ian hawgood - the shattered light (cd)

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It's been three years since Ian Hawgood has issued a proper full-length under his own name, but Hawgood has remained extremely active, both with his stable of record labels (most notably Home Normal) and mastering services. The sound of his solo music, however, has changed considerably into overcast and icy atmospherics that at times hint at what Tim Hecker would sound through a wall or two. The entirety of "The Shattered Light" is not quiet or subdued, though, as Hawgood does not shy away from a roiling stream of static ("My Mountain Empire") or a bass-heavy crescendo ("The Shattered Light"). The blend of quiet valleys and momentous peaks is paramount to an album that holds over an hour of material and Hawgood ably pieces together the dynamic album. Fittingly, "Where Shadows Never Fall" closes "The Shattered Light" with a rusted, dilapidated sound of what came before it, like a resounding echo lasting 13 minutes. – Ryan Potts, Experimedia

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In 2007 and 2008, Ian finally decided to start sharing his early recordings through a handful of net labels. In addition to this he released two split E.P’s on Mobeer and U-Cover. In 2009, he released reworked limited editions on a few close friends’ labels: ‘We Are Better For Being Built This Way’ (Slow Flow), ‘The Great Allure’ (Experimedia), ‘Wolfskin’ (Hibernate) and ‘Snow Roads’ (Dragon’s Eye). After the release of ‘Snow Roads’, he decided to record new material (after a break of a year), as well as complete some long over-due collaborative work. In 2010, there was a re-release of his early album ‘Tents and Hills’ (Humming Conch) as well as a limited edition live album ‘Live in Japan 2009’ (Under The Spire). In 2011, Ian released a collaboration with his close friend Brock Van Wey; ‘The Truth Hurts’ (Nomadic Kids Republic). He also completed and released ‘The Writing Life’ with his group Kinder Scout (w/offthesky and Danny Norbury) on the Japanese label, Preco. Almost three years since his last solo release, and over four years since recording, he finally completed ‘The Shattered Light’ in 2012. Deciding to step away from laptop recording, ‘The Shattered Light’ saw Ian go back to his favoured tape recording process; the entire recording and final mix being done in a series of takes on a two track, using only guitar and vocals. The album has been expertly mastered by James Plotkin, with cover photography by Eirik Holmøyvik and design by Michael Waring (Future Sequence).