Introduced in 2003, Matthew Cooper's Eluvium moniker was an unexpected breath of fresh air to an ambient electronic scene that was quickly losing steam.

Influenced by neoclassical icons like Erik Satiev and Philip Glass, Eluvium snuck emotionally stirring melodies into a blizzard of haze and fuzz, and incidentally became a celebrated composer oft-mentioned in the same breath as his heroes.

After the release of Copia in 2007, Eluvium toured for over a year, often supporting labelmates and close friends Explosions In The Sky.

By the middle of 2008, Cooper was craving a new direction. After five albums in as many years, he was perhaps feeling a little complacent.

For the first time since its inception, a year would pass without a new Eluvium album. In fact, three years would pass.

During that time, Cooper released a stirring solo album (Miniatures), scored a major motion picture (Some Days Are Better Than Others) and released a jaw-dropping deluxe vinyl box set.

After completing and subsequently scrapping what was to be the follow-up to Copia, Cooper took a courageous creative leap with Similes, an 8-song album featuring three key musical elements previously uncharted by Eluvium: percussion, a verse-chorus song structure, and singing.

For a celebrated experimental musician, it was just about the bravest and scariest direction to go.

In this way, Similes is the most truly experimental Eluvium album yet, and also the most accessible.

Written, performed and recorded as always by Cooper in his home studio, Similes marries Eluvium's trademark dream-like aura with Cooper's unique, laconic vocals, akin to an especially contemplative Ian Curtis with trace reflections of Magnetic Fields and Brian Eno.

It is the most daring - and ultimately most rewarding - work of Eluvium's impressive and prolific career.