Greg Haines – Digressions


Digressions

When the relatively short opening track from “Digressions” slowly fades into the second track, “Caden Cotard”, an unexpected, jaw-dropping massiveness starts to build – a full orchestral sound that I did not expect to hear on this third Greg Haines album.

It’s not ‘loud’, it’s not ‘noise’ – it’s beautifully restrained, but it’s just…massive.

But then, within the same track, the intensity drops to a much quieter level to become much more intimate. 
With this flow of tension and release, “Digressions” somehow compares to a post-rock album, however with a different instrumentation.
Musically, it feels more like it’s a full classical symphony.

Nils Frahm – Felt

Although just under 30, self-taught pianist Nils Frahm has gained world-wide recognition for his delicate, yet fascinatingly dynamic, improvisational style of playing. He’s not afraid of starting with a brusque hammering of the piano keyboard and keeping that up for quite some time, until suddenly the underlying composition starts to show and may suddenly turn into an utterly moving, melancholic composition.

By recording his playing from the inside, the squeaking and groaning of the piano mechanism accompanying the bright piano notes has become one of his trademarks. 

Felt“,  his latest release, is perfectly in line with its predecessors Wintermusik andThe Bells, but it’s balance is even more mature.

Dakota Suite+Quentin Sirjacq – The Side of her Inexhaustible Heart


Inexhaustible Heart Cover

In the impressive back catologue of Chris Hooson‘s Dakota Suite, a few constant factors can be recognized: his continuing personal struggle with his intense depressions, his dedicated love for his wife Johanna who supports him through his most difficult periods – and the extremely personal quality of his music. 

Recent Dakota Suite albums were mainly instrumental, but this new double album The Side of her Inexhausible Heart” finds a perfect balance between instumental, ‘post-classical’ tracks and the characteristic Chris Hooson vocals known from the earlier Dakota Suite albums: intimate – sometimes even up to almost painfully intimate.