Lord of the Isles: Subtle Thoughts (digital outlets)

You don't need to know much about British history to guess that electronica composer Neil McDonald – who goes by the name Lord of the Isles – is a proud Scot.

Lord of the Isles was the ancient title handed down to ruler of the islands and some of the mainland in Western Scotland, today the Lord of the Isles is Prince William.

The original clan which held the title were the MacDonalds and this McDonald invokes the isles and western lands by adopting that chiefly designation and also evokes the region on this album which opens with rainfall behind a romantic, chiming synth figure which suggests open space and distance.

In many ways this is a somewhat traditional electronica album located somewhere between the more downbeat conceptual albums of the Seventies and more recent ambient and cinematic developments.

It is indeed subtle, as the title suggests, and somewhat melancholy in places but pieces like the weightless, five minute Lo-Theory suggest quiet and solitary reflection on a warm day in that rugged and often wind-battered environment.

Found sounds and field recordings add environmental texture of Coco Melon (distant voices, thunder) which means the bliptronica of Return to Yourself breaks the gentle mood.

Perhaps there is a lack of distinctive personality here (the archetypal Poly Ballad) and some of the shorter pieces merely create an atmosphere which goes unexplored.

But much of this is gently immersive (the disconcertingly attractive space ambience of Embers excepted) and the gorgeous title track at the end samples the late Carl Sagan whose inspirational words lift us from the isles back into this world.

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You can hear and buy this album at bandcamp here