Not as well known as the group's later, more melancholic, string driven outings, TBO is nevertheless a fantastic work of agrophobic ambience. Imagine the organic drift of Eno's beautiful and seminal On Land but created only on electric guitars. Sounds impossible? Let SOTL transport through fantsic mental landscapes. Never in a hurry, SOTL let sounds gradually accumulate and seep into the unconscious mind on The Ballasted Orchestra. Ambient music fanatics really shouldn't miss this one and will probably have the thing looping on repeat all day.

Wot? No-one reviewed this yet? Absolutely top album. Hecker's best yet. A roiling, boiling ocean of sky scraping noise. Ambient I guess but the complete opposite of any sleep inducing drift or melancholic darkness. HIU makes one feel like 1000volts are being zapped between left and right earphones straight through your cranium - ECT for the IDM generation. An ecstatic orgasm of noise. Excellent, organic production job too. Can he top this gem? HIU is the Fennesz sound of Venice revved up to a whole new level. Check out Radio Amor too which is also a beautiful weather front of sound although considerably more minimal.