Bleeding Heart Narrative

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Soundclips

5...according to our Mike on Wed 21 Dec, 2011.

What a nice way to start a long and busy Wednesday. This one's floated to the top of my reviews pile and I'm enjoying it quite a lot. There's a bit of a mish-mash of styles going on with this sextet but essentially what they're delivering is earnest melodic indie rock with epic and adventurous instrumentation and lovely vocal harmonies. Thankfully it avoids any dramatic wide-screen Snow Patrolisms and instead opts to go down some kind of Animal Collective/Arcade Fire/Tortoise route...it's actually reminding me of The National in a way I don't object to, which is unusual. It's bringing to mind early dEUS in places, too. 'Ghost Cats Disappear Into The Night' even delves into lush minimal ambient tones with relaxing effect, the playful post-rock-meets-indie instrumentation is beautifully constructed, and without the vocals I can hear elements of bands like Jaga Jazzist or Remember Remember. It sounds like a lot of things, basically, but it's a well formed EP in its own right from an excellent band. Top marks.

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Bleeding Heart Narrative are a London sextet who weave together
beautiful sounds with a haunting intensity. As interested in textures and
orchestration as they are with rhythm and melody, theirs is a distinctive
and captivating style that never settles on a single genre or approach. In
creating their own music, Bleeding Heart Narrative incorporate their more
abstract inﬂuences into traditional song structures, applying pop
sensibilities to them as they go. You might hear the shimmer of Tortoise or
Steve Reich built into a song that could be played on an Arcade Fire-sized
stage, or pick out a Battle-esque repetition in a Mogwai-sized crescendo -
but it'll always be Bleeding Heart Narrative you're listening to