Monument Builders

Last updated

Monument Builders
Monument Builders.jpg
Studio album by
Loscil
ReleasedNovember 11, 2016 (2016-11-11)
Genre
Length37:40
Label Kranky
Producer Scott Morgan
Loscil chronology
Sea Island
(2014)		Monument Builders
(2016)		Equivalents
(2019)

Monument Builders is a studio album by Canadian composer and record producer Scott Morgan under the pseudonym Loscil. [3] It was released on November 11, 2016, through Kranky. [4] It received generally favorable reviews from critics. [5]

Contents

Background

Monument Builders is Loscil's first studio album since Sea Island (2014). [6] He drew inspiration from rewatching a VHS copy of the documentary film Koyaanisqatsi (1982), as well as its score composed by Philip Glass. [7] He was also inspired by the works of photographer Edward Burtynsky and the writings of philosopher John Gray. [7] A music video was released for the track "Drained Lake". [8]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 77/100 [5]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [1]
Exclaim! 8/10 [9]
The Line of Best Fit 8/10 [10]
Pitchfork 7.4/10 [11]
PopMatters 7/10 [12]
The Skinny Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [13]

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. [5]

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." [1] 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." [9] Brian Burlage of Pitchfork described it as "a highly visual album, a mosaic of images depicting construction, erasure, devastation, redemption, and transformation." [11]

Finbarr Bermingham of The Skinny stated, "This is a breathless and dense record, built on layers of crackle, fuzz and dystopian fugue." [13] He added, "What really capture the imagination, though, are the fleeting, stark melodies Loscil introduces on almost every track." [13] Ian King of The Line of Best Fit stated, "Leaving listeners in the 'Weeds' surrounded by a swirl of haunting whispers, Monument Builders doesn't offer a happy ending, but nor is it devoid of hope." [10] He added, "Perhaps Loscil's most confrontational record, it processes the darkness in order to expunge it." [10]

Accolades

Year-end lists for Monument Builders
PublicationListRankRef.
AllMusic Favorite Electronic Albums
—
[2]
Somewherecold Top 10 Albums of the Year
4

Track listing

All tracks are written by Scott Morgan.

Monument Builders track listing
No.TitleLength
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

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes. [15]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Phares, Heather. "Monument Builders - Loscil". AllMusic . Retrieved July 6, 2025.
  2. 1 2 "Favorite Electronic Albums | AllMusic 2016 in Review". AllMusic . Retrieved July 6, 2025.
  3. ↑ Phares, Heather. "Loscil". AllMusic . Retrieved July 6, 2025.
  4. ↑ Mrozek, Patryk (September 8, 2016). "Loscil announces new album Monument Builders on Kranky". Tiny Mix Tapes . Retrieved July 6, 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 "Monument Builders by Loscil". Metacritic . Retrieved July 6, 2025.
  6. ↑ Adams, Gregory (September 8, 2016). "Loscil Announces Philip Glass-Inspired 'Monument Builders' Album". Exclaim! . Retrieved July 6, 2025.
  7. 1 2 Sylvester, Daniel (November 16, 2016). "Loscil Explores End Times on 'Monument Builders'". Exclaim! . Retrieved July 6, 2025.
  8. ↑ Thiessen, Brock (October 11, 2016). "Loscil "Drained Lake" (video)". Exclaim! . Retrieved July 6, 2025.
  9. 1 2 Sylvester, Daniel (November 9, 2016). "Loscil". Exclaim! . Retrieved July 6, 2025.
  10. 1 2 3 King, Ian (November 2, 2016). "Loscil's Monument Builders processes darkness in order to expunge it". The Line of Best Fit . Retrieved July 6, 2025.
  11. 1 2 Burlage, Brian (November 14, 2016). "Loscil: Monument Builders". Pitchfork . Retrieved July 6, 2025.
  12. ↑ Duricy, Brian (November 30, 2016). "Loscil: Monument Builders". PopMatters . Retrieved July 6, 2025.
  13. 1 2 3 Bermingham, Finbarr (November 3, 2016). "Loscil – Monument Builders". The Skinny . Retrieved July 6, 2025.
  14. ↑ "Somewherecold Awards 2016". Somewherecold . December 9, 2016. Archived from the original on June 14, 2022. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
  15. ↑ Loscil (2016). Monument Builders (CD booklet). Kranky.
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