Lou Reed – Hudson River Wind Meditations (2007)

This was a charity shop find last week, an album I wasn't previously aware of.

Lou Reed's final solo album before his 2013 death wasn't some biting satire on US politics, nor some reflection of New York low life, it was this album of ambient meditation music.

Apparently, Reed needed some music to accompany his Tai-Chi and meditation, so composed it for himself. Friends asked for copies, and eventually he issued it.

The sounds are pretty much as you'd expect, very relaxing, and I'm considering their use as a sleep aid. Move Your Heart is half an hour of a repeated two note 4-5 second theme, while Find Your Note is similarly long and repetitive but relies more on changes in loudness as single notes come and go over a low drone, although with more variance than the first piece, making it less relaxing.

There are also two shorter pieces - Hudson River Wind, just under two minutes of wind sounds, and Wind Coda, a five minute melding of themes from the longer pieces.

If you're looking for rock and roll, look away. But if you want an hour of ambience to doze off to, this might be the thing for you.

Link to full album

2* - not so much music, more background to focused activity