I love Piano Magic. I know that I may throw that word "love" around a lot. But I would take back all the times I have used it, if I could use it just this one time. This band has been around for a bit over 10 years, but I only just discovered them maybe about 4 or 5 years ago. One of my friends, June, was obsessed with them. Since I like all the same music as him (Cocteau Twins/Lisa Germano/Red House Painters/This Mortal Coil/His Name Is Alive/etc.) I figured I would also love this band like he had. So my first introduction was "The Troubled Sleep of Piano Magic" back in 2003. I quickly discovered they were one of the bands that were made for people like me. I was excited for their next excellent album "Disaffected" in 2005. It is always exciting to discover a new band that has already been around for a while. It is like they somehow kept themselves hidden and their fans kept them a secret. Once you find about them, you want to keep them to yourself for a little bit. Until you just can't take it anymore and you to share them with everyone. When I always think I have already heard everything, it is nice to know there are still some great bands out there for me to discover. It's exciting.

They have just released their new album "Part Monster" on Important Records. They have  been on about 7 different labels and have had many different members. They are currently Glen Johnson, Jerome Tcherneyan, Alasdair Steer, Franck Alba and Cedric Pin. They are of course from England. They sort of fit into that ambient rock category. Dreamy and ethereal but still a rock band. Sad and emotional and all tragic. The vocalist sometimes reminds me of a mix of Jesus & Mary Chain and The Tindersticks. Sort of like what Slowdive sounded like as they were transitioning into Mojave 3. They also remind me a bit of bands like Field Mice but just with a little Black Heart Procession. That is enough band comparisons. They are just awesome and do sort of have their unique little sound.

Interglobal Home Video 1409

Once upon a time in ye olde pre-digital days, music fans would have to trek to their local record store on a certain day, usually a Tuesday, to acquire new music. It was the only way. And in the great new documentary Good Copy Bad Copy, the sample-happy artist Girl Talk reminisces about those long gone days when some of his fondest memories were formed. In the film he recalls when as a kid he was accompanied to the record store with his parents to buy the then new Nirvana CD Nevermind and how, sadly, that this nostalgic relationship no longer exists for most young blossoming music fans today.

Directed by European Andreas Johnsen, the engaging Good Copy Bad Copy, which so far has only been seen on the Danish Broadcasting Corporation television station, is a well worth watching documentary about music, copyright, and culture, and where it is headed. The one-hour documentary also features interviews with Danger Mouse, Siva Vaidhyanathan, Lawrence Lessig, and others. Below is a clip from the film. Fittingly, this film, which is supportive of copyright free file sharing, is available for free download. You can access the torrent of the XviD version at The Pirate Bay on the site goodcopybadcopy.net. However, since the film producers have still only recouped a quarter of their production costs, they do request a donation -- but only if you liked the film. And I think you will. 


For even further info, check out rosforh.com. On their homepage you can also check out clips from another good music-related documentary, Curtain Raising: Musicians in East Africa.

Thorn EMI Video TVB1733