It has been said that there is something of
Claude Debussy
in
Michael Jon Fink
's compositions. The ones culled on
I Hear It in the Rain
reinforce this feeling. The CD is split into two parts. First we have a series of short solo keyboard pieces grouped into three works.
"Five Pieces for Piano"
and
"Two Preludes for Piano"
have the ethereal feel of
Erik Satie
and the dreaminess of
Debussy
. The slow pace and sparse notes cannot be mistaken for over-simplicity: the emotional charge conveyed is too great to be deemed minimalist or even easy.
"For Celesta"
follows the same stylistic guidelines, but this time on an instrument rarely heard in solo context. All of these are impeccably performed by
Brian Pezzone
and were recorded in November 2000. The second part of the disc comprises two longer works mixing acoustic and electronic instruments.
"Living to Be Hunted by the Moon,"
recorded in 1988, is a slow-evolving soundscape.
Fink
provides samples, while
Marty Walker
blows long notes (he is overdubbed, two tracks of clarinet, two of bass clarinet). Once again, less is more. The piece does get a bit overstretched, but its meditative mood and the subtle changes of colors make it worthwhile.
"I Hear It in the Rain"
is a gorgeous dreamy piece: a simple repetitive figure graced by
Rick Cox
's delicate electric guitar melody.
Dan Morris
adds washes of cymbals. This newest addition (recorded in March 2001, two months before the CD was released) will appeal to fans of the
post-rock
group
Godspeed You Black Emperor!
is the kind of album one completely misses if listened to absentmindedly. Its meaningful simplicity needs an occasion to find its way under the listener's skin. ~ Francois Couture