Friday, June 4, 2010

Yussuf Jerusalem 'Heart Full of Sorrow'


By the sounds of things, from a recent interview on Terminal Boredom Florida's Dying could never have anticipated the demand/success of this LP. Now, it looks like it may go into it's third pressing soon.
http://terminal-boredom.com/floridasdying.html

A Heart Full of Sorrow is an impressive debut from French musician Yussuf Jerusalem. 500 copies were initially pressed (white cover with black ink) and unsurprisingly sold out. The second pressing (white with black ink), is now gone too.

The aptly moody, prophetic black and silver sleeve makes Heart Full of Sorrow look like a metal record. Gripping opening track "Gilles De Rais" is just that. Abrasive, ear-piercing guitar screeches, pummeling drums and evil howling vocals are immediately arresting, reminiscent of a black metal album.

To say the following song is a dramatic change of pace is an understatement. It's like being picked up by the scruff of the neck then being thrown across a room and liking where you end up. "A Heart Full of Sorrow" is a weird Lo-Fi Folk song that sets the tone for the rest of the record.

Melodies as catchy as hell are shrouded with fuzz, reverbs and echoes creating lonely cave-like dwellings. This record oozes eeriness from every pore.

Pigeon-holing Yussuf Jerusalem as Lo-Fi, Indie or Metal is too facile. There are influences of Folk and 60s Garage woven into A Heart Full of Sorrow that give it depth and magic. Standout tracks include "We Ain't Coming Back" and "With You in Mind."

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