#BandcampGold-Heaven To A Tortured Mind by Yves Tumor

by Dan-O

The reason Heaven To A Tortured Mind is labeled as an experimental album is that the sounds increase, explode or escape when you least expect them to. It is NOT an experimental album in the sense of existing as some sort of noise research data. Yves Tumor is a lot of fun. Credits list Tumor as vocals, writer, composer, performer, and producer. When I was pitched listening to this album (my first Yves Tumor listen) I was told this is the TV On The Radio album we have been missing. It’s not a bad sell.

The compositions are thick and chunky but organically organized. Kerosene! Is gorgeous for the intertwining vocals of Diana Gordon and Yves alone as well as high level background noodling that would make The Meters search “Yves Tumor Merch”. Along with Kerosene! It doesn’t hurt to kick off the album with Gospel For A New Century which has to be one of the years best songs. It starts off as the core of a dope 90’s beat and adds some very personal lyrics that he sings the sweat out of “I looked you in your eyes, it was over. Cause when I really needed you the most you were gone then…”

Heaven To A Tortured Mind is only thirty six minutes and twenty two seconds long for good reason. The propulsive high energy rock/funk/electronic mixture takes a lot out of the listener. It was wise to keep this to a trim twelve songs with some short punches in different directions. No skippable tracks no lapses in effort or crackling kinetic dynamism. Normally I would impress upon you the delirious glee I get from the coherent vision of these compositions, how thorough the world of this album is… but something outranks that. When Bandcamp Daily ran a feature on the album the tag line was “Yves Tumor redefining rock star” and seeing that term is when it settled on me.  Rock star energy is so rare now. It’s not your favorite band staring down at their shoes as they debut a new song on Fallon. Heaven To A Tortured Mind is Beyonce debuting a new song at the Superbowl that sends the nation on an all caps social media argument. Yves Tumor’s vocal delivery, his vocal command over the tender moments that begin Strawberry Privilege or the glimmering sexual optimism of Super Stars as well as the breathless desperation of Romanticist is elite lead singing. Everything said feels like a new action, one we can’t wait for the author to describe.

Without a doubt, Heaven To A Tortured Mind is the album I’m going to fight to keep in the album of the year conversation. It is more than the TV On The Radio album I had been missing. It is as if Prince and The New Revolution fell in love with TV On The Radio and this sound came out of long sessions of mutual understanding. If anyone can find a fault in the construction or delivery of the project please let me know because all the background vocals, instrumentation, all feels like it was fated to come to the point it stands. Yves Tumor had to happen right now and boy am I glad.

Stream or Download Heaven To A Tortured Mind below: 

https://yves-tumor.bandcamp.com/album/heaven-to-a-tortured-mind