Ex-Human Drama Indovina’s Blue Heart

Second album just might be one of the mid-year's best so far...

By Fred Mills

Who out there remembers Human Drama? For aficionados of dark wave and goth rock of the mid/late ‘80s and early ‘90s, the New Orleans-formed/Los Angeles-based band was among the leading lights on that black-clothing-and-mascara scene. And the group always seemed to have a bit more class, its roots running deeper, than many of its contemporaries (not for nothing did Human Drama release its own personalized take on Bowie's covers collection Pinups). HD recorded for RCA, Triple X and Projekt, and although by about 1995 it was past its heyday (as was the whole dark wave milieu), frontman Johnny Indovina kept the group going until 2005.

(Human Drama, above; below, Sound Of the Blue Heart)

The following year Indovina resurfaced as Sound Of the Blue Heart, releasing the album ...Beauty? which, while clearly descended from his earlier group, seemed to bring an additional measure of subtlety and grace, to the fore. Just recently Sound Of the Blue Heart issued its sophomore platter, Wind of Change (Hollows Hill Sound Recordings), and it's an elegant, engaging, at times warmly psychedelic, others jauntily jazz, listen, with edgy, Spanish-flavored guitar patterns tussling with lush keyboard textures while Indovina unleashes his signature vocals - think David Sylvian, Bowie, Leonard Cohen and the Church's Steve Kilbey all rolled into one. Hold that thought - fans of The Church will find much on the album to dig. And there's a cut on there that'll have Wall-era Pink Floyd lovers pinching themselves, too.

The band features Indovina's old Human Drama pal Michael Mallory on bass, plus guitarists Gregg Burns and Tim Grove, keyboardist/backing vocalist Rebecca Bolam, and drummer Rob Cournoyer. Check ‘em out on the web:

www.soundoftheblueheart.com

www.myspace.com/soundoftheblueheart