The River is broken up in to two long pieces occupying a disk each & with each been built around tape loops and shortwave radio elements that Basinski lets slowly repeat, decay and breath the up-most sonic beauty, grace and wonder. Really I challenge anyone who has even a passing interest in drone/ ambient music to not be enchanted, warmed and at times sadden by these rich sonic structures. Disk one near on 50 minute piece starts with strange low nocturnal shifting static tones before unfolding it’s  aged string/synth patten which Basinski loops, haziers and builds it’s hypnotic beauty. It almost has womb like quality to it all as you feel suspend and drifting into it’s dreamy warm unfold. The static and radio elements build and swell more as the piece progresses threatening to overtake completely, but Basinski keeps stirring in the original string loop along with new string loops ever so often into the murky wonder of it all.

Disk two starts with the central loop from the first piece briefly before introducing a new more sweeping orchestral loop thats gently bobbed, knocked and surrounded by radio sound, distant Morse code nudges and subtle noise. This part of The River seems much more active, moving and dense both in the use of different interlocking orchestral samples and the use of different static, radio and noise detail. If part one was a slow hypnotic bob along, Part two is more blurred, psychedelic and rapid trip but it never losers it’s enchanting hazy wonder. I guess it feels like more and more you’re leaving behind the original river and drifting into strange hazy seas.

A real masterwork which shows Basinski at the height of his powers, managing to paint such vivid and effecting emotions though-out both parts of the piece.