Vancouver electro-acoustic veteran Loscil (a.k.a. Scott Morgan) took influence from another ambient master while making his next full-length release. Aesthetically inspired by the sounds of Philip Glass is his Monument Builders, which arrives November 11 via Kranky.
While the new record follows Morgan's ambitious, endless Adrift app, it marks the first proper full-length from the musician since 2014's Sea Island. A press release explains that the collection was primarily pieced-together on sample-based instruments at his home in Vancouver, and includes the sounds of "boiling kettles and resonant moving air."
The album apparently took shape after watching an old VHS copy of Koyaanisqatsi, which led Morgan to appreciate the Glass-composed score.
"Something about the time-tarnished visuals and the pitch warble on Philip Glass's epic score added a new layer of intrigue for me," Morgan explained in a statement. "Glass has always been an influence but lo-fi Glass felt like a minor revelation, as if the decay was actually enhancing the impact of the film's message."
In addition to being inspired by Glass's music, Monument Builders was influenced by the "anti-humanist writings" of philosopher John Gray, the photography of Edward Burtynsky, and Morgan's own feelings on mortality following "the life-and-death battles of close friends and family."
You can stream the drone-and-horns-manned title cut from Monument Builders down below, where you'll also find the record's tracklisting.
Monument Builders:
1. Drained Lake
2. Red Tide
3. Monument Builders
4. Straw Dogs
5. Deceiver
6. Anthropocene
7. Weeds
While the new record follows Morgan's ambitious, endless Adrift app, it marks the first proper full-length from the musician since 2014's Sea Island. A press release explains that the collection was primarily pieced-together on sample-based instruments at his home in Vancouver, and includes the sounds of "boiling kettles and resonant moving air."
The album apparently took shape after watching an old VHS copy of Koyaanisqatsi, which led Morgan to appreciate the Glass-composed score.
"Something about the time-tarnished visuals and the pitch warble on Philip Glass's epic score added a new layer of intrigue for me," Morgan explained in a statement. "Glass has always been an influence but lo-fi Glass felt like a minor revelation, as if the decay was actually enhancing the impact of the film's message."
In addition to being inspired by Glass's music, Monument Builders was influenced by the "anti-humanist writings" of philosopher John Gray, the photography of Edward Burtynsky, and Morgan's own feelings on mortality following "the life-and-death battles of close friends and family."
You can stream the drone-and-horns-manned title cut from Monument Builders down below, where you'll also find the record's tracklisting.
Monument Builders:
1. Drained Lake
2. Red Tide
3. Monument Builders
4. Straw Dogs
5. Deceiver
6. Anthropocene
7. Weeds
