Peter Broderick How They Are (Bella Union)
4/5
By: Liane Escorza
As with anything that Peter Broderick does, How They Are is delicate, minimalist and arresting. The latest work from this former Efterklang member sees him now running solo, albeit at a slow pace, savouring space and time to the max.
This seven-track compilation has its allure resting not only in the sweetness of the melodies and the twinkling of the visual snapshots of warm tea over frosty mornings it conjures, but also on the feeling it creates of truly enhancing the silence that would otherwise surround, presenting a blank canvas of sound, laid open to be explored and tampered with.
Broderick’s manner is shy, gentle, observant and prone to lingering into repetitive chants of lonesome beauty. In-between subtle loops of piano and meticulous dancing of fingers on guitar strings, he offers raw songs with no fillers, each a sketch or carving that resembles an unfinished product heavy enough to hold its own weight.
From ‘Sideline’ to ‘Hello to Nils’ – a collaboration with Nils Frahm on the black and white keys that’s more than compelling – and through ‘Guilt’s Tune’ and ‘With a Key’, Broderick folds neo-classicism gently into the guitar song-writing mix, bringing elegance and calm to the soul: quite an astonishing achievement, considering all songs were recorded and mixed onto two inch tape in one single long day. How They Are is brilliant and tactful in both its brevity and fragility.
Peter Broderick - Pulling The Rain
Artists in this article: Peter Broderick
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