Reviews

Dead Heart Bloom

Chelsea Diaries

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Review Date: 2007-07-05

Dead Heart Bloom is essentially one man, Boris Skalsky. The former bassist of Washington D.C.’s Phaser writes, records and performs his music, sometimes in the accompaniment of a second guitarist or full-piece band. Currently based in the New York scene, Skalsky’s style certainly captures the diverse nature of the rock, blues and jazz home.

Chelsea Diaries is an eight-track album with a consistent melancholic lyrical theme. The songs give the impression of a bitter memory that has ultimately changed one’s perception, which can never truly be escaped. This would make for an altogether bleak album if it were not for the warm and snappy melodies driven by Skalsky’s acoustic guitar.

The jacket itself is simple, made with recycled craft paper containing miscellaneous photographs of what I would guess is the New York landscape minus the song lyrics. This modest style reflects the honest music which it contains, genuinely making it a work of art.

Song three, “Save the Last Verse for Me”, sounds “Beatlesque”. The andante tempo combined with Boris Skalsky’s delicate vocals really balances it off. Lyrics like “I guess a man must lose himself to know where he has been” totally occupies the listener and shares the idea that we are all on a personal journey of self-understanding. It’s the perfect cottage song to just lie in your hammock, sway and let your mind escape.

“New York City Heat” begins with a catchy guitar melody. Instantly, I find myself bobbing my head and feeling the groove of this song. The vocals are sung with conviction and there is definite blame being placed with lyrics like “Ma and Pa you fucked up grand” being the repeated chorus throughout the song. This tune definitely fits the criteria of Chuck Klosterman’s idea of “car rock”, where you feel empowered and even content that you may have hours of driving ahead.

The album reveals that Dead Heart Bloom has an ambiguous idea of love, which seems to be a great inspiration in producing compelling songs. Chelsea Diaries and Dead Heart Bloom’s self-titled album, as well as the album art, are all available for free download at the band’s homepage. This is a great summer album to get into and I recommend it to everyone.

Score: 7.6

- Alicia Freeborn