Goldmund – Famous Places

Album Of The Week: Keith Kenniff follows up 2008’s “The Malady of Elegance” with the third album under his Goldmund guise. Where Helios, his other key musical alias, takes on long form compositions which blend piano, guitar and electronics, Goldmund has always been about compact, concise piano music. On “Famous Places,” released this August on Western Vinyl, this is no different and may yet prove to be the best Goldmund album to date.

With fifteen beautifully crafted tracks, each around three minutes in duration, the deliberate capturing of piano pedals and hammers and captivating melodies all on display, the classic Goldmund sound is in full effect. Thankfully however Keith hasn’t opted for just more of the same. Instead he has introduced subtle uses of electronic manipulation and light doses of other ambient sounds which, while only minimal in use, add a rich layer of texture to his music.

Be it the mysterious echoes on album opener “Bergen” or the minute synth touches on “Alberta,” these inclusions bring new depth to Goldmund’s music. On “Brown Creek,” the most Helios-esque recording on the album, one anticipates a drum beat to arrive but keeping this album strictly Goldmund, Keith ensures the piano maintains the focus, while a slow, absorbing ambience allows the track to flow in a dream like manner. These new introductions are welcome additions whilst not deterring from the simplicity that makes this music so appealing to begin with.

Inspired by different landmarks in his life, each track seems to capture a small narrative. Some songs are melancholic, others evoke a blossoming romance or feelings of companionship and despite their pocket size form, such is the detail of the compositions and the craft of each melody that the emotional qualities are just as strong here as music of a greater duration.

If one considers this music in a literary sense, “Famous Places” is very much like a novella. Its short tracks are like digestible vignettes which can be absorbed easily in a single sitting. This is an album that will no doubt be enjoyed at different times and in a multitude of settings. In short, Keith has succeeded in not only relaying his “Famous Places” to his listeners, but has also created an album to allow his audience to add this as a soundtrack to their own memorable locations. – Review by Josh Atkin for Fluid Radio

www.myspace.com/goldmundmusic
www.westernvinyl.com