It’s a quiet Friday morning, and I have just received some rather upsetting news [not personal, not music, or HC related – don’t worry]. My mood has shifted, and I can’t snap out. I try to change the story in my mind and turn to something that somehow always calms me. Thankfully I can always rely on Moderna Records to supply me with their top-choice spoils in sonic treatments. Today is no exception, and as I put on this new release from an unlikely duo, the music fits right in; it coincides with the tone, the character, the state of mind. And although it does not abolish all my thoughts, its slightly melancholic tint brings on a glow of light, where shadows dwelled before. I’ve used the word “unlikely” before, because Pêtr Aleksänder is actually an alternative modern classical band, comprised of Tom Hobden (Noah & The Whale, Mumford & Sons) and Eliot James (Two Door Cinema Club, Bloc Party). The two British indie rock band members have worked before in 2017 on their collaborative Present Roam for Village Green, but, of course, for this piece on Moderna, and under Pêtr Aleksänder, they’ve put together something new. It is a richly textured piece, with piano creaks and all, and it works wonders for my state of mind – a soundtrack for mind weather…
To the gentle rhythm of a lilting piano, “Remains of the Day” rises from the deep, spurred on by Pêtr Aleksänder’s signature life-affirming strings and enriching electronics, and comes tantalisingly close to breaching the surface…but that would be to break the illusion, to reveal its mystery. Instead, “Remains of the Day” leaves the listener to wonder at what it was that has now gently returned from where it came.
This is not the first release for Pêtr Aleksänder – there is another single on Moderna from 2020, titled “Triptych I for Piano” which came out as part of the label’s Summer Single Series. You can also dig back in time and hear Another World EP, or start with Closer, Still, the band’s debut from 2019. Meanwhile, I’m happy to discover through Moderna and add this project to my list of music for a stormy mood! And if you prefer a visual component to all your audible adventures, here’s a wonderful video, for the very same track.
