The Crotchety Blog Library contains a lot of music, and I had forgotten that Bruce Springsteen recorded a song called “Hungry Heart”. Google, of course, knows better. But I wasn’t looking for that today. I was searching for a picture to illustrate smalltape‘s excellent album, The Hungry Heart. (I found the perfect image, but it’s watermarked, so I can’t use it here. The picture that I chose instead is a painting by Sabrina Bockler titled “Hungry Hearts”.)

‘smalltape’ is the nom-de-clef of the German composer and multi-instrumentalist, Philipp Nespital. He writes music that transcends all the usual genre tags. Call it art rock, call it symphonic rock, call it jazz. All of those are close; none of them is accurate. You won’t find it under ‘pop’, nor will it be listed under ‘classical’. It is the product of a true craftsman, one whose chosen medium is sound, whose tools are both traditional and modern instruments, and whose sonic palette spans a wide swathe of the music landscape.

The Hungry Heart takes us through several distinct suburbs of music city. Some are quiet and comforting; others are bustling with life or scarily noisy. There are sparkling acoustic guitar passages, lyrical saxophone runs and evocative vocals, all built on a pulsing keyboard platform. It’s a pleasant, varied and interesting place. I think you will enjoy it.

The next album from smalltape has already been recorded. It is called Tangram, and it features Bruce Soord of The Pineapple Thief among the guest musicians. But its release needs funding. If you like The Hungry Heart and would like to contribute, there’s a crowdfunding project on startnext.com.