All Melody

Pitchfork 7.8/10 True, it’s not a wildly varied record: The tempos are generally slow, the moods contemplative, the melancholy almost all-pervasive. But within that framework, he explores as much ground as he can, from grand, sweeping choral passages reminiscent of Arvo Pärt to understated piano études.

A.V. Club A- All constraints are off for All Melody, a vibrant, exploratory album born from Frahm’s newly constructed Berlin studio and the freedom to experiment it allowed.

The Line of Best Fit 9/10 It’s a Michelin star feast of elegant tones playing out terse melodies amid concert hall sized production, and it should find its way onto year end lists come December.

DIY 4/5 For Nils Frahm, this record is nothing new: on his terms it is not extraordinary. But for mere mortals, ‘All Melody’ is a bracing cacophony of the possibilities of minute sonic experimentation.

All Music 3.5/5 The result is some of the richest and most ambitious work he's created to date. However, he manages to maintain a simplicity and intimacy, and above all, a sense of spaciousness.

Under The Radar 7.5/10 These are nocturnes that cover ground like a true tracker. Frahm can get a little lost in his acreage and compositions might benefit from the fences of editing but transportation requires a sense of adventure and following Nils Frahm has hidden rewards.

The Observer 3/5 While All Melody’s textures are magnificent, plick-plocking susurrations, his treatment of the human voice is like a gash in an otherwise beauteous canvas. Why, if you’re going to run tracks through a dry well in Mallorca just to get the organic reverb right, would you just get an off-the-peg western choir to “ah” boringly on tracks like Human Range?

Loud and Quiet 8/10 Whether Frahm admits it or not, when it comes to playing with people’s feelings or trying to make sense of his own, he rarely gets it wrong.

Pop Matters 8/10 By challenging himself to make the most out of his new recording environment, he has refreshed his sound and ended up with his most engaging and accessible work to date. It is a wholly immersive triumph that draws you in tight as few albums do.

Spectrum Culture 80% Holed up in an East Berlin studio rebuilt to his fussy sonic demands, Frahm gathered a cluster of other musicians, including a choir, and has crafted his most expansive release yet, one that synthesizes his prior innovations with a new compositional palette.