Eluvium is Matthew Robert Cooper, a former Louisvillian whose music leans toward the meditative reflection of drone and ambient. Upon first listen to Nightmare, Cooper’s eighth full-length release, the obvious comparison is likeminded acts Stars of the Lid or Fennesz, purveyors of modern drone. There exists throughout Nightmare a comforting calm, made evident by the post-rock instrumentation that gives so much of Cooper’s music movement, exemplified by the delicate and pleasing interplay of piano melodies on tracks like “Impromptu (For the Procession)” or “Don’t Get Any Closer” that sets Eluvium apart from contemporaries. Still, the subtle majesty of tracks like “Warm” or “Happiness” lend an air of legitimacy and splendor to the album, given his predilection to ruminate on soft and shimmering soundscapes, that firmly establishes Eluvium as a critical piece of the ambient canon.