Takumi Uesaka / Peter Broderick – Glimmer

With Glimmer, the aim was simple: make music for a quiet midnight, but even with the same goal in mind, Takumi Uesaka and Peter Broderick’s contributions to this release could not be more different. Uesaka’s guitar is used to create delicately lilting melodies, broken chords that expand and contract with the scope of a full orchestra. Despite midnight being a time of darkness, his songs are filled with hope and a simple desire for a better day to follow.

Meanwhile, Broderick’s four piano-centric songs, whilst not lacking the power of Uesaka’s music, instead utilise considerably more dramatic impact to form a more solemn take on the twilight hours, opting to focus on the surrounding darkness than the coming light. Together, these two distinct individuals have created what is not only a balanced work but also one of undeniable beauty. [David Bowes]