Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

Words are meaningless when all you require is understanding, the acknowledgement that someone else is willing to walk beside you in the dark, to have your back when the world turns on you, and to nod solemnly and then, only then do words matter, for in the question posed from your lips, Say You’re With Me, only yes or no will mean the difference between faith and conviction, and only then will you know for sure someone is truly listening.

Art is in the eye of the beholder, and if they are fortunate enough the question they ask will be responded to with heartfelt appreciation; yes being the word we all look for, yes being the statement of intent, and for boundary pushing artist and live visual sculptor of classical piano conception, yes is the agreement that you exchange with the shape of notes as they are placed together seemingly at random but which join in a union, in a cascade of dominant thought, and one in which Larkhall, otherwise known as Bath based Charlie Williams exemplifies with meaning and total control.

Say You’re With Me is the union of how music can be adapted through the vision of another subject, another discipline, and whilst the science behind it will leave many undoubtedly reaching for a manual, there is no doubt the algorithms utilised are art of the highest quality.

The shape of art, like water, is a fluid procession of cause and meaning, and the instrumental progression played by Larkhall is not only beautifully captivating, but also filled with sonic illustration, of meaning without words, a technological statement of the profound and one in which tracks such as the opener Eleven Japanese Streams, Uncertain Times, In My Mind Are All The Tides, In My Mind The Tides Return, and On The Morning Of The Second Day, Larkhall unveils the collaboration, the feel for upholding the classic whilst exploring the depth of another soul.

Say You’re With Me, because surely we cannot be alone in the view that we require more than just existence, we need to live and breathe free air, to explore beyond what is limiting us, keeping us bound to this Earth; and in the music of Larkhall, the ability and the agile nature of the mind means we can do more than speak, we can acknowledge freedom. Ian D. Hall