Goldmund – Famous Places

Score: 7/10
Release Date: 08/24/2010
Label: Type Records, Western Vinyl
Myspace

There are many places in the world (streets, provinces, cities, and towns) but ,for many, only few leave a lasting impression with the visitor.  Such impressions can emerge from love, heritage, and nostalgia, but places often impress an individual by showcasing its land and people to visitors and workers.  With Goldmund’s latest album, Famous Places, he captures the beauty of towns, cities, and regions with evocative notes of melancholy and nostalgia.

Although the obscurity of some of the song titles may only reflect the diversity Mr. Kenniff’s travels, prominent locations like “Alberta,” “Bergen,” and “Jones Beach Dunes” immediately stand out to the occasional traveler.  As one listens to the album, familiarity and unfamiliarity create a unique experience for the listener as piano notes recall a trip to one of the places of his compositions or serve as a prelude to a place known only by name.  Such divisions refine themes of travel and nostalgia by ruminating over places in the context of piano and ambiance.  This infusion of ambient sounds emphasizes the expansiveness of the music because it mirrors the context of album, famous places, and sites.  With locations spanning from Bergen (presumably of Bergen, Sweden) and Alberta (a province of Canada) one better understands the impact of his newfound ambient flourishes, a feature almost absent in the Malady of Elegance. Despite such wide-ranging locations, many of his “famous places” dot the Northeast corridor: “Fort McClary,” an former military post in Maine, “Saranac” from Saranac Lakes of New York State, and Jones Beach Dunes of the Hampton’s famous Dune Row.  Perhaps, such is the irony of the record. The obscurity of the places belies the album’s title, which suggests that familiarity of location is never an indication of its impact upon the individual.  In contrast, it is the places among the landmarks that impress the traveler, the ones seldom mentioned in maps and guidebooks.  To extend the irony, Goldmund highlights generally obscure locations by labeling his compositions with their names, moving them closer to the label of landmark.  Although one can pinpoint many of these places with an internet search, to do so would remove the beauty of listening to the record.  Ignorance is bliss.  As locations change, so does pace and sound.  His attention, musical and nostalgic alike, truly comes to fore in songs like “Bowen” and ‘Dane Street” and adds a transcendental element to an album otherwise grounded in location and geography.

Famous Places advances the electronica elements that characterize a large part of his work under the moniker Helios, but the music itself is distinctly Goldmund.  Famous Places is a fine introduction to Mr Kenniff’s work.  Those who like piano, will find his releases under the Goldmund moniker a joy.  Those with an affinity for electronic flourishes and acoustic guitar, of course, will find Helios to their liking.  Regardless of which camp one falls into, Famous Places becalms and captivates and, from any musician, fans can ask for nothing more.