LEITER Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Trying to keep up with Nils Frahm's discography is nothing short of dizzying. We struggle to think of anyone who can put out so many long form albums without letting the quality suffer a little, yet the German composer seems to be incapable of doing anything other than the finest quality work, laying claim to a back catalogue of piano tracks which can be sad, reflective, poignant, innovative, captivating, or euphoric, and always impossible to forget.

He's done so much, in fact, that he's still unearthing parts of his oeuvre people haven't really heard before. As is the case here. Old New Friends is as fitting a title as they get, with everything here first recorded between 2009 and this year, representing what the artist describes as "an anatomy of all my ways of thinking musically and playing." Simply put, if you like even just a little of what you've heard before, this is essential.

Review: Ambient and neo-classical pioneer Nils Frahm's Music For Animals is, amazingly for someone as prolific as he, his first fresh studio material since 2018's All Melody and 2019's associated All Encores. It is also his first work on the new label he has co-founded with his manager and it plays out over three immersive hours that are quite different to his previous work. It doesn't make use of his famous piano skills but is a mediative and spacious record that allows room to think. Despite the length of it, this is a record worth giving your full attention.