Haunting, beautiful, unsettlingly close

Former Lambchop sideman William Tyler rejected ambition and embraced lo-firecording. Time Indefinite is his most startling music yet

Laura Snapes

When William Tyler put out Goes West in 2019, the album minted what the Nashville-born guitarist calls “an expansive, aspirational part of my life”. It was a prettier take on the crisp heartland Krautrock of his 2016 breakout Modern Country. Both were released on renowned US indie label Merge, his home after starting out as sideman for Silver Jews and Lambchop in the early 2000s. “I was living in California,” says Tyler, 45. “I was travelling the world. My career was very much upwards.” He embraced it, for better or worse. “I will fully admit that I was riding a kind of ego-type energy that was probably good for a while, but certainly was apathy for real personal growth.” Goes West was Tyler’s attempt to capitalise on Modern Country, seeing…

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Guardian Weekly (Digital) - 1 Issue, 14 March 2025

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