LXIV

Throughout my experiences with French multi-instrumentalist S'bastien Gramond's music, I have found that some of the most professional work he has done has been really rooted in jazz. Keep in mind that this is an artist that has covered the spectrum in terms of genres, but on average, the most authentic sounds he has done have been with jazz. This is not to say that my favourite work of Gramond's is all jazz, but he does have a flair of musicianship that really coincides with the style. 'LXIV' is (as one may guess from the name) the fifty-fourth solo album Gramond has done, and while many of these albums have been unfortunately lost over time, I have become experienced enough through the earlier albums to see that Gramond has really tightened up his playing here. However, while the musicianship for this jazz release is very admirable, the album slips into being pure background music for its lack of melody or tactful composition.

Although Gramond is a guitarist first and foremost, he shows here on 'LXIV' that he is a very well-rounded multi-instrumentalist. The lo-fi drum recording here presents some flashy fills here and there, and keeps the beat steady. It is Gramond's work on the keyboard though that really shines through. Throughout the entire album (which flows as one continuous stream of music) the piano drives the music forth, although while Gramond has a great skill at piano, it rarely feels as if the music is going anywhere.

Instead of melodies and dynamic, what is heard here is instead a long piece that feels largely jammed out. The instruments have a surprising interplay with each other considering that this is the work of only one man recording over himself, but as a rule, no track sticks out, and besides a few moments where it sounds like electric guitars are poking through to liven things up (only to recede once again), the compositions here are listless, making 'LXIV' merely a piece of pleasant mood music.

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