Lifelike by Loscil

loscil | lifelike
Frond (CD/DL)

Full of tenderly keyed minimalist melodies, the softly phrased tracks that fill Lifelike by Loscil explore flora, fauna, humanity and earthen structures.  The similes evoke various contemplations, primarily of material subjects.  From the onset, sweeping synths wash out understated electronic rhythms.  There’s just enough beat to hinge the ambiences with subdued psy-trance.  

As with many noteworthy art works, the artist is self-aware but present only in a ghostly self-referential manner.  For instance, tracks one and eight are entitled Bipolar 1 & 2.  Each of these is immediately followed by an ‘action-oriented’ composition i.e. Rotator and First Transformation respectively.  This loose allusion to some affected mentality gives the listener a sort of companion point of reference while drifting through the other naturalistic sketches.   The orientation of the album moves through internalization and observation.  

Interestingly, there is no expressed second transformation.  Instead, the closing five tracks which follow this shift maintain an aesthetic immutable consistency.  The notable observed change is one of general downturn in tempo and instrumental dynamics.  Dust Circles, Swipe Enforce and Tunnels each evolve across their time signatures with decidedly greater care for space.  

Swarm Around grants a group or collective participation.  This, the longest track of the album at seven and a half minutes, lacks danger.  It has an optimistic effect.  The conclusory Aquarium provides audiences a watery context for the previous examinations.  As with any synthesized ecosystem, the artificial-made-lifelike renders individual objects in an alien effect.  The thesis herein lie: musical spells which address the drama latent in human replication of complex natural systems.  As with a panning out in cinematic function, the hesitant context unveiled.