Meaning Turns to Whispers

Issued on vinyl by Aguirre Records in 2016 around the same time FatCat Records released his expansive Centres, Meaning Turns to Whispers was originally self-released digitally by Ian William Craig in 2012. Unlike his later albums that featured his own operatic vocals, this one is instrumental, and it focuses entirely on piano improvisations and manipulated loops of FM radio static. Most of the pieces gradually combine piano melodies with layers of tape hiss, and at a few points, there are shreds of voices trapped in the static, prefiguring Craig's later work. In some ways, the album is at its loveliest when it focuses on simplistic melodies, with the hypnotic rolling pianos of the 11-minute "Expanding Hope into Caverns" being a highlight. The album is intriguing, but at this point he hadn't quite developed his unique sound, so it's not as moving as subsequent works such as A Turn of Breath. ~ Paul Simpson