Last year Kranky resident Loscil released one of the best albums of his career (in my opinion). Although it was only three tracks long (and on Ghostly, not Kranky), it was nigh perfect. Knowing that "Strathcona Variations" was just a precursor to his latest "Endless Falls" had me a bit excited. I mean love ambient music, I love Kranky, and I LOVE when the two combine forces to release an album that is both meditative/relaxing as well as thought provoking & glimmering. "Endless Falls" is somewhat of a concept album. The album is based upon the sounds/feel of rain combined with drones and various other textures to bring out the true aqueous nature of the element. Loscil/ambient fan's will no doubt love this.
"Endless Falls" is Scott Morgan's (Loscil) 5th full length under this moniker. Many of you may not know this, but Mr. Morgan is also the drummer in the band Destroyer. Daniel Bejar (Destroyer) actually lends his vocal talent to the album, only not singing, but spoken word (I'll get back to that point in a minute). Loscil, which is a reference to a "looping oscillator" has always provided his listeners with the richest, most serene & organic textured tracks. "Endless Falls" is no stranger to that concept either. In-fact, much like his last EP the atmospheric qualities are in top-notch form. Tiny white noises poke their heads out from clouds of air-y drones, deep/submerged kicks, minimal piano melodies, and the truest of true ambient forms; recondite field recordings. Each track carries on in this tradition, but it's the last track that I would like to discuss a little bit more with you. "The Making Of Grief Point" is the only track on "Endless Falls" with vocals, that's not a bad thing at all though. Instead of singing over some ambient soundscapes Daniel Bejar utilizes his voice with spoken word. Actually, while recording this Mr. Bejar had a tough time stepping "out of his shell" to do spoken word, he can sing, but this was his first shot at straight toned voice. The idea behind this track is pretty terrific if you ask me, what Mr.Bejar talks about is what "ambient" music means, rather than just a humming noise or "somewhat altered" field recordings, ambient music is a mark in history explaining what emotions said performer was going through at the time. Some people write diary's, some do poetry, Mr. Morgan writes ambient music (in-which he pours his heart & soul into). Truly, this is one of my all-time favorite Loscil tracks, such a perfect ender to a great album. Not once through this entire record did I fell bored or unhappy with what I was hearing. I felt at peace and a float in a cloud of cogitative bliss.
This is once again Loscil doing what he does best, which is creating warming ambient pulsations suited for the best headphones out there. Highly RECOMMENDED.
Standout Tracks: Endless Falls, Estuarine, Fern And Robin (mmmmmm), Lake Orchard, The Making Of Grief Point (so many good things going on here)
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