Piano Magic "Son de Mar" MAD 2105
09 November 01
As an introduction to 4AD's new relationship with Piano Magic, this summer sees the release of the band's soundtrack to the film "Son De Mar".
Spain's best (and, after Almodovar, second best-known) film director, Bigas Luna, asked Piano Magic to score his new film, "Son De Mar" after he'd walked into a Barcelona record store last year and heard a track from their 1998 album "Low Birth Weight." The director of 18 films including "Jamon Jamon" and "The Tit & The Moon" recognised that Piano Magic were making music for films that existed only in flickers at the back of the listener's mind and decided to give them a "real film" to work on. "Son De Mar" translates as "the sound of the sea" but also carries the sense "born of the sea". The movie, starring Jordi Molla, Leonor Watling and Eduard Fernandez, is a visually ambient tale of love found, love lost, love regained, love lost, spiced with Luna's trademark eroticism, all against the backdrop of a beautiful Valencian Summer. It's released in Spain in June and around the rest of the world during the course of the rest of the year.
The soundtrack was recorded (as was Piano Magic's last album, "Artist's Rifles") over 5 days at Woodbine Street Studios, Leamington Spa with John Rivers - once the favoured recording location of Dead Can Dance. One of the many attractions of Piano Magic's career to date has been a continuing interest in collaboration - previous releases have seen a wide range guests including Darren Hayman (Hefner), Simon Rivers (Bitter Springs), Pete Astor (The Wisdom Of Harry) and David Shepphard (State River Widening). "Son De Mar", however, was features just the band's permanent core members - Glen Johnson, Miguel Marin, Jerome Tcherneyan - together with James Topham (Whistler) on viola.
"Son De Mar" is divided into 6 untitled sections, with a running time of just under 40 minutes. And, as the MAD prefix indicates, it will be on sale at a special price point between mid-price and full-price. It's released on August 6th 2001.
Piano Magic are currently working on a new album, for release on 4AD later in 2001.