A Bad Wind Blows In My Heart

Bill Ryder-Jones - A Bad Wind Blows In My Heart
Critic Score
Based on 12 reviews
2013 Ratings: #291 / 1115
User Score
Based on 20 ratings
Liked by 1 person
April 8, 2013 / Release Date
LP / Format
Domino / Label
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CRITIC REVIEWS

80
PopMatters

The sheer attention to detail and craftsmanship on A Bad Wind Blows in My Heart somehow gives a sense – in keeping with the romantic paradoxes that populate the album’s lyrics – that these days this kind of unfashionably direct, heartfelt tunesmithery might just be its own kind of innovation.

80
AllMusic

It never feels like a self-absorbed, autobiographical bore, as Jones' is an enigmatic enough narrator and a gifted enough arranger that what initially seems like ephemera turns out to be surprisingly affecting.

80
NME

Once you’ve accustomed yourself to the sedate pace, something haunting, stately and – in a small-scale, arthousey sort of way – cinematic gradually reveals itself.

80
The Fly

An intimate and very British release to cherish and hold close; it also happens to be one of the year’s best so far.

80
Uncut
The results are extraordinary.
80
Mojo
The resulting sings--beautifully built around guitar, piano, drums and strings--are as their psycho-geography would suggest, intimate autobiographies, about ruined relationships.
80
The Observer
There's a disarming openness to the lyrics and a warmth to the arrangements that make this an album that rewards repeated listening.
80
Q Magazine
This follow-up takes on a conventional band set-up, but it's as impressive, offering a crisply original take on the classic singer-songwriter approach.
70
musicOMH

His skills as an songwriter and arranger are clearly evident – each song builds with subtlety and restraint, and there’s a neat rhythmic twist halfway through Anthony & Owen that brings his former band to mind.

70
The 405

The solemn accounts of squandered innocence nestle wonderfully atop the layered melodies, the final production focusing on clarity and polish.

70
DIY

While his vocal delivery sounds as though he’s having to force each word out through cracked lips at the end of a long night, the accompanying music fits perfectly

52
Pitchfork

What’s most disappointing about the album is how Ryder-Jones has almost completely abandoned taking any sonic risks.

Z.Younk
58

Bordering on monotonous in its lows, its highs make it mainstream fodder for more than just sad acoustic heads.

MyStupidWorld
67

At some points this LP is really hit or miss. It can get cheesy or outright boring. Especially as the LP goes on, the instrumentation can feel stale. Otherwise a solid record.

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Track List

  1. Hanging Song
  2. There's a World Between Us
  3. A Bad Wind
  4. By Morning I
  5. The Lemon Tree #3
  6. Anthony & Owen
  7. Christina That's the Saddest Thing
  8. You're Getting Like Your Sister
  9. He Took You in His Arms
  10. A Bad Wind Blows in My Heart

Year End Lists

#8/Q Magazine
#75/Rough Trade
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Added on: April 9, 2013