The Bath musician Charlie Hooper-Williams makes minimalist piano music that retains a lot of heart. The pieces here on his new record, The Book of Fixed Stars, are simple and direct, but in the spaces between notes one can hear a lot of emotion.
"Astronomia" is fairly lush, while "Emma" benefits from subtle viola touches from Emma Hooper. "Cloudgazing" is nimble and modestly spry. Hooper-Williams' playing is compared to Max Richter in the press materials but, very oddly, some of the more emotive chord changes remind me of Randy Newman's soundtrack work. Regardless, Charlie maintains a tight grip on his emotions, and what's here is scaled back, still lovely, and full of feeling. Fans of Nineties era Harold Budd will find this very resonant.
The Book of Fixed Stars by Charlie Hooper-Williams is out now via The Way Beyond. Details via Bandcamp below too.
[Photo: Charlie Hooper-Williams]