The incredible duo comprised of Kimberly of Bow Ever Down and Michael Smith, most notably of The Joy Thieves and Fiction 8, traverse half the globe (literally, one is in Colorado and the other in Kurdistan!) to bring us their follow up to last year's AOTY winner, "Strangers Among Strangers". And what an incredible offering it is; I was given the album weeks before its release, and I have struggled to find the words to do this work proper justice. It honestly left me breathless, again, as The Bleak Assembly is so good at. The opening track, "The Powerful Sun", sets the stage for an album that is equal parts joy and heartache, bright melodies juxtaposed by the darkness or being alive in these times of political hate, war, and violence. Sonically, there are similarities from last year's release, but also some huge leaps into new territories, as is displayed on the single "Beyond Words". Employing a foray into a soundscape characterized by icy synths and a bass line that grooves underneath Kimberly's signature croon, creating something so akin to Siouxsie and the Banshees "Tinderbox" album compressed into one song. This writer could go on endlessly about each song, but we will skip to the closing track, "Wide Open", as it is by far one of the most powerful songs on the album, serving not only as a logical and sensible closer, but an emotional tour de force. This song cuts like a razor, and it cuts deep, no pun intended to the lyrical content at all. "Wide Open" is a musical bloodletting, and it left me openly sobbing. Be it the mournful quality to Kimberly's voice, or the way Michael's guitar weeps with every note, this is the pinnacle of The Bleak Assembly's sound, as they have honed themselves to the finest razors edge. I once dubbed them "music for the broken hearted", and I will maintain that. "Until The World Stops Hurting" is not just an album for the times we live in, rather this is quite possibly the most beautiful album I have heard all year long. It will cut you, and it will be deep, but it will be worth every single melody to know that you are not alone in this hurting world.
Standout Tracks: "Wide Open", but really, every single song. Every. Single. Song.
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