Died, December 8, 2020. HAROLD Budd, who has died aged 84 from complications caused by Covid-19, was an influential composer and pianist whose work left its mark with a slow-burning intensity. This was as evident on Brian Eno-produced albums such as The Plateaux of Mirror (1980) as it was on later records with Robin Guthrie, co-founder of the highly acclaimed Scottish band, Cocteau Twins. These included the soundtrack to Gregg Araki’s film, White Bird in a Blizzard (2014), and Another Flower, which was released the week of Budd’s passing. Inbetween came a substantial body of work that felt as elongated as some of the notes played on Budd’s spacious and intricately constructed compositions. Whether working with such fellow travellers or carving out his musical atmospheres solo, Budd’s palette remained constant.