Dan Melchior - Hill Country Piano (2024) [Hi-Res]

Dan Melchior’s Hill Country Piano is a beautifully open-ended, lo-fi suite of solo piano, banjo, and gamelan-inspired compositions, steeped in a wistful Americana and evoking the spirit of Pascal Comelade. Recorded at his home in North Carolina, the music captures a raw and intimate atmosphere, layered with natural reverb and unpolished charm.

A veteran of DIY music since the 1990s, Melchior's work spans bluesy garage rock, collaborations with Letha Rodman, and releases on notable experimental labels like Siltbreeze and Penultimate Press. With Hill Country Piano, his first piano recording, he crafts a reflective and imaginative soundscape, blending psych-tinged elegance and lo-fi experimentation. Drawing on recursive techniques—playing and re-recording phrases in an empty room—Melchior layers piano melodies with banjo strums and rhythmelodic tones reminiscent of gamelan, creating a uniquely serene and textured experience.

Highlights include the delicate banjo-led "Sparrow Song," the evocative contrast of deep keys and ethereal harmonies in "The Body," and the melancholic introspection of "Night Sounds." The album culminates in the title track, a solemn 10-minute piece that encapsulates the bluesy essence and quiet intensity of the collection. A tender and uncommercial gem, this suite invites listeners to revel in its slow, effervescent beauty.

Tracklist:
1 Sparrow Song
2 The Body
3 Night Sounds
4 Hill Country Piano