Piano Magic -‘Life Has Not Finished With Me Yet’ (Second Language Music)

In an ideal world (hah!), I would be spending the first part of this review writing authoritatively about the Genesis thus far of Piano Magic. The reality is that whilst I have been aware of them for a number of years, this is the first time I’ve listened to an entire album of theirs. So I have no idea how this -their eleventh album-compares to thir fourth, how the changing lineup has affected the band’s soundchange, nor can I brag about rare stuff of theirs I own on vinyl.

Still with me? Piano Magic have produced an album that is quite an English sort of sadness (in contrast to the Scottish melancholia of Meursault, eagleowl, Mogwai and others that I have written about here before). It’s fitting that they have collaborated with members of Dead Can Dance -their music is perhaps the point where the slowcore of Low meets the instrumentation of Dead Can Dance (speaking of which, the first album from DCD has arrived at 17 Seconds HQ, it’s awesome, and I will be featuring here soon. But more of that anon).

There’s a wry sort of humour to the title track -not a wallowing in misery-woe-is-me – but someone who has realised that there is no need to commit suicide. It’s delivered with a knowing wink. It’s a reflective album, but it’s certainly not an emotional drain (-think more Cocteau Twins or The Cure, rather than say Joy Division or Nico).

And it’s a real pleaure to listen to -I’ve played it several times this week already, and am already wondering which friends I really should be pointing in the direction of it. Not bad for a band I was only vaguely aware of until a few days ago.

****

Life Has Not Finished With Me Yet is out now on Second Language Music.