Reviewed: 2019-07-02
Genre: Jazz
FCCs: none
Review: Jazz pianist Mehidau has always been concerned with balancing a handful of musical priorities: dynamic fluctuation, tension and release, the play between a crisply stated idea and one that's projected or implied. All of these are factors on Mehldau's ambitious new album. What helps nudge it into strange new territory is a fixation on voice and breath. This is a swing-for-the-fences opus that references Old Testament prophets and other Biblical arcana; collides retro-futurist synthesizers with horns and strings; and interpolates an all-too-familiar slogan from a political rally. As you spend time listening, you begin to understand how much faith Mehldau has placed here in human vocalization, as a call to communion in troubled times.
If You Like: Cocteau Twins, Penderecki, Bulgarian Women’s Chorus, Dead Can Dance, Keith Emerson
**Track Review (favorites denoted by *):
1/ The Garden (7:18) – synth starts> uptempo jam with choral voices> swells in volume & intensity> crescendo end
2/ Born To Trouble (4:01) – synth starts> midtempo solo with Mehldau singing> pause> acoustic piano solo> uptempo electric piano solo> slowly builds in volume with added synth & vocal, then mellows to fade on acoustic piano
*3/ Striving After Wind (4:39) – synth starts> bubbly midtempo synth duet with drum machine> brief pause> voices join & soar> slows to fade
*4/ O Ephraim (5:22) – acoustic piano starts> midtempo solo incorporating synth & drum machine, with Mehldau vocalizing over the top> Rhodes solo> uptempo solo jam> slows to fade on acoustic piano
**5/ St. Mark Is Howling In The City Of The Night (6:20) – piano/synth starts> uptempo jam with chorus> drum machine kicks in> rocking uptempo jam> mellows to midtempo> slows to fade
6/ The Prophet Is A Fool (6:48) – cymbals start> midtempo jam with spoken word> rocking uptempo jam> slows, then swings back up, then mellows with spoken words interjected> uptempo jam with sonic voices> quick fade
***7/ Make It All Go Away (4:32) – spoken word starts> synth leads into uptempo jam with celestial female chorus> male singer joins> quick fade
8/ Deep Water (5:13) – synth starts with swirling noise> slow jam with heavy percussive beats> builds in volume & tempo> slows to fade> celestial chorus kicks in> slow sonic jam>crescendo> slows to fade
***9/ Proverb Of Ashes (4:18) – synth starts uptempo> uptempo jam> chorus kicks in with mingling vocals> quick fade
*10/ Finding Gabriel (7:06) – acoustic piano starts slow & stately> midtempo jam with chorus> spoken word over the top> uptempo jam builds in volume & intensity> piano solo slows to midtempo> chorus joins> quick fade