Artist : Keith Kenniff
Album : Branches
Year : 2011
Genre : Instrumental
Quality : 222kbps / 44.1KHz / Joint Stereo
Source : CD
Playtime : 0h 36m
Size : 60.70mb
Label : Village Green
Catalognr : VGCD002
Tracklist:
01. Flow & Branch 2:41
02. Immersion 2:54
03. Branch 2:05
04. Evening At Eight 2:35
05. Here 3:09
06. Hood River 1:31
07. Anyone 1:54
08. Every Morning 2:24
09. Grace 3:35
10. Daybreak 2:22
11. Symmetry 2:07
12. Sparrow Song 2:46
13. Even Now 2:40
14. Letters 1:48
15. Many Things 1:30
Releasenotes:
The Keith Kenniff song I most wanted to appear on this album - "Orchestral -
Goldengrove v2" - is not here; but it's a good indication of what is. That
piece, an uplifting, chime-filled, 90-second burst of sweetness and light, is
the theme song for the iPhone 4S, and apparently the only legal way to get it is
to buy one. Branches extends from those roots, but not by much. The mood is
unrelentingly upbeat, chimes abound, and the songs are short: 15 tracks in 36
minutes. It's no secret that Kenniff has the movie and TV bug; he advertises
his licensing availability on his website, and the new disc makes a strong case
to prospective employers. As an album, it's pleasing, but slight. Many
instrumental albums are compared to soundtracks, but this one comes across more
like a series of scenes.
Many of the tracks take the form of lullabies, likely a result of having a new
baby in the house. "Evening at Eight" is perhaps purposely reminiscent of "Rock
a Bye Baby", and the title can be construed as referring to a specific bedtime.
Others ("Hood River", "Grace", "Symmetry") utilize the hammer-miked piano in a
manner similar to that of Hauschka. (Kenniff also draws comparisons to Nils
Frahm, but it should be the other way around, since Kenniff came first.) Like
the iPhone track, a number of songs incorporate orchestral elements; a few bring
in the electronics, and a small batch combine all three, plus chimes. I did
mention chimes, didn't I?
The end product is quite different from that of Kenniff's last solo album, All
Will Prosper, recorded as Goldmund. Apart from the fact that All Will Prosper
is a collection of Civil War songs, there's timbre to consider. While often
gorgeous, Branches jumps between the sound of Kenniff's various guises (Keith
Kenniff, Helios, Goldmund) too often to be consistent, and playing too many
miniatures in a row can feel like eating too many chocolates. But Valentine's
Day is the proper time for confection. Play this for a loved one, and they may
want to have a baby.
(Richard Allen, acloserlisten.com)
http://www.villagegreen.tv/#artist_keithkenniff