Player Piano - Into The Dark EP

The reputation of piano-driven balladry may never recover from the pummelling it suffered at the hands of Keane and Coldplay, but Jeremy Radway is at least doing his bit for the resuscitation process. The new Fencer has clearly invested a hefty amount of emotional weight into this five-pronged attack and he emerges with credibility intact. Opener Mercy sets the bar high, with Radway’s keening vocal recounting a cautionary lyric that cuts right to the quick. The rest of the EP can’t match the flying start, as the simplistic words and predictable chord changes start to grate, but the generally spirited standard proves there’s life in the old Joanna yet.