My favorite Eluvium track is As I Drift Off, from When I Live By The Garden and the Sea. The intro has dialog, from a movie I presume, but I have no idea where it's from or what context it's in. Somebody is screaming "we're the ones who are acting suspicious and lighting fires, we're the lunatics, it's us, not them!" Then, and this is the moment that really gets me for some reason, he pauses and quietly says, "it's us", as if he's finished with his tirade and is turning away to leave. The music transports me away, maybe to an alien planet, floating on a cloud past mountains made of metal and glass; through canyons and valleys, screaming with static and electricity. It is cold and quite abrasive, but there's also an underlying warmth and calmness at the center of it all. Maybe the music is like a key to a portal, or maybe it's only in my mind. Maybe it's just past the hillside that's depicted on the cover of the EP, or maybe it's nothing at all.
I've recently discovered Eluvium. The "band" is actually one guy, Matthew Cooper. I've actually seen him live a few years ago, supporting Explosions in the Sky. I remember liking his set, but I was very much into EITS at the time, so Eluvium sorta got lost in the shuffle. Cut to now, there's a new Eluvium album out, called "Copia". It's really lovely stuff, very ambient, kinda reminiscent of Eno. I said "kinda", so don't get all huffy. It doesn't necessarily sound like Eno, just reminds me of him. Just listen to "Zerthis Was A Shivering Human Image" from the "Lambent Material" album and you'll hear what I mean.
