Details Not Recorded, by Glen Johnson (CD on Make Mine Music)

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This record left our Business Lady feeling ecstatic.

Glen Johnson of Piano magic fame is pictured on the insert of his debut solo outing with his face wrapped in bandages in a room that looks very much like my own with a lovely selection of animal toys and masks. The playful looking room Mr. Johnson is pictured in suggests an upbeat, outgoing kind of guy, which is in relative contrast to the eerie, atmospheric music contained within 'Details Not Recorded'. Glen Johnson isn't particularly chipper but he is an immensely talented artist as anyone who has heard Piano Magic will already know. 'Details Not Recorded' doesn't deviate wildly from the output of Piano Magic but it does present a fresh angle at which to relax and enjoy the view. The majority of 'Details not recorded' are sparse, haunting efforts full of subtle ambient bass, synths, whistles, bells and flutes commonly accompanied by a single acoustic guitar and warm effecting vocal delivery. He totally knows how to do that Leonard Cohen thing of weaving a honest direct lyric and integrating it into the atmosphere of each track and for that Mr. Johnson should be applauded. He does deviate from the lo-fi route on songs like the title track 'Details not recorded' where we hear Glen and the band (a notable bunch of characters including Leaf recording artists David Shepard and Keiron Phelan as well as Piano Magic sticks man Jerome Tcherneyan) tackle electronic pop with full balladering bravado invoking later Joy Division and early New Order stuff. 'I know you know my name' is a firm favorite for me with its combination of folksy electronica and improv noise that brings the track to a chaotic ending. So yes, an awesome record to add to the ever-expanding output of excellent records by Glen Johnson. The melding of sparse folk, electronic pop and carnival waltz's are a pleasure to the ear. Enjoy.

What the label says about Details Not Recorded, by Glen Johnson:

The debut solo album by Piano Magic founder and frontman, Glen Johnson, ‘Details Not Recorded,’ is a collection of love and shadow, on which Johnson finds inspiration in everything from Edgar Allan Poe and ETA Hoffman to Elizabethan madrigals and carnival waltz.  But there's also a nod to the bare-hearted narratives of 70’s Leonard Cohen and the intricate futuristic experimentation of such pioneers as Bjork and Johnson’s fond favourites, Disco Inferno. Johnson is accompanied on 'Details' by a small band of like-minded souls - Leaf Recordings' artists (Keiron)Phelan/(David)Sheppard provide flute and drums, bass, additional guitar respectively.  Willard Grant Conspiracy bowman, Josh Hillard, injects viola and violin, whilst Angele David-Guillou of Klima counterpoints with backing vocals and Jerome Tcherneyan of Piano Magic supplements percussion.  Johnson, himself, presides over the vocal, MIDI guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, programming, keyboards, percussion, melodica, recorder, whistling and bells. Recorded between his London home and SOUP studio, an analogue heaven beneath the Duke Of Uke ukelele shop in Spitalfields, ‘Details Not Recorded’ is an unashamedly lo-fi affair.  These songs have a intimate warmth, borne of first takes, of close mics, of static buzz, of creaking furniture, of parlour windows left open to the street. Glen Johnson founded his group. Piano Magic, as far back as 1996.  Since then, they’ve released 12 long players and multiple singles and EPs on a plethora of independent labels, from 4AD to Morr Music to Important Records.  For the past 6 years, the band has been made up of both English and French members, though their music has the unmistakable air of classic late 70’s/early 80’s coldwave. Johnson has also recorded under the guise of Textile Ranch and Future Conditional. “Details Not Recorded' is released on Make Mine Music is a truly radical independent label, run and owned by the artists themselves.  The artists pay for the manufacture and promotion of their own records and correspondingly receive 100% of any income generated.  Other artists on the label include July Skies, Epic45, Portal and Library Tapes. The album comes in beautifully designed, plush CD packaging, with a luxurious 12 page lyric booklet.

Tracklisting :

1. Brilliant Ships
2. My Horror Mask 
3. Late Caller 
4. Details Not Recorded 
5. Les Catacombes 
6. I Know You Know My Name 
7. A Pause In The Night 
8. Save Me 
9. Desiderata 
10. Loves Like You 
11. Quiet Life.

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