Eluvium - "Talk Amongst The Trees"
(Temporary Residence Ltd. 2004, trr78)
Eluvium - "Talk Amongst The Trees"
(Temporary Residence Ltd. 2004, trr78)
From Aural Innovations #30 (February 2005)
Eluvium is a solo project from Seattle, Washington based Matthew Cooper, who uses guitars and piano to create slowly developing ambient journeys. But this isn't incidental music, music for airports or any of those standard ambient places. Cooper blends shimmering, rolling and weaving sound waves and looped patterns to create an absorbing sound and mind experience. He paints sonic landscapes that are simultaneously subtle and powerful… peaceful, but with an edgy and not unpleasant intensity. There are segments that are more abstract and minimalist, but there are also sections with gradually evolving melodies, the effect being like nimble fingers gently massaging the brain as the listener floats through a drugged, spacey dreamland. My favorite parts are when Cooper blends the melodic elements with minimalist sound wave patterns that are somehow… strangely… melodic themselves. It's a kind of ghostly effect. Listen closely and you'll realize there's a great deal of variety throughout the set. There are 9 tracks on the CD but they all flow seamlessly from one to the next, making this a 54 minute voyage that should experienced in a single sitting. Turn out the lights, put on the headphones, and float away…
For more information you can visit the Eluvium web site at: http://www.eluvium.net.
Visit the Temporary Residence web site at: http://www.temporaryresidence.com.
Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz