(Whirring Marvels In) Consensus Reality is the new album by Eluvium, the project of composer Matthew Robert Cooper. Inspired by T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land and Richard Brautigan’s All Watched Over By Machines Of Loving Grace, the album explores humanity's search for meaning and the impact of algorithms reflecting our interactions with machines. This complex relationship with technology is central to the album, which stands out in Eluvium’s catalog. During the writing process, Cooper experienced shoulder and arm pain that limited his left arm's mobility. This led to new compositional methods that combined electronic automation with traditional songwriting. Lyrical themes were created using algorithms to extract content from a notebook filled with years of thoughts, poems, and scientific ideas. Collaborating with musicians worldwide, including members of the American Contemporary Music Ensemble, Golden Retriever, and the Budapest Scoring Orchestra, much of the music was recorded remotely during the COVID lockdowns of 2020 and 2021, adding a unique layer to the project. (Whirring Marvels In) Consensus Reality weaves a narrative around technological advancement, loneliness, isolationism, and unchecked idealism in an ever-growing world, culminating in a sense of hope that reflects innovation and inspiration.
