Loscil – Monument Builders

Do we have any control over our own realities? Can beauty exist amid wanton destruction? If so, should we enjoy it? On Monument Builders, ambient maestro Loscil explores the same existential quandaries as Adam Curtis in his recent documentary Hypernormalisation and photographer Edward Burtynsky, in a range of collections that show the unintendedly breath-taking landscapes created by mines, rubbish dumps and salt pans. In doing so, he creates a post-industrial hinterland that’s equal parts brutalism and beauty, and one of the most captivating releases of the year. 

This is a breathless and dense record, built on layers of crackle, fuzz and dystopian fugue. What really capture the imagination, though, are the fleeting, stark melodies Loscil introduces on almost every track. These are the flowers sprouting through the cracks of an abandoned factory, in the form of a horn (Red Tide), a piano (Drained Lake), or a snippet of chopped up vocals (Weeds), and recall the jarring juxtapositions of The Notwist or Ben Frost. Monument Builders is an augmented reality to spend time with, explore and get lost in. 

Listen to: Weeds