Eluvium - An Accidental Memory in the Case of Death
(Temporary Residence)
Last year's Lambent Material was a shockingly confident ambient debut from Eluvium. It gave the impression that Matthew Cooper (the one-man show that is Eluvium) had been recording ambient music for years. When listening to any kind of ambient record, it's hard not to compare it to Eno's work, as he's widely regarded as one of the first pioneers of music made for the purpose of ambience. Also, most records don't live up to Eno's best. Eluvium's first album does. Easy.
So, how do you follow it up for the second album? How about an album recorded live with only a piano? Well, that's what the new Eluvium is. Considering his last album, you might expect him to one-up Harold Budd, with slow and pensive treated piano pieces. But, the piano is entirely untreated, so there'll be very little in the way of ambience this time around. Instead, it's full of composed, lyrical, and melodic songs.
This is a nice, relaxed album. Tracks like "The Well-Meaning Professor" occasionally dip into some dense textures, giving the song some fire and immediacy, but overall the album simmers gently in the background. In that sense, this album may actually be more ambient than his last. Truthfully, I've been less interested in absorbing the nuances in this (or even listening carefully), despite the fact that this is far more straightforward than Lambent Material. So, while this is nice, it's not very compelling.
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