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Recur — A Strange Loop
(Bandcamp Aumeta Records AUM001, 2025, LP / DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2025-10-29

A Strange Loop Cover art

A Strange Loop is a collection of pieces written by Tim Harrison, who has been working in soundtracks and sound design for television for a while, and the music certainly sounds like it would work as a soundtrack for film. The pieces are performed by an ensemble featuring the Ligeti String Quartet along with nine other musicians on saxophone, keyboards, tuned percussion, and other percussion. As the title implies, much of the music is built of looping phrases, though in this case, there are no looping devices involved, only the musicians playing repeated phrases. Another unexpected factor is that these loops are not generally energetic rhythmically, but more expansive and meditative, slowly combining and mutating to form layers that ebb and flow gradually. Harrison himself plays piano, marimba, and synthesizers, and he’s joined by Jack Wyllie (soprano and tenor saxophone), Aram Zarikian (drums, marimba, vibraphone), Chase Coley (waterphone, friction harp, long-string instrument), William Kenny (guitar, bass guitar), Jonny Mansfield (vibraphone), William Riby (marimba), Emmanuel Joste (marimba), and Laura Bradford (crotales); the Ligeti Quartet is Mandhira de Saram (violin), Patrick Dawkins (violin), Richard Jones (viola), and Val Welbanks (cello). Given the nature of the music, individual parts don’t stand out, but contribute to the wash of sound. Perhaps ironically, given the title, “Nocturne” is one of the most rhythmic pieces, with a drum loop played on toms along with plucked strings serving as a backdrop for eerie noises and long tones. A Strange Loop presents an interesting journey full of intriguing sounds, though it’s not for listeners who are looking to get anywhere in a hurry. It’s a slow stroll on a foggy night, not a fast train through a sunny landscape.

Filed under: New releases, 2025 releases

Related artist(s): Recur (Tim Harrison)

More info
http://recurrecur.bandcamp.com/album/a-strange-loop

 

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