Piano-rooted composer advances his sound…When I started listening to James Heather’s new EP I really had to think hard. Had it really been four years since his debut, ‘Modulations EP 1’, was released on the Ninja Tune offshoot Ahead Of Our Time? The answer is a resounding yes. It feels like last year that I sat down to listen to that captivating piece of music, along with his debut album ‘Stories From Far Away On Piano’ also from 2017, that for a brief period of time droned out all other music I was listening to. Since then, he’s been quiet. Releasing ‘Reworks’ in 2018. Now with the release of ‘Modulations EP2’ we’re starting to get an idea for the radio silence.
The EP opens with ‘Passing Soul’. This is a tender piece of music. When the higher notes are played, they shoot out of the speakers, and in a way that reminds me of the way light cuts through certain lampshades and chandeliers. As the light passes through the shade it becomes, somehow, brighter and more piercing. This is happening here. ‘Glimmer’ follows on from ‘Passing Soul’, but with an elegance only hinted at in the past.
Throughout ‘Modulations EP 2’ you can hear the change in Heather’s playing. The music is, somehow, grandeur in scope. There is also a fluidity to his playing that wasn’t there on his previous releases. Around the halfway mark of ‘Metal Machina’ Heather launches into one of his most consuming runs to date. As it swoops around you, your life starts to feel more cinematic and epic. And this is the main take away from the EP. Whilst listening to ‘Modulations EP2’ everything starts to feel more profound. Even while I’m typing this review, I have an image in head of a camera slowly revolving around me. Going in graceful 360-degree arcs as I type at a furious pace. I stop to take a sip of tea. Ponder the next sentence and then I’m off again as the music rages about me.
What makes ‘Modulations EP2’ so delightful is just how playful the music is. When you mention classical music, or at least instrumental piano music, you can see a perplexed look on the face as their perception of piano music is something that might be played on the radio whilst cooking Sunday lunch. The music here is as vibrant and exciting as anything released on Ninja Tune. It makes you smile, whilst feeling melancholic, in equal measure. The downside to the EP is that it is over too quickly. It would have been nice to hear Heather elongate some of the songs a bit more. Really drill down into what makes them so captivating and extend those sections a bit more. Of course, this is unfair as ‘Modulations EP2’ is a remarkable piece of music that yields more secrets the more it’s played.
Let’s hope ‘Modulations EP3’ isn’t another four years in the making as James Heather is on to something and we want more of it now.
8/10
Words: Nick Roseblade
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