Album of the Week: All Melody by Nils Frahm
In his first major work since ‘Solo’, the German musician Nils Frahm makes his grandest record to date. Always willing to try something different, Frahm has produced some interesting concepts in the past such as the 2011 album ‘Felt’ where all of the instruments had heavy cloth over the strings.
Frahm’s current project, ‘All Melody’, is no different. Recorded in studio Saal 3 which he built entirely himself as part of the historic 1950s Funkhaus building, it is obvious that the musician is in his element. Very different to his previous album, Frahm combines more unusual instruments such as the tympani and bass marimba with the usual synthesiser and pipe organ. The introductory song ‘The Whole Universe Wants to Be Touched’ encapsulates the overall melancholic and ecclesiastical tone of the album, also bringing in choral, wordless harmonies to add to the sombre atmosphere.
The second track ‘Sunson’ is one of Frahm’s famously long pieces. At over nine minutes long, it has a lot of scope to surprise the ears, changing in sound several times. Beginning as a continuation of the first song, the track slowly transitions from more traditional instruments to a more electronic sound. As with many of the subsequent songs, ‘A Place’ is somewhat anxiety inducing, with discordant notes throughout. Even in ‘My Friend the Forest’, the soothing piano is backed with scratchy sounds preventing the song from being relaxing.
‘Human Range’ takes the eeriness to an extreme, with Arca-esque off-tempo beats and piercing trumpet sounds making it hard to listen to at times. This atmosphere is almost inescapable throughout the album; but manages to be solemn in different ways; for example, the range of vocal harmonies of the London’s Shards choir on ‘Momentum’ is breath-taking. The closing track ‘Harm Hymn’ is one of the only soothing tracks, abating the oscillation of emotion during the previous songs. It is the simplest of all the songs, as just a small number of chords are used reminding the listener of the beauty of music behind the greater concept.
This project seems to be a true reflection of Nils Frahm’s full capabilities. Having the freedom to explore without restrictions in his self-built studio definitely allowed him to keep the work All about the Melody.
Article: Mariella Bevan
URY Music Editor: Alex West
