Album Review: Carlos Cipa - The Monarch and the Viceroy

Album Rating: A-

Today's contrived attempt at "neo-classical" music is admirable, but flawed at best.  Any musician with some strings and piano is slapped with the tag, sometimes without the slightest bit of effort.  Music that flows and moves beautifully because of the aformentioned instruements is seen as some transcended classical movement, even when thoughtful composition takes a back seat to style.  Today, many of the hype surrounds more minimalistic artists with ambient overtones.  As beautiful as this music may be, it lacks the intensity of what true classical music has.  Famous composers of the past imbued their brilliantly crafted music with a fiery passion most musicians can scarcly muster.  Carlos Cipa, on the other hand, does so masterfully.

Artist Spotlight: Carlos Cipa

Rarely do I do an "Artist Spotlight" feature for an artist whose album I intend to review (redundancy and such), but the little time I have spent with Carlos Cipa's The Monarch and the Viceroy has me greatly excited.  In fact, one listen through and I am already hooked.  What's so impressive is that it takes the best parts of modern piano composition, and adds a bit of flare.  Last year's Nils Frahm and Kashiwa Daisuke were great little piano excursions, but left a bit to be desired.  They were pretty diversions, and every so often they impressed on a large scale, but the artists' penchants for minimalistic compositions made both outings feel flat.  Cipa, however, imbues a sense of drama and excitement rarely heard in modern music such as this.  Taking a few cues from Debussy, the 22-year-old artist makes music with great intensity and wonder, with a keen ear for detail.

So far, The Monarch and the Viceroy is proving to have a lot of staying power.  It is affecting, grandiose, and every other bold adjective one can think of.  Keep June 28 marked on your calendars, and expect a full review soon.

Check out three songs on Cipa's Soundcloud