Loscil - Plume

Our review
Customer reviews
Press release

5...according to our Brian on Sun 19 Nov, 2006.

Loscil next then. I like the sleeve. A red & white striped chimney spurting smoke that looks like it's fallen of the top of Willy Wonka's factory. Or a steam liner maybe. Quality post everything imprint Kranky have released this CD, 'Plume' & it's sounding right nice on this sweltering day. Warm space rock ambience with a pulsing wall of bass opens it up whilst twinkling shards of treated keyboards & subtly laid beds of brief clicks add to the relaxing melee of sound. Further exploration reveals a major talent in organic music for the adventurous chill out head. Two CDs that have moved me recently have been the Pan American & Inch Time albums. Add this treat to the list. Simply lovely!

Fourth full-length from Vancouver-based sound artist Scott Morgan. He continues to refine the visual aspect of his performances and recently released a download-only drone album on net label, One.

Press for First Narrows:

      "..a work of drifting coherence and gently blurred boundaries" - The Wire

      "..there is an undeniable spiritual quality and sense of serenity that not only extends to the track but also permeates the whole album" - Signal to Noise

      "a barbit-blanket-blankout of atmospheria that quietly gets on with being gently unprepossessing. And that ain't easy" - Plan B

      "It's the sound of winter and spring convening at once, bound up in confusion over precisely who is arriving and who is departing." - Splendid

      "Slow suffocation, with rhythm." - Dusted

Scott Morgan notes: "Compositionally, many tracks on Plume are similar in approach to First Narrows; they started with a harmonic root from which sounds were processed into a loose structure over which the live players could improvise. There was substantially less editing this time around with the live tracks. I opted to choose the better improvised passes and merely mix them in and out rather than cut them up. I think this leaves a lot more natural space and balances the heavily structured and repetitive electronic elements with more organic performed layers. Jason Zumpano returned from the First Narrows ensemble and I also recruited long time friend Steve Wood and my partner Krista to play some ebow guitar as well as Josh Lindstrom to play some Xylophone and Vibraphone which I believe added a nice new element into the mix.

Thematically, I stuck with things that are quintessentially loscil; flow, subtle movement, gradual transition, growth. Also of significance to this album is the family connection. "Charlie" was composed after seeing/hearing my daughter Sadie through ultrasound while she was still in the womb. The track was also partly composed as a womb-like sound experience for her to sleep to after she was born, hence the heart beats..."

Songs:

   1. Motoc -
   2. Rorscach
   3. Zephyr
   4. Steam -
   5. Chinook
   6. Bellows
   7. Halcyon -
   8. Charlie
   9. Mistral

5...according to Heidi.

I've enjoyed Loscil's previous albums, but I will have to say that Plume is my favourite. The songs are nicely textured, clicky and glitchy programming played over deep rhythms. The album's main theme is the sky (song titles such as Steam, Chinook and Zephyr, among others, reflect that), so this is the perfect album to listen to when you are on an airplane. If you like Loscil, you might also enjoy artists such as Pan•American, Stars Of The Lid and Tim Hecker.

So, what do you think? Best reviewer each month gets £10 off their next order!