Skope Magazine

Martin Graff delivers a delicate impressionistic work on “Prism.” Without needing to say a single word, a narrative takes shape. The keys are played with a sense of softness. Everything about the sound has a hushed loveliness to it. Nods to Debussy proves to be readily apparent. By keeping things so delicate, there is a beauty to the way of the evolution, letting the melodies intermingle, resulting in the piece becoming absolutely gorgeous. The rhythms here have a grandeur, for he keeps things rather stately. All of it features a sense of life, one that feels so reassuring.

Right from the beginning, he sets the scene with the fragile touches to start things up. From the first moment the piece seemingly wafts up into the air, he incorporates the right degree of passion, making sure to bare his heart through the sound. Various elements seem to bounce off each other since there is a greatness in the way he creates a dialogue within the piece. Everything in the music has a great color to it, as there is a prism-like quality to the way he lets the chords change with a kaleidoscopic array of different elements to balance it all together. For the finale, he ties everything together, going towards a cyclical approach to the songcraft.

“Prism” shows off Martin Graff’s uncanny ability to sculpt an entire aural universe—one that feels all-consuming.

—SM, April, 2022

Skope Entertainment is a music-based media company founded in January 2001, headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts with readers and staff from all over the globe, covering and engaging an audience of music enthusiasts with diverse tastes for the digital age.