Nocturnes

Like his best and most iconic works, the magic of William Basinski's new album, Nocturnes, is in the glacial, inevitable decay of something beautiful. Tape loops of prepared piano - composed and recorded more than 30 years ago - reflecting, refracting, and disintegrating into a haunting sentimental haze, like losing a vivid memory to the natural deterioration of time. Nocturnes is two sprawling new works, begun in 1979 and completed in 2012. It is Basinski's first new studio release in nearly four years.