This Piano Plays Itself stands at a threshold. After releasing their debut full length, As the House…, early last year, they’ve been in the midst of transition. This Piano could have easily ridden the wave of their last release a bit longer, but decided to keep moving forward instead. Starting out with a kind of shoegaze by way of post-rock sound, their recent show at 529 finds them well on their way to something totally different, something that solidifies their unique identity.
It can either be difficult or engaging to watch a band at this juncture. It is the latter for This Piano. While As the House… captured the styles with aplomb, by their nature, neither shoegaze nor post-rock have much of a bottom. Making it their purpose to give those sounds more foundation, the band spent the majority of the show speeding up tempos, interlocking parts and filling in the gaps. To give an idea of just how much the band is pushing forward, of the 10 songs present on As the House…, This Piano played only two. The other four songs were entirely new.
Although six songs sounds like a short set, This Piano is deft at creating shorter, almost miniature epics. That’s not to say that their songs go on too long. Instead, the band is capable of making every second count, squeezing a plethora of interesting changes and shifts into their music. The four new songs are still without titles, but sound is what counts. Musically, they’re a little more rock ‘n’ roll than the stuff on As The House…, and also more centered on complex rhythms and bottom end. This Piano stands at a crossroads. It’s hard to tell exactly where the right path will lead, but that’s the beauty of it all.
-Sean Zearfoss
www.myspace.com/thispianoplaysitself