Known for her work as part of the Splinter Orchestra, Great Waitress, or as the most underrated act on THAT Royal Headache bill at the Opera House a few years back, it’s exciting to see a highly anticipated solo LP in store from the Blue Mountains-based minimalist pianist and composer Monica Brooks.
Even though it’s part of Bedroom Suck’s Private Eyes series that collects recordings from the last 12 months of lockdowns and social distancing, Brooks’ record goes even further back, drawing up performances and recordings from 2013-2018.
Brooks is maximalist in her minimalism. The compositions gradually unfurl in a shimmering flurry of keys that draw up floating overtones; the kind of pieces that sit somewhere in the nexus of Keith Jarrett, Jon Gibson’s Ascension, or even Rhys Chatham’s guitar orchestras but performed on one piano.
We put this one on while in a stocktake panic and Damien called it a “lovely way to spend an hour”—and I reckon he’s right!
-Mitch