Sam A good friend of mine recommended I give the album “Endless Falls” by Loscil a listen and I’m glad I did.

Minimal in style the album focuses on subtler elements to weave a patchwork of emotion throughout. The opening and title track “Endless Falls” starts with a field recording of rain. It sets a calming mood that the looping drones and pads enhance before a repeating collection of string instruments create a highly, emotionally charged melody.

The technique of mixing field recordings with instrumentation has interested me for many years and has been the center of much of my own music. The way a well selected piece of field recording can set tone is often faster and more direct than composition. But in it’s directness it removes some of the ability to stir up emotion in the listener. It takes a lot of skill to blend both melody and recordings together so they feel like a complete entity. Loscil demonstrates that skill throughout the record and on this track particularly:

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