Chris Hanlon’s Attenuated Rhythm

A glistening scintillate largely constitutes the ethereal substance of Chris Hanlon’s “Long While,” which joins a growing amount of recording these days that blurs the line between ambient music and ambient sound. The melty bits of warped tape here, simulated or otherwise, further that instinct by lending a nostalgic quality. But what really makes the piece, what distinguishes it, is a sequence of occasional muffled thuds, something like footsteps, or a cane on a carpeted floor, or even distant bombs going off. These are almost — almost, but not quite — far enough apart to not count as rhythmic, but there is a pace to them, and that’s the point: just enough time for each pair of thuds to frame what comes between, and to make you wait for the next. The element is a welcome addition. Hanlon is based in Belfast, Ireland.