Former Selves – The Heart Wants
8.14.17 by Ryan Masteller
The heart wants what it wants, and I am not a man to argue with the whims of the heart. I am simple in that regard, a one-dimensional heart-bearer who looks to the blood-pumping organ in my chest for guidance on only the most rudimentary matters. My feelings drift across the surface of my personality, easily perceivable by those who happen to observe me in my natural habitat. And I, like other human beings before me and those who will surely follow (not to mention my contemporaries), regard the whims of the heart, directing a level of attention to them, depending on their importance, and responding in just measure. The heart wants what it wants, and I will provide.
The heart wants a sandwich.
Former Selves out of Oakland knows what the heart wants. Over two stretched-out, glistening sides of ambient synthesizer melancholia, FS explores the deepest desires of humanity, far beyond the base grotesqueries of instant gratification. And really, it’s time, isn’t it – time to dig waaaay beyond the gross, glittering product sold to appease the masses and distract from the real issues everybody has. And Former Selves knows it – that’s why “The Heart Wants” and “What the Heart Wants” exist, two tracks that begin deep within the artist, wrestling themselves through tone and mood, and emerging for us to connect with, even if it’s just for the brief time they’re audible before they disappear again back into the soul. And hey, compared to the eternity of static and nonsense otherwise picked up by human ears, you may want to consider that The Heart Wants is forty minutes of complete and utter respite, a perfect escape to the internal. Is it surprising, then, that this tape was mastered by Sean “Inner Islands” Conrad? It is not. Not even remotely.
Wait! I was wrong – the heart wants to be loved. The stomach wants a sandwich. I get those two confused constantly.
Geology Records is proud to present this lovely artifact, edition of 100, in a Norelco enclosed in a heavy cardstock slipcase so cool, so professional, and so delightful that you’ll just have to say “Damn!” and buy the thing already. Unusually top-notch curation.