Douglas Dare - Whelm (2014)

The poetically minded singer-songwriter and Nils Frahm touring partner put the album together with notable swiftness—the record was started by Dare and his producer Fabian Prynn this past November and finished by January. Some of that speed must have come from their streamlined approach to recording, with the two of them the only personnel on the sessions. Whelm draws from songs Dare has been playing in his live set and a number of new compositions like "Nile," "Swim" and "Unrest." We're told "a grand piano, battered and bruised, but with a beautiful sound" is the album's core instrument, though Flood's Minimoog is apparently a favored bit of kit as well.