Green Ufos
Piano Magic : Saint Marie EP (UK,2004)****
For this release Glen Johnson and Pianomagic invited Vasthi Bunyan (for the second time), Alan Sparhawk (from Low) and Ben Ayres (from Cornershop). In this somewhat genre extending release like always one can say it has a certain dreaminess. Much more than other Pianomagic releases, several tracks now are completely acoustic with beautiful acoustic guitars mostly, and harp on the last track. There’s no urge to prove anything and the music is kept as simple effective and clear as can be. The titletrack starts slowly,accompanied by calm amplified guitar with some echoes, and soft electronic rhythms, leading to “Fantasia on old English aires” with cello, keyboards, amplified guitars, bass, with a still calm and filmic mood. “Dark Ages” is a Vashti Bunyan song about the recognition of today's (?) dark ages, followed by another beautiful fingerpicking guitar track, “Lalo”. “Wrong Turn” with handclap and droning acoustic guitar by Low singer Alan has a monotone quality and dark buildt-up-tension, in the vein of an intro by Nick Cave, here meant as a moody descriptive track. The last track, “Kind Theme” is played beautifully, on harp (by Linnea Malmberg), sounding like a music box with a free folk melody.
