Blanket Waves - EP

Following their first two full-lengths as Inventions, both of which arrived within a year of each other, Eluvium's Matthew Cooper and Explosions in the Sky's Mark T. Smith stretch out a bit and release a vinyl-only EP of two dream-like collage pieces, each of which exceed ten minutes in length. Blanket Waves blends calmly rolling synthetic textures with acoustic instruments, eerie voices, and electronic pulses, occasionally lapsing into more song-like moments. It's hard to tell where the release is headed at first, until some electronically altered cymbal swells signal something building up. Eventually it settles into a stately beat along with cinematic pianos, recalling some sort of racing scene, most likely set in slow motion. This seems like it's going to lead to a triumphant climax, but it's delayed a bit, and it ends up being darker than anticipated, with searing yet controlled guitar and distantly whispering voices. The second side picks up in a confident yet somewhat worried state, weaving in nature sounds and confused, possibly disturbed voices. The piece shifts through a few more movements of scattered beats, racing strings, and fragmented voices before ending up calm, soothing, and welcoming, with a cheery (yet vaguely sinister) voice declaring "I'm so glad you came" near the end. Overall, the release is a surreal, unpredictable excursion, and it finds the duo continuing to venture further outside the styles of their main projects, tapping into their subconscious minds in order to create striking dreamscapes.