Paul Denis – “Magic Eraser”
Paul Denis – “Magic Eraser” – Single Review
I don’t think you’re gonna run into this scenario often, or ever again for that matter…this new single “Magic Eraser” by Canadian artist Paul Denis is actually FORTY YEARS in the making. Believe me when I tell ya…you look at the length of the song just shy of ten minutes, and the length of the lyrics that are just shy of like, ten page’s worth of words…and it all kinda makes sense as to why it took so long to get this out into the world. That being said, the ACTUAL reasons are entirely different…have a look…
“I began writing this piece in the early 80’s. It sat on the shelf for 20 years until my son Kaylen was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of 5. Fast forward another 20 years and Kaylen (now an audio engineer) has mixed and engineered this song. What a proud moment! I hope you enjoy this unexpected 40 year journey of music.”
So there you have it, straight from the man direct. That’s a pretty unique story ain’t it? Told ya from the get-go that you’d be unlikely to encounter a similar experience in music ever again in one lifetime. I think of all the songs I used to write…how many things I left on the cutting room floor to die…never once would it have even occurred to me that, hey, maybe FORTY YEARS LATER, I might want to revisit them? Paul’s got a level of commitment to his art like I’ll never have personally…I’m certain I would have given up on anything from that long ago, forgotten it altogether, or just started something new from scratch – but I’d also be the first to tell ya that “Magic Eraser” does indeed sound like it was worth all that waiting.
This is crisp! Not just because you’ve got the icy winds blowin’ in through the atmospheric elements added into the song, but because both the performance & production have come out extremely sharp. I’ll fully admit…I read the lyrics before I’d even pushed play earlier this week, and part of me wondered how this was going to be pulled off – don’t get me wrong, I appreciated the poetic nature of the story, but in terms of the main hooks centered around the “Magic Eraser” I wasn’t sure there was going to be enough of an angle that would support the strength of the idea…on paper. Hearing it for the first time was a serious revelation…not only did it absolutely work, but it quickly became a genuinely addictive part of this song, just as you’d hope a hook would become. That being said, there’s still about a million minutes worth of song surrounding those hooks…but while it might take a while to circle back to’em, I can confirm that the adventurous, ambitious, and innovative nature of this single relentlessly satisfies. To the point where you really have to marvel at how accessible, interesting, and engaging it actually IS – songs that are nearing the ten minute mark are almost certain to lose their audience half the time, yet there’s no sign of any dead space here, no filler in the material, and not a hair out of place to be found.
Have you ever written a song? One that’s over three & a half-minutes long? Heck – how about one that’s even shorter than that? Getting everything right ain’t easy – so give our buddy Paul here some massive credit for being able to pull that off with his studio cohorts & son…this epic track is nothing short of interesting at every moment, and it’s practically ten-minutes of non-stop engaging ideas and bold musicianship along the way. Personally, I dig the drama it has…paired with the bounce it contains & the depth of the concept, it’s almost like a version of Supertramp that could have been even more universally loved back in the 70s/80s than they already were. Everyone here deserves a ton of credit – the musicianship is demanding, yet outstanding – so shout-outs to Murray Pulver (Guitar), Paul Yee (Bass), Chris Sutherland (Drums), and of course Paul on the keyboards. In addition to that, the vocals on this track…lemme tell ya…that’s award-worthy stuff goin’ on y’all…Paul, Jay Bodner, Silvia Lorusso, all backed up by Brian Boen – I’m looking at all of ya…everything on this track was filled with tremendous passion from the microphone, and every word felt fully realized as a result. Everyone from in front of the studio boards to behind’em brought their A-game…the lyricism is sensational, has a point of view, and a ton of vivid detail we can both see & hear complemented within the music itself…the definition in the structure & sound is ROBUST y’all…truly, I’m impressed, and fully believe that you all will be too.
I don’t know that many of us are ever going to be in a position where we’re sitting on top of a song for forty years waiting for it to come out, but I can certainly imagine how amazing it would be when the day finally comes and it gets its moment in the sun, and sounds like “Magic Eraser” does. Congratulations to ya Paul! It might have felt like it took forever to get to this point, but the end results genuinely speak for themselves…”Magic Eraser” deserved to exist, and I’m stoked I’m on the same timeline to witness it.
Find out more about Paul Denis at his page at Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pauldenismusic
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