by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

This is effectively a collection of big and small screen offcuts, written over the last half decade. They have been selected and sequenced by Tim Hecker into a short LP.

The compositions were originally written for scoring projects including Infinity Pool, The North Water, Luzifer, and La Tour.

What’s the music like?

This is an intriguing collection from Hecker, whose work is never less than descriptive. In his company we move easily between electronic and acoustic music, the running order set by the mood.

The slow-moving Heaven Will Come is cold and eerie, oddly majestic but fragile at the same time as it slowly takes shape, its slowly descending motif compromised by glitches at the bass end. Monotone 3 is distinctly unnerving, with quarter tones that spread unease.

Morning is more restful, led by an easy piano figure, while Icesynth is also more consonant in its language. Sars Requiem feels transported in from a much earlier period in musical history.

Joyride Alternate is the most immediate track, warm and consoling as its keyboards inhale and exhale, a natural complement to the following Sunset Key Melt and its airy panorama of the end of the day.

Does it all work?

While understandably fragmented, Shards is a successful grouping of disparate pieces.

Is it recommended?

While not necessarily the right starting place for a full appreciation of Tim Hecker’s craft, this is certainly recommended for those familiar with his work. The vivid evocations of place create lasting and memorable pictures in the mind’s eye.

For fans of… Lawrence English, Stars Of The Lid, Fennesz, William Basinski

Listen / Buy

Published post no.2,457 – Wednesday 26 February 2025