Piano Piano
Dualtone, 2021
8/10
Probably best known as the co-founder, drummer, pianist and songwriter of The Lumineers, while I think we’re all used to members from seminal folk-bands putting out solo albums, I don’t think most of us expected Jeremiah Fraites to release his as a piano centered, instrumental effort.
“Departure” starts the listen very brief and pretty with warm keys, and “Chilly” follows with a exciting, precise and melodic landscape of restrained beauty where his unparalleled piano work is just so radiant.
Elsewhere, “Nearsighted” finds a dreamy place to reside where much atmosphere and rhythm invades the string friendly backdrop, while “Dreams” dances around plenty of emotion as quicker moments of tension meet stirring moments of serenity. “Possessed”, the album standout, then gets a bit moody, and with no lack of complicated but universally embraceable song craft that you can’t help but admire.
Close to the end, “Simplest Of Matters” takes on a cinematic quality with sweeping strings amid a nearly spiritual demeanor, and “Arrival” exits the listen with a sublime presence of delicate and poetic instrumentation as the strings complement the keys perfectly.
A record that Fraites has been working on for nearly a decade, it’s very apparent that much thought went into these songs, as he paints a very intimate landscape of quiet beauty and fascinating textures on a fantastic listen that says so much without the need for words.
Travels well with: Casey Gibson- Piano Music; Rachel Grimes- The Clearing