Piano Magic - I Came to Your Party Dressed as a Shadow EP
(Acuarela)
Piano Magic has always been a hard band to pin down. With each release
they slightly change the line up, which, as common sense would dictate, seems to alter the
sound of each release. And, while this may give the band a schizophrenic
feel when listening to their full discography, each release has
a consistant and solid feel within itself.
So, even though I may feel that Artists' Rifles, Piano Magic's last full
length album, was so lyrically over dramatic that I could hardly make
it through, the fact that I didn't even hesitate to buy this
import EP is a tribute to the band's overall amazing quality. As
suspected, this 17 minute CDEP is a spectacular, breathtaking release.
"I Came to Your Party Dressed as a Shadow" is a beautifully haunting
song with subtlely delayed and soft-toned bass keyboard loops, and
buried bass drum beats hiding beneath the surface. As you loose yourself
in the background, Angele David-Guillou's voice comes in, whispering her story to you.
"I came to your party dressed as a shadow, and you never knew. I rolled through the halls like a
velvet wave as quiet as an empty stage." The empty but atmospheric space in the song
is almost more important than the instruments, as it sets the tone and mood for her story.
Blood and Snow, the second and my favorite song on the CD starts with a
repeating pattern of high-pitched chimes fading in on top of a sustained
three note bass melody flowing from one note to the other and back.
After a few measures, a slow rhythm of distant bass drum explosions
quietly goes off on the first count of each measure as a single
constant morphing and evolving overdriven guitar tone soothes into the
foreground of the song, slowly rising and falling.
This EP will be a wonderful addition to any Piano Magic fan's
collection and is a wonderful introduction to the band for
those future fans who have not yet taken the plunge.
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