... on reflection

William Basinski & Janek Schafer

After experiencing that record from Black Metal Device, I don't think I could have been more thankful for this palate cleanser. Of course I'm familiar with William Basisnki's The Disintegration Loops, one of the most celebrated ambient recordings of all time, but other than that, I'm not too familiar with his work. This new work isn't solely the creation of Basinski as he is joined this time around by another notable avant-garde artist, Janek Schaefer. The result of their collaboration functions as intended; that is creating a serene, occasionally curious soundscape that I'm sure anyone would be happy to get lost in. ... on reflection is a fifty-four minute piece separated into five distinct phases.

The album's introduction is a beautifully calming piece that features a soft piano, meditating on this deconstructed chord. This continues into the second phase but is joined with singing birds and sounds of civilization. There is also this piano motif that occasionally pops up from time to time, melodically clashing with the main progression and adding a sense of mystery. The pianos take a break in the third phase as we get this droning audio sample that sounds like it is being fed through a long echo. It is not too dissimilar to what you would hear on The Disintegration Loops. The last two phases don't really introduce new ideas but I do like the circular nature of the piece; the third phase acting like the point of reflection. Still though, these two phases are very pleasing and there's usually a perfectly timed element that swells up and hooks you back in whenever you start to feel disengaged. When it comes to ambient music, I've never really kept up to date. However, this album did provide me with one of the most therapeutic and relaxing moments I've had in recent memory. So I think I'm going to take this as a subtle hint that I need to check out more ambient music going forward.