For a luminous listen that’ll reset your mind and soul, seek out Harpoon of Sunlight, by Future Museums.

Being the first vinyl release on Aural Canyon, you know this record has to be special, but this might just be the strongest and most varied album the label has released in some time.

Throughout the LP, Future Museums (AKA Neil Lord), basks the listener with soothing minimalist ambient music, upbeat kosmische explorations and electro-New Age meditations. Songs like the retro-flavored “Caw” revolve around soft hypnotic beats, while loose flute-like synth lines slide effortlessly around them. Meanwhile, tracks like the closing number, “Sunset Hysteria,” brings to mind the likes of Klaus Schulze and Kraftwerk, with its tight clock-like rhythm and waves of synthesized drones that ooze and flow in the background.

As stated in the liner notes, this album was created as an ode to the healing power and pleasure of sunlight. This theme comes across beautifully clear, as each tune glows with a bright, optimistic tone and an overall sense of peace. This is especially evident on “Palace Mending,” with its celestial chorus backing, chiming percussion and the occasional harp. You can almost see shafts of sunlight penetrating through a sky of grey clouds, as the layers of this misty soundscape shift and progress.

A brilliant and calming listen from top to bottom and an utterly essential item in the Aural Canyon discography, Harpoon of Sunlight is the kind of listen that we all could use as we enter the second autumn of the pandemic. Click here to preorder this album ahead of its September 17th release.

-KH

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