The simple fact of the matter is that The Inescapable Decay Of My Heart was never intended to be heard as an instrumental record and consequently the instrumentals are quite understandably lacking that certain something, with a tendency toward repetition thanks to the verse-chorus structure of most of the tracks. Still, if vocals aren’t your thing, knock yourself out with the instrumental version which is a perfectly competent Yagya album in its own right.
[Release page] Three years on from the release of his critically acclaimed and publicly adored third album Rigning on Sending Orbs, and amongst a blitz of enthusiasm surrounding the reissue of his until now extremely rare debut Rhythm of Snow on vinyl by Force Inc. Music Works, Yagya returns with his fourth full-length, The Inescapable Decay Of My Heart. Yagya has established a signature sound that is dearly beloved by many, so is there something new to be gleaned from another album by an artist who has, to an extent, painted himself into a very pretty but seemingly inescapable corner?
Well, it’s complicated.
What we have here is essentially dub techno pop, Yagya choosing this time not to take the elements as a theme (that appears to be every odd-numbered Yagya album) but instead to build his latest set of compositions around male and female vocals to a classically poppy verse-chorus structure. This is a brave move considering the dub-techno audience at which it is aimed, many of whom turned to the genre to escape the world of formulaic song-writing and would therefore quite happily and with a mad-eyed stare, violently jam any vocals or hints of emotion not inextricably intertwined with atmospheric hiss and whoosh down the nearest waste-disposal chute. Reactions across the web have in many cases been dismally predictable and ill-informed, many dub-techno heads refusing to even countenance a Yagya album with vocals, accusing him of courting mainstream success and audiences.
In a way it’s a little sad that this brave move is partially obviated by providing the entire album again in a completely instrumental form on a second disc. Is it pandering, paying lip-service to a section of the audience whom, if they really don’t like it, should just admit it’s not for them and not buy it? Does it display a lack of confidence or belief in the vocal material? Well, Guðmundsson was well aware of the potential reactions such a vocal-heavy release would garner, but apparently the original intention was that The Inescapable Decay Of My Heart would only ever see release in Japan (the deal with Darla for international distribution was struck later) and only a few instrumental bonus tracks were to be included. In the end, however, Klik agreed to simply add an entire extra disc containing the full album as instrumentals. And besides, in the end, if you have the opportunity to potentially keep pretty much everyone happy then why not?
Whether you enjoy the vocal stylings of Guðmundsson and his guest artists is going to be very much a matter of personal taste (aren’t vocals always?), but it’s true than on the whole The Inescapable Decay Of My Heart is lyrically nothing new or original, however Yagya does prove to be a skillful melody-maker and when things work, they work exceptionally well. Yagya’s pillow-soft bass pulses, ambient washes and subtle field recordings (rain is once again prominent in the mix) prove a marvellous foil for the correspondingly soft and breathy vocals, which sit clearly and prominently forward in the mix with little or no post-processing or effects work. Once can’t help thinking, however, that with better track sequencing he might have softened the blow on the vocal-doubters. Though the album opens with imposing super-cruiser fog-horn blasts, “Gabriel” quickly morphs into the most florid and borderline girly of all the tracks here, and closer “Waiting For the Rain” is easily the weakest both in terms of vocals, melody and innovation.
Luckily the highs easily outnumber the lows, and two songs in particular stand out: the note-perfect pop-perfection of “The Phantom Of Us” (one of many songs here featuring vocals by Guðmundsson himself), and the album’s crowning glory, “Bright Moonlit Sky.” With Guðmundsson on backing vocals, it features a glowing, feather-light, guest vocal by Esther Talia Casey, but just one verse, middle-eight and chorus that might just be one of the single most beautiful five minutes of pop 2012 has yet offered. At its close, Casey’s angelic lilting disappears into cavernous echo underneath a slowly building sunburst of sound, and the whole thing could have been repeated a good three times without getting stale or over-extended. Absolute bliss.
Tracks like “Cold Hands” with its frosty plateaus overlooking tropical basins and “Drowned In Dreams” with its extended, rain-drenched introduction sound very much like Rigning or Will I Dream During The Process? with added vocals, proof (if any be needed) that Yagya has solidly established a signature sound, but they still work without sounding forced in any way whatsoever. The simple fact of the matter is that The Inescapable Decay Of My Heart was never intended to be heard as an instrumental record and consequently the instrumentals are quite understandably lacking that certain something, with a tendency toward repetition thanks to the verse-chorus structure of most of the tracks. Still, if vocals aren’t your thing, knock yourself out with the instrumental version which is a perfectly competent Yagya album in its own right.
If you buy only one dub-techno release this year, be brave, be open-minded, take the plunge and pick this up. I can almost guarantee that you won’t be able to put it down again. Ever.
The Inescapable Decay Of My Heart is available on Kilk / UltraVybe. [Release page | Bandcamp]
