Goldmund: On The Time it Takes
Western Vinyl

At least a few of the Goldmund albums in my possession feature dusty piano playing sans accompaniment; On The Time it Takes, on the other hand, builds on that minimal core with synthesizers and other production treatments, a change that lessens the distance between this Keith Kenniff project and Helios, another of the Pennsylvania native's aliases. Even so, the essential character of the Goldmund persona remains very much in place, specifically its plaintive, nostalgic, and yearning tone. Adding to their impact, these intensely personal, oft-poignant vignettes convey a longing for another time, which clearly dovetails with desires many have during this crippling time.

Swathed in hiss, the opening “Day In Day Out” not only exudes an intimate, home-made quality shared by many other settings, it also establishes the serenading tone of the Goldmund sound. A gentle piano figure murmurs as a backdrop of shimmering synth washes blossoms alongside it, the electronic elements turning majestic as they expand so greatly they almost engulf the piano. The emotional template in place, On The Time it Takes advances through fourteen other tracks, some hewing to the piano-only presentation of other Goldmund releases (e.g., “The End,” where the action of the instrument becomes as much a part of the experience as the music) and others slightly more elaborate by comparison. With so many years of music production behind him, Kenniff's become a master sound painter, and his sensitivity to timbre is repeatedly demonstrated in these pieces: without betraying the minimal style, he tastefully enhances his arrangements with a subtle dash of strings here and a stirring wash of electronics there.

While the Goldmund project primarily emphasizes contemplation and reverie, an occasional animated moment does emerge; on this release, “The One Who Stands By” distances itself from the others when a pulsating bass adds an insistent undercurrent to the drama, and even livelier is “For A Time,” which exudes a subtle pastoral, even Boards of Canada-like quality in its blend of time-worn synths and fluttering keyboard patterns. Among the standouts are “Pavane,” “Respite,” “From One Place to Another,” and “The Valley in Between,” all of them deeply moving piano-and-synthesizer settings of stately, dignified character. Though Kenniff is credited as the sole performer, the label's site indicates that it's Christopher Tignor who's responsible for the lustrous string sounds on “Memory Itself”; regardless, the piece stands out for its disarmingly lovely blend of piano, electronics, and strings.

October 2020