REVIEW: Yves Tumor - HEAVEN TO A TORTURED MIND
Yves Tumor’s Heaven To A Tortured Mind is indisputably one of the most captivating records of the year. Releasing back in April, no prior or subsequent release has been able to rival the audacious charm and masterful execution of their latest Warp release.
Simply calling the album ‘genre-bending’ does not do this project justice. Fusing disco, funk, soul, glam rock and even britpop effortlessly, Yves Tumor is able to refract the core elements of these genres through their distinct avante garde vector and still leave themselves space for experimentation. Although you often find yourself casting around for something to compare it to; nothing quite meets the mark, evoking an uncanny valley in which the listener witnesses familiar sounds but in a manner never before experienced. Complementary to its interstellar veneer, the progression of the record plays like a launch into a distorted reality. The album takes you on an intergalactic ride that phases you through both tranquil and chaotic soundscapes and decades of genre homages, resulting in a transformational listening experience which defies categorisation.
Heaven To A Tortured Mind leans further into traditional rock and ‘mainstream’ aspirations than any of Sean Bowie’s prior musical output, particularly under the Yves Tumor pseudonym. However, although it has been crafted with a desire for more mass appeal, it still remains intentionally elusive, defying the listener to get a handle on it through its consistent shapeshifting and unpredictability. Yves Tumor’s trademark facetious and mischievous persona from their previous outings is still very much present across this project, yet it finds itself shrouded in a sublime otherworldly debauchery. Balancing the human, demonic, extra-terrestrial and animalistic while exploring motifs of change, lust and carnal desire.
This is an album that delivers on its concept and visual aesthetic in every sense, oozing sex appeal and creating edgy atmosphere of cosmic glamour. Here more than ever before Bowie is capable of showcasing their limitless inventiveness and oddity. The album boasts a cluster of awe-inspiring tracks from the hooky glam rock of ‘Superstars’ to the brass driven gothic horror of the album’s opening track and lead single ‘Gospel for a New Century’ and the personal highlight of the grandstanding stadium rock love letter of ‘Kerosene!’ which is at one part a sensual ballad/duet and an explosion into an ecstatic self indulgence. Bowie and executive producer Justin Raisen, illustrate that they have further honed their craft since their first collaboration on Yves Tumor’s debut Warp release ‘Safe in the Hands of Love’. Adapting the esoteric approach of their previous outing with more balance and clarity than ever before, the duo craft tight, funky rhythms punctuated by explosions of dramatic samples, harsh tones and wailing guitars with a sense of flourish that results in a musical paragon of the majestic, chaotic and villainous .
Yves Tumor showcases their full potential and masterful skill, forging something that manages to sound coherent despite consistent metamorphosis through so many styles and dynamics. Heaven To A Tortured Mind culminates in a deeply mesmerising and wholly satisfying record that truly encapsulates the word star in every sense of the word: the splendor and indulgence of the rock stardom and the glimmering cosmic majesty of the celestial, solidifying Yves Tumor as a talent truly on another planet from their contemporaries. If there is any takeaway from this album it’s that Yves Tumor is an enigma, and although it may prove impossible to predict what we will hear next from them, the anticipation is greater than ever before.
