AWmusic

Here we are, down to the last installment of New York’s Dead Heart Bloom’s three part EP series. This one is called In Chains, and was released in December. This EP has gotten really good critical reviews, and has even jump-started a chain reaction (no pun intended) of success, like being a featured artist on The Frontloader and being nominated on The Deli Magazine for Artist of the Month.

In Chains has to be my favourite out of all three EPs, and mainly because there is a strong focus of folk in their music. It’s mostly acoustic guitar-driven with a Western movie sort of appeal to it. And it’s even fitting as bar music as it’s saturated with an intensely intimate feeling to it.

Not only do I love it for its musical aspect, lyrically I think it is the strongest of all EPs. Take a listen to “Flash in a Bottle” and you’ll know what I mean. They are natural storytellers who use a touch of the folksy flavour to their lyrics, so intimately told and performed it almost makes me cry.

The instrumentation, as usual, is awesome. It’s composed and produced well, and you can definitely see improvement from the first EP. It’s easier to distinguish different sounds on this EP, too, perhaps due in part to the fact that it’s a folk album. Even if it protrudes as a folk EP, it draws on many different influences like blues, jazz, and gospel/soul. I like that they also switch up the vocals (like the last EP, Oh Mercy). I guess there isn’t much difference about what I’ve said about the overall band previously through my other reviews (Fall In and Oh Mercy). I still think that Boris’s tenor voice sounds a little weird in context, but it’s something I’ve gotten used to listening to the EPs over and over again. They do make a strong duet when harmonizing like in “Farther Than You,” however. It’s a powerful tune with both voices combined.

Overall, the EPs are a fantastic trio. And it’s almost like we’ve journeyed along with Dead Heart Bloom from the way back Fall In (or even earlier if you’ve gotten to their previous releases), watching them grow and bloom into something not similar to dead hearts in In Chains. All of their music can be downloaded for free on their official website here, but I’d suggest getting all three physical copies because the covers look wicked put together side-by-side.

By the way, if you’re in Washington, D.C. on the 25th, Dead Heart Bloom are performing live to film a music video. Check out here for more details on how to participate.

MP3s:
Dead Heart Bloom – Flash in a Bottle
Dead Heart Bloom – Farther Than You

I’m sorry to say I’m a little late with this since my review of Dead Heart Bloom’s first EP of a three-EP series, Fall In. What started off as the one-man show of Boris Skalsky has now blossomed into a three-piece band, and the EP series is now complete.

I was introduced to Dead Heart Bloom through their first EP and grew to like them a lot after checking out their older stuff. If you remember reading my review of Fall In, I found it to be an averagely good album, which explains why I didn’t feel too compelled to check out the rest of the EP series until awhile ago. It’s a good thing I did though, because each EP is so different from the last. Instead of playing the same-old same-old, Dead Heart Bloom emerge out of the shadows with experimentation that takes them nowhere wrong.

Oh Mercy has a harder taste to it, taking influences from blues, soul, gospel, and garage, and is stylistically reminiscent of bands such as Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and The Jesus and Mary Chain. This is the second EP of the series, and includes a lot more experimentation than the first, in terms of instrumentation (you can hear the sax in “There Is No Mercy,” and trumpets and strings in “Hymn”) and style (”Hymn” is a fully orchestrated tune, backed with a background choir, that sounds like it belongs in a musical).

I have to say, I did enjoy this EP. It brings lots to the senses and incorporates a lot of genres that I enjoy on their own. There is also a new voice in addition to Boris’s (or is that him singing at a higher octave?–can’t find information on it), which I found more appropriate to the music in context, but that may be because I am not used to associating a low tenor voice to this type of music. It could even be argued that Boris’s voice is more fitting for a duet with Josh Groban. Sometimes I feel it just doesn’t click. But that being said, I really liked how Boris sings in “Love Like Lies.” It adds a dark psychedelic sound to the repertoire and it really does engage the senses.

The fact that Dead Heart Bloom are experimental in nature may be cause for inconsistency, but that really isn’t the case with this EP (or the entire EP series). I remember thinking that Fall In was only held together with the vocals. Seems like the EPs have now been produced and managed in a way that brings it altogether a little better. Oh Mercy is the garage rock and In Chains is the folk. Taken altogether, you could argue they’re pretty inconsistent. But consistency can be boring, and Dead Heart Bloom definitely aren’t boring.

And if that isn’t enough to get you interested, know that Dead Heart Bloom always have their music up-for-grabs on their official site. Currently, all their EPs and full albums are available for free download, and you can never go wrong with free downloads. I think they’ve merited themselves through the EP series, however, and deserve a little monetary credit. So get your hands on these EPs and enjoy! Look out for my review of In Chains soon.

MP3s:
Dead Heart Bloom – There Is No Mercy
Dead Heart Bloom – Love Like Lies

“Is This the Way the Good World Will End” begins the EP, offering the listener with a pretty superior shoegaze experience. I’ve read that guitar solos in this day and age are becoming taboo and tacky—that if a band incorporates one into their tunes, they are stretching the “limits” of rock music too far. I’m sort of on the fence with this one. This particular track does end off on a guitar solo. I am pretty indifferent to it, however. On one hand, it blends in a very subtle manner in that it is not just an awkward addition, but on the other hand, the song could have been done without it. “Nothing Will Break Me Now” is a pretty mellow track. Boris Skalsky’s vocals really shine here, in my opinion. I’m actually very fond of his tenor singing voice; it’s quite mesmerizing. I believe that throughout the entire EP, this is the song that captures the full range of his vocal capabilities.

I suppose I don’t have the merit to say much in this, but perhaps as a lover of folk/acoustic rock, I feel this EP doesn’t reach the level of the band’s older stuff (Chelsea Diaries was very well-received). At a first listen, Fall In sounds quite inconsistent, but I believe it’s all held together with the vocals. Stylistically, the vocals are quite consistent with each track. I’m afraid that might be the only thing that really holds it all together. All in all, it is an enjoyable album, and I’m definitely looking forward to the future releases.

Fall In is currently available online for free download. You can’t go wrong with free downloads. You can also purchase the physical album through the band’s official website.

Dead Heart Bloom – Is This The Way

Dead Heart Bloom – Nothing Will Break Me Now