Eluvium – Similes

For the first few moments, everything seems as it always was. Eluvium’s aural swooshes gently lapping against your eardrums, ambient synth sounds carrying you…what? Is that…singing? Yes, for fans of Matthew Cooper’s work, it’s odd to hear the musician open his mouth to sing. Don’t fear that Eluvium have suddenly gone pop, though – the vocal is laconic (think Stephin Merritt, but even wearier), the melodies are simple (in fact, the piano parts are quite often more melodic than his vocal liens), and much of the album is in the same vein as his past works. Give it a chance, though, it you’ll find that while the addition of vocals changes the tone dramatically – adding a human, verbal element will always do that - it works well in its own way. You may no longer float as blissfully along in the ether, but now there’s a personal element to Cooper’s music that previously did not exist. If that’s not what you want from Cooper, however, you may have trouble making the adjustment.