Recorded in the first summer of lockdown, Screen Time finds guitarist/songwriter Thurston Moore in a contemplative mood. Concentrating on layered guitar tones and ephemeral arpeggios, Moore eschews both lyrics and the free-form scree many might expect from his more experimental work with former band Sonic Youth. Instead he locates a strange, fragile midpoint between spontaneously composed noises and willful prettiness, letting easy tension between two of the most prominent sides of his musical personality set the tone for the entire collection. Whether he’s exploring the jangling drones of “The Upstairs” and “The Station” or the folky mysteries of “The Dream” and “The View,” Moore reaches deep inside himself, dredging up emotions that don’t really come into focus to outside observers – nor do they need to. More a series of waking dreams than a set of songs, Screen Time mines inner space and brings out rough diamonds.
