The Predatory Wasp
Kelly Moran builds on the stripped-back, mesmeric piano that comprised 2023’s EP Vesela with her new album Moves in the Field. Gone are the experimental electronic meanderings of some of her previous work, replaced with these (relatively) straightforward but still completely enchanting pieces.
The always captivating Kelly Moran releases her first new solo music in five years with Vesela. Those hoping for glitchy, hi-gloss electronics may be disappointed, but if you’re in the mood for plaintive classical pieces written as a means to “sublimate feelings of devastation instead of running from them” then you’re in luck.
The Oslo-based pianist and composer on the cinematic journey and structural chaos of Fieldhead
The premise of One Track Mind is pretty simple: I ask artists to pick one track that means a lot to them – either something they’ve discovered recently, something that’s been with them for years, or one that reminds them of a specific time in their life or career – and tell me what makes it so special to them. I get to talk to the artists I love, and they get to talk about the artists they love. Love all round!
Julia Gjertsen is a pianist and composer based in Oslo. Combining contemporary electronic elements with the piano, she creates contemplative soundscapes and introspective compositions that draw inspiration from nature and reflect on moments from the past and present. Her music is characterized by a tender playing style and beautifully crafted melodies that aim to convey nuanced perceptions and emotions that can often be challenging to express through words.
Her second album Formations was released last year, while more recently she released the collaborative EP Dive alongside Finnish composer Juha Mäki-Patola. Her latest single, Embers, came out earlier this month as part of Fractals, Moderna Records’ annual piano day compilation featuring twelve pieces from composers and pianists around the world.
For her One Track Mind selection, Julia has selected the opening track from UK electronic duo Fieldhead’s 2009 album they shook hands for hours.
Sufjan! Sufers! The Big Suf! Yesterday our founding father announced a new album, Reflections, a studio recording of his score for Justin Beck’s ballet, performed by pianists Timo Andres and Conor Hanick. To be honest, I don’t really like this very much – all a bit ‘jazzy’ for my tastes – but if Sufjan releases, this blog must report. Hopefully they’ll be some sad bits on the full album than I can cherrypick.
I first saw Lucinda Chua supporting KARYYN in what felt like an underground bunker somewhere near the Thames, but may in fact have been a weird museum. My memory is hazy, but I do remember a) being concerned that if a fire started there was no way we’d all get out in time and b) that she was very, very good. Many years later, her debut album YIAN is now out, and it’s also very, very good.
Earlier this month Dawn Richards teamed up with multi-instrumentalist, producer, and composer Spencer Zahn on Pigments: an extraordinarily good album that explores themes including “the power of self-expression through living art, through motion”. A hypnotic mix of classical, jazz, soul and electronica, it flits between being deeply meditative and intensely rousing, often within a single song, before segueing seamlessly into the next . A truly impressive body of work.
Bing & Ruth’s David Moore revisits two pieces from his 2020 album Species as solo piano works, stripping down both Nearer and Body In A Room to the very barest of bones. If you’re familiar with Moore’s work, you’ll probably already know how heartbreakingly beautiful this will be.
Four decades and dozens of albums into his career, Ludovico Einaudi doesn’t seem to be slowing down, which, if you like gentle, emotionally -charged classical piano, can only be a good thing. For me Einaudi is like a gateway drug I never graduate from into “proper” (read: old, probably Austrian) classical, as this kind of classical musical intimidates me, so I remain stuck on this less challenging but arguably just as beautiful fare. Atoms is gentle, sad (obviously) and foreshadows his new album Underwater due for release in January.
It’s Friday right, so really I should be posting something party-appropriate to soundtrack your #bignightout but I now live in Devon so instead here’s a short ambient piano track complete with birdsong: perfect for watching the sun go down over some rolling fields or gently lapping beachside waves.
Kelly Moran and Prurient recently announced a split LP Chain Reaction At Dusk, with Helix III one of three tracks than Moran has contributed to the project. As with a lot of her previous work it sits somewhere between traditional classical composition and electronic experimentation, with whirling polyrhythms and glassy chimes creating a gently disorienting atmosphere. Be sure to check out the full release when it lands on Prurient’s Hospital Productions 04 December.
The Predatory Wasp 