Monument Builders | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | November 11, 2016 | |||
Length | 37:40 | |||
Label | Kranky | |||
Producer | Scott Morgan | |||
Loscil chronology | ||||
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Monument Builders is a studio album by Canadian composer and record producer Scott Morgan under the pseudonym Loscil. [1] It was released on November 11, 2016, through Kranky. [2] It received generally favorable reviews from critics. [3]
Monument Builders is Loscil's first studio album since Sea Island (2014). [4] He drew inspiration from rewatching a VHS copy of the documentary film Koyaanisqatsi (1982), as well as its score composed by Philip Glass. [5] He was also inspired by the works of photographer Edward Burtynsky and the writings of philosopher John Gray. [5] A music video was released for the song "Drained Lake". [6]
Aggregate scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 77/100 [3] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Exclaim! | 8/10 [8] |
The Line of Best Fit | 8/10 [9] |
Pitchfork | 7.4/10 [10] |
PopMatters | 7/10 [11] |
The Skinny | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
According to the review aggregator Metacritic , Monument Builders received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 77 out of 100 from 11 critic scores. [3]
Heather Phares of AllMusic stated, "Monument Builders is a powerful reminder that ambient music is a fine conduit for emotionally and politically charged messages, and it's one of Morgan's finest works yet." [7] Daniel Sylvester of Exclaim! commented that the album "finds Loscil at his most focused, political and meticulous, a bleak but fulfilling listen whether you're aware of the album's brainy themes or not." [8] Finbarr Bermingham of The Skinny stated, "This is a breathless and dense record, built on layers of crackle, fuzz and dystopian fugue." [12] He added, "What really capture the imagination, though, are the fleeting, stark melodies Loscil introduces on almost every track." [12]
Publication | List | Rank | Ref. |
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AllMusic | Favorite Electronic Albums | — | |
Somewherecold | Top 10 Albums of the Year | 4 |
All tracks are written by Scott Morgan.
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Drained Lake" | 6:46 |
2. | "Red Tide" | 5:25 |
3. | "Monument Builders" | 4:43 |
4. | "Straw Dogs" | 4:57 |
5. | "Deceiver" | 4:41 |
6. | "Anthropocene" | 4:39 |
7. | "Weeds" | 6:29 |
Total length: | 37:40 |
Credits adapted from liner notes. [15]