New Piano Magic album: Ovations
Piano Magic, one of the founding members of the “nostalgist” scene, as I call it, are set to release their 10th full-length album this fall. Entitled Ovations, the album was recorded earlier this year and features contributions from Brendan Perry and Peter Ulrich (of Dead Can Dance fame).
From the press release:
Recorded May through August of 2009 by Gareth Parton (The Go-Team, The Breeders, Pete & The Pirates) at his petite La Planque studio and The Fortress in London, Ovations is the Anglo-French group’s 10th album proper. Typically for a Piano Magic record it’s a restless beast; a record that swings wildly between Marrakesh, Eastern Europe, Sevilla and early 80s Manchester without breaking a sweat. Piano Magic have always worn their influences on their sleeves. The Chameleons, Joy Division and The Cure rub shoulders with Turkish darabuka, hammered dulcimer, viola, cello, flamenco claps. Elsewhere there are cold analogue synths, chiming guitars, mournful piano and industrial percussion.
Piano Magic’s fascination with Eastern European percussion is in part much due to one of their biggest influences — the Melbourne-born though World-wise 4AD Records-signed group, Dead Can Dance. And it’s no small coup that Ovations features not only DCD’s supreme percussionist/dulcimer, Peter Ulrich but also the voice of principal songwriter, Brendan Perry on two tracks (“You Never Loved This City” and “The Nightmare Goes On”). The reclusive Perry, himself, a very recent convert to Piano Magic’s music was only happy to sing with a group that by his own admission, were making “the most beautiful music” he’s heard for a long time.
Coming from someone like Brendan Perry, that’s no small thing.
Here’s the complete tracklist for Ovations:
- The Nightmare Goes On
- March of the Atheists
- On Edge
- A Fond Farewell
- The Blue Hour
- Recovery Postition
- La Cobardia De Los Toreros
- You Never Loved This City
- The Faint Horizon
- Exit
Ovations will be released on October 12 by Darla Records.