What does Blurstem sound like?

Late-night piano thoughts.

The review of ‘Fallen Fragments’ by Blurstem

Eight years in gestation. That’s the gap Blurstem left between the first and last moments of composition on ‘Fallen Fragments’. The album was born out of piano compositions from his first album ‘Among the Oaks’, which were based on the felt piano as a quiet retreat from his newborn child. Eight years later, Blurstem discovered a folder of early recordings of tracks left on the cutting room floor. They were not fully developed, but the seeds were there. This inspired Blurstem to reimagine the tracks as completely new ideas.

That eight-year gap is crucial to the textured sound of the album. ‘Leftover Notes’ opens the album with reversed piano plinks, and hyper-sensitive piano guts that creak and squeak with innate intimacy. Hues of melodies are inferred, but the lasting memory comes from a cloudy reverb that leaves traces of notes long after the mallet hit. ‘Eight Years’ is a distant knocking of ice felt piano, chopped up and repeated. As that noise repeated, a tape loop hum and room noise provide a numbing, under-the-surface concussion. They are both delicate pieces, but they achieve their goals in very different ways. ‘As If Yesterday’ sounds like Blurstem is playing piano in a distant hall. It’s slowed, distorted note hit sounds like time stood still… yet it is also just out of reach.

The songs bleed into each other and can be listened to as a continuous piece. The songs each mark a mood shift, though, as ‘Younger’ turns its attention to harsh reverb wooshes of distant noises over mellancholic chords. Whilst the opening trio has an optimistic sound, ‘Younger’ feels sadder and more regretful. ‘Fluidity’ plays with percussive reverse reverb. It takes a piano note, reverses it, and uses the note hit like a percussive pulse. As the track evolves, the piano becomes less tonal and more melodic, introducing a watery drizzle effect to the keys. The ideas from these two tracks are then combined for ‘With Still Time’. This takes vinyl spit and twists it into as close to a percussive drum loop as Blurstem dares, whilst bassy piano chords repeat on a time loop.

The final two tracks are the longest. ‘Warm Nights’ takes the same timing-based reverb filters from the previous track and applies them to a two-chord motif. The monotonous, dirge-like delivery is either comforting or depressing, depending on your mood. What I love about this track is its commitment to an extremely long fade-out. Almost half the track has the piano being slowly filtered into oblivion, to be gently replaced by airy noise. It’s a cathartic slow burn, and that describes the album as a whole, too. The closing track, ‘What You May Find’, plays a similar trick. It distorts half of the piano notes into a shimmering ripple effect, leaving the rest to repeat on a fading reverb. It sounds like two half memories colliding, but not making a whole, complete thought.

Blurstem (Chris Bartels) has been creating beautiful, introspective music in many guises for years. He has honed his craft and can create so much space and atmosphere from so little; it opens the listener’s mind to the space between. There’s so much space to seep into with ‘Fallen Fragments’ that it may be a little too gloomy or abstract for some. For me, it’s perfect for late-night thoughts and sanguine reflections, whilst embracing what you still hold dear.

As a bonus, Blurstem has created a fascinating walkthrough video about how he created the album. If you enjoy ambient sound design, it is well worth a watch.

Recommended track: Leftover Notes

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