A Shadow in Time

A Shadow in Time is an album by American avant-garde composer William Basinski. It was released on January 20, 2017, by 2062 Records and Temporary Residence Limited.[1]

A Shadow in Time
Studio album by
William Basinski
ReleasedJanuary 20, 2017 (2017-01-20)
Studio2062
(Los Angeles, California)
GenreAmbient, drone
Length43:18
Label
ProducerWilliam Basinski
William Basinski chronology
Cascade
(2015)		 A Shadow in Time
(2017)

Background and composition
"[It] reminded me of "Subterraneans" off the B-side of Low, and so it became my elegy for David Bowie. It almost evokes a New Orleans funeral to me in a strange way."

—William Basinski, Fact[2]

Basinski began writing the piece "A Shadow in Time" shortly after finishing his album Cascade (2015).[3] After a year of working on the piece, in January 2016, he heard about the death of David Bowie from his friends.[3] A week after he passed away,[4] Basinski began work on a tribute track for Bowie titled "For David Robert Jones" ("David Bowie" was a stage name; the musician's legal name was David Robert Jones).[3]

The track uses a combination of two cat-chewed tape loops, one being an orchestral tape that initially was planned to be edited after finishing The Disintegration Loops (2002), and a saxophone tape which Basinski found to be similar to Bowie's 1977 album Low.[2][3] Both tapes were recorded onto a 5-inch reel-to-reel tape deck.[3] After completing "For David Robert Jones," Basinski used it as a "catalyst" in how he would make "A Shadow in Time."[3] Bits of the track are subtly woven into the beginning and end of "For David Robert Jones."[3] "A Shadow in Time" features Basinski working with a Voyetra-8 synthesizer, which he last used on his 2001 album Watermusic. A promotional piece described the composition as a "captivating assemblage of plaintive drones and exquisite melodies."[5]

"For David Robert Jones" was originally commissioned for a performance at Los Angeles gallery Volume,[5] but it never made an appearance at the gallery because, as Basinski explained, "you can’t have a loop on a deck for three days. No one knows how to deal with them, and I would’ve had to been there and I couldn’t so… that’s how it happened!"[3] A Shadow in Time was premiered by Basinski at Union Chapel in London, England on February 23, 2016.[6]

Artwork

The album artwork features, courtesy of James Elaine, a photograph by Chinese artist Deng Tai.[7] The photograph is part of a collection of photographs displayed at Telescope Gallery in Beijing. The photograph is of a near-naked Chinese man holding a blood orange satin cloth and wearing make-up similar to that of Chinese opera stars. Taken on a street in Beijing, the photo is obscured by a motion blur.[8]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8/10[9]
Metacritic84/100[10]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[11]
The A.V. ClubB+[12]
Drowned in Sound8/10[13]
Exclaim!9/10[14]
The Observer[15]
Pitchfork7.9/10[16]
PopMatters[17]
Slant Magazine[18]
Tiny Mix Tapes[19]
Uncut8/10[20]

A Shadow in Time received acclaim from music critics.[10] Jonathan Wroble from Slant Magazine wrote, "Together, these two tracks show that Basinski's technique can yield a wide range of results, something his career has proven beyond doubt but which his individual albums don't always reveal. And as irreconcilable as the concept of writing a eulogy based on loops might first appear (since loops are theoretically designed to never die), a deeper read and thorough listen suggests the opposite: Just like a lifetime, especially one as captivating as David Bowie's, Basinski's loops on A Shadow in Time make their way toward discernable endpoints—but not before suggesting they might go on forever."[18] AllMusic critic Paul Simpon said, "As ever, Basinski is a master at suspending time, and the album seems to flow by faster than the clock indicates. When it does end, you wonder if you've been taken somewhere, or if you've been changed in some way. The only key to answering these questions is to dive back in."[11]

Accolades
Publication Accolade Rank Ref.
Crack The Top 100 Albums of 2017
18
[21]
Drowned in Sound Favourite Albums of 2017
50
[22]
Pitchfork The 20 Best Experimental Albums of 2017
7
[23]

Track listing

All tracks are written by William Basinski.

No.TitleLength
1."For David Robert Jones"22:59
2."A Shadow in Time"20:19
Total length:43:18

Personnel

Credits adapted from A Shadow in Time album liner notes.[24]

References
  1. Slingerland, Calum (December 7, 2016). "William Basinski Pays Tribute to David Bowie on New Album". Exclaim!. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  2. Bowe, Miles (January 19, 2017). "William Basinski's A Shadow In Time is the tribute David Bowie deserves". Fact. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
  3. Greene, Phillip (February 2, 2017). "For dead friends and heroes — an interview with William Basinski". Cisternyard Media. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  4. Murray, Eoin (April 2017). "History Repeating Itself: An Interview With William Basinski". The Thin Air. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  5. "William Basinski - A Shadow In Time". Boomkat. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
  6. Bowe, Miles (January 4, 2016). "William Basinski to premiere new work A Shadow in Time live in London". Fact. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  7. "A Shadow in Time by William Basinski". Bandcamp. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
  8. Pollack, Barbara (August 5, 2016). "Shadow – Deng Tai". CoBo Social. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
  9. "A Shadow in Time by William Basinski reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
  10. "Reviews for A Shadow in Time by William Basinski". Metacritic. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
  11. Simpson, Paul. "A Shadow in Time – William Basinski". AllMusic. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  12. O'Neal, Sean (January 20, 2017). "William Basinski offers a eulogy for David Bowie (if that's what you want to believe)". The A.V. Club. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  13. Cleeve, Sam (January 25, 2017). "Album Review: William Basinski - A Shadow in Time". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  14. Hill, Eric (February 21, 2017). "William Basinski A Shadow in Time". Exclaim!. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
  15. Mongredien, Phil (January 22, 2017). "A Shadow in Time: William Basinski review – multilayered and hypnotic". The Observer. London. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  16. Martin-McCormick, Daniel (January 13, 2017). "William Basinski: A Shadow in Time". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  17. Smith, Tanner (January 18, 2017). "William Basinski: A Shadow in Time". PopMatters. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  18. Wroble, Jonathan (January 12, 2017). "William Basinski: A Shadow in Time". Slant Magazine. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  19. Feldman, Max L (January 16, 2017). "William Basinski - A Shadow in Time". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  20. Martin, Piers. "March 2017". Uncut. London: Time Inc. UK.
  21. "The Top 100 Albums of 2017". Crack Magazine. p. 2. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  22. Adams, Sean (December 3, 2017). "Favourite Albums of 2017". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  23. Geffen, Sasha (December 15, 2017). "The 20 Best Experimental Albums of 2017". Pitchfork. p. 2. Retrieved April 2-, 2018.
  24. A Shadow in Time (LP liner notes). William Basinski. Temporary Residence Limited. 2017. TRR 278LP.CS1 maint: others (link)
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