The Slow Pulse That Got Me Through A Long Winter: Loscil
Posted by: steve | From: July 27, 2004
Ambient electronic music is a faceless, personality free music. It's meant to be that way. It's such a different way of expressing than rock'n'roll or rap. It's not about making a statement with words or even with music. It's sorta about not making a statement. The vibe that the music sets doesn't give you something to think about, instead, it gives you the opportunity to think. Instead of providing words to ponder or giving a specific topic, it just provides a setting for thought to happen. Ambient music, dude, it's a total tryp and allows a dude to go deeply deep.
Loscil (pronounced Low-sill or Lah-sill) is Scott Morgan, of Vancouver, BC, Canada. Scott also plays drums in the band, Destroyer(a very good band as well). He makes this very good amibent electronic music, though. Seems like he has for awhile. I don't know very much about it. I don't know. Seems sorta better to keep this kind of music more of a mystery. I don't know how he makes it, where he makes it, when he makes it, why he makes it. All I know is that he makes it and it takes me.
The facts are that he made some self released cds or soemthing, the dudes at Kranky heard it, they said we want to put out your music and now he has put out three cds on Kranky. End of story. Doesn't really seem like he tours. He will never be a big superstar. No huge fame. I'm sorry, I'm just sorta thinking about these things today: about fame, why people make music, and about messages presented by musicians.
Loscil's second album, Submers, is a beautiful dark record that I probably listened to more than any other record of the last five years. Submers theme is submarine and being underwater and you can hear it on the record with the echoing gurgling rhythms and beats. The synths wash over you like rushes of water and the beats are appropriately quiet and at times you don't even realize they are there. Submers has an intense claustrophobic feel to and it is one of the best records ever to close your eyes to.
First Narrows, Loscil's 3rd album, was just released a few months ago. It is the first Loscil to feature live instrumentation. It has more of a focus on melody and is much more of a spring/summer record compared to Submers deep winter vibe. The live instrumentation is not very obvious on some tracks as it has been deeply processed, but it is quite noticible on others. It's a gorgeous, soft, and lilting record and another step for Loscil.
Music is a special gift. It provides us with so many different ways to relax, or get pumped. It takes us to zones that we aren't normally able to get to. I'm especially thankful for Loscil because it gives me something more special than other music....myself. Whoa, did I just say that?? Any music that can music me say that must be The Greatest Band of All Time.
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