'Encouraged To Lose' is Durham, UK ambient sound producer David Newlyn's fourth release on the Sound In Silence label, and for some odd reason his previous efforts eluded me. (I get a lot of SIS product for review.) 'Encouraged To Lose' is a mere five tracks in 32 minutes and I can't think of a more self-defeating title for an album, except maybe if Newlyn's parents, teachers, or friends were not very supportive of his career choices, or maybe this is just an in-joke we're just not privy to. Be that as it may, this is very minimalist ambient music, using piano, synths, field recordings, tape loops, etc. mostly in barely there fashion. When I first heard this, I did not like it at all; it sounded like hardly any effort was put into it. I put it away for weeks, and have just come back to it with a fresh perspective- it works pretty well for the most part, although the fourth track, "A Strange Kind of Confusion" can be a bit overbearing with a synth sound that verges on piercing. The radio static (or whatever it's supposed to be) on "17th Out of 19" seemed superfluous and unnecessary, but juxtaposed against the calm ambient pads it gives the track a certain uniqueness. If you're looking for a different brief trip into minimal ambient, this could be it. Comes in a limited edition of 200 handmade and hand-numbered collectible copies, or the digital download.