Hanging Gardens (The Necks album)

Hanging Gardens is a 1999 studio album by the Australian improvisational trio The Necks. It is considered one of their landmark recordings, demonstrating their signature approach to extended, minimalist drone-based improvisation.

The album consists of a single, continuous track lasting approximately an hour. As with many of The Necks' albums, Hanging Gardens was created entirely through live improvisation, without pre-composed material. The trio – Chris Abrahams on piano, Lloyd Swanton on bass, and Tony Buck on drums – build layers of sound gradually over the course of the piece.

The music is characterized by its hypnotic repetition and slow, evolving harmonic shifts. The piano often provides a repeating melodic or rhythmic figure, while the bass lays down a foundation and the drums provide subtle percussive textures. The interaction between the musicians creates a dense, immersive soundscape. The music develops organically, shifting mood and intensity over its duration, rewarding focused listening.

Hanging Gardens has been praised for its atmospheric quality, its ability to create a sense of space and depth, and its overall hypnotic effect. It is often cited as a prime example of The Necks' distinctive style and a key work in the development of minimalist music.