Cosmo Sheldrake finally released his much-anticipated new album "Eye to the Ear" last Friday, April 12, through Tardigrade Records and has already accrued critical acclaim from the likes of American Songwriter, CLASH, and The Line of Best Fit.
(Photo : Jack Thompson-Roylance)
'Eye to the Ear': Music of the Living World
Sheldrake's recent offering, an eagerly awaited follow-up to his fan-beloved full-length debut album "The Much Much How and I" (2018), is his successful attempt at creating a unique soundscape that melds familiar sonic elements with more-than-human additions.
The multi-instrumentalist, producer, and composer fully uses his proficiency as a "worldly listener," integrating sounds extracted directly from the living world to create an almost spiritual experience, from whale calls to a chorus of frogs croaking.
He does this while displaying great maturity and range, transitioning to soulful ballads that he arranged with the HOWL singers: a nine-piece female and non-binary choir.
Before the release, these elements were already out for show through advanced singles like his celestially haunting "Interdimensional" track, the gallivanting "I Stitched My Mind Back to My Body," and his heartfelt love letter to the expansive waters of nature: "Stop Old Ocean."
Sheldrake also shared the incredibly enthralling "Stop the Music" and his record's final track "Dream of Flying," both of which swiftly surpassed the one million mark in streams in just a week of being released.
"Eye to the Ear" exudes a gigantic spaciousness in its tracks through the artist's combination of folk, jazz, electronic, and experimental pop, all the while grounding the overall record through Sheldrake's patented sonic musings.
Cosmo Sheldrake's Commitment to Nature
The artist not only expresses a grand connection with the living world but also engages with it directly, being a core member of the More Than Human Rights (MOTH) Project.
According to the Guardian, Sheldrake has also pioneered a way to share the publishing rights of his environmentally attuned music directly to his muses, be it through funds supporting the animals or places that inspired the worldly tracks he has made.
In particular, a percentage of the royalties of his recent album will be donated back to "the Earth" through channels provided by ambient music pioneer and Suffolk-born artist Brian Eno's organization: "EarthPercent."
Specific tracks from "Eye to the Ear," which features the sounds of certain life forms, also have specific royalty arrangements.
For one, the artist has assigned 30% of the publishing rights for "But Once a Child" to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds' recovery program for endangered avian species.
Similarly, his "Lichens" track has 10% of its publishing rights directly funneled into funds that support the Fungi Foundation.
You can now stream "Eye to the Ear" on all major platforms by clicking here and reconnect with the living world itself while also contributing to various nature-supporting causes. Conversely, you can also sample the tracks below.
