M. Ostermeier

The scores for Marc Ostermeier's work might read like a flowchart: dotted lines linking rectangles labelled "piano figure," "liquid synth arpeggio," "semi-random glass tinkles" and "amplifier noise." The compositional genius comes with intuiting each entry point and overlap for these monochromatic elements to yield radiant musical sums. This follow-up to the equally transcendent Chance Reconstruction focuses a fraction more on melody, with the structures and durations suggestive of "actual" pop songs. Sprightly pieces like "Sunlight on My Desk," with its mbira-like, muted piano and vibraphone expressions, play like highlight snippets of jazz improvisation. The same hopefulness suffuses even the more reflective moments on the album, suggesting another small world might be all right after all.