Canadian artist Tim Hecker has never left my iPod after I found his music. True, he does doth protest the use of iPods or any other such "mp3 low quality" music; and that's just something even more to love about the man. He puts effort and top notch sound into all of his work. If you get the chance, either listen to his stuff on an amazing stereo system, or get a great cd/vinyl player and listen through an amazing pair of headphones. The soundscapes are just otherworldly, and it is just worth it if you are a huge audiophile.
He is a pioneer in the ambient genre, but detests the name, and aptly names his own music "2 a.m. music." He works hard on acheiving amazing ambient noises using only his guitar, piano, and lots of studio work. He is a truly gifted artist with a fetish for noise you could say. It's hard to reccomend just one track or two to listen to of his, but rather is an artist where I'd say Haunt Me Haunt Me, Do It Again is worth listening to in full, from stop to finish with no breaks in between. His work was meant to be that way. On Harmony In Ultraviolet, "Spring Heeled Jack Flies Tonight" would not be nearly as amazing if it weren't for "Palimpset II" leading up to it. Each piece is standalone enough to be recognized as its own, however, when they get together on an album, they bolster themselves up tenfold.
His music takes a bit of getting used to, but I've found once you get past the "This is just annoying noise" phase and hit the "This is genius! Subtle movements, open atmospheres, intensity, brilliant!" phase, you'll never want to stop listening.
So keep giving it a try, even if you don't like it. That goes for all music too! Find when you can appreciate it, and not just tolerate it.
-Minimal foX
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