Keep You

Ladies and Gentlemen, I think I've found it. It's always a long and tedious process, but I believe I have confirmed my favourite LP of the year. There's still a little toss up between this and Guilty of Everything; and I'm still yet to hear the Disembarked album in full. But damn, this album just got me. 

Pianos Become the Teeth - Keep You - Epitaph Records - 1st Press - Clear w/ Black Smoke /300 (Kingsroad Euro Store Exclusive). 

I waited a long time to listen to this record, considering how much I was anticipating it. I only listened to it for the 1st time yesterday after nearly two weeks of it being sat in the mailer. I really wanted to sit down and give it a solid listen; so yesterday I turned my phone off, closed the curtains and just listened. I'm glad I did, this is a truly incredible record. 

Back Cover // B-Side. This colourway suits the art, and the feel of the record perfectly. I think it's either the rarest variant, or at least as limited as the rarest US colour? I really appreciate that in the last year or so that labels are making a point of either UK exclusives; or making rarer variants more accessible in the UK. I definitely would have hunted this colour out. 

Inside the gatefold. It's quite difficult to see the writing, as it's small and there's a bunch of it too. The card used for the sleeve isn't as thick as I would really like it to be. The sleeve bows a little as you can see in the top photo as a shadow is created on the record from it. This kind of spoils how lush the artwork is. I think a thick stock card would have been cooler, but what do I know? 

Close up of the gatefold art. Seriously a big fan of the photography and general art direction. This kind of stuff was incorporated into the teaser videos that led up to the release of the LP. Pianos always use incredible artwork, especially for their full lengths. They always seem to catch the mood of the record, or seem to amplify the effect of a certain cluster of songs on the LP. I mean, looking at The Lack Long After; how can a photo of a foot hanging out of a bed look so beautiful? I don't get it. These simple images create such an impact. 

Close up of the LP. Although the variant is Clear w/ Black Smoke; some Brown has managed to sneak in and that looks pretty neat too. If you look to the run-out groove (matrix) there are also some solid flecks in there too which add a little something too. It's also on 180 gram and sounds ridiculous; full of warmth and tone. But in being recorded by Will Yip, it really does deserve the extra treatment. 

Held up to the light. Weirdly enough, the 'smoke' effect is largely lost in the light and you get to see the clarity of the clear element of the variant. It looks pretty sparse this way, but I probably won't spend an awful lot of time inspecting it out in the sun so I'm not going to start losing any sleep over it. 

As is the way with Epitaph, you get treated to a CD copy of the LP too. I prefer this massively to a Download Code, and it definitely feels like you're getting the best of both worlds. For most people, this is a handy addition to stick in the car and that's most likely where mine will end up. I have a tendency to forget about Download Codes too, so having this is really a nice change of pace. 

Also, I cut around the stickers on the cellophane and keep them. I love the 'Keep You' font, and I really wanted to peel this off and stick it on the dust sleeve or something. But it started to rip when peeling it off, so this option has to do. 

Obviously, this is a massive change of direction for the band. No screaming and not much in the way of distorted guitars. I still love the old sound unconditionally, and will always return to their previous material often (I even love Saltwater, what of it). But this record has truly made an incredible impression, I don't want to listen to anything else right now. I am one smitten kitten.

Thanks for reading!