Cousin Silas – Snowline (2017)

The Cerebral Rift

Soundcloud

• Ambient 
• Minimalism 
• Drone 
• Ambient drone 
• Experimentalism 
• Avant-garde 
• Space music

Comment: although Cousin Silas' one-track composition of a 74 minute is very austere throughout the course it does provide a strong impact on the listener's senses and especially on imagination. Just being embedded in a spaced-out droning with some atmospheric guitar arcs and lifting up to half-orchestrated progressions at times. On the other side, just trying to resect the drone one can hear higher and lower frequencies buzzing around which melt together to provide an imagination of a space shuttle moving on a billions of miles away from Earth. Rushing on the light speed yet in the middle of that slight void it seems like staying at one and the same point and instead of it all the space used to shift in comparison to the rocket. All is relative and conditional in fact, the same can be said about the nature of the issue. All is staying and changing at the same time. And could you feel yourself as one and the same person you used to be before? I guess your perception is more saturated and the feel of reality is more lifted up than before. That's a seductive simulacrum for the human race as possible conquerors of Outer Space. However, this possibility to come to fruition is very low and thereby our obligation is to protect and sustain our beautiful planet. The fabulous outing is a part in the discography of The Cerebral Rift (more profoundly, CerebralAudio as its musical offshoot). 

Scott Lawlor – Experiments In Isolation One (2016)

CerebralRift

• Minimalism 
• Avant-garde 
• Non-music
• Soundscape 
• Experimentalism 
• Drone 
• Conceptual
• Abstract 
• Microtonal 
• Experimental electronica

Comment: first of all, during the first minutes of listening to this 78-minute long issue by Texas-based artist I had to take into account noise of the TV coming from a neighbouring room. Because of that I put on earphones to dive into a delicate universe of Scott Lawlor. Furthermore, it was quite surprising to discover that the US-based artist's concept resonated with the behaviour of mine. Given that his idea is to dig into the realm of sensory deprivation (aka perceptual isolation) and because of that being the area of study in psychology. Indeed, I am here to be as a guinea pig for this awe-inspiring soundscape. It can be admitted it is more a physical rather than a psychological and mental experience. At least at first glance I think. For sure, its psychological effect comes in a bit later because the effect of this droning lobotomy is something refreshing and detersive. Maybe it is comparable with the effect of antidepressants making a person feel himself/herself dull and torpid. Moreover, such an effect makes me unable to perceive the nuances of the recent soundscape – is it running at one pace only or does the artist provide some microscopic changes and phase shifts within it? I do not know. Additionally, there is a little to talk about in aesthetic terms altogether. Because the intention of these 78 minutes is something different. Let's continue in psychological terms – let's guess I am perceiving some odds and ends within it but could I be sure I have right at all? It might be my consciousness has already started to play tricks. However, at a 54-minute I am sure I heard/discerned a new layer to be added to the blend. All in all, it is better to follow the artist's initial idea and lost himself/herself under this sly and overwhelming avalanche. In truth, it did have healing effect upon me (I have had a shitty mood today). The outing is the first part of the trilogy of releases and a bit of the discography of CerebralAudio/CerebralRift.

Cousin Silas – Urge (2016)

CerebralRift

• Dark ambient 
• Dystopbient 
• Epic
• Microsound 
• Ambient drone 
• Minimalism 
• Avant-garde 
• Experimentalism 
• Soundscape
• Psycho-acoustic 
• Drone 
• Sound art 
• Microtonal 
• Abstract 
• Post-industrial

Comment: meritorious Cousin Silas from the UK (born in 1959) continues his tenure on CerebralRift with the second issue Urge. These three immense compositions which eventually clock in at a 74 minute are the follow-up to Observations From Earth And Beyond (2015) though the touch of the brand new one is markedly more pessimistic and sombre due to austere, dystopic seeds within slowly undulating drones which used to change in a manner as if impending doom and apocalypse. Cousin Silas dispenses with New Age-y and classical music-related sounds as he did on the previous one. On the other side, it sustains readily majesty and epic which on occasion take over to appear in a more lighter and shiny mode. Undoubtedly it is essential to focus on minutiae because the main course just got described above. There are some echoes and hisses here and there, some bubbly electronic sounds, some microscopic noises and focal effects here and there. The title track is somehow more heavy-weighted than the rest of the outing as if gravitating towards the core of Earth. In a more indirect sense, it rotates and moves towards the black hole, towards death as if depicting the life of a human being metaphorically, depicting one`s urge to get passed away positively through the development and contribution. Of course you need either good earphones or a qualitative stereo system to enjoy all of that. And of course, you shall have to crank up the volume of your stereo system to get involved in that ill-omened magic. I guess it is formally music, basically it is the result of a sound processing, ideologically its purpose is to provide evidence about a tight relation between the development of science and music. Our sensations are controlled by the machines ultimately. That`s OK if the result is so exquisite and refined as the issue between my ears right now. it is the urge of mine as well.

Cousin Silas – Observations From Earth And Beyond (2015)

The Cerebral Rift

• Ambient 
• Space music 
• Modern classical 
• Post-classical 
• Kosmische Musik
• Soundscapes 
• Abstract 
• Art music

Comment: Cousin Silas is an experienced artist from the UK who has issued a bunch of innumerable albums over many decades. This is his appearance at The CerebralRift, an exciting imprint and free music platform. As usual as it used to be the artist excels at creating soothing soundscapes with intent to have an exquisite impact on the listener. This swarm of 10 compositions proves that the artist slightly deviates due to a more emotive approach because he is interested in conjuring up more restrained, more interrupted compositions where the tranquil and flickering progressions on guitars used to slowly move over gentle pads of a synthesiser. You can perceive a gentle New age-ish touch within his sound which slowly swells and then contracts and in the meantime ginning up eloquent orchestrated beauty while preserving a compelling static touch within it. At times his soundscapes are based on more bold bass frequencies and vague piano chords which nevertheless used to sustain and then almost unnoticeably spread far away. Cousin Silas does not pile on excessively he adeptly develops all these layers into an impressive whole. Fairly magnificent stuff. By kindred souls the issue could be compared with the likes of Brother Saturn, Eluvium, Bosques de mi Mente, Max Richter.