Delving into the unexpected in a meditative forest of sound

RICHARD REED PARRY “QUIET RIVER OF DUST VOL. 1” (SECRET CITY)

If all you knew about Richard Reed Parry was that he was the tall, red-haired multi-instrumentalist in Arcade Fire, this is not the record you’d expect him to make. But if you knew he was raised in a Toronto community of British folk musicians and dancers, and that he later studied electroacoustic composition at Concordia University, or that he co-founded the cinematic instrumental band Bell Orchestre, then “Quiet River of Dust” starts to make a lot more sense.

“Quiet River of Dust” is inspired by the British folk music of his youth, the psychedelic, electronic textures of artists like Brian Eno or Caribou, and Japanese folk tales involving the liminal space between life and death.

The more you learn about this record, its sources and how it was made, the more interesting it gets. (Full disclosure: I wrote the official bio.) But it’s ultimately about strapping on headphones and becoming lost in a meditative forest of sound, an immersive listening experience that summons synesthesia.

Released on the autumn equinox, its successor, “Vol. 2,” will come out on, naturally, the spring equinox. Both records feature stacked layers of vocal harmonies, acoustic textures and swirls of otherworldly sounds that spin a magical effect. Guests include Little Scream, members of the National, the Sadies, Blonde Redhead and Cibo Matto.

Arcade Fire just brought their 18-month “Everything Now” tour to an end, a whirlwind from which “Quiet River of Dust” will provide Parry with a welcome and well-deserved respite. He brings this music to Longboat Hall in Toronto on Nov. 5.

Stream: “On the Ground,” “I Was in the World (Was the World In Me),” “Song of Wood”

ALEXANDRA STRÉLISKI “INSCAPE” (SECRET CITY) GONZALES “SOLO PIANO III” (ARTS AND CRAFTS)

It’s a good time to be a classically trained solo pianist. Look no further than last month’s Polaris Music Prize, where the big cheque went to Jeremy Dutcher’s operainspired reimagining of the music from his Indigenous roots. Also on the shortlist was Jean-Michel Blais, who managed to silence a talkative crowd at the gala with a spellbinding instrumental performance. Internationally, Nils Frahm and Ólafur Arnalds play in big halls to audiences who don’t normally go to see classical performances.

Some credit for this wave has to go to Chilly Gonzales, the Canadian expat to first Berlin and then Paris (and now Cologne), whose 2004 album “Solo Piano” was a runaway hit in France and made considerable waves elsewhere in the Western world. Gonzales is a restless musical searcher who dabbles in many genres — including a guest turn on Daft Punk’s “Random Access Memories” — but has returned to the “Solo Piano” concept now for the third time. As he should: on much of his other works, his versatility is both a blessing and a curse.

When he sits alone at the piano, however, playing with equal parts subtlety and gentle flourish, the depths of his talent are focused entirely on one instrument, in one style. As he has deepened his connection to the classical world — his 2015 album, “Chambers,” was made with the Kaiser Quartett — his writing is less whimsical, more mature. After years spent building his reputation as a joker, Gonzales is being taken seriously and has stepped up his game.

Alexandra Stréliski is a Montreal pianist and composer whose second album, “Inscape,” contains several songs that appear in the HBO miniseries “Sharp Objects,” directed by fellow Québécois Jean-Marc Vallée; she’s also worked with him on “Dallas Buyers Club,” “Demolition” and “Big Little Lies.” For all the talk about the new wave of Quebec directors running away to Hollywood and leaving the domestic industry behind (hello, Denis Villeneuve), the ongoing collaboration between Vallée and Stréliski is heartening. It’s also led to streaming numbers in the multi-millions.

As to be expected, Stréliski’s composition is gentle and meditative, designed to be both evocative and transparent. There is a mournful melancholy throughout, a darkness underneath the beauty; few, if any, of these songs will be soundtracking sentimental rom-coms. In a crowded field of pianists, this record stands out.

Stream Gonzales: “Prelude in C Sharp Minor,” “Famous Hungarians,” “Present Tense”

Stream Alexandra Stréliski: “Plus tô,” “Par la fenêtre de Théo,” “Burnout Fugue”