Mike Cooper - Raft [Room 40 Promo]

Scheduled for release on July 7th, 2k17 via the Australian imprint Room 40 is "Raft", the latest album outing by longtime active composer, artist and musician Mike Cooper who has been on the musical circuit for nearly five decades. With the seven takes on this album Mike Cooper explores a sonic realms somewhat in between Ambient, Indietronica and Exotica-influences starting out with the beautifully arranged "Raft 21 - Guayaquil To Tully" which combines echoes of Post-PostRock with PopAmbient, twang guitars and a few waves of digital crackling seamlessly blending into "Raft 37 - Las Balsas", a 12+ minutes meditation on desert melancholia throughout a hot summers day. In the short interlude "Raft 28 - Vital Alsar" we see the twang melancholia being fused with somehow Drum'n'Bass-reminiscing background beat structures, "Raft 33 - Malama Honua (To Care For Our Earth)" is more of a tension-loaden, brooding affair based on raw, distorted droning, Field Recordings of voices and repetetive rhythmic patterns of ritual qualities and "Raft 29 - Honey Hunters" is a sparse, highly experimental affair featuring a cold, steady and highly sci-fi sounding tone, plucked guitar strings, gongs and various background recordings of unknown origin, all combined to a highly fascinating, spine-tingling effect. Furthermore "Raft 36 - Age Unlimited" brings in a slightly chaotic, multilayered feel including what seem to be backward recordings before the final cut "Raft 27 - Guayaquil To Ballina" provides deep, partially bluesy tranquility and makes up for a nice closing tune for this fascinating, well-recommended album affair.