Dustin O Halloran - Lumiere

The Page Down/Up buttons don't work on this stupid laptop. The whole thing has the tacky feel of a cheap lipstick. Why don't they fit, like, real chrome inlays instead of that cheap plastic imitation stuff? Maybe have hand-polished teak buttons. I wouldn't feel so volatile & disillusioned towards the state of modern technology if it had a bit of bloody class. Like Dustin O' Halloran. He's got class, oozes it in fact, on his Fat Cat sponsored 4th outing 'Lumiere'. He's produced a couple of predominantly piano based CDs on Bella Union & his live 'Vorleben' album (due a regular re-issue soon on 131101) was released in a lavish book package by the esteemed Berlin boutique label Sonic Pieces (who are so great they keep pinching our album of the week slot) My only experience of Dustin previously was that very same live album which was too twee for me in parts. I get that from bits of Nils Frahm's output too so it's obviously the sentimentality, not the undisputable quality of the music, that's an issue with me. This album is thoroughly gorgeous though. More orchestrated (he's blossomed from ivory tinker into composer now) sweeping, graceful, moving & downright luxurious than any of you deserve. I can handle a tearfully pensive piano being caressed when there's fabulous somber strings darting all over the shop, jerking tears out of my face before the ducts have even had time to kick into action. If all you desire in today's collapsing, bickering society is the soothing strains of, say, Max Richter, young Dustin will absolutely more than suffice - his music is easily as evocative, powerful & ridiculously affecting. A new benchmark for the modern classical arena?