the sax bit in the second track, "Shadow In Time." It's a bit jarring on "For David Robert Jones" when it comes in whereas it would felt more apt in the more abrasive sounding "Shadow In Time" and contrast nicely to the piano bit at the end that closes it out. Assuming that sax loop was isolated and mixed in of course - unless I'm mistaken that is the case right?

Edited February 4, 2017 by joshuatx

Winter sale @2062 (William Basinski online shop), CDs+download are sold for 9.9$. 

http://www.mmlxii.com/store/

Gave this a spin today as it's over a year ago. I still like the first track a good deal more than the second. I guess I grew to like the sax stuff as it is buried a bit further down in the mix than was previously suggested by the live performances.

 

One thing that is really striking to me now is how carefully Basinski must choose his loops. When you have a long-form piece (like much of his work) the hook (or loop) must be able to stand up to endless repeats and yet somehow still engage the listener. 

 

I think he is a master at that.