Mastering piano with John Williams flare, Flank Clare is sentimental as much as he is dramatic.
Each song has lots of pauses, and the album starter, A Gathering of Possibilities, sounds like a collection of different beginnings to songs rather than a complete song itself. It might sound confusing, yet Clare’s fusion of sad to slow to happy to deadpan becomes a hard to identify mix of false starts for all the right reasons.
About half way into the song, there is a change in the amount of notes used per line, as well as time between riffs. The mood of the piece goes from mourning to exuberant with life, all before crumbling into the landslide of pause-restart-pause-restart piano. While its great in intention and good in execution, the song sticks with you only while you listen. And by the time you hear that final note? Not even the ironic thought of “what did it all mean” could conjure enough for a relisten.
The second song here, Inceptus, is more or less the same as before, though with the minimal flourishes and uptempo vocal quality that the keys provide, there is much improved upon. I like Inceptus, not because it is a more thought out version of the album opener (it isn’t) but because it expands upon the riffs leftover from the earlier song. Quite interesting once realized.
Piecing together and splicing recalls of melody aren’t anything new, in fact, for some it is the way of the musical business game. Yet for Frank, his compositions expand on the remarkably absurd nature of living, that even the last notes, as easily guessable as they may seem in one’s dire final moments, become something of value worth playing, as well as replaying and listening to, again and again.
Think of this album as a concept piece of sullen riffs strung together throughout a lifetime and you’ll find a reviewer better known (and paid) than me praising this work as genius. Clare heats up on the third track, and while there is not a whole lot going on throughout this album (it may seem) there are many moments like this third song that might catch your attention.
Might being the key word.
