‘This beautifully crafted collection of chamber pop stands out not just for its emotional depth but for its lush, detailed compositions. Bluhm is a true artist to watch. You would have to have a heart of stone to not be affected by this sublime collection.’
‘Stephen Bluhm really brings it for me, makes a true believer out of
me concerning music and artistic expression. I can't thank him
enough for the inspiration and the perspectives he's so generous to
share. It's an honest feel I cherish, and wish him to keep on keepin on,
truly.’
‘Idiosyncratic and adventurous work that manages to convey playfulness and lightness while also sounding profound and beautiful. The lyrics are clever and charming and Bluhm’s baritone adds considerable personality to the record.’
‘Quietly and beautifully stunning. The orchestrations are spare and sublime. There are wonderful lyrics throughout, and this is a deeply emotional piece of work. I am sure I am going to be spending serious time with it; it's the kind of record that I can't listen to casually.’
Anthony Kaczynski
The Magnetic Fields, Fireking
‘A handcrafted labor of love, and extremely good. The songwriting is powerful, the arrangements intricate and sublime, and while referencing a myriad of musical styles, it retains its own individual and engaging voice. I urge you to check it out.’
Chris Ewen
The Magnetic Fields, Future Bible Heroes
‘truly a one-of-a-kind artist’
Dosage
‘songs that are sweeping yet charged with the disarming poetry of folk music. His music is immediately touching, even if there is room for existential crisis in the philosophizing songwriter’s big heart, with subject matters covering love, religion and nervous breakdowns. He is also a move-busting synthpop musician, which lucky audiences may get a glimpse of peppered into his sets.’
‘Utterly charming. The halting, clipped vocals with a sudden appearance of sumptuous string writing is unexpected and elegant. There's a faux-naïvete that I find very appealing. The music, at first blush, appears naïve. But on a close listen, it’s very assured and complex writing. And the arrangements are really just wonderful. Sufjan Stevens meets Kurt Weill meets Stephen Foster.’
Tom Judson
Actor, composer, pianist & musical director for Charles Busch. Collaborator of Ann Magnuson, Alan Cumming
‘It seems to want to burst out… to transcend the vinyl’
A.D. Amorosi
Philadelphia music journalist
‘Like walking through a meadow.’
Brian Dewan
Musician, Artist, Synth maker
‘Listening to the new album from Stephen Bluhm is a little like stumbling into the parlor of some early 20th century Hudson Valley mansion, where a well-mannered young man is seated at the piano and earnestly entertaining assembled guests with his elegantly enunciated yet subtly whimsical song stylings.’
‘Few artists in recent memory have captured the grace and serenity of the Hudson Valley’s calmer environs like Stephen Bluhm’
Rock and Roll Globe
read the interview
‘An evocative & challenging beauty. it’s not mainstream fodder, but the attempt has gravity. It can pull with repeated listens. The songs have many salient moments & they’re versatile in their sophistication.’
‘curiously subtle baroque pop masterpiece’
‘interweaving of profound impressions with the normality of daily life… it reminds us that joy and intrigue could be lurking around every corner of our familiar world.
‘An old soul, writing Tin Pan Alley-ish fare and singing croon-y folk jazz in a voice that'd make Morrissey swoon.’
Philadelphia City Paper
‘I will never forget the first time I saw Stephen Bluhm perform. It was one of those ‘wow’ moments that stick with you. He did a short set opening for Future Bible Heroes at Helsinki Hudson. He appeared by himself, backed by a boombox (aha, I thought – very David Byrne).
But the sound that came out of his mouth, and the big music that he had behind him – I thought, why is this incredible entertainer just a shy guy who you often see around town if you spend any time walking up and down Warren Street? One of the things I love about Stephen is how he transforms from a relatively self-effacing, modest man-about-town into a guy who was seemingly born to command a stage.’
Seth Rogovoy
Journalist, Blogger, Radio Host, Author: Bob Dylan: Prophet Mystic Poet; Within You Without You: Listening to George Harrison