'Low Birth Weight' is the second proper album from the troubled mind of Piano Magic leader Glen Johnson. With a particularly long guest list, the effects are eclectic, nightmarish and chilling; in short, the kind of noise which makes the group's signing to 4AD Records all the more apposite. 'Snowfall Soon' is a riveting Pale Saints/My Bloody Valentine hybrid, but only that track and the Slowdive-aping 'Not Fair' stray away from the otherwise funereal pace of the remainder of the album. There are horror-filled lyrics abound in tales of suicide and murder so when the vocalist on 'The Fun Of The Century' utters the words "Do not let my words depress you, I'm here to help you now" it sounds like a devilishly ironic mantra. Despite taking a back seat on most of the vocal performances, Johnson himself sings the most spine-tingling moments, namely 'Crown Estate' and 'Dark Secrets Look For Light'. It's at these times that it's easy to see the transition between this album and the next, 2000's 'Artists' Rifles', where he perfected his art for mimimalism and sadness. On the evidence so far Piano Magic could yet revive the flagging fortunes of 4AD.