Empathy Alpha by clocolan
Cinematic music for the Netflix age
Inspired by sci-fi soundtracks and electronica of the 70s and 80s this album is like the creepy soundtrack to a film streaming in the background. Conceived as five separate cinematic scenes, the prevailing spaceship hum and curious dialogue effortlessly transport the listener to another dimension while the bursts of incidental music provide scope for deeper contemplation.
clocolan is US artist Emlyn Ellis Addison, whose work explores themes of evolution, psychology and human endeavour. His 2017 debut album Nothing Left to Abandon was considered a fine Boards of Canada reincarnation with subsequent releases (fairly or not) retaining that comparison. With only subtle hints of BoC remaining, (fifth album) Empathy Alpha, with its clever 12-tone matrix composition, suggests he's finally thrown off the shackles.