Hauschka - Substantial (2004)

First album by Hauschka, a pseudonym of German pianist/composer Volker Bertelmann. Breathtaking, minimal piano pieces with the lightest touches of layering -- a field recording here, an electronic texture here, a synth here, a second piano there. Substantial really taps into a deeply melancholic place in my psyche. Like, as far as my conscious brain is concerned, I'm good, but as soon as this record starts playing, I'm contemplating all the different paths my life could have taken, missing friends from high school who I haven't thought of in years, and mulling over all the sweet things that I should say to my loved ones but just can't ever seem to. Not sure that this is coming off like a ringing endorsement of this record, but it's supposed to be.

Track listing:

1. Orange I

2. Vielleicht

3. Golden

4. Dark I

5. Sequence I

6. Fragile

7. Wait

8. Sequence II

9. Cardiff

10. Dark II

11. Orange II

Left with a trace of all that was

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Bing and Ruth - Bing and Ruth (2006)

Clogs - Lantern (2006)