“Abject” is the second solo piano album of the neoclassical pianist Dan Becker. Right off the bat, I adore the fact that Dan Becker’s biography is written in first person, in which he tells us about his history with the piano and what he likes about the process of creating music which feels honest and personal. Interpretation is an integral part of experiencing music and feels more key in the case of an instrumental album like “Abject” which has only one instrument and no lyrics.
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The general expectation that instrumental albums are slow or peaceful is broken by the first track “Morning Rush” that surprises you with a rhythm that is easy to follow from its first note. The short track has only two melodies; the first one sandwiching the second. This is followed by “Check” which along with an extremely catchy riff in the beginning brings a sense of urgency. “Cataclysm” is one of the more chaotic tracks on the project, which given its title, only feels deliberate. Although it sometimes does come off as hoppy and feels like it can be written/well suited for a guitar.
The track “Antagony” feels intentionally blurred, switching between brighter and darker moods rather abruptly and at times almost feeling almost motivational. “The Wait” is a rhythmic track that keeps shifting to minor keys which leaves us with feelings of positive longing as well as villainising bitterness with a melody that almost feels like a voice. The track “Spawn” is one of the more mellow cuts which has a shift in energy only during the bridge, but overall, it comes off as very coherent. From the title of the song, “The Years” is a sad melody that can be interpreted as a lens through which one looks at the time that has passed.
The track “Oversight” with its rhythmic beginning feels like a rhyme with its melancholy feeling straight out of rain in New York or Broadway. The groovy, quick bridge is one my favourite sections of the album. “Lucid” experiments with slower and faster rhythms while “Oblivion” and Verdict” plays around with harshness and softness or Forte and Mezzo notes. “Blunted” has a mysterious atmosphere to it, almost like one is lost and the album ends with “Retrospect” which is a nostalgic and bitter-sweet track.
The simplicity of instrumental albums, especially albums with only one instrument where the listeners do not have different elements pulling their attention in different directions can prove to be an obstacle to sustained attention, but “Abject” does not struggle in the face of this. The songs are neither too long nor too short and has in it enough variation to keep the listener entertained.
Some parts of the album feel like it progressed from one sonic concept to the next before the listener can fully follow or settle into the current idea. And this process of not exploring a theme to its full potential could have been an intentional creative choice, although I wished he would linger. I also personally hope Dan Becker played with silence more often as the accompaniment sometimes feel monotonous and overwhelming.
This does not take away from the fact that Dan Becker is a very skilled piano player and “Abject” only his second album. I look forward to the music he is yet to put out and ideas he chooses to explore in his music.
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