Pianists have a hard time to stand out from the crowd. There are ways you can via composition, production and tone and that’s where Muriel Bostorp comes into her own. Her debut album “See” has recorded the piano at its warmest, closest and most gentle. You can hear the hammers softly caressing the keys in a muted fashion – it’s like an ear hug full of honey.
Across the albums twelve tracks, Muriel gives very different moods. “Danse de Nuages” is fast-paced, swirling and wonderous as the higher keys skip around freely whilst the lower octaves circle fluidly. “For Wilem” is whimsical and lilting. “My Heart Crumbles” turns up the insides of the piano so you can almost hear with each key played, a chipping away of that heart as the track speeds up and down. “The Comforting Words of Your Mother” is bright and quietly uplifting as it rises up the octaves, whilst “Merry Go Rewind” its a curious waltz of off-kilter chord changes that is pretty but unnerving too. “Falling” becomes a heady culmination of the album where melody and tension collide.
What stays the constant is Bostorps playful way of playing with chord progressions that make sense but have an unusual nook in them somewhere. When combined with the warm tones, percussive key presses and pedal noises and her fluid almost early 20th Century style of playing, it creates a heady and morish mix. “See” is a great album from a pianist who has a great ear and heart for her instrument. Anyone looking for piano music or reflective music to watch the world go by to – this is the place to be.
Recommended track: Falling