Neither Here Nor There falls into a broad and arguably unnamed category that combines ambient and electroacoustic music. Despite being of a loose genre that is becoming crowded, this new release from Tim Walters is well worth multiple listens.
Walters makes better use of his daily commute than most of us – the album was composed in the SuperCollider software package on his way to and from work. The results comprise six tracks totaling just under 40 minutes and covering a fair amount of ground. Case in point, The Philadelphia Chromosome is an ominous soundscape of shifting mid-to-high pitched waves backed by rattling and cracking elements. Caldera, on the other hand, is a deliberately-paced series of mildly discordant layers and oscillations. The remaining tracks include quasi-ambient passages, metallic scrapes and grinds, prickly percussive components, and more electroacoustically-oriented excursions. The album ends with a 13-minute piece, The Statis Rune, that features the first true drones as well as thick, dissonant sound walls.
Despite Walters’ use of building blocks that are reminiscent to those of the GRM school of composers, Neither Here Nor There has much to offer purveyors of dark ambient music. Walters’ attention to detail and singular sound garners this album a strong recommendation.
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