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...METONIC reveals a remarkable talent for intense, often positively rhapsodic, melodies. Mostly they don't sound like anyone else at all, although occasionally one thinks of a kind of cross between Chopin and Philip Glass. ...on the first disc Springer is at his most virtuosic and playful, with a wonderful lightness of touch. Over all, the effect is compelling and magical. ...The second CD consists of 12 piano quartets with Springer overdubbing each part . . .here the quartet form allows for a constant pulse and a lot of textural layering within the repeating patterns, which shimmer with the audio equivalent of a moiré effect.
...this CD has high-register tinkling, mid-register droning, low-register rumbling and obsessive tinkling on a single motif or scale, that is quite spellbinding CD2 features a stately 55-minute improvisation that largely explores sonorous possibilities of sustained chords on a Steinway Grand in the acoustics of the Union Chapel, London where it was recorded.
A reiterated piano note, slowly marking time against a developing undercurrent of stealthy depths down in the base clef, offers an introduction of poise to Mark Springer's album. ..his CD perpetuates the links between no holds barred performance and an inquisitive approach to form and function. ...the piano seems to function as an exploratory probe . . .and Springer's saxophone layers on a wild, unpredictable improv that is reiterated by Clive (Portishead) Deamer's tight drum patterns and the Zoom Quartet's electronic atmospheres.
Springer is a pianist with prodigious amounts of stamina and invention ...there's a strong natural form and line to his playing that makes him surprisingly accessible.
On this CD Springer shows he's still ahead of the game ...throughout, he creates a beguilingly strange sound-world ...the saxophone parts are strikingly expressive, like late Coltrane produced by Tricky. The second CD's extended improv coaxes an astonishing range of sounds from the Steinway ....with the notes leading to some beautiful effects.
NATURE, MUSIC... Springer creates a delicate balance of jazz-noir and engaging experimentalism. Unlike many of his post-punk colleagues he opts to explore his future rather than trade on his past.
If the sound of a bloke playing a piano makes your heart sing, you've come to the right place... Springer hits the spot here with this double CD
This is a very different beast to EYE (Exit 001), which foregrounded Springer's considerable dexterity on the piano. In CAPTURE... his virtuosity is tempered with programmed beats, to good effect... with deft splashes of eerie and unsettling electronica and stuttering acid pulses in tracks like Your Body Temptation and Whisper, their composer's ever-present and effortlessly executed, conservatoire tendencies dominate. ...when Springer unleashes some of those furious Cecil Taylor-like ripples over the beats they hint at sublime fusions as yet undeveloped in modern music.
Springer sings songs of desire bravely . . .and at the keyboards he juxtaposes Harpsichord, Fender Rhodes and conventional piano. . . Springer's methodology might be unique, integrating cracked ditties of love with pianistic skills that draw on Jaki Byard, McCoy Tyner and Keith Jarrett along with doses of Debussy.
CAPTURE is the sound of arthouse meeting dancefloor... overall effect is unlike most things you have heard before. Its closest relative is probably the baroque pop of Bjork's Homogenic album.
There's no doubt that Springer's an excellent pianist. When it comes to his CD CAPTURE the Bristol's musicians keyboard skills are just the tip of the iceberg... tracks like the title song Capture and Don't Move Me demonstrate an effective vocal collaboration between Springer and female singer S.Stella. If you are a fan of the best Yoko Ono solo stuff Don't Move Me alone makes the album worthwhile.
On EYE, Springer plays contemplative pieces, with a touch of Bill Evans, a sprinkling of Grieg and Chopin... a meditative, beguiling and assured record from a mature talent who has found his inner voice. |
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