William Basinski – The Disintegration Loops (Arcadia Archive Edition) (8xLP)

Since the turn of the century, perhaps no other modern composition has had a greater healing effect than The Disintegration Loops. Composer William Basinski's decaying analog tape loops evolved from melodic symphonies to melancholic silences over a span of time that eerily transformed passing minutes into reflective lifetimes. In her foreword for the new edition of the box set The Disintegration Loops, the pioneer of multimedia narrative art, Laurie Anderson, describes the effects of this transformation in poetic detail: "These disintegrating sounds, this emptying space, have gained my complete trust. They take me somewhere. I follow these sounds willingly and become more and more transparent."

The Disintegration Loops - Arcadia Archive Edition is a comprehensive new box set containing the entire 5-hour suite of the iconic work. Remastered from the original recordings by Josh Bonati, the comprehensive package contains eight vinyl records (or four CDs for the less analog-savvy) in sturdy, full-color sleeves with the restored original artwork and a new 1000-word foreword by Laurie Anderson - all in an eye-catching, heavyweight, case-protected box. It's the ideal packaging for one of the most truly transcendent works of the 21st century. As Anderson states in her foreword, "this music has created another world, a world to be transported to."