Review Summary: Twisted hearts on fire.
What Is This Heart? is opened and closed on a sombre note. Between the album's few last seconds Tom Krell recites, ''this world is such a pretty thing'' and yet it slightly appears tragic. ''I look into the future and see just so little light'', he belts early on. Thus all faintly blurs the album's identity. Inside the instruments's open space and veracity of Krell's voice, How to Dress Well's third album runs both damage and enlightenment to the heart. It screams the word 'love' at the heavyhearted and startingly sobs on the shoulder with a precious hug. Comfort can be hell sometimes.
Because the heart - and love - is a funny, perplexing thing. Ask any popular artist. Paul Simon's one to know, he did sing the words 'I don't want no part of this crazy love' - a quite rational matter, but here, it bounces back and forth. "Relationships are really hard, because a lot of times you end up with people who not only make you your better self but also your worst self," the Chicago-born singer stated in an interview for Spin - referring to the track "Precious Love". Shine a light wherever and
What Is This Heart? is a very personal record. 'Love' is repeated an extreme amount of times in "Words I Don't Remember", and here they translate to weeps. His feelings don't want to come clean. "Hold on out" or "hoo-ooh"? - don't ask. "Face Again" demonstrates a frustration in love - "Look me in my face again and tell me what I oughtta be/I really think you know what’s best for me/I know you know what’s best for me", Krell warmly serenades. And "Childhood Faith in Love (Everything Must Change, Everything Must Stay the Same)" also touches the point with the same delirious notion. Yet all flings back to the condition of the heart and the strain love can permit.
Intro track "2 Years On (Shame Dream)" showcases a leisured and beautiful latchness of tracks to come, while second track, "What You Wanted" demonstrates an exciting and accomplished illustration of the album's upbeat features, wandering at an atmospherically diverse and echoed pace. "See You Fall" treks at a leisured motion, remaining gorgeous and well composed, weighing on the shoulders of The Velvet Underground's masterpiece, "Heroin" sample. "Pour Cyril" has a heavy orchestra sample which Tom Krell passively accompanies. "I said there’s no shame in this love/there’s no pain in this love/I’ve got the world to gain with this love/there’s no pain in this love", and once again tags along with the album's prominent topic.
"What would it mean to relate/to really relate?", he exalts in "Precious Love" impending an intense and distinctive quality. "Come on be my precious love" he adds within the 80s nurtured chorus, both enchanting and blissful. Krell takes a chunk out of the 80's textbook, applying Michael Jackson "Human Nature" synths, - and when did love speak more than among the shaking pop songs of the 1980s. Electronic hand claps have come a long way and this track uses a bunch.
"Face again" turns a dirty driven bass into a shimmering piano, on which Krell sings his soul. And at first blush, an R&B stamp would emerge on
What Is This Heart?. Except not only do the beats challenge, but every trait grows divergent atmosphere and ambience; R&B just wouldn't be correct. Regrettably the tracks wouldn't make way into mainstream culture. Sheer Pop track, "Repeat Pleasure", would be the only song to sneak pass, parading Tom Krell's impressive pitch range and expressive vocals throughout its overall Pop nature.
"House Inside (Future Is Older Than the Past)", where Krell states "this world is such a pretty thing", is a hard turn from the rosy and previous track "Very Best Friend". "House Inside" is a ravishing near ballad that soothes into a somewhat anthem and shout to a frustrating love, feeding the lines, "If you could hope so much, change everything/but you know the future holds more deadly, deadly things/and I can’t help you out unless you tell me, tell me things".
Conversating feelings is Tom Krell's forte in songwriting and reaching the best elevation within the accompanying instruments rock it even harder. Just know one thing; the heart is an engaging and complicating affair of his. Sure, everyone has heart. But Tom Krell makes it feel he owns the only one in the world.
