Sounds like…

A beautiful ivory keyed pitch for creativity in a time of relaxation.

The review

“Från Dagar Av Vila” is Swedish for “From Days of Rest” and forms a sweet and melodic calming story for composer LUCHS. It struck LUCHS when looking back at all the pieces on the album, that he had written them whilst not setting out to write anything at all. It was as if resting his creative chops let him create without the nagging push of having something to finish. That lazy day untroubled vibe permeates every track on the album.

Recorded entirely on Steinway pianos as part of a project, each track features the piano in a slightly different light. “145” is deeply intimate and scurries around like snowflakes and warm scarves. It is a beautifully composed and attentively played piece that sets up the album’s style. “Dagmars Piano” came out of an improvisation session and the muted hammers and felt add extra depth to what is a homely track. It is uplifting and buoyant whereas “Själv” feels like time ticking by. Its stately keys slowly twist to minor keys as time tumbles downward but it never dwells on minor notes and twists back again to happier chords. The track in Swedish means “alone but not lonely” and it sounds exactly like the emotion.

As the album progresses, LUCHS continues to imbue each piece with a sense of nostalgia and belonging. “Lövsta” is a richly warming piece about home. “Bråddjup” has a dissonant wire in the piano makeup to give what feels like an Olafur Arnald’s styled track a bitter undercurrent. “Romantic Theme X” feels like a classic romance piece that you’d hear in Hollywood or a JRPG. It’d fit right in with Final Fantasy VIII. The final piece “Strävan” means to strive and it is a bold finale. It’s the only track with additional strings and they float like ghosts in the background, barely heard for the majority of the piece. Then after halfway, a bold striding lower register of piano and string ride in, almost questioning themselves in the process. It is an excellent piece that feels weightier than anything else on the album. LUCHS insures the track soothes itself into submission though, leaving us with a gallop of elegance over power.

Piano lovers and new classical fiends will absolutely love the return to minimalism that LUCHS has done here. After his previous orchestral works, this is a quiet and contemplative album. That doesn’t mean minimalist in a melodic sense though. The melodies here are what make the album so well put structured and put together. Add in a few spoken word passages to build a narrative of time and space and you have a hidden gem of an album to discover.

Recommended track: 145

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