Contemplative like a Rabbi, sorrowful like a graveside eulogy, and elegant like a strapless gown, Similes, the newest album from ambient architect Matthew Cooper, aka Eluvium?, is all things emotive. It is also a promising new direction for a man with more than half a dozen albums to his credit.

In the interest of full disclosure I have to confess I’m not entirely sure what does and does not constitute as ‘ambient’ these days, but if Similes is any indication of where the genre is headed, it’s something I can gladly get behind.

Like many of the albums before it Similes is a skillful tapestry of synthetic sounds, reversed tracks, piano, swells and Atari effects, all generously basted in reverb, but for this particular project Cooper also added a new twist to the mix—his voice.

Unlike Bob Dylan? going electric or Joaquin Phoenix going hip-hop, Cooper’s decision to start singing isn’t something his fans need to be concerned about. He’s not reinventing the Eluvium? wheel, just tweaking it a bit. The vocals, which appear on approximately half the album’s tracks are simple, subtle and woven in among the ambient bliss as seamlessly as a Moog.

The new, vocally-enhanced Eluvium?, sounds something like a cross between a manlier version of Imogen Heap and listening to the Postal Service? under water. But the net result is predictably inspiring. Listeners who are familiar with more traditional Eluvium? albums will not be disappointed.

It’s not surprising to see why Cooper excels at soundtrack work. The music of Similes would be a perfect accompaniment to any dream sequence, love scene or any other cinematic context that demands more empathy. Collectively, the songs of Similes are deeply moving, but perhaps none more so than “The Motion Makes Me Last,” in which Cooper’s dramatic and understated vocal presence is illuminated by a plodding piano and a single stroke melody that rings heavy and impactful. If the goal of ambient music is to inspire, you’d be hard pressed to find a better album than Similes and a better conduit than Eluvium?.