F.S. Blumm

Ankern is the follow-up to the mellifluous drone album Mondkuchen released last year on the Morr Music label. This time, multi-instrumentalist Blumm moves away from the drone and embraces instrumental melodies infused with minimalist patterns. On this CD, Blumm plays the guitar, horn, trumpet and toy piano while various contributors join in with cello, vibes, keyboard and variations on the African thumb piano, such as the kalimba and mbira. It is these latter instruments that accentuate the overall minimalist patterns, akin to the music of Steve Reich. The tone of Ankern swings between moodily pensive and upbeat, not unlike a cloudy day that alternates between overcast and radiantly sunny. One might even say that Ankern is minimalist instrumental folk music with a strong dose of sentimentality added for good measure.