Endless Falls

What's interesting isn't that an ambient record has suddenly introduced vocals, which is nothing new, or that these vocals are used exclusively for talking rather than singing, which isn't particularly surprising. What's really important is what this talking is totally, explicitly about: rather than just hinting at atmospheres and moods, vaguely suggesting a concept which can be seized upon as the thematic core of the music, Loscil provides what is literally an explanation of an album, which in turn makes the album about the act of its explanation.

Morgan is back with Loscil's fifth album, the somber Endless Falls, his most austere and least cluttered album yet.

Endless Falls is the most complete version of Morgan's vision for Loscil to date. It's an album that's easy to get lost in after a few cursory wanders into the ether, where the amalgamation of barely-musical sounds sucks you in and seems to produce something different every time.

While Endless Falls and its predecessor created an organic sound by including improvised contributions from a small ensemble, the string and piano contributions here stand with classical seriousness.

Sometimes conceptual ambient albums can feel a bit forced-- Klimek's recent film-centric Movies Is Magic comes to mind-- but here the theme works hand-in-hand with the music.

There are depths to Endless Fall, sure, but they're not empty depths. As Bejar's personal-crisis-and/or-aesthetic-manifesto monologue makes clear, the brain behind Loscil's music is just as active and vital as what it produces.