You'd never know that William Tyler was in Lambchop and Silver Jews from a listen to the first cut on his new record. Time Indefinite opens with noise, snippets of backwards tape-loops in the distance after that, then an expanse opens up. The vibe is like that on certain recordings from Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno. And if that's not enough to get you intrigued, I don't know what will.
"Concern" is less ambient than the opener, and it anchors Time Indefinite to an instrumental style that very, very faintly echoes that of the bands that William Tyler's been in. Far better is "Star of Hope", a ramble with more momentum, impressive atmospherics, and a sharper hook. Elsewhere, on "Howling at the Second Moon", a peak is reached in terms of the blending of Tyler's guitar-work and the generous production effects behind it.
William Tyler has made a record here that sits in an interesting space. Time Indefinite has enough guitar on it to satisfy the axe-heads out there, and enough twang (or hints of same) to please the fans of Silver Jews. The sonics are what please me here. The material is placed in settings which are not too far removed from those of an early His Name is Alive recording, and even the slightest strum or pluck on the strings is set against a deep, resonating backdrop. That's what gives some heaviness to the down-tempo explorations here.
Time Indefinite by William Tyler is out now. Details below.
[Photo: Angelina Castillo]