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Reviews

Charles Xavier — Pandemic Piano
(Bandcamp no#, 2022, CD / DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2023-07-15

Pandemic Piano Cover art

An album like Charles Xavier’s Pandemic Piano highlights, for me at least, the divide between what music means to the person making it and what it may mean for those listening to it. Xavier is a San Francisco composer sometimes known as “Xman” (which doesn’t help when trying to research him, for reasons you can likely guess). As the title suggests, the album consists (mostly) of piano music recorded during pandemic lockdowns. There are other sounds as well, including electric piano, synthesizers, and percussion, but piano is certainly the core. The music is described as “new age ambient piano music,” and any quibbles I have with that label are fairly minor. As it happens, “new age ambient piano music” is something I would normally avoid out of hand, but Mr. Xavier went to the trouble of sending me a CD, so I’ll give it a chance. Having listened to the album’s 28 tracks, many of which come in at under a minute, I will say that my original opinion remains intact. I’m sure the production of these pieces was a meaningful and perhaps even cathartic experience, and I’m also sure that there are listeners who would enjoy it, but I find it suitable only as background sound, and even then, I’d rather hear something more interesting. Please don’t let this grumpy old reviewer turn you away from checking out the Bandcamp page to judge for yourself if “new age ambient piano music” is for you.

Filed under: New releases, 2022 releases

Related artist(s): Charles "Xman" Xavier

More info
http://charlesxavierjr.bandcamp.com/album/pandemic-piano

 

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