Pianoworks

Last updated

Pianoworks
Eluvium - Pianoworks cover art.jpg
Studio album by
Eluvium
ReleasedMay 31, 2019 (2019-05-31)
Genre Ambient
Length51:01
Label Temporary Residence
Producer Matthew Cooper
Eluvium chronology
Shuffle Drones
(2017)		Pianoworks
(2019)		 Virga I
(2020)

Pianoworks is the tenth studio album by American ambient artist Matthew Cooper under the moniker Eluvium. The album was released on May 31, 2019, through Temporary Residence [1] and consists solely of piano compositions. [2] It received generally favorable reviews from critics. [3]

Contents

Background

Pianoworks is Eluvium's first solo studio album since Shuffle Drones (2017), [4] and his first solo piano album since An Accidental Memory in the Case of Death (2004). [5] The album was inspired by "the quiet thoughts and solitary observations of children." [5]

Release

The standard edition of the album comes in CD and 2LP formats, while the deluxe edition comes in 2CD and 3LP formats. [4] The latter comes with the bonus album, titled Pianoworks Vol. 2, which contains solo piano recordings of Eluvium's past compositions. [4]

In conjunction with the album, Eluvium also released the Pianoworks sheet music book, a 76-page performance guide containing transcriptions of every solo piano song in Eluvium's discography. [4] [6]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 73/100 [3]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [7]
Exclaim! 6/10 [8]
Pitchfork 7.6/10 [2]
PopMatters Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]

According to the review aggregator Metacritic , Pianoworks received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 73 out of 100 from 4 critic scores. [3]

Fred Thomas of AllMusic stated, "The 13 tracks here are spare, lonely, and muted, played with a sense of remove that suggests both nostalgia and the resurfacing of lost memories." [7] Brian Howe of Pitchfork commented that "The compositions are consummate Eluvium, but the signature childlike wonder is underscored with mature regret and intellect." [2] Ed Whitelock of PopMatters called the album "Eluvium's most immediately accessible record to date." [1] Adam Feibel of Exclaim! commented that "It is thoughtfully composed but, for the most part, emotionally flat, and at times even feels rather metronomic and inhuman." [8] Nathan Stevens of Spectrum Culture called it "a wondrous, welcoming album." [9]

Amy X. Wang of Rolling Stone named Pianoworks the fifth best album of 2019. [10]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Matthew Cooper.

Pianoworks track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Recital"3:51
2."Quiet Children"4:24
3."Carrier 32"2:49
4."Inherent Mosaic"2:46
5."Transfiguration One"4:45
6."Masquerade"2:42
7."Underwater Dream"4:02
8."Vacuous Plenum"3:49
9."Transfiguration Two"3:37
10."Paper Autumnalia"4:17
11."Myriad Days"1:59
12."Soliloquy & Aside"5:46
13."Empathy for a Silhouette"6:07
Total length:51:01
Deluxe edition bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
1."An Accidental Memory in the Case of Death"3:05
2."Genius and the Thieves"1:49
3."Perfect Neglect in a Field of Stautes"5:39
4."Nepenthe"3:14
5."In a Sense"1:41
6."The Well-Meaning Professor"7:09
7."Prelude for Time Feelers"5:20
8."Radio Ballet"3:30
9."Hymn #1"1:23
10."Caroling"3:44
11."Impromptu (For the Procession)"3:44
12."Entendre"4:20
Total length:44:43

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes. [11]

Charts

Chart performance for Pianoworks
Chart (2019)Peak
position
UK Classical Artist Albums (OCC) [12] 31

References

  1. 1 2 3 Whitelock, Ed (June 3, 2019). "Eluvium's 'Pianoworks' Is a Welcoming and Reflective Collection of Compositions". PopMatters . Archived from the original on October 26, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 Howe, Brian (June 3, 2019). "Eluvium: Pianoworks". Pitchfork . Archived from the original on April 1, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 "Piano Works by Eluvium". Metacritic . Retrieved July 11, 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Otis, Erik (April 12, 2019). "Eluvium Returns with First Solo Piano Album Since 2004". XLR8R . Retrieved July 11, 2025.
  5. 1 2 Helman, Peter (March 26, 2019). "Eluvium – "Recital"". Stereogum . Archived from the original on September 20, 2019. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
  6. ↑ "Eluvium – Pianoworks". Temporary Residence Limited . Archived from the original on April 24, 2025. Retrieved August 27, 2025.
  7. 1 2 Thomas, Fred. "Piano Works - Eluvium". AllMusic . Retrieved July 11, 2025.
  8. 1 2 Feibel, Adam (May 30, 2019). "Eluvium". Exclaim! . Archived from the original on April 23, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
  9. ↑ Stevens, Nathan (June 3, 2019). "Eluvium: Pianoworks". Spectrum Culture. Archived from the original on September 22, 2020. Retrieved August 27, 2025.
  10. ↑ "Best Music of 2019: Staff Picks". Rolling Stone . December 20, 2019. Archived from the original on April 8, 2020. Retrieved August 27, 2025.
  11. ↑ Eluvium (2019). Pianoworks (CD booklet). Temporary Residence Limited.
  12. ↑ "Official Classical Artist Albums Chart on 14/6/2019". Official Charts Company . Retrieved September 11, 2025.

Further reading

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