Blinker The Star: Terror Of The Heart
Layered keyboards, warm vocals and a lush production sound coalesce on a winning cut.
By Kerry Doole
Blinker The Star - Terror Of The Heart (Nile River): Blinker The Star, the solo project of prolific singer/songwriter/producer Jordon Zadorozny, released a new album, Juvenile Universe, on Nov. 20, accompanied by this single.
The album is a quick follow-up to last year's release, Careful With Your Magic, thanks in part to the pandemic lockdown. Zadorozny explains that "I operate mainly as a one-person band in the studio at this point, bringing in friends to add colour and texture on certain tracks, but for the most part I start and end things alone. My residence is also my recording studio, so when in-person recording jobs began to fall off last spring, there wasn't much stopping me from finishing this new batch of songs off fairly quickly."
"Because the scent of my last album was still fresh in the air, I had been thinking of this album as sort of a continuation of the last one, but when I played it for friends, they all thought it was definitely a step forward. So I'm not sure if it's the beginning or the end of something."
Terror Of The Heart begins with layered keyboards that impart a slight '80s vibe, then Zadorozny's warm and full vocals take over. His signature lush production style is showcased once more here, but there is always a strong melodic core to his work.
The rest of the album is equally impressive, and it boasts guest appearances from The Posies' Ken Stringfellow, Tool and Ministry's Paul D'Amour, longtime collaborators Bob Wilcox and Filippo Gaetani, Sloan's Gregory Macdonald, and more.
Their presence testifies to the peer respect for Blinker the Star. In this scribe's view, Zadorozny is an indie rock auteur. In a fairer world, his work would be well exposed on commercial radio, rather than just the property of a small but loyal audience. Blinker the Star signed with Dreamworks back in 1999 but is now strictly a DIY operation.
His studio wizardry has previously been employed by the likes of Courtney Love's Hole (Celebrity Skin), Melissa Auf Der Maur, and Sam Roberts. Zadorozny now works as a producer, engineer, and mixer from his Skylark Park Studio in Pembroke, Ontario, a facility he set up in 2002 after a stint in Los Angeles.
Links
Publicity: Nile River
Management: Self-managed
Rogers Stadium during a rainy walkthrough in 2025.Courtesy Photo