Thirty-five studio albums is a number that stops most conversations before they start. For Igor Keller, it’s simply the current count. Under the Longboat name, the Seattle-based composer has spent decades building a catalog that now exceeds 500 songs — one that spans electronic blues, jazz-influenced pop, film scoring sensibilities, and full orchestral production. Album 35, out now, adds another distinct chapter to that body of work.

The record’s most immediate distinction is structural. Across its runtime, Album 35 moves through three separate timelines — past, present, and future — each carrying its own sonic and thematic weight. That organization wasn’t drafted in advance. It surfaced once the writing and arranging were finished, which makes the coherence of the final sequence more striking. The material found its own logic.

Keller’s background shapes how that logic sounds. A former jazz tenor saxophonist who later moved into film scoring before developing Longboat’s signature blend of structure, narrative, and cultural commentary, he brings a composer’s instinct to every release. That instinct is audible throughout Album 35, particularly in how the live strings interact with the electronic instrumentation. String sessions for Longboat’s orchestral releases have evolved considerably over time — what began as a small ensemble has expanded into a group of symphony and ballet musicians who contribute actively to shaping each track rather than simply performing what’s written.

“Since it is always a joy to create, I don’t measure my progress in milestones or achievements. It’s all part of an evolution that I am always eager to experience; one that pushes me into unfamiliar territory. At this point, I look back at my previous works with satisfaction and look forward to my future projects with great excitement. I will be making much more music in the future.”

Thematically, the album sits in familiar Longboat territory. Wealth, power, technology, and political absurdity have run through the project’s discography for years, and Album 35 approaches that terrain with the same directness that defined recent releases like Word Gets Around and Absentia. Where those records examined media saturation and loss respectively, this one casts its net wider — pulling from historical precedent to frame commentary on the present without tipping into moralizing.

The Longboat catalog keeps moving. Album 35 makes clear it hasn’t found a ceiling yet.