We were lucky enough to have an early listen of ’Für Anne. Dafür, dass Du mir die Hemden geschenkt hast’ - the second release by LA-based composer and producer Lyell Evans Roeder.
You may have heard his productions and compositions on his previous record Distant Dreams and Love Songs or with alt-pop outfit Tigers Are Bad For Horses - however this time we see a much more restrained and stripped back approach. This album takes Lyell back to his roots - just him and the piano in a series of deeply emotional and intimate performances.
While being a solo piano album, Für Anne still somehow manages to remain genre-less. There are elements of cinematic film score music, as well as classical tendencies and jazz harmonies that shine through showing the breadth of musical understanding from this bright young composer.
The album begins with ‘Getaway Car’ a personal favorite - which feels like the lovechild of Olafur Arnalds and Phillip Glass. There is a certain element of melancholy that carries through this track and the entire album, however there is a hopefulness and romanticism that shines through. The production features intimate and closely recorded piano tones where you can hear the felts of the hammers on each string and the piano pedal almost feels like breaths between the notes - almost as if you are sitting inside the piano.
When we spoke with Lyell about his process for the album he explained how the project came together over the course of a long weekend. A playful challenge - and a desire to reciprocate a gift of a couple t-shirts (the English translation of the title of the album is “For Anne in exchange for the t-shirts”) led to his writing the album over a weekend. We chided him for the title, and he ensured us that his motivations extended well beyond t-shirts. In his words, “[Lyell’s] desire was for each track to represent direct and distinct emotions and experiences during a short period of intense life” over the summer of 2017. To our ears, Für Anne is a strong reminder of how turbulent times lend themselves as inspiration for emotionally deep creations.
We don’t see many solo piano albums nowadays, but we’re certainly glad we found this one. We look forward to further projects and solo compositions by Lyell and releases through his newly founded independent label and music production house - Alternative Fidelity.
Keep an eye out for this one. Pre order on iTunes this Friday. Release date: February 9th.
You may have heard his productions and compositions on his previous record Distant Dreams and Love Songs or with alt-pop outfit Tigers Are Bad For Horses - however this time we see a much more restrained and stripped back approach. This album takes Lyell back to his roots - just him and the piano in a series of deeply emotional and intimate performances.
While being a solo piano album, Für Anne still somehow manages to remain genre-less. There are elements of cinematic film score music, as well as classical tendencies and jazz harmonies that shine through showing the breadth of musical understanding from this bright young composer.
The album begins with ‘Getaway Car’ a personal favorite - which feels like the lovechild of Olafur Arnalds and Phillip Glass. There is a certain element of melancholy that carries through this track and the entire album, however there is a hopefulness and romanticism that shines through. The production features intimate and closely recorded piano tones where you can hear the felts of the hammers on each string and the piano pedal almost feels like breaths between the notes - almost as if you are sitting inside the piano.
When we spoke with Lyell about his process for the album he explained how the project came together over the course of a long weekend. A playful challenge - and a desire to reciprocate a gift of a couple t-shirts (the English translation of the title of the album is “For Anne in exchange for the t-shirts”) led to his writing the album over a weekend. We chided him for the title, and he ensured us that his motivations extended well beyond t-shirts. In his words, “[Lyell’s] desire was for each track to represent direct and distinct emotions and experiences during a short period of intense life” over the summer of 2017. To our ears, Für Anne is a strong reminder of how turbulent times lend themselves as inspiration for emotionally deep creations.
We don’t see many solo piano albums nowadays, but we’re certainly glad we found this one. We look forward to further projects and solo compositions by Lyell and releases through his newly founded independent label and music production house - Alternative Fidelity.
Keep an eye out for this one. Pre order on iTunes this Friday. Release date: February 9th.