Loscil – Lake Fire – Album Review
by Killian Laher

As well as being quite prolific, Scott Morgan, who records as loscil, is releasing music that is consistently at the finer end of instrumental, ambient music.  As ever, what seems like anti-musical elements come together to create the tracks.  Arrhythmia is the opener and instantly creates a cold atmosphere, building layer upon layer of sound.  Bell Flame enters eerily, like a radio signal from another dimension, with distant, almost rave keyboard elements behind it.  Candling opens with what sounds like dredging, with distant piano and obscured organ gradually emerging from the aural murk.

There is the almost bell-like shimmering of Silos and the sinister-sounding pair of Spark and Ash Clouds, the latter seeming almost choral.  Flutter starts out all shimmering and warped, but gradually evolves into twinkling zen keyboards, leading nicely into Doux.  Here, proceedings become much more zen, straying into the territory that Stars of the Lid excelled at, very different for Scott Morgan.  The final track, the title track, sounds like a storm… and it will engulf you.

As ever, the music of loscil is a lot more enjoyable to listen to than to attempt to describe.  What we can say is that it’s as strong an album as anything else he has previously released.

Arrhythmia