Kelly Moran – Moves in the Field Review

What does Kelly Moran sound like?

Experimental pianist who explores new ways to tinkle the ivories.

The review of ‘Moves in the Field’ by Kelly Moran

The experimental genius of Kelly Moran is that she rarely takes the piano and works with the instrument at face value. She modifies or prepares it in different ways or tackles it from different lenses or restrictions. This time Kelly is exploring technology and artistic intensity through softer piano playing.

To do this, the entire album is recorded and performed on a Yamaha Disklavier. It is a digital piano that allows you to loop previous recordings and then play over them, allowing for four-handed (or many-handed) compositions to become the norm. It also allowed for an interesting experiment on technical tuning. Often when playing arpeggios at speed, the piano rumbles and roars with its intensity. As this is a digital piano with looping capabilities, it allowed Kelly to explore what happens if you play all the loud parts quietly. This resulted in the albums’ sonic tattoo – endless seemingly impossible cascades of arpeggios that veer into the psychedelic and electronic but played on with organic instrumentation. It is deeply technical and you are often left breathless at its speed but as everything is muted to a soft caress, it shimmers like a waterfall at night rather than sounding overwhelming.

Opener ‘Butterfly Phase’ echoes out pacey piano phrases like a delayed attack. ‘Superhuman’ runs up and down the octaves like a scales practice on the back of a meteor. Both tracks run at such a pace the notes blur into waves of emotion whilst you question if it is human or digital. Both is the answer and it is a true union. ‘Don’t Trust Mirrors’ is more traditional with long reverbs and lower tones that allow for a more concert pianist performance. Kelly uses lots of grand sweeping melodies that push towards a final form – evolving as it goes. ‘Dancer Polynomials’ merges all these previous ideas into one bold and cohesive piece. It reminds me of generative synths. The seemingly randomised and rhythmic note structure of the undertones forms a structure for Kelly Moran to wax and wane over. It is a beautiful section of songs that showcases the digital and human union uniquely – and the downturn of tempo to its closure is sublime.

Single ‘Sodalis (II)’ is something of a central core in the album. The piece morphs from a carefully restrained melody into something cathartic as the lower notes power through into a satisfying catharsis. The main motif feels like its twiddling thumbs and trapped in time and as Kelly expands from it, there is something magical about having the piece kick into gear and come to life. Having touched grass, ‘Lietmotif’ explores the edge of piano note sounds. With most of the track tinkling in the upper octaves, some notes are hushed and chopped out whereas others ring out like bells. They shake and wriggle like tiny babies in airy blankets. It is cute and ephemeral. The flip side is ‘It’s Okay to Disappear’, which uses the space between melodic phrases to add electronic atmospherics to various piano notes. Singular notes reverb back like post-rock guitars or fizzle out quietly into reverb shrouds. Kelly Moran’s timing and playing style let clusters of notes trickle into those reverb shrouds effortlessly, making for a beautiful track.

Entering the closing third of the album, Kelly Moran hammers home the thesis of this album with a triple threat. ‘Hypno’, title track ‘Moves in the Field’ and album closer ‘Solar Flare’ are all variations on a theme: soft power. Each track has bass chords and notes in them but they never raise their head. Instead, Moran explores complex cascades or jangles of mid-range and upper-end notes to provide the song’s aural qualities. All three are gorgeous, with the title track being a particular standout. Each one comes with subtle pauses and speed variants too. Often arpeggiators sound so precise they become robotic. That isn’t the case on this album. As if to emphasise the point of soft power, ‘Solar Flare’ ends with the softest low-note dramatic fade to silence I’ve heard in years.

I appreciate this light, aural and uplifting album from different standpoints. Firstly, the melodic phrases are addictive, hypnotic and ever-evolving. Secondly, the integration of human and machine is sublime. I can’t tell where one ends and the other begins. It is a true union. Kelly Moran’s composing and performance styles shine through and this is the album of light as an opposite to the darker ‘bloodroot’ of 2017. They complement each other well but there is something deeply affecting about ‘Moves in the Field’ that draws me towards this collection more. Maybe it’s my need for some light in the darkness of 2024. It could be that I found this album poetically romantic. I think it also because I love a crazy modular synth and at times this album evokes that rhythmic note-plucking that mod synths do so well. Whatever it is, this album is a slice of beauty. Piano lovers, you need to explore this.

Recommended track: Sodalis (II)

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