Review Summary: just enter
1999 starts immediately with a dramatically dark, depressing atmosphere. The woozy, foggy opening track is a fire starter. Heads are further turned when listening to Blue Tears, an accordion only track. Will the album kick off? The next track (A Light So Dim) comes in with an underwater drum intro, and melds into spooky ghost sounds in the background, muffled vocals, and clinking sounds. Well, the song does turn into audible piano and vocals which retain the emotive vibe and lyrics of the album. We’re also treated to the first obvious chorus, and the flow and melody is awfully familiar to Coldplay’s Viva album. The third track is the first objectively great song on the album, and excitement escalates there. The next two tracks are acoustic, and the momentum is killed, but pretty melodies and the haunting, ethereal atmosphere remains. After the said tracks, going further track by track is pointless because the album leans heavily into its motifs. It very much repeats itself.
The overall vibe is similar to visiting a haunted house. The style of singing, piano playing, and various extra instrumentations are rather eery. Yet, the music waves in and out of creepy territory with clearer tones, more simple acoustics, and more simply written songs. The shoegaze and ambient element is quite heavy, enough to permeate in such a way to transport the listener to its specific time. The somber tone is completely inescapable.
This, perhaps, is not an every day album. It’s slow and weird no matter how you interpret it. Sitting down with it is like being in a dark trance. It may also be an album to skip for those easily depressed. Despite that, it is not an album to heavily discount. The Black Heart Procession weaves darkness in with a gorgeous and full, yet subtle, trickling soundscape. Your first impression of it will be long lasting, and encouraging for further listens. 1999 leans heavily into an artful direction, with vocals and melodies tender enough to pierce a hole through its dark layers and reach directly to its intended audience’s heart. Genius? Not quite, but craftily, tastefully created music.
