Rachel Grimes
The Clearing
(Temporary Residence)
Having previously founded the chamber meets post-rock outfit Rachel’s, pianist and composer Rachel Grimes returns with her first solo album in 6 years with help from members of Shipping News, Loscil, and Amsterdam Sinfonietta. Elegant and mysterious, The Clearing is an expansive peek into post-everything sounds with a classical influence where harps, woodwinds, and gentle strings supplement the piano dense songs. Grimes possesses a profound talent with the keys, but maybe more importantly knows how to punctuate them when other instruments like saxophones and violins come into the equation, resulting in a playful, charming and gripping listen. This is among the best work Temporary Residence Ltd. has been involved with, which is about as high a compliment as possible. (Tom Haugen)
