(2020) Laraaji - Moon Piano


Review:
Ambient deity Laraaji tickles the ivories once more on the second part of his piano trilogy Moon Piano, a low-light solo piano fever dream for “Contemplative sound painting, embracing quiet tranquil unfolding of nurturing reflection”. Moon Piano is the second in Laraaji’s trilogy of piano albums, and follows the spiritual Sun Piano, released earlier this summer. The piano was the first instrument the esteemed ambient idol learned, and his return to the keys feels generous and open-hearted. Laraaji’s focus here is more melancholy and contemplative than on the album’s predecessor, and while the same process was used – “I’d sit down, touch the piano and through free association, also blending it with my prepared mental state, I was able to tune in and affirm my highest sense of presence,” he says – the mood is markedly different. It’s gorgeous stuff, not ambient by any means, but born from a similar space mentally. Laraaji is adept at capturing emotion with his music, and while the piano offers a more familiar tone than, say, the zither that sings from his most popular records, his touch is infectious and easy to get lost in. There was a glut of solo piano records about fifteen years ago and we have to say, we got a bit sick of it, so it’s quite nice to hear something so enjoyable that doesn’t contain a single field recording of birds or the sea.





Tracklist:
01. Prana Light02. Stillness
03. Lightly
04. Quiet Journey
05. Through This Moment
06. Bathed In A Glow
07. Pentatonic Smile
08. Feeling Lovely
09. Trance Gaze Pt.1
10. Trance Gaze Pt.2


Media Report:
Genre: ambient, classical
Format: FLAC
Format/Info: Free Lossless Audio Codec, 16-bit PCM
Bit rate mode: Variable
Channel(s): 2 channels
Sampling rate: 44.1 KHz
Bit depth: 16 bits