spectral

reviews

“a vibrant array of vocals and electronics…she uses her recordings as a jumping-off point for her pensive music, swirling doleful piano and electronics into an expansive, nostalgic sound.” - Vanessa Ague, Pitchfork

“Cocolas patiently burrows through the surface of the mundane and familiar, slowing down time and creating deep space to observe the transient beauty of fading and emerging moments. It’s gorgeous stuff.” - Leah Kardos, The Wire

[Bandcamp Album of the Day] & [Bandcamp Best Experimental Music: July 2022] - “Existing at the intersection of subjectivity and intention, Spectral is a mesmerizing exploration of stillness, perception, and memory.” - Ted Davis, Bandcamp

“With Spectral, Cocolas again shows her mastery of powerfully restrained composition” - Electronic Sound

“A beautiful and restrained album of gentle piano melodies and evocative ambience.” Boomkat

“easily one of the year’s finest ambient full-lengths…. undeniably hypnotic… a compelling listen” - Shawn Reynaldo, First Floor

“a gorgeous new work….a musical narrative, expressing deep emotions through the sounds of industrial machinery, swarms of crickets and huge storms, combined with Cocolas' sensitive keyboards and piano” Peter Hollo, FBI Radio

[2022 Top Ten Modern Composition] “Her unique alchemical blend of post classical and ambient music is really something quite special… Her compositions are endlessly fascinating, highly experimental, deeply calming, and at times transcendent.” - Cyclic Defrost

“Spectral is a powerful and subtle contemplation on place… [it] is a beautiful document of Madeleine Cocolas’ own explorations and struggles, and as such it can help us to find our own way.” - A Closer Listen

“Cocolas has an unparalleled ability to distill complex emotions into remarkable, engaging soundscapes, and Spectral is among her best. A beautiful, poignant album.” - Brad Rose, Foxy Digitalis

“On Spectral, the devil is in the detail, and what the listener is gifted with is a deeply transformative experience from one human being, their documentation and experience of the world at a moment in time, to another” - Tristan Birrell, 4ZZZ

“ What Brisbane-based composer and musician Madeleine Cocolas forged by combining a set of sounds she grabbed by her phone from the surroundings of her dwelling is simply amazing and considerably touching if you can reasonably say you preserved your soul in these hard times.” Chaindlk

“A Perfect and varied album of soundscapes that invite you to stay aware of your surroundings.” Ambientblog

“Cocolas explores a world of timeless, calm and beautifully washed out Ambient goodness from the very first moments of the opener” Baze Djunkii, Nitestylez

“Madeleine has sculptured the sounds so they never stay still, yet they evoke an inner stillness. The track is relaxing and meditative but emotionally expressive and that’s a difficult balance to achieve.” - Higher Plain Music

“Outrageously beautiful” - Groove Magazine

“Subtle and glorious” - Boomkat

“Pure Class” - Gonzo Circus

“Superb” - Roland Torres, Silence and Sound