Composer Dustin O’Halloran may be better known for being co-conspirator of ambient neo-classicists A Winged Victory for the Sullen (or even as a member of defunct indie rock act Devics). But he’s managed a headlining career for over two decades now, including a multitude of film scores and solo albums. Originally released in 2011, Lumière was his fourth, now celebrating its fifteenth anniversary with a deluxe reissue.
Written in Italy but recorded in Berlin, Lumière fits right in with the work of O’Halloran’s European peers – folks like Max Richter, Nils Frahm, Peter Broderick, and the late Jóhann Jóhannsson, the last three of whom appear here. O’Halloran favors sparse arrangements but rich textures, alternating solo piano pieces and songs featuring a string quartet. “We Move Lightly,” for example, lets O’Halloran concentrate on his touch on the keyboard, imbuing the relatively simple melody with more emotion than an electric blues solo. “Opus 55” favors dramatic fingerwork that imbues the piece with a strong sense of romanticism. “Quartet N.2,” on the other hand, favors glistening washes of strings that rise and fall like waves in a calm ocean. The record is at its best when both sides come together for beautiful pieces like “Quintett N.1,” which flows across agitated strings before settling into a calm keyboard coda, “Opus 43,” the repetitive structures of which carries the ambience of a full orchestra even with only five instruments, or “Snow and Light,” which brings the original album to a close like the light snow at dawn it embodies.
This edition adds to the colors with a quartet of bonus cuts. “Fragile N.1” uses synths to simulate the piano and strings delicacy of “Fragile N.4.” To Rococo’s Robert Lippok remixes “We Move Lightly,” giving it a shining ambience, unsettling samples, and a percussive groove that reaches a limb in trip hop territory. The demo of “Opus 43” is the same recording sent to Stars of the Lid’s Adam Wiltzie, thus inaugurating their collaboration in AVftS. Previously unreleased song “Timothy is Sleeping” floats across the room as if lighter than air, leaving its wistful scent behind.
Lumière was a strong showing for O’Halloran, proving that his work as a composer and pianist was more than just a side project to his bands. Fifteen years on, it’s held up extremely well, as impactful now as it was when it quietly and steadily crossed the ears of adventurous listeners of both the classical and popular persuasions.
