Every so often, a community of friends find themselves in a position to share their hitherto incestuous creativity with the rest of the world. The clearest examples of this musical big band theory have occurred in the UK, where the fickle press is always eager to construct a scene. First it was punk, then new wave, then Madchester, shoegazer, brit-pop, ad infinitum. The exploited rise and fall with the tides, but for those willful enough to remain anonymous, it's a different story.

It's a more selfish story as well, as acclaimed bands on the independent scene have more power than they probably should-- more often than not, big fish decide who gets to swim with them. In Piano Magic's case, their deserved critical attention in 1998 resulted in an influx of questionable material the following year, released under their name and split amongst others. Low, ISAN, the Wisdom of Harry, and Ellis Island Sound are just a few of the groups Piano Magic are either friends with or really big fans of. But these associates aren't helping the band develop anything resembling an identity, and Low Birth Weight is another reminder of what it is they're losing sight of.

Piano Magic's first record, Popular Mechanics, was a mixed bag of 4AD pretensions and lo-fi noodling, followed in short order by a few small-run singles (mostly splits) and a superb 12", The Fun of the Century, Piao!, in 1998. The latter is included in part and outshines much of the accompanying material on this beautifully-packaged compilation (cute designer alert: Simo Bogdanovic, responsible for their catalog).

Excise both "Waking Up" and "Shepards are Needed," and Low Birth Weight becomes a solid, nine-song record, regardless of the inconsistencies. "Crown Estate" and "Dark Secrets Look for Light" are lush, even if the deadpan male vocals (care of the Bitter Springs' Simon Rivers) can't compare with the group's otherwise omnipresent female singer. At worst, Low Birth Weight is a chaotic compilation record from one of the most promising independent foundries in recent memory.

As of March 2000, some of this material is going on three years old, and the band's recent output is nothing short of worrisome. Yes, it's remix time: first there was a split 12" with ISAN, Wisdom of Harry and Horton Jupiter, followed by an obscure 7" on Bottrop Boy, and now the soon-to-be-released remix album, Panic Amigo. This doesn't cut it-- given The Fun of the Century and their fine contribution to Darla's "Bliss Out" series (1998's A Trick of the Sea), it's beginning to feel like Piano Magic aren't interested in sharing with the rest of us. And by "us," I do mean Americans...

Getting ahold of Piano Magic's recent output isn't easy. Their collaboration track with Low ("Sleep at the Bottom") is readily available, but it's largely Low's track. "There's No Need for Us to Be Alone" is good enough as 7"s go, but their prettiest, last September's "Amongst the Books an Angel" is an impossibly rare Acetone single. And their late-summer Staaplaat EP, Mort aux Vaches, is so uncommon that I'm convinced it doesn't actually exist. My secret hope is that Piano Magic have been signed to Epic and are secretly at work on a symphonic triple-LP. Given some focus, they could pull it off.

-Chris Ott