Clara (album)

Clara
Studio album by
Loscil
ReleasedMay 28, 2021 (2021-05-28)
Genre
Length69:54
LabelKranky
ProducerScott Morgan
Loscil chronology
Adrift
(2020) 		Clara
(2021) 		The Sails
(2022)

Clara is a studio album by Canadian composer and record producer Scott Morgan under the pseudonym Loscil.[3] It was released on May 28, 2021, through Kranky.[4] It received universal acclaim from critics.[5]

Background

The sounds on Clara are sourced from a 3-minute composition performed by a 22-piece string orchestra in Budapest, Hungary, that was lathe-cut onto a 7-inch record.[6] Loscil "scratched and abused" it, and then sampled and shaped the sounds from it to create the album.[6] A music video was released for the album's song "Vespera".[7] The album was released on May 28, 2021, through Kranky.[7]

Loscil later released Lux Refractions (2021), a photo book accompanied by a CD containing tracks created from the same source as Clara.[8]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic85/100[5]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
Exclaim!7/10[10]
Mojo[11]
MusicOMH[12]
PopMatters8/10[13]
Spectrum Culture76%[14]
Uncut9/10[15]

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Clara received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 85 out of 100 from 8 critic scores.[5]

Ben Devlin of MusicOMH commented that "Clara is a supremely accomplished record, and deserves to sit with previous career highlights like Submers and Monument Builders as a masterclass in abstract electronica."[12] Daniel Sylvester of Exclaim! stated, "At a protracted 70 minutes, Morgan's latest may be a bit too arduous for its foundation, but Loscil has always been an artist unafraid to exhaust an idea to its fullest, and Clara proves this in spades."[10]

Justin Vellucci of PopMatters called the album "a beguiling work that toys with space between light and shadow while touching on themes of space and gravity as all-encompassing and inspiring as the universe itself."[13] Heather Phares of AllMusic stated, "While the album's source material is somewhat different than usual, the results are still unmistakably Loscil."[9] She added, "A beautifully nuanced work, Clara is both revealing and mysterious -- and Loscil fans wouldn't expect anything less."[9]

Accolades

Year-end lists for Clara
Publication List Rank Ref.
Beats Per Minute BPM's Favorite Ambient of 2021
—
[1]
MusicOMH musicOMH's Top 50 Albums of 2021
36
[16]
PopMatters The 20 Best Electronic Albums of 2021
18
[2]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Scott Morgan.

Clara track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Lux"5:40
2."Lumina"6:12
3."Lucida"5:44
4."Stella"10:08
5."Vespera"6:01
6."Sol"5:04
7."Aura"8:32
8."Flamma"6:04
9."Orta"7:18
10."Clara"9:11
Total length:69:54

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes.[17]

  • Scott Morgan – production
  • Budapest Scoring – string orchestra recording

References

  1. ^ a b "BPM's Favorite Ambient of 2021". Beats Per Minute. January 10, 2022. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  2. ^ a b "The 20 Best Electronic Albums of 2021 (page 1 of 4)". PopMatters. December 14, 2021. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  3. ^ Phares, Heather. "Loscil". AllMusic. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  4. ^ H., Rob (March 30, 2021). "loscil reveals intriguing new album with the immersive ambient cut "Vespera"". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  5. ^ a b c "Clara by Loscil". Metacritic. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  6. ^ a b Eede, Christian (March 30, 2021). "Loscil Details New Album, 'Clara'". The Quietus. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  7. ^ a b Thiessen, Brock (March 30, 2021). "Loscil Unveils New Album 'Clara'". Exclaim!. Retrieved September 16, 2025.
  8. ^ "LUX Refractions | loscil". Bandcamp. Retrieved September 16, 2025.
  9. ^ a b c Phares, Heather. "Clara - Loscil". AllMusic. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  10. ^ a b Sylvester, Daniel (May 27, 2021). "'Clara' Further Proves Loscil's Undying Commitment to a Concept". Exclaim!. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  11. ^ Mulvey, John (July 2021). "Mojo Filter". Mojo. p. 87.
  12. ^ a b Devlin, Ben (May 26, 2021). "Loscil – Clara". MusicOMH. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  13. ^ a b Vellucci, Justin (June 3, 2021). "Loscil's 'Clara' Is a Beguiling Work". PopMatters. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  14. ^ Bromfield, Daniel (June 6, 2021). "Loscil: Clara". Spectrum Culture. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  15. ^ Wallace, Wyndham (July 2021). "New Albums". Uncut. p. 31.
  16. ^ "musicOMH's Top 50 Albums Of 2021". MusicOMH. December 17, 2021. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  17. ^ Loscil (2021). Clara (CD booklet). Kranky.
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