SYLVESTER DARREN - CD OFF BY HEART

Popis - OFF BY HEART:
Melbourne artist Darren Sylvester returns with his second album Off By Heart. His musical practice began with videos of himself performing as David Bowie or Kate Bush, and progressed to re-building the Carpenters Los Angeles garden for a 2009 exhibition. Last year he released his first book Compass Point, about the demise of the famous Bahamas recording studio, including archival photos supplied by Talking Heads Chris Frantz. In this context-heavy context, Sylvester views Off By Heart as akin to Prince performing the songs of Jeff Lynne (two artists who, like Sylvester, also write and record alone). Sylvester plays every instrument on the album, and also offers up the melodrama of Suedes Bernard Butler, the histrionics of Billy Idols guitarist Steve Stevens and the power ballad keyboards of Foreigner as musical departure points for his own investigations. A sparkling addition to the album is the vocal backup duo Jojo Petrina and Biddy Connor (both of Magic Silver White). Lyrically, the album flits between the mistakes of love and the sharp realisation of mortality, but presents both with a wink that acknowledges the undying fantasy world of the pop song.