A few years later I was in Manchester to see Neutral Milk Hotel and spent the afternoon record shopping. I found a few records I fancied in Piccadilly Records and this was one of them. At £20 it was a pricier purchase, but I figured I'd enjoy it. Plus, it was on Temporary Residence, which is a comforting sign of a good album. It's rare I chance £20 on such an unknown album, but I guess I was feeling adventurous.
I like Melancholia. It's gentle but somehow ponderous. I get a similar calming effect from it as I do Max Richter's recent Sleep album - the second it starts I begin to feel myself unwinding and relaxing, but it also keeps me alert. The piano builds some suspense, but not horror-suspense but just the feeling that you should aware that there is more going on. That feeling ebbs and flows throughout the 14 movements (each named with Roman numerals). I couldn't call out any highlights because I couldn't imagine not listening to the album as a whole.
My only complaint with the whole record is an annoyingly minor one - the labels on the records aren't stuck perfectly centrally, which means the needle hits them at the very end. It makes an amazingly unpleasant noise, which is not at all what you want after 20 minutes of very calming music. It's such a minor thing but does take away from the enjoyment of the record - either I remember and have to dart over to the turntable to lift the needle or I forget and get rudely awoken by the noise.
I really should check out more of William Basinski's work. The cds of The Disintegration Loops aren't hard to find and would probably get more play than the many LPs that work is spread over (although it is a very nice looking boxset). I imagine my collection will grow, but it's unlikely to be on vinyl, so you might not read much more about it on here.
Format: 12", gatefold sleeve
Tracks: 14
Cost: £20 new
Bought: Piccadilly Records, Manchester
When: 18/05/14
Colour: Black
Etching: none
mp3s: Download code
