Piano Magic - Part Monster

Part-Monster, Piano Magic's seventh "proper" album, easily lives up to its title. Though Piano Magic is generally tarred with the brushes of "ambient," "coldwave," or even "ghost rock," Part-Monster has its fill of all-out, near-brutal dynamic intensity. Indeed, anyone who's witnessed PM live over the past two years will testify that the shadowy introspection of the group's records is camouflage for a beast of many teeth. Bringing in Guy Fixsen of Laika as producer clearly marked the band's intention for a more raw, powerful sound, as Fixsen has taken the production and/or engineer chair for such luminaries as The Pixies, Moonshake, The Breeders, Joy Zipper, Stereolab, Lush, and most notably, My Bloody Valentine's Loveless.

That's not to say that Piano Magic has entirely turned the amps up to eleven. Part-Monster gracefully balances cathartic noise with romantic paeans to the band's favorite subject–the cruel, tragic side of London and the city's most graceful outcast, Joseph Carey Merrick (The Elephant Man). In its tenth year of existence, Piano Magic can look back on a varied and accomplished discography most bands wouldn't manage in a lifetime of trying. Records for 4AD, Darla, Morr Music, Important, and many more mark the band's way, in addition to the soundtrack to Bigas Luna's Son De Mar (2001) and performances at some of the biggest festivals in Europe (Benicassim, Primavera, BAM).

[01] the Last Engineer
[02] England's Always Better
[03] iNcurable (Reprise)
[04] Soldier Song
[05] the King Cannot be Found
[06] Great Escapes
[07] Cities & Factories
[08] Halfway Through
[09] Saints Preserve Us
[10] Part-Monster