Search - Eluvium :: Lambent Material

Junkmedia.org Review - Please and yes thank you

junkmedia | Los Angeles, CA | 07/15/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Temporary Residence label is making quite a name for itself as it continues to quietly release quality albums that range from the backcountry warbling of the Anomoanon to the post-rock hush of Sonna to the bombastic aural explorations of Explosions in the Sky or Tarentel. Add to that list Eluvium 's debut album, Lambent Material, which puts the "bien" back in ambient.Matthew Cooper (the man behind Eluvium) crafts music best suited for decompression chambers with its pulsating electrical currents, oscillating waves of distortion and tiny piano all overlapping in a starkly beautiful way. It's oddly moving, but make a note that this is not your mother's ambient music. Take the central track, "Zerthis Was A Shivering Human Image", which wraps the listener in a cocoon of fuzzed guitar distortion that shimmers and twists into a gorgeously mellowed drone. It's a deconstructed My Bloody Valentine sans vocals that will surely leave one's elders scratching their heads and running for cover. Other pieces like "Under The Water It Glowed" or "There Wasn't Anything" throw off a soothing phosphorescence that occasionally startles.So the next time you return from an electric night of busting the latest dance-punk moves and find yourself vacillating between wired and exhausted, put Lambent Material on for the slow fade to sleep. I can't help but concur with the cryptic phrase in the liner notes: "please and yes thank you."Barin McGrath Junkmedia.org Review"

This album is worth your time.

junkmedia | 06/12/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was just sitting around listening to this when the thought occurred to me that I should review it on amazon. I don't know why. Seriously. I've probably reviewed like 3 things in the past few years. But, about the album:Lambent Material kinda sounds like something in between the long drones of Windy & Carl and the slow, sad instrumentals of Mogwai (Like from young team or EP+2). You can classify it as an ambient record I suppose. A cool thing about it is that it's immediately accesible, though it still works it self out in your mind after several listens. It has a nice low key feel to it. There are a lot of winding loops of slow melodies with sounds from field recordings in the background. The replay value is good on this album, it's not something you'd get sick of after listening- it's the type of album you'd play several times in a row.The most intense this album gets is on the fourth track, "Zerthis was a shimmering human image". It's amazing how the track is so simple in that it shifts back and forth between two drones for 15 minutes, but it never fails to lose your attention. Throughout the track there is buzzing and rumbling that constantly comes in and out of the mix. The rest of the album is full of slow, beautifully constructed late-night songs in the vein of EP+2.So, I would recommend this highly to fans of Windy & Carl, Gas, Mogwai, Stars of the Lid, and even Aphex fans. Actually, this would appeal to anyone looking for a good ambient record to listen to in the middle of the night. I'm glad to have heard this. It's just that nice."

How can noise silence my soul?

A. Ort | Youngstown, Ohio | 04/27/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I've tried listening to this a few times but have a problem with busy brain. A little caffeine, some upbeat electronica and my brain is set in motion. So I had never really taken the time to listen to this.



Well, I'm a bit sleep tonight and there is nothing upbeat on my portable music player so resolved just to let this play. There are some nice ambient piano-ish pieces to begin the album, soothing, relaxing, nice.



Then, smack dab in the middle is "Zerthis Was a Shivering Human Image" a relative noise-fest when compared to the rest of the album. Distorted guitars or guitars distorted, awash in a heavy drone, my instinct was to skip the track. But as it hovered back and forth between the two tones, the noise suddenly began to sound, dare I say, moving, beautiful even, hypnotic, meditative. My brain settled and a feeling of calm came over me. It goes on for upward of 15 minutes but, even though it is the same sounds over and over again, I could have listened to it for another 15 minutes.



The album finishes with a quiet piano piece that seems so much more marked by the previous song. This was a new experience for me. It may not be for everyone but it's worth a try. Definitely recommended.





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