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Modern Classical: A Cerulean State - Just Out of Sight (2016)


100 / 100
A flawless portrayal of “tormenting serenity,” Just Out of Sight merges cinematic/ambient piano into an emotional narrative that feels like a shadowy, untold film. Alexander Skoog successfully delivers three tracks that embody beauty, longing, and quiet despair—earning every bit of its perfect score.
Alexander Skoog is the figure behind the name A Cerulean State, which can mean a peaceful and calm state, yet also melancholic—much like the cinematic/modern classical music he creates. Cerulean itself refers to sky blue, a color we see every day and one that, for me personally, embodies both conditions: it can be soothing because it symbolizes boundless freedom, yet it can also bring sadness because that freedom feels unattainable, awakening memories, longing, and dreams in a life that often feels narrow, torturous and exhausting.

In the April 2016 EP Just Out of Sight, A Cerulean State conveys a single sentence: "And suddenly I found a bit of myself in the reflection of your eyes," across three tracks. It seems to be based on an untold shadow-story or imaginary film as what he always said, lying somewhere between romantic and melancholic, especially since the eye depicted on the cover looks pained and is shrouded in darkness.

The blend of ambient and slow piano notes in each track is something often heard in drama films and elsewhere. Yet somehow, so many works in this style still manage to cut deep into the heart. Christoffer Franzén, Kai Engel, Akira Kosemura, and A Cerulean State have all proven the extraordinary quality of their emotional music to me.

I’m not sure what else there is to dissect or criticize about this EP. In our modern age, we are given not only the bright, flashy noise of spectacle but also portrayals of the dimming human spirit—dimmed by the very progress being displayed—eventually leading us to seek escape, to return to simplicity, such as the sorrowful music found in this EP.

This release from A Cerulean State is not just bedtime or contemplative relaxation music—it is also the perfect form of a tormenting serenity.
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