Cruel Optimism

by Lawrence English

Cruel Optimism cover art

Inspired directly by Lauren Berlant's sociological text regarding the false promises of modern capitalism, the Australian ambient composer crafts a suffocating, tectonic album. The record utilizes overwhelmingly thick waves of distorted synthesizer drone and processed vocal choirs to simulate an atmosphere of crushing political dread and systemic anxiety. It is a masterful, deeply pessimistic exercise in extreme sonic pressure.

Genres

  • Ambient
  • Drone

Tracklist

  1. Hard Rain
  2. The Quietest Shore
  3. Hammering a Screw
  4. Crow
  5. Requiem for a Reaper / Pillar of Cloud
  6. Exquisite Human Microphone
  7. Object of Projection
  8. Negative Drone
  9. Somnambulist
  10. Moribund Territories