Hanging By A Thread
Self-Released, 2022
8/10
A Minneapolis resident who is a member of the piano faculty of Carleton College, Matthew McCright brings his inimitable piano playing to this solo affair that spotlights the work of Dorothy Hindman, Alican Camci, Andrea Mazzariello, Takuma Itoh, Kirsten Soriano and Paul Dresher.
“To Spill Oneself Away” opens the listen with twinkling keys, where much attention is paid to mood in the mysterious, intimate climate, and “Olgun Bit Meyvenin Sesiyledüserken” follows with the bare keys emitting much beauty amid the sparse versus firm gestures.
In the middle, the calm, reflective “As Far as You Can Stretch a Web, Mvt III: Prelude, Refracted” showcases McCright’s agile fingers in the absorbing album highlight, while “Intermezzo" showcases a very distinct tone thanks to the skilled and cautious progressions.
“Your Hands, As They Are” and “Blue Diamonds” exit the listen, where the former turns minimalism into a refined science thanks to its meticulous nature, and “Blue Diamonds” finishes with bouts of busier moments in between the vulnerable rhythm and fleeting meters.
An album that began at the inception of the pandemic, McCright wasn’t even sure if he’d be able to complete the project, but the hurdles he had to jump through only made the body of work that much more emotional, exciting and memorable.
Travels well with: Dave Flynn- Irish Minimalism; Alexander Tchobanov- Eclectic Sounds