Yussef Jerusalem/ A Heart full of Sorrow

Yussef Jerusalem
A Heart full of Sorrow
(Born Bad Records)

Born Bad records have been plying their trade for almost a decade now. Based in France they run a record store and a clothing boutique specialising in punk and psychobilly whilst putting out occasional mind-blowing compilations (see BIPPP: French Synth Wave 1979-85). They source some of the best records, a recent excursion to the record store resulted in purchasing the amazing ‘Dengue Fever Presents: Electric Cambodia; 14 Rare Gems from Cambodia’s Past’. However, the in house artists have, up until now, been a tad underwhelming.
‘A Heart Full of Sorrow’ is destined to change all that. Using a recording technique that requires the microphones to ‘peak’ heavily on the vocals whilst running the guitars through reams of fuzz and distortion you could be mistaken that this was a Gonor Records release. The sloppy DIY aesthetic runs through the sound; beyond this is a world of mystical modulations and enthralling lyricism. Abstract sounds run in and out of the recording, from metallic clattering to electronic aural comets. The listener is both welcomed and displaced. Likewise with lyrics such as, “I will wait for you” when as loving a line could be there the undertone of danger – I’ve seen this movie before, she’ll be dead before he returns.
The final track takes an earlier riff and corrupts it into this raging Black Metal track. Not only does it expose the bands propensity towards the ‘façonnable’ French underground where Metal is currently enjoying a renaissance, but that from the potency of this LP, Yussef Jerusalem have the power to do anything.