Blue Skies For Black Hearts
This Black Heart Is Gonna Break
Velvafonic
Hipster, Hipster, Hipster. Everybody get hip, because the kids in Blue Skies For Black Hearts are going to hip you to death with their disinterested and bored vocal stylings and and dreamy guitars. With a band name like theirs, I was hoping I’d be getting into something a lot more depressing, sad, and/or tough than what’s here, but c’est la vie.
What is here is some downtrodden, adult contemporary-style indie rock that is meant to sound sad and longing, but actually just comes off sounding boring and tiresome. The lead singer sounds like a less intimidating version of Nick Cave, crossed with a hint of Bob Dylan.
I actually do like the guitars on this record. They’re played very well, and I really enjoyed the strumming technique employed by the players. Their playing kind of reminded me of The Violent Femmes, as did the way they set up their songs. I think this similarity to The Femmes is what actually kept me semi-interested in This Black Heart Is Gonna Break.
Overall though, I just couldn’t get into this. It’s a little too boring, not painful enough, and definitely not sad enough. These guys should change their name to “Blue Skies For Off-Grey to Charcoal Hearts,” as their name as it is now is a total misnomer.
P.S. One of the band members looks like a real, bonafide Vulcan, so Star Trek fans, pay attention!
Blue Skies For Black Hearts: http://www.blueskiesforblackhearts.com
