Simplicity Matters

From the mind of musician and composer Peter Broderick, Grunewald is a five track classical experience that lures the listener in and keeps them hypnotized from start to finish with his simple yet sublime compositions. The 29-year-old musician Broderick, who was known as a session musician for artists and bands like M. Ward and Horse Feathers, joined the Danish indie band Efterklang in 2007. Since 2007, he has released over twenty recordings of solo material and on each, the listener hears Broderick mature and experiment with different notes and sounds. On Grunewald especially, one hears the influence of other previous releases like, Partners and Home with subtle nods to his work with others such as Horse Feathers and Laura Gibson.

The EP opens with the sedated song “Goodnight.” It is the only song on the album where the listener gets a hint of vocals. Just before the three-minute mark, Broderick comes in with angelic “oohs” and “ahhs” before quickly dropping out and letting the piano communicate to the listener for the remainder of the song. While the whole record is filled with evocative music, “Goodnight” is the most elegiac and stoic of the tracks. “Low Light” and “Eyes Closed Traveling” continue with Broderick’s minimalist approach to music, but he manages to inject a liveliness and originality into the repeating notes. “Violin Solo No. 1” is the shortest song on the album, finishing in just under three and a half minutes. Despite its short playing time, Broderick uses every second to show his mastery over the violin and the arresting music he makes with it. “It’s A Storm When I Sleep” is an example of a song that sounds like the title. It is an almost eight minute journey where Broderick starts off exploring the stillness of the piano, punching out notes in a staccato style before gently crescendoing to a repetitive clamor most resembling a cloudburst.

Broderick’s mostly instrumental release is a haunting exploration of music that uses hushed piano and airy violin. While it is only five tracks long, Grunewald takes its time revealing itself to the listener and when it does, the mind is left to contemplate and dream of the worlds into which the music transports them.