Bedroom Community

Bedroom Community is a new label from Reykjavik, but their first release is not from the active Icelandic scene (or what it appears like from the outside), but from Nico Muhly, originally from Vermont, USA and now living in New York. The album was produced by Valgeir Sigurdsson, who also worked with Björk and Bonnie Price Billy, hence perhaps the Icelandic connection. Muhly is classically trained composer, and still young of age, born, as the booklet notes, after the premiere of Steve Reich's 'Music For 18 Musicians' and Philip Glass' 'Music In Twelve Parts' - both composers are a major influence on him. The pieces on 'Speaks Volumes' are for small ensemble, and in one case even just the piano, but the interesting part of this album is in the production. Normally a classical record is about music, and not about how it was recorded, but here it seems that some mistakes were intentionally left in, and we hear the bow and not the violin, or perhaps in some instances both, which gives this a nice subtle effect, especially when it's not repeated too many times. The music of Muhly is minimal in approach, but moved away from the work of say phase shifting repetitions. Also Muhly's music is at times romantic in approach. Just a few days ago, before receiving this album I played 'Hommages' by Gavin Bryars, and there is some similarity between that record and Muhly's intimate, classical approach. The modern vagueness that evokes images of a blurry character. That may all sound a bit negative, but rest assured: it's not meant to be negative. Except for the closing piece 'Keep In Touch', with it's 'sound poetry', this is a highly evocative and beautiful album of classical music meeting pop.

FdW