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(2022) James Heather - Invisible Forces
Review:
The solo pianist is far from a lone presence in modern indie music. London-based musician and composer James Heather’s acclaimed debut LP, Stories from far Away On Piano (2017) emerged in the wake of classically trained artists such as Nils Frahm, Max Richter and Hidden Orchestra instrumentalist Poppy Ackroyd, who have all drawn increasingly broad audiences to solo piano. Heather’s material might be tagged as part of a “neoclassical” wave, but that hazy label always belies a disparity of influences and experience — in this case, ranging from folk roots to club culture and electronic music structures (partly fuelled by his years working for UK indie label Ninja Tune). His love of piano stemmed from a 1990s childhood that naturally blurred creative realms: Heather would learn pieces by Beethoven and Debussy while also tuning in to pirate radio. As a young adult in 2008, he was nearly killed in a road accident which left him in a coma. Playing piano formed part of his recovery process. Heather’s second album Invisible Forces retains the subtle power and intimacy of his previous compositions and remixes, but there’s a heightened confidence to his DIY approach. Recording at home on a refurbished Bosendorfer 200 grand piano, he incorporates heavy reverb and textured effects. There’s also a more intently autobiographical tone, from the opening notes of “Meant to Be”. These instrumentals are rather short (the elegantly stirring “Ultraviolet” is just a minute and a half) but their sentiments are vivid and the minimal elements hold your attention without any need for showy flourishes. “No Time Limit to Grief” flows and occasionally falters through phases of sorrow, restlessness and reconciliation. The precarious progressions of “Balance” relate to Heather’s late father, whose sense of balance was destabilised by a brain tumour. It’s both a searingly poignant expression and a memorably beautiful one. At some points the album’s atmosphere seems so personal that it’s hard to imagine hearing these works in a crowd, but Heather has already won a following through his live sets, including at festivals such as Glastonbury and Green Man. The spiralling soundscape of “Forgotten Cities” brings to mind elements of Max Richter’s 2010 album Infra, which responded to the 7/7 London bombings. There’s a political pulse and a dedication to human resilience beneath the dreamy surface melodies. Invisible Forces is a meditation on mortality and progressing beyond trauma. It is also a work of empathy and unexpectedly optimistic spirit that rewards repeat listens. The final tracks move forward by making peace with the past. “Hidden Angel” is composed as a letter of forgiveness to the lorry driver who hit Heather’s bike in 2008, and who might never know that he survived the serious accident. The tender “Immortal Beloved” is inspired by a famous 1812 love letter written (but never sent) by Beethoven to a mysterious recipient. Heather plays throughout with lightness of touch, intuition and resonant heart and soul. — FT
Track List:
01 - Meant to Be
02 - No Time Limit to Grief
03 - In Your Spirit
04 - Balance
05 - Ultraviolet
06 - Forgotten Cities
07 - Invisible Forces
08 - Ancestral Future Now
09 - Beginnings
10 - Hidden Angel
11 - Immortal Beloved
Media Report:
Genre: ambient, classical
Country: London, UK
Format: FLAC
Format/Info: Free Lossless Audio Codec, 16-bit PCM
Bit rate mode: Variable
Channel(s): 2 channels
Sampling rate: 44.1 KHz
Bit depth: 16 bits
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