Mixing bold musical proclamations, pastoral compositions, and classical nuance, ade ishs crafts a reflective, relaxing atmosphere on his solo piano album New Butterfly. The Indonesia-born ishs has a real knack for utilizing silence in his music, and the relationship of his carefully chosen chords to the living spaces between is the fulcrum upon which this album balances. His masterful use of space gives the listener time to digest each masterful passage and gives each subsequent idea even more of a dramatic flair. The pauses evoke various feelings, as if the music is sighing, taking a deep breath, or gasping for air.
It is immediately clear in the first track, “Little Butterfly,” that there’s musical genius at work here. “Genius” is not a term to lightly toss about, but there’s something that gives ishs away: the fact that he is in a Pat Metheny cover band. Truly brilliant people always seem to have such improbable experiences, and being in an Indonesian Metheny tribute band certainly qualifies. Not surprisingly, listeners will find a good dose of Metheny-like phrasing among the album’s tracks, along with an equal reverence for the glory of dense chords.
Such music might be considered out of the scope of all but the most adventurous sound seekers and people that are dedicated listeners of the style. But there’s an approachable, almost populist quality to ishs’ music that breaks down those imaginary boundaries. His congeniality and the mood of the listener are the two biggest factors in the success of this album. Sometimes, people just aren’t going to be in the frame of mind that stokes appreciation for solo piano music, and that’s unimpeachable. But within the context of the style, New Butterfly is as fine as they come.
ishs’ variations within the same song are surprising, even jarring, but never without their place. The title track, for instance, closes with a flourish that belies the humble beginnings of the song. The gentle opening of “Jakarta at Night 3” suddenly veers into a resounding, memorable melody upon which ishs exercises all manner of exploration and resolution, nodding to the chord structure while reaching out into improvisation with the rest of his body. It’s a particularly quick and entertaining seven and a half minutes, thanks to ishs’ restless attitude.
The recording itself is also thought-provoking. There’s an immediacy and intimacy to the sound of the album, almost as if the listener is sitting right next to ishs, and the resonance of the instrument often envelops the brain. Alternately, there are moments in which the mics may have been too intimately placed, and the thud of hammer on string is distracting. These few blemishes do, however, serve to convey the energy and emotion ishs casts into each performance, as if the powerful outro of “When the Sun Sets 1” wasn’t enough proof.
In “Go On 2,” ishs cribs a bit of the vocal melody from Barbara Streisand’s “The Way We Were.” As unlikely as that sounds, the quote seems far too obvious to be a mistake. Intentional or not, the touchstone lasts but a few seconds before ishs is off on another creative flight of fancy, though he does return to the melody one more time before song’s end.
More contrasting moods dominate “When the Sun Sets 2.” Forlorn, cinematic passages formed by sorrowful left-hand work from ishs collide with his inspired, skywalking right-hand runs in a breathtaking manner, and at this point of the album, it’s clear just how serious of a talent he is.
The stunning abilities so inherent from the first note of the album eventually work against the overall listening experience. “Too much of a good thing” syndrome begins to creep in about halfway through the album’s 61 minute running time, and by the time ishs sets off into the eight and a half-minute dreamland of “I Saw Happiness,” most listeners will be ready for an intermission.
It’s as simple as one man sitting at a piano: those with an inclination toward classical, jazz, and piano music will immediately take to New Butterfly. Those without that inclination will either find a new wrinkle to add to their musical palette or move on, appreciating ishs’ talent all the same.
Review by Bryan Rodgers
Rating: 3 Stars (out of 5)
