This convey-belt membership also resulted in a plethora of sonic stylings, from smallbeat Kraftwerkian Meccano Pop on debut album, 'Popular Mechanics' (1997) to the breathless, ethereal, multi-layered melancholy of 'Low Birth Weight' (1998). Only in 1999 did Piano Magic resemble anything like a conventional format group.
Smooth-talked into playing a Dutch festival which actually turned out quite well, they decided to play anywhere they were wanted and began to build something of a cult following, particularly on the European Continent. They spectacularly showcased the post-modernist baroque sound of 'Artists' Rifles' (1999) at the Benicassim and BAM music festivals. Ironically, the band have never infiltrated the hearts of the British music press - out of time, unfashionable and kinda weird looking, its best not to stay home much.
Tours of Germany, Holland, Italy, Belgium, France, Spain peppered the next few years. The band signed to 4AD Records in 2000 and delivered their most critically contentious work, 'Writers Without Homes' and the soundtrack to Spanish director, Bigas Lunas' 'Son De Mar' movie. Though oft-maligned, 'Writers Without Homes' was a particularly monumental milestone for the band, as it featured the first vocal recording for 33 years of lost 60's/70's folk heroine, Vashti Bunyan.
Post-’Writers, Piano Magic have become closer to a more “conventional group format.” Drafting in French musicians, Jerome Tcherneyan and Franck Alba alongside English bassist, Alasdair Steer, Piano Magic recorded 'The Troubled Sleep Of Piano Magic,' for Spanish independent, Green Ufos. This album perfectly encapsulated the live sound of the group - delicate vocals, glistening guitars, insistent drums, anthemic synth washes. A new record, Saint Marie EP followed in June 2004 and featured collaborations with, again, Vashti Bunyan as well as Alan Sparhawk from Low and Ben Ayres from Cornershop. Piano Magic's 2005 album, 'Disaffected,' stretched fingers into an even more melodic, near-on "pop" sound, magically without dispensing with their notorious depth of emotion.
It features guest vocal contributions from John Grant of The Czars and Angle David-Guillou of Klima (the latter, now with her own debut solo album out on the Peacefrog label). In the 2 interim years between the release of Disaffected and follow-up, the Guy Fixsen-produced, 'Part Monster' (2007), the band continued to be prolific and not only in concert (the band added Turkey, Poland, Italy, Greece and Portugal to their gig list). Johnson released a debut album of experimental electronic under the name, Textile Ranch and along with keyboardist, Cedric Pin, as Future Conditional, put out an album of electropop on LTM, 'We Don't Just Disappear.'
After an uncharacteristically lengthy hiatus in which Johnson worked on his debut solo long-player ('Details Not Recorded,' 2009), Piano Magic released their 10th official album, 'Ovations' (2009) on the pioneering UK independent label, Make Mine Music. 'Ovations,' featuring special guest appearances from Brendan Perry and Peter Ulrich of Dead Can Dance, found Piano Magic at their most confident, melodic and unabashed, merging early 80's coldwave electronics with Eastern European acoustic instrumentation.
in June 2012, Piano Magic released their eleventh full-length album Life Has Not Finished With Me Yet (Second Language/Saint Marie Records). It sees them emerging from beneath the wreckage of previous guitar-heavy releases to re-investigate the darker, more electronic sonic themes of their earlier work. Instant parallels will inevitably be drawn with the ghostly chamber pop of 1999’s Artists Rifles and the even-earlier surreal romanticism of Low Birth Weight. At the core, once again, Glen Johnson’s unashamedly nihilistic ruminations on the human condition, though now shrouded in foggy analogue synth washes, pulsing heart beats, cathedral reverbs and Joe Meek-esque spectral vox. Indeed, this is an album of beautiful, indispensable baroque ghostliness, of disconnected hearts and oceans.
To date, Piano Magic has harboured over 60 sonic orphans with nothing better to do, recorded 11 proper albums, a double CD retrospective and many, many singles. They've outlived several of the labels they’ve recorded for and show no signs of stopping. At this point in time, Piano Magic is Glen Johnson, Franck Alba, Jerome Tcherneyan, Alasdair Steer and Angèle David-Guillou.
www.piano-magic.co.uk
The Fun of the Century
Piano Magic Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Could it be that you sent me falling off the roof backwards, gently?
Do not let my words depress you, I'm here to uplift you now
(I'm here to uplift you now)
Her eyes have gone south terrible lies she denies
Could it be that you broke me into
A sheet of rain swept sideways?
It just plain scares me
Do not let my words distract you from
All the fun you demand from the fun of the century
No more glistening wet poems in your honor
Captain of alienation, New York, money, compassion
The lyrics of Piano Magic's song The Fun of the Century seem to reflect on a tumultuous and possibly toxic relationship. The singer questions whether their partner intentionally hurt them ("Could it be that you drove me into your fleet of hand-melt candy?") and wonders if they are still in denial about their own lies and misdeeds ("Her eyes have gone south, terrible lies she denies"). Despite this, the singer implores their partner to not be brought down by these negative emotions and instead focus on enjoying life and having fun.
The lyrics continue to depict a sense of confusion and fear in the relationship. The singer wonders if their partner intentionally caused them harm ("Could it be that you broke me into a sheet of rain swept sideways?") and questions the sincerity of their partner's attempts to make things right ("Could it be that you wrote me a dead attempt? It just plain scares me"). However, the singer still encourages their partner to find joy in life and not let the relationship bring them down.
Overall, the lyrics of The Fun of the Century suggest a complex and troubled relationship, with a mix of hurt, distrust, confusion, and a desire for positivity and enjoyment.
Line by Line Meaning
Could it be that you drove me into your fleet of hand-melt candy?
Is it possible that you led me into a group of deceptive, superficial people who only bring sweet, but temporal pleasures?
Could it be that you sent me falling off the roof backwards, gently?
Is it possible that you gave me a false sense of security, only to let me plummet down unexpectedly?
Do not let my words depress you, I'm here to uplift you now
Please don't let my downcast words bring you down, I'm here to lift you up and bring you joy.
(I'm here to uplift you now)
Clarification of the previous line: the artist is reassuring their audience that they are here to promote positivity.
Her eyes have gone south terrible lies she denies
She's looking down in shame, and in denial of the awful things she's done or the lies she's told.
Could it be that you broke me into A sheet of rain swept sideways?
Is it possible that you shattered me, leaving me feeling as though I've been caught in a sideways downpour, helpless and exposed?
Could it be that you wrote me a dead attempt?
Is it possible that you gave me something that's lifeless or inadequate as a gesture?
It just plain scares me
The situation is just plainly frightening or alarming.
Do not let my words distract you from All the fun you demand from the fun of the century
Please don't allow my disheartening speech to take away from the enjoyment and excitement you deserve from this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
No more glistening wet poems in your honor
The artist is done delivering insincere, lavish praises and compliments to the listener.
Captain of alienation, New York, money, compassion
The singer is listing various things that they believe define or have defined the listener as a person. It could be a reference to the listener being distant or isolated, living in New York, holding wealth, or having a compassionate heart.
Lyrics © NATOARTS LIMITED, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Alexander Perls Rousmaniere, Glen Johnson, Jennifer Adam
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind