Rachel Grimes
The Clearing
Temporary Residence / Playground

Rachel Grimes was the Rachel of Louisville, KY's semi-legendary and highly innovative chamber music combo Rachel's (featuring the late Jason Noble of Rodan). The Clearing is a fine collection of piano (and string) magic.

This is Grimes' third (?) solo album, following Book Of Leaves, for solo piano (Karate Body Records, 2009) and Compound Leaves (self-released, 2013) -- plus the EP/mini album Marion County 1938 (2011) - a silent film score (as well as a small handful of 'single' releases - solo or collaboration works, and numerous contributions to other artists). The 'theme' for this one seems to be air and flying, with song titles like "The Air", "The Air of Place", "The Air in Time", "In the Vapor with the Air Underneath", "Transverse Plane Vertical", "Transverse Plane Horizontal", "The Air, Her Heart", and "The Air at Night". Compositions for movements gliding or hovering mid-air, or high up towards the sky. The twelve tracks on the album are numbers of elegance and beauty, for meditation, reflection, contemplation. This is the soundtrack to spiritual introspection; full of grace and glory - but not without a certain edge as well as some necessary heat within the performances. The Clearing is a mystery aero travel as well as an innerspace journey, being introvert and extrovert at the same time. The Clearing is for sure a collection of beautiful compositions.

If you are into instrumental, neo-classical minimalism, The Clearing is the thing for you. This is mesmerising and tranquilising stuff. For mind and body.

Copyright © 2015 Håvard Oppøyen