Back in 2019, before a period of time that would affect most people on the planet, lauded ‘adopted son of Nashville’ guitarist William Tyler released Goes West, a tunes album full of strong ones played on the acoustic and surrounded by fairly gentle arrangements in that Windham Hill vein. His most commercial album, Goes West, is a softer take on American instrumental guitar than the remarkable Modern Country, and Time Indefinite (William’s first album on artist-run Psychic Hotline) turns it on its head, with a far more complex, ambiguous and abstract recording.
Of course, William Tyler and his music is synonymous with the guitar, both acoustic and electric, and he is one of the finest players of his generation. But it is probably a stretch to label Time Indefinite as a ‘guitar album’, only because it contains so much more. In fact, it is clear from the first sounds of opening track Cabin Six that this a far more adventurous project for William. Using an old tape machine salvaged from his late grandfather’s office for the thumping, pulsating intro, the music then shifts into strange, distant swirls of something like synth, that get lost in a shimmering haze of sound. Certainly, it can be said that hanging out and collaborating with Four Tet’s Kieran Hebden has had an effect on the sound of this opener, which feels spacious and celestial.
But then, almost as a reassurance, we follow into Concern, which begins with the prettiest and simplest of William Tyler refrains on the acoustic guitar, that is then ever so gradually and subtly adorned with Luke Schneider’s pedal steel and swathes and bends of electronic sound from Jake Davis. Within this soundscape, the core of the song, that lovely acoustic line, stays the same throughout, bringing a sense of the norm to the music and balancing it. Marvellous.
And it is this balance between the weird, found and manipulated sound and some of the purest guitar work on any Tyler album that makes this set so fascinating. Granted, those looking for the simplicity and clean production of Goes West, or the muscle of Modern Country, will need to adjust their expectations, but the rewards are great. Take Anima Hotel, an airy piece akin to Concern in that it is built around a lovely acoustic line. The lightest brushes of electronics and pedal steel bring so much texture to the music, lifting the simply strummed guitar strings and turning the sound into something more profound and optimistic.
In fact, it feels like there is much catharsis to be detected throughout Time Indefinite, not least on songs like the very beautiful Star of Hope, which takes a bright, slowly played electric guitar part and drenches it in electronic sound and dense sheets of choral singing, staying in the background like the ghost of a congregation. It is powerful stuff, but matched by seemingly simpler pieces, like Howling at the Second Moon. This one begins initially in the vein of Future Myths, William’s album of reimagined and simplified songs from Goes West. The guitar line is strong, with bass string buzzes and (natural?) reverb giving the music plenty of life.
Allow this album plenty of time and listens; it is challenging in places (like the sharp industrial lines of Electric Lake) but will weave you into its spell. Time Indefinite is quite the departure for William Tyler; although there were directional hints on New Vanitas (which contains a song called Time Indefinite), he has hit a new creative peak here, seamlessly blending excellent guitar work with a heavy dose of the strange, and it works very well indeed. Dare I suggest it’s his strongest album? Yeah, I do.
Time Indefinite (Psychic Hotline) April 25th, 2025
You can hear William Tyler in our latest Mixtape: KLOF #44
Bandcamp: https://williamtyler.bandcamp.com/album/time-indefinite
William Tyler Tour Dates
Wed. May, 7 – Kingston, NY @ Tubby’s
Thu. May 8 – Keene, NH @ Nova Arts
Fri. May 9 – Arundel, ME @ Vinegar Hill Music Theatre
Sat. May 10 – Somerville , MA @ Warehouse XI
Sun. May 11 – Fairfield, CT @ Stage One
Tue. May 13 – Brooklyn, NY @ National Sawdust
Wed. May 14 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
Thu. May 15 – Washington, DC @ Songbyrd
Fri. May 16 – Roanoke, VA @ The Spot on Kirk
Sat. May 17 – Chattanooga, TN @ Cherry Street Tavern
Sun. May 18 – Atlanta, GA @ The Garden Club
Wed. June 4 – London UK @ ICA