Ambient music has a tendency of creating its own borders – sonic boundaries that prevent too much rhythm, too much structure or melody to invade the space. This can often result in meditative music best listened to with the lights out in total isolation (or god forbid, a yoga class).
Sea Island sees Vancouver-based Loscil (Scott Morgan) collapse the borders and invite outside influence, exploring more organic textures and rhythms, and even bringing melody into his world. Opener “Ahull” could almost be imagined opening up into a dub techno piece, but it remains restrained, almost tense. The crystalline “Iona” comes at you with sonar-like ice pulses that hit you in the third eye.
Most impressive are his inclusion of organic instruments, atypical to the ambient genre: Ashley Pitre lights the oscillating "Bleeding Ink" with her iridescent vocals, and Fieldhead’s Elaine Reynolds provides violin on "Catalina 1943". You’ll also hear the Rhodes (Jason Zumpano) and vibraphone (Josh Lindstrom) on Sea Island, further breaking the mould.
Morgan is a veteran of the ambient scene, and as long as he keeps making new music, the ambient bar will continue to rise.
★★★★
Kranky
