Nils Frahm - All Melody
Critic Score
Based on 21 reviews
2018 Ratings: #136 / 890
User Score
Based on 365 ratings
2018 Rank: #229
Liked by 21 people
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CRITIC REVIEWS

100
Drowned in Sound
It’s continuously changing, perfectly timed, evenly spaced - an impeccable album.
91
A.V. Club

All constraints are off for All Melody, a vibrant, exploratory album born from Frahm’s newly constructed Berlin studio and the freedom to experiment it allowed.

90
The Line of Best Fit
It’s a Michelin star feast of elegant tones playing out terse melodies amid concert hall sized production, and it should find its way onto year end lists come December.
86
Paste

Over the past few years, Frahm has scored films, collaborated with other artists (like singer-songwriter Woodkid and hip-hop producer DJ Shadow) and reunited with the band of his youth. Along the way, he has clearly indulged some sonic wanderlust; All Melody feels like the first delectable fruits of that labor.

85
XLR8R

With All Melody, Nils Frahm has retained his unique approach and emotional sensitivity. He’s also expanded his sound, and shown more of his soul than ever before. It’s a record to be treasured.

80
Spectrum Culture

Holed up in an East Berlin studio rebuilt to his fussy sonic demands, Frahm gathered a cluster of other musicians, including a choir, and has crafted his most expansive release yet, one that synthesizes his prior innovations with a new compositional palette.

80
Crack Magazine
Like with former albums, the strength of Frahm’s melodies comes not from sonic business, but minimalism. Each musical component follows a simple path but is arranged in such a way that evokes maximum emotional payoff.
80
Loud and Quiet

Whether Frahm admits it or not, when it comes to playing with people’s feelings or trying to make sense of his own, he rarely gets it wrong.

80
Exclaim!

It's an impressive compilation of provocatively disparate ideas, but taken in in its intended order, there's a mesmerizing continuity to it all.

80
Resident Advisor

For All Melody, he didn't just try to channel the energy of his live performances. He brought that feeling of space, warmth and human connection into the studio with him.

80
DIY
For Nils Frahm, this record is nothing new: on his terms it is not extraordinary. But for mere mortals, ‘All Melody’ is a bracing cacophony of the possibilities of minute sonic experimentation.
80
PopMatters

By challenging himself to make the most out of his new recording environment, he has refreshed his sound and ended up with his most engaging and accessible work to date. It is a wholly immersive triumph that draws you in tight as few albums do.

78
Pitchfork
True, it’s not a wildly varied record: The tempos are generally slow, the moods contemplative, the melancholy almost all-pervasive. But within that framework, he explores as much ground as he can, from grand, sweeping choral passages reminiscent of Arvo Pärt to understated piano études.
75
Under the Radar
These are nocturnes that cover ground like a true tracker. Frahm can get a little lost in his acreage and compositions might benefit from the fences of editing but transportation requires a sense of adventure and following Nils Frahm has hidden rewards.
75
Consequence of Sound
From the dejected, somber piano on “My Friend the Forest” to the thrilling, endless spiral that is nine-minute opus “Sunson”, Frahm is on a high that’s both incredibly organized and full of improvisation.
75
Northern Transmissions
Mixing the worlds of electronics with dark choirs and strange organic sounds, Frahm is able to find a sound that speaks to our current society and where we may go. The first half of his album does stumble around these concepts much more loosely, making the stronger second half almost feel like it’s own unique EP on the album. This said, the stride he hits for this second half is a cinematic-flavoured delight that will mesmerize you.
70
AllMusic
The result is some of the richest and most ambitious work he's created to date. However, he manages to maintain a simplicity and intimacy, and above all, a sense of spaciousness.
60
The Observer

While All Melody’s textures are magnificent, plick-plocking susurrations, his treatment of the human voice is like a gash in an otherwise beauteous canvas. Why, if you’re going to run tracks through a dry well in Mallorca just to get the organic reverb right, would you just get an off-the-peg western choir to “ah” boringly on tracks like Human Range?

60
musicOMH
Overall it proves a worthy addition to his catalogue and sees him subtly move his sound on once again, without maybe being the great leap it could have been.
RemisReviews
89

Nils Frahm is one of my favorite musicians. In terms of Modern music, he and Aphex Twin and maybe Max Richter are the only ones I would consider pure geniuses. I mean just looking at this guy's live shows, interviews, and of course catalog, he's just an absolutely brilliant artist, and it's so rare for an incredible artist like that to be releasing music nowadays. Such an inspiration to me.

All Melody is one of his most popular and newer albums, which was made in his beloved studio in Berlin. ... read more

zachthesnack
85

Nils Frahm is somewhat of a renaissance artist when it comes to making music. He has showcased over the years that he is capable of masterfully curating pieces of music across a wide range of styles within his classical niche. All Melody was no different, with what was possibly the most relaxing record of 2018 so far, Frahm was able to bring all of the skills hes culminated over the years into Fruition and it was quite beautiful. Songs like A Place, Human Range and #2 were absolutely gorgeous ... read more

Houdanny
70

One of Frahm’s most maximal and upfront releases, it takes a more old school approach to ambient/minimalism, but often I find this leads to some rather awkward spots on the album. I find this album works best when Frahm sticks to his guns with the light and pristine piano-centric ambient. Still good overall though.

Standout: Sunson
Favs: All Melody, Kaleidoscope, Human Range, Harm Hymn, Fundamental values, My friend the Forest
Least fav: A place

DrakeBonna
87

With All Melody, Nils Frahm has retained his unique approach and emotional sensitivity.

Favourite Tracks:

A Place
My Friend the Forest
All Melody
#2
Momentum
Kaleidoskope

RemisReviews
89

Nils Frahm is one of my favorite musicians. In terms of Modern music, he and Aphex Twin and maybe Max Richter are the only ones I would consider pure geniuses. I mean just looking at this guy's live shows, interviews, and of course catalog, he's just an absolutely brilliant artist, and it's so rare for an incredible artist like that to be releasing music nowadays. Such an inspiration to me.

All Melody is one of his most popular and newer albums, which was made in his beloved studio in Berlin. ... read more

Houdanny
70

One of Frahm’s most maximal and upfront releases, it takes a more old school approach to ambient/minimalism, but often I find this leads to some rather awkward spots on the album. I find this album works best when Frahm sticks to his guns with the light and pristine piano-centric ambient. Still good overall though.

Standout: Sunson
Favs: All Melody, Kaleidoscope, Human Range, Harm Hymn, Fundamental values, My friend the Forest
Least fav: A place

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Added on: November 13, 2017