The Heart Wants
All I Remember is Waiting
(Junefourth)
It was maybe
a little over a week ago when I felt like giving up this act I act of writing
about music releases that have me currently inspired and excited. The entire point of writing these things is
to help expose musicians to a wider audience.
Of course, silly me, I forgot to go out and find an audience. However, after either receiving news of
upcoming albums by favorite artists, learning about some intriguing new artists,
and then picking up a few new items last week, I decided that I just don’t
care. I’m going to share my thoughts
anyway and hope to connect at least one person to a band somewhere along the
line. Good music gets me every
time. I cannot shut up. Amongst the new items, the most immediate
release comes from The Heart Wants,
because this collection is being released as a digital download only. So much of the music I buy on vinyl or CD is
via mail order, so I often have a lag time between release date and actual
arrival. It’s also immediate in sound
and has been on repeat around here for the entirety of the last week.
The debut
album from The Heart Wants is actually a solo outing by Chris Y from Omaha’s
Drakes Hotel. If you are one of the only ones out there who
have read any of my rough, unschooled music writing over the last several
years, you will know that I am a big proponent of this fantastic duo (see
references galore here). Chris Y is the multi-instrumentalist / sound
guy from that group, who very occasionally takes over lead vocals, but now we
get the opportunity to hear more and not surprisingly, this is really
enjoyable.
All I Remember is Waiting is not a far cry from Drakes Hotel,
so if you’re already familiar and a fan, this is a must. What may be the most startling is the sheer
pure pop that we are introduced to from the get go. The opening song, “Astronomical” has the
familiar Drakes drum machine and the sparkling meshing of guitars and keyboards,
but Chris Y eschews some of the veneer of mystery and intrigue and goes
straight for the catchy direct hook and a chorus that is wordy, but still gets
lodged into repeat mode into the consciousness.
And don’t get me started on that upwards bound guitar line and the
chiming bridge. This rivals the best pop
nuggets of Ian Broudie’s sometimes
brilliant Lightning Seeds 25 some
odd years ago. The similar sounding
‘Tales Like Factories” again provides busy breathy harmonies during each verse,
before opening up into a direct hit chorus (which features an Amy Drake appearance on backing
vocals). I’ve never so happily sung
“your heart dies” to myself so much.
Another three minute upbeat pop single comes along with “Evil Friends,” which
closes with a majestic orchestral style keyboard flourish that for some reason
reminds me of the beautiful instrumental second half of New Order’s goofy “Every Little Counts” (Brotherhood 1986).
The amazing
music and lyrical imagery that help make Drakes Hotel so impressive continues
unabated throughout All I Remember is
Waiting. “Leave the Scene” is a mid
tempo exploration and reflection about ridding oneself of life’s regrets,
mistakes and stumbles. The clever chorus
of “leave the scene on the cutting room floor” is a nice idea, but then we
begin to realize that song is really a plea to an unrequited love and the
palpable sense of loss and impending heartbreak makes the idea of getting rid
of certain “scenes” more urgent.
“Currents in Shade” a dark sounding slow burning song that introduces
some striking piano into the musical mix and evokes the darkness of a Joy Division song. Elsewhere, the piano returns prominently on
the album’s dramatic centerpiece, “Stay Home.”
The “Procession”-style keyboard wash of “Stay Home” augments the heavy
crashing of piano chords (reminds me of the piano on The Hurting – era Tears for
Fears - think “Ideas of Opiates”), but instead of feeling the menace of the
oncoming storm, this song provides warmth and comfort, especially when the
guitars and drums kick in.
The album
closes with two of my favorite songs.
“Amelia” is a combination love song and plea for access into the
thoughts and mind of his object of affection.
The dramatic chorus is an alarming juxtaposition to the gliding
effortless sounding flow of each verse.
Meanwhile, the perfect set closing “Light is Low’ provides a solemn and
resigned farewell. It leaves the
listener satisfied, but filled with lingering thoughts and questions.
Again, if
you’re already a fan of Drakes Hotel, this will be right up your alley. If you’re not, well, you should be. Word has it that a new Drakes Hotel album is
on the horizon, so Chris Y’s foray into creating The Heart Wants album only
gives us all a chance to hear more of this incredible music! Couldn’t ask for more.
The Heart Wants "Leave the Scene"
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