Album Details

• Artist: Electroluminescent
• EP:
Measures
• Label: Black Mountain Music
• Year of Release: 2009
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: patchen on 2009-05-13

It is hard to believe that there are only five tracks here. The immense space created by synths and guitar loops by Canadian Ryan Ferguson is stunning. The songs that make up "Measures" stand alone and join well as an extended piece; either avenue you take to explore the record, however, will be rewarding.

And this is one ambient release that doesn't just keep guitars circling the pulse or entering it with a riff ever so often. The guitars crank and make an impact, especially on the mighty psych drone of "Farad" and "Candela."  Two remixes of older tracks, "Ghost in the Gaps" and "To Make Him Live Again," expand but don't add much to the originals. Still, they don't detract either, and give you a broader sense of the songs' constructions.

On this fifth release, Electroluminescent continue an exploration of sound similar to many ambient/krautrock/solo-psych endeavors. However, Ryan Ferguson is clearly one of the few with a vision that goes beyond endless looping and hopes for the best. This is some visionary, biting work that shows clear and artistic intention. "Measures" is truly a measure of what can be done with the drone genre.

User Reviews and Comments