William Tyler\u00a0<\/strong>found in his grandfather\u2019s office. \u00a0Is this the sort of music his grandfather listened to, or is his grandfather singing to him right now? \u00a0Only when the distortion calms to guitar and thunderstorm does one begin to sink into the serenity of the title, borne off in a sonic stream.<\/p>\nThose who know Tyler from Silver Jews and Lambchop may also be realizing the flexibility of this performer for the first time. \u00a0The purity of \u201cConcern\u201d establishes the baseline of comfort one first expected when approaching the album, only to stray from it as soon as the tape wobble returns. \u00a0Tyler calls this a \u201cmental illness record,\u201d but it seems as if the subject is at least partially in the artist\u2019s rear view mirror. \u00a0The frayed chorals that close the track sound like redemption. \u00a0\u201cStar of Hope\u201d extends this holy feeling with chords that sound like a traditional hymn ~ then an actual choir. \u00a0One thinks of a Christmas long ago, perhaps when one was young, or even when one\u2019s grandparents were young, casting a spell of hiraeth.<\/p>\n
Throughout the album, Tyler continues to dip into the time stream, further reflecting the title. \u00a0The past is ever with us, while the future is a bundle of hopes and fears. \u00a0\u201cA Dream, A Flood\u201d is awash in agitation, tossing and turning, haunted by noises within the mind and an intimidating closing loop. \u00a0The listener longs for the artist to awaken, and he does, temporarily putting the ghosts to rest. \u00a0When a drumbeat surfaces on \u201cElectric Lake,\u201d the nightmare comes rushing back, ceding space to a cold, howling wind. \u00a0Where will the album, and the journey end?<\/p>\n
As the abstraction of \u201cHardest Land to Harvest\u201d meets the closing \u201cHeld,\u201d a slight miracle unfolds. All of the preceding anxiety plunges into a deep well of peace. \u00a0Midway through the track, one can hear the comforting clip-clop of horses\u2019 hooves. \u00a0 As the chords switch from minor to major, Tyler sounds redeemed. \u00a0Whether this peace will last is undetermined, but it\u2019s a beautiful place to end. Banks of strings, like a procession of angels, carry the listener home. \u00a0(Richard Allen)<\/strong><\/p>\n
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<\/a>An 1100-word description on Bandcamp doesn\u2019t leave much to add about this sublime album, so we will try to say different things in more succinct fashion. \u00a0Time Indefinite\u00a0<\/em>may be a guitar album, but it\u2019s not\u00a0just\u00a0<\/em>a guitar album; the sonic additions and idiosyncrasies make it something more. \u00a0This is apparent from the very first note, a shuffling static drone that catches the listener off guard and shifts expectations into chaos. \u00a0A ghostly song surfaces, as if beamed from the inside of the antique tape recorder\u00a0William Tyler\u00a0<\/strong>found in his grandfather\u2019s office. \u00a0Is this the sort of music his grandfather listened to, or is his grandfather singing to him right now? \u00a0Only when the distortion calms to guitar and thunderstorm does one begin to sink into the serenity of the title, borne off in a sonic stream.<\/p>\n