Eskmo - Sol [Apollo Promo]

Brendan Angelides has come a long way. Better known as Eskmo to followers of mostly bass-focused electronic music he progressed from the NuSkoolBreaks to be found in his early releases to one of the purveyors of Future Grime to finally arrive in epic, cinematic spheres with his new album "Sol" that is put on the circuit via the R&S Records offspring Apollo these days. Fusing orchestral bits with huge, (neo)kosmische sawtooth synths and cute melodic pieces in tunes like "Combustion", plunging into romantic and tender PostPop oceans with the ballad'esque "Blue And Grey" that surely is about to appeal both to fans and followers of James Blake as well as inward-looking BritPop and setting dancefloors in motion with catchy pieces like "Mind Of War" it seems that "Sol" as an album unravels Eskmo's formerly hidden talents in - instrumental - songwriting and creation of touching, in-depth atmospheres corresponding with the inner core of the human being, possibly best showcased in the albums title track itself which seems to evoke the same kind of hypnotic, fever'ish and all embracing tribal hum as the ceremonial didgeridoo does in aboriginal rituals and celebrations. This hum seamlessly blends into the follow-up "The Light Of One Thousand Furnaces", an eerie and at the same time angelic work of free floating sound art with great impact on advanced sunrise or terrace dance floors albeit its beats seem like distant turmoil at one point or the other. More levitating, beatless - and kitsch dripping - Pop is to be found in "Feed Fire", possibly the only tune that's taking things over the top here and would rather fit into the score of some, well, Disney or Pixar movie for a reason whilst the off-kilter progression of "The Sun Is A Drum" leads to a big climax whenever hammered through a well-adjusted P.A. system. Surprisingly "Can't Taste", the albums closing tune, even brings in caressing, unprocessed piano play and tenderly longing vocals for lovers and their loved ones, adding another recently discovered aspect to Eskmo's work. Check.