With this rather brief, unassuming little release, Eluvium (aka Matthew Cooper) perfects a dry, wispy sort of elegance exemplified by Rachel's' more sparse compositions (such as Handwriting's "Frida Kahlo"). It contains seven songs that float gracefully by without the challenging qualities of most experimental artists' releases. The only challenge seems to be how to latch onto a recording so absorbing, yet so slight.
As fine and eloquent as this material is, none of the tracks seem to stay with you like "Under the Water it Glowed," from Cooper's previous release, Lambent Material. That song stuck out as an exemplifier of the truly transcendent power of fine-tuned murky ambience. This new material is quite lovely (particularly the somber "Genius and Thieves"), but it's debatable as to whether or not it's worth your twelve bucks. I know it sounds crass, but if independent artists want to discourage piracy of their music, calling half hour EPs full-lengths isn't going to help much.
But despite this, I cannot fault An Accidental Memory and am hesitant to pay it the backhanded compliment of being merely pleasant. It has a bejeweled quality that suggests great emotional depth, but whether or not it pays off depends on what the listener brings to the table. At the right moment, while glazing over the fantastic, surreal cover art with some evening light (perhaps during a heavy snowfall), this album could trigger some wonderfully vivid flights of fancy. It's a very faceted record, yet this is more refreshing than it is unmoving.
Sometimes, like with the opening track of Spoon's Kill the Moonlight, a sparse, direct melodic structure can inspire a listener as much as a full, complex arsenal of instrumentation.
1. An Accidental Memory
2. Genius and Thieves
3. Perfect Neglect in a Field of Statues
4. Nepenthe
5. In a Sense
6. The Well-Meaning Professor
7. An Accidental Memory in the Case of Death
More about: Eluvium
