Player Piano: Radio Love (CD on State51 Conspiracy)

Band: Player Piano
Label: State51 Conspiracy
Title: Radio Love

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Band:Player Piano
Title:Radio Love
Reviewed By:Lisa Torem
Date Published:29/07/2016

Label:State51 Conspiracy
Format:CD
Release Year:2016
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Jeremy Radway is at the heart of Piano Player, named after Kurt Vonnegut’s first novel. Radway is from Bloomington, Indiana, but studied at Boston’s Berklee School of Music, after many years of enjoying the sax-playing of his father. In London, he hooked up with the Scottish folk collective Fence Records and released EP ‘Into the Dark’ with that label. He also toured with King Creosote, but after the demise of the labe, he made plans to work on his debut, ‘Radio Love’.

It begins with ‘Amongst The Ruins of Eternity It Lies’ and ‘Und3rgrOund, which are both clever pieces, but the excitement really happens on ‘Baby Gets Down,’ a joyous, rollicking ensemble piece with throbbing bass and an energetic chorus, which brings to mind the great Huey Lewis.

‘Everyone Knows’ shows off Radway’s clear, sensitive vocals against a charmingly erratic background. ‘Even if I Didn’t’ makes great use of the Virtual String Machine and it has a vibrant Gospel feel.

‘Going Home’ features soft, acoustic guitar and it’s easy to draw comparisons here between Radway and Chris Martin, but who’s complaining? We should all be so lucky. ‘My Name Will Be A Myth’ is quite dreamy and about “golden moments” and how they “came and went.” ‘Kings and Queens' is pure fun with lots of assistance from drummer Ed Grimshaw. The Wurlitzer 200A may be the brains behind the zany sonical landscape, but then the song, itself, is a beauty and a dancer’s delight.

But the star is ‘Sleeping Silver Horses’ with lovely lines like: “All those crazy notions for your dreams…” and “they emptied out the engine from the sun” or “Everyone is singing out of tune/But you rode silver horses to the moon.” Mott the Hoople, anyone? So, yes, it’s got a super charged groove and visionary lyrics. Great job, Player Piano.

‘Radio Love’, as it suggests, had “golden lyrics to make you dance.” There’s more than a savoury nod here to Franz Ferdinand and Coldplay and the excellent electric guitar brings it all together. ‘Beneath the Underdog’ is made more special by the dynamite horns. ‘I Can Feel You’ is a tremendous template for Radway’s vocals. He has that amazing ability to blend his lower and upper register in a smooth, romantic way. There is also nice interplay between piano and voice.

The final song, ‘Suite Pour Les Enfants De L’Est’. is a curious blend of street chatter, brilliantly arranged strings vis a vis Sarah Sexton, Emma Parker, Becky Jones and Sarah McMahon, and of Radway’s subdued Celeste. It’s short and sweet enough to hold and keep your attention, but long enough to allow time for overall reflection on the beauty of this stunning debut.

Track Listing:

01) Amongst the Ruins of Eternity It Lies
02) Und3rgr0und
03) Baby Gets Down
04) Everyone Knows
05) Even If I Didn't
06) Going Home
07) My Name Will Be a Myth
08) Kings and Queens
09) Sleeping Silver Horses
10) Radio Love
11) Beneath the Underdog
12) I Can Feel You
13) Suite pour les enfants de l'est

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Related Links

http://playerpiano.tv/
https://en-gb.facebook.com/playerpianomusic/
https://listen.tidal.com/artist/7935174
https://twitter.com/plyrpno
https://www.instagram.com/playerpianomusic/

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Expressive and unique debut album from Player Piano, the project of Boston-based multi-instrumentalist and former Fence Collective member Jeremy Radway

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Radio Love - CD
Expressive and unique debut album from Player Piano, the project of Boston-based multi-instrumentalist and former Fence Collective member Jeremy Radway

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