Pinô

by Otto A Totland

If Nils Frahm’s Day (2024) is a quiet sunny afternoon at home, Otto Totland’s Pinô is a late spring night after a rain. You’re sitting in a comfortable chair by an open window. The streetlight reflects orange on the dark damp pavement. The occasional car drives by and the breeze on your face is charged with the subtle ripple of anticipation. A duck quacks. Pinô is a visit with an old friend, familiar in tone and comfortable in pacing. The emotional edge of the compositions and performance echo the sorrow of lost time together and the intrigue and hope of future shared experiences. It is a beautiful album of short songs that carry a lot of weight.

The recording captures the instrument’s mechanics, the player’s movement, the room’s sounds, and nearby noises during the performance. I love these elements that add immediacy and intimacy to Pinô, but they aren’t for everyone.

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There are many great songs here, but my favorite stretch is tracks 5 to 10: Aquet | Weltz | Pinô | Seveen | Ro To | North Way.