Ronny Wiesauer: September

There's a certain mix of emotions that always comes with the end of summer, and if it may not be possible to sublimate it all straight into sound, Ronny Wiesauer does an admirable job at capturing some of the shades. His September is a quietly vibrant sound painting that presents a series of scenes wistful and charming. Those in the southern hemisphere might ignore the title and find it fitting for March instead, although it could also simply be a pleasant pastoral listen for any season at all.

Wiesauer's nylon-string guitar work blends classical and folky flavors in a similar way to its predecessors Monologues (recordJet, 2019) and All Yours (self produced, 2020), and comes out feeling just a shade brighter than the others. Perhaps it's due to not recording during pandemic-mandated shutdowns this time, even if Wiesauer is still playing solo (solitude being quite a different matter from isolation). It could be an evocation of the title, aiming to enjoy the warmth and sunlight before they inevitably start dimming. Whatever the case, after the hopeful "Morning Sun" starts off with some shiny rolling and bouncing, that underlying tone still lingers through the sadder spots.

Even beyond a trilogy of impressionistic "Short Stories" pieces and a slinky dip into detective noir, there's almost a narrative arc running through the ups and downs of the whole program. The likes of "Sonata" and "Open Doors" show more summery radiance, while the title track has a thoughtful slant that fits the theme of changing seasons, and "Exit Theme" lets in a little more dusky thoughtfulness at the close. Yet again Wiesauer is happy to show that even one simple instrument can tell some pretty vivid tales in a skilled pair of hands.