Band : Gerald Krampl
Album title : Lighthouse
Label : Sandrose Records
Distributor : Indigo Music
Release date : Oct. 2010
Release : CD

This Austrian keyboard player is a really busy songwriter, euhm...composer, these days! Not even a year after the release of 2009's Innocent Wasteland (which I reviewed in a TSM/ SLW Promotion special, posted 24/02/2010), the prolific artist has a new album out, one which continues in the soundtracks vein of his previous albums!

So, expect slightly introvert piano music with nice orchestrated (violin – cello sounds) keyboards and synths (used to add the soundtracks weirdness’s) in a Neo-Classical, minimalistic setting with occasional Ambient undertones (the synths frequently adding nature sounds). Of course there's always something of the meditative qualities in the man's music as well (he IS alfter all a Reiki master). This time around however, there's no overall concept, each track a “story” on its own, based on experiences the artist went through during the last year. For example (taken from the info sheet Gerald added to the album he sent us), the album opening title track was written under the influence of a visit to the dilapidated ruins of military harbor fortifications in Croatia...”Walking The Last Mile” was written after seeing the Truman Capote movie In Cold Blood...”Nightpearls” was inspired by a night filled with shooting stars...”The Guiding Light” by the simple act of lighting a candle during a night visit to the graveyard... In essence, the 12 tracks (just over 47 minutes in length) offer a possibility to flee away from life's usually too busy moments, even from the current usual rather heavy music scene! As far as I'm concerned at least, and I feel lucky enough for Krampl having sent us a copy of the album.

There's a possibility to listen to 90-seconds samples of all 12 tracks on the album at (www.) indigomusic.at, and “Walking The Last Mile” (alongside plenty of material off older albums) can be heard in full-length version at (www.) myspace.com/geraldkrampl. This may not be the kind of music most of Concrete Web's readers will be listening to on a daily basis, but then again I suppose a fair amount of you have a spirit of open-mindedness which seeks out a more eclectic choice of music. Change does make one hungry for more, doesn't it? Hum...this review is far shorter than my usual writings, but then again what mores’ to be said?

88/100

Tony.