Friday, March 04, 2005

The Lovers' Album of the Week


Eluvium Talk Amongst the Trees

I got a new pair of headphones today. In my line of work, headphones get banged around a lot. This is my third pair in a year's time. I only mention this because now that I have the new set I can truly appreciate the beauty that Matthew Cooper has created with his latest release "Talk Amongst the Trees". For his third album, Cooper (or Eluvium, if you prefer) steps away from the piano this time (as heard on the 2004 "Accidental Memory in the Case of Death") and returns to using Enoesque drones to construct landscapes of cinematic proportions. The ten minute opener "New Animals from the Air" sets the tone for the rest of the album with its repetitive build up of an array of sounds (if you want another reference point other than the apparent Eno, think Sigur Ros or even an ambient version of Godspeed You Black Emperor! without all those explosive outbursts) that never seem to really peak but rather gently float like an astronaut taking in the scenery after being accidently ejected into space. Of course, if you take a listen you'll come up with a completely different visual. And that's what is so great about "Talk Amongst the Trees". It is open for interpretation. Just make sure you got a good pair of cans to really take it all in.

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