Levi Kempster - Piano Homage To Gormenghast

​Levi Kempster

Piano Homage To Gormenghast
​self-released; 2022

By Matt Jensen
​

Cabbaggage is the solo project of singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Levi Kempster. Kempster is based in Vancouver, Canada and recently released Piano Homage To Gormenghast. The artist explains that his influences are extremely wide-ranging and vary from day-to-day, but some of his most consistent influences are Bob Dylan, Nick Drake, John Fahey, The Beatles, Sibylle Baier, Vashti Bunyan, Van Morrison, Mutual Benefit, Julie Byrne, The Spookfish, Lisa/Liza and Miles Hewitt.

This is an instrumental release but it’s also apparently a concept album. Kempster mentions “It's an experimental/neoclassical solo piano album. Each song is a character piece, with track titles as the names of characters from the 1946 fantasy novel Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake. It is not necessary to have read or be familiar with Titus Groan or the Gormenghast series in order to enjoy these piano pieces, but reading those books will hopefully add an additional layer of depth and meaning that would otherwise be absent.”

The album begins with “Lord Sepulchrave, The 76th Earl Of Groan” which sounds like it was played on electric piano. I found the music to create a serene and calming type of feeling. There’s a sense of stillness to it with a side of melancholy. It did remind me somewhat of work you might hear from the notable composer Max Richter.

Up next is “Gertrude, The 76th Countess Of Groan” where the energy picks up. It’s also quite dissonant. There’s the not so subtle sound of birds. So many birds in fact it sounds like you’re in the middle of a tropical rainforest. The main piano chords repeat until there’s a lull where there’s more space in the song. Towards the end the constant sound of birds does fade out.

I started to feel like I was going down a  cosmic wormhole on “Lord Titus, Heir Of The Gormenghast Earldom.” This an atmospheric song with pads surrounding the piano melodies. It also contains a cerebral and pensive quality.  

“Lady Fuchsia I” felt like an extension of “Lord Titus, Heir Of The Gormenghast Earldom.” The palate of sounds is very similar. It continues to feel like a unique contrast of tones and textures. On “Nannie Slagg” we seem to get a solo piano piece. It was one of my favorite tracks. The playing style here was similar to one of my favorite pianists called Nils Frahm. 

“Lady Cora And Lady Clarice” is more experimental and sounds like it has at least one filter running through it. The effect makes the song sound submerged. There’s also a lot of dissonance making it one of the more haunting songs that could be used in a horror movie.

There are some more surprises ahead. “Dr. Prunesquallor” is also experimental. There’s a distance to this song and it sounds like you are exploring a maze with surprises around every corner. “Steerpike” felt like it was in similar territory but a little more dynamic. Last up is a very solid piano piece entitled “Lady Fuchsia II” which is mainly piano but experiments with different effects. The tone and reflections of the reverb changes to a degree where it’s very audible. 

​I’ve been a fan of contemporary classical music for a long time. This is an album I think fans of the genre will enjoy especially if you appreciate some of the aforementioned names.

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