A Winged Victory for the Sullen — "Steep Hills of Vicodin Tears"
Dustin O'Halloran's piano laid over Adam Wiltzie's (Stars of the Lid) string drones — glacial, long-form, built to disappear into a working hour. Sits between Arnalds and Richter in your library, with more drone and less melodic resolution. The opener of their self-titled debut on Erased Tapes; radios well into Stars of the Lid, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Hammock.
Joep Beving — "Ab Ovo"
Dutch pianist, 6'10", recorded on his grandmother's upright. Sparse repeating left-hand figures, almost Satie-like restraint. Holds a working desk without disappearing — closer to Arnalds' solo piano side than to Richter's cinematic sweep. From Prehension (Deutsche Grammophon, 2017); seeds into Lambert, Luke Howard, Federico Albanese.
Goldmund — "Threnody"
Keith Kenniff under his solo-piano alias (his ambient work goes out as Helios). Quieter and more melancholic than Beving — described by Kenniff as his attempt to say a lot with as little as possible. Two-minute miniatures, the kind that vanish behind a thought. From The Malady of Elegance (Type, 2008); radios into Library Tapes, Peter Broderick, Ryuichi Sakamoto's late solo work.
Federico Albanese — "Shadow Land, Pt. 1"
Italian composer in Berlin, on Berlin Classics' Neue Meister series. Pirouetting piano over an ominous low cello, with subtle synth underneath — more structural movement than the others, useful when deep needs a heartbeat. Sits in Richter's cinematic-cello territory. From The Blue Hour (2016); seeds into Peter Broderick, Penguin Café, Rachel Grimes.