Clara (album)

Last updated

Clara
Clara (album).jpg
Studio album by
Loscil
ReleasedMay 28, 2021 (2021-05-28)
Genre
Length69:54
Label Kranky
Producer Scott Morgan
Loscil chronology
Adrift
(2020)		Clara
(2021)		The Sails
(2022)

Clara is a studio album by Canadian composer and record producer Scott Morgan under the pseudonym Loscil. [3] It was released on May 28, 2021, through Kranky. [4] It received universal acclaim from critics. [5]

Contents

Background

The sounds on Clara are sourced from a 3-minute composition performed by a 22-piece string orchestra in Budapest, Hungary, that was lathe-cut onto a 7-inch record. [6] Loscil "scratched and abused" it, and then sampled and shaped the sounds from it to create the album. [6] A music video was released for the album's song "Vespera". [7] The album was released on May 28, 2021, through Kranky. [7]

Loscil later released Lux Refractions (2021), a photo book accompanied by a CD containing tracks created from the same source as Clara. [8]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 85/100 [5]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [9]
Exclaim! 7/10 [10]
Mojo Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [11]
MusicOMH Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [12]
PopMatters 8/10 [13]
Spectrum Culture76% [14]
Uncut 9/10 [15]

According to the review aggregator Metacritic , Clara received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 85 out of 100 from 8 critic scores. [5]

Ben Devlin of MusicOMH commented that "Clara is a supremely accomplished record, and deserves to sit with previous career highlights like Submers and Monument Builders as a masterclass in abstract electronica." [12] Daniel Sylvester of Exclaim! stated, "At a protracted 70 minutes, Morgan's latest may be a bit too arduous for its foundation, but Loscil has always been an artist unafraid to exhaust an idea to its fullest, and Clara proves this in spades." [10]

Justin Vellucci of PopMatters called the album "a beguiling work that toys with space between light and shadow while touching on themes of space and gravity as all-encompassing and inspiring as the universe itself." [13] Heather Phares of AllMusic stated, "While the album's source material is somewhat different than usual, the results are still unmistakably Loscil." [9] She added, "A beautifully nuanced work, Clara is both revealing and mysterious -- and Loscil fans wouldn't expect anything less." [9]

Accolades

Year-end lists for Clara
PublicationListRankRef.
Beats Per Minute BPM's Favorite Ambient of 2021
—
[1]
MusicOMH musicOMH's Top 50 Albums of 2021
36
PopMatters The 20 Best Electronic Albums of 2021
18
[2]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Scott Morgan.

Clara track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Lux"5:40
2."Lumina"6:12
3."Lucida"5:44
4."Stella"10:08
5."Vespera"6:01
6."Sol"5:04
7."Aura"8:32
8."Flamma"6:04
9."Orta"7:18
10."Clara"9:11
Total length:69:54

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes. [17]

References

  1. 1 2 "BPM's Favorite Ambient of 2021". Beats Per Minute . January 10, 2022. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  2. 1 2 "The 20 Best Electronic Albums of 2021 (page 1 of 4)". PopMatters . December 14, 2021. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  3. ↑ Phares, Heather. "Loscil". AllMusic . Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  4. ↑ H., Rob (March 30, 2021). "loscil reveals intriguing new album with the immersive ambient cut "Vespera"". Beats Per Minute . Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 "Clara by Loscil". Metacritic . Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  6. 1 2 Eede, Christian (March 30, 2021). "Loscil Details New Album, 'Clara'". The Quietus . Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  7. 1 2 Thiessen, Brock (March 30, 2021). "Loscil Unveils New Album 'Clara'". Exclaim! . Retrieved September 16, 2025.
  8. ↑ "LUX Refractions | loscil". Bandcamp . Retrieved September 16, 2025.
  9. 1 2 3 Phares, Heather. "Clara - Loscil". AllMusic . Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  10. 1 2 Sylvester, Daniel (May 27, 2021). "'Clara' Further Proves Loscil's Undying Commitment to a Concept". Exclaim! . Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  11. ↑ Mulvey, John (July 2021). "Mojo Filter". Mojo . p. 87.
  12. 1 2 Devlin, Ben (May 26, 2021). "Loscil – Clara". MusicOMH . Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  13. 1 2 Vellucci, Justin (June 3, 2021). "Loscil's 'Clara' Is a Beguiling Work". PopMatters . Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  14. ↑ Bromfield, Daniel (June 6, 2021). "Loscil: Clara". Spectrum Culture. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  15. ↑ Wallace, Wyndham (July 2021). "New Albums". Uncut . p. 31.
  16. ↑ "musicOMH's Top 50 Albums Of 2021". MusicOMH . December 17, 2021. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  17. ↑ Loscil (2021). Clara (CD booklet). Kranky.
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