All Encores

by 
AlbumOct 18 / 201912 songs, 1h 19m 13s
Ambient Post-Minimalism
Noteable

Nils Frahm’s 2018 album *All Melody* neatly summarized both the Berlin musician’s formidable chops and his sprawling musical interests: Recorded at his custom studio in Berlin’s famous Funkhaus complex, it paired hushed solo piano pieces with throbbing, groove-heavy electronic fusions. To achieve the album’s final form, Frahm pursued a number of tangential paths, then released those as the *Encores* trio of EPs, collected here as *All Encores*. The first four songs are quiet neoclassical etudes that showcase Frahm at his most intimate, the mic so close that the action of the keys and the creaking of the pedals are plainly audible. “Sweet Little Lie” and “A Walking Embrace” add tape hiss and reverb, playing up the elegiac qualities of his music, while “Harmonium in the Well” and “Talisman” are pure ambient. The long, winding “Spells” and “All Armed” both revisit the swelling, multitracked arpeggios that marked *All Melody*’s most dramatic peaks, but it’s the closing “Amirador” that feels the most like something we’ve never heard from Frahm before. Slow, beatless, and contemplative, it’s simple in form but as texturally complex as anything he’s done. It’s as though, once Frahm has summited “All Armed,” a new horizon is suddenly visible, along with a road map for where his work might take him next.

In celebration of Piano Day, Nils Frahm will release his acclaimed ​All Encores album on 3LP vinyl. Previously only available on CD and digitally, ​All Encores encompassed the three ​Encores EPs as one full length featuring 80 minutes of music, orbiting his masterful 2018 album ​All Melody​. Whilst ​Encores 1 focused on an acoustic pallet of sounds with solo piano and harmonium at the core, and ​Encores 2 explored more ambient landscapes, now ​Encores 3 sees Nils expand on the percussive and electronic elements in his work. “The idea behind All Encores is one we had from before All Melody; to separate releases each with their own distinct musical style and theme, perhaps even as a triple album. But All Melody became larger than itself and took over any initial concepts. I think the idea of All Encores is like musical islands that compliment All Melody.” Moulded during ​All Melody but refined by his live performances, ​All Encores is testament to Nils’ exceptional ability to craft his art on stage. ​Artificially Intelligent which showcases his ‘mad professor’ organ, and ​All Armed ​which has been a live favourite for some time, appearing on set lists since 2015, are now available to hear on record for the very first time. The final track of ​Encores 3​, as well as the whole series, ​Amirador,​ perhaps aptly nods to the Spanish word for ‘lookout’ and hints at what’s to come.

6.5 / 10

The adventurous musician and composer takes a step back toward a simpler, sparer sound.

7 / 10

The idea for All Encores was born before German musician and composer Nils Frahm created the masterpiece All Melody, which arrived in early...

8 / 10

Nils Frahm's All Encores is much more than three EPs grouped together – it's the gently urgent companion piece to 2018's All Melody.

8 / 10

In 2018, Nils Frahm released his ninth studio album, All Melody, to near-universal acclaim.

Album Reviews: Nils Frahm - All Encores