Tim Hecker’s tongue might be in his cheek when he explains Love Streams is driven by “liturgical aesthetics after Yeezus”. But sacred acoustics have previously figured in this Canadian ambient sculptor’s electronic output, not least the Icelandic church organ on which Hecker recorded much of Ravedeath, 1972, his breakout work of 2011. Here, on Black Phase or, even more so, on Castrati Stack, 15th-century chorale vibes – recorded with an Icelandic choir – combine with fierce, dissonant processing. Voice Crack is even gnarlier, with stuttering instrumentation, alternating between despair and transcendence. The word “immersive” is bandied about a lot, but Hecker’s work really is.
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