Jacob Long’s fourth full-length for Kranky began as a notion to reimagine Earthen Sea as a “piano trio,” inspired by a year-long immersion in the ECM label catalog, but the compositions soon grew more complex. Elements were chopped and resampled, then layered with bass, drums, percussion, and additional keys. The result is a fusion of live band acoustics and downtempo loops, sculpted into nine smoke-and-mirror dubs of fractured jazz, soft-focus noir, and trip-hop dust: Recollection.

Like the title implies, Long’s playing and production share a mood of pensive movement, shuffling and rippling like uncertain memories at strange hours. From looming fog (“Present Day,” “Neon Ruins”) and shadowy breaks (“Another Space,” “Cloudy Vagueness”) to rosy glows (“Clear Photograph”) and smeared reverie (“White Sky”), Recollection deftly wields its palette of gradient color and subdued states of beauty. His is a music of reduction and reflection, kinetic but oblique, attuned to the silhouettes of sound.

Audiopile Review: Kranky is a vintage label that seems more relevant than ever. In a world where all that was solid has melted into air, the ambient post-rock of acts like Labradford and Stars of the Lid seems distinctly prescient. One of Kranky’s foundational inspirations was the ECM label, which itself is having a bit of a moment. Like ECM’s founder Manfred Eicher (or, indeed, the godlike Peter Hammill), the folks at Kranky have never been content to rest on their laurels. They’re still out there, championing the likes of ambient lo-fi beatmaker Jacob Long aka Earthen Sea. Those of you who haven’t been paying attention in class may be surprised to learn that ‘Recollection’ is Long’s fourth album for Kranky. And it’s one that deserves to raise his profile significantly, and hopefully inspire heads to dig deep into his extensive back catalogue. You could think of Earthen Sea as a grittier, more organic version of Vancouver’s own Kranky mainstay Loscil, with warm-and-fuzzy keys drifting over dubby beats. If this sounds remotely appealing, ‘Recollection’ is going to do the business for you right from the get-go. It’s great that Kranky is still willing and able to develop talents like this. And ‘Recollection’ is a treat for fans of anything in the label’s orbit.