Blue October - Approaching Normal
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Music CD Cover
Artist: Blue OctoberEdition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown)
Format: Explicit Lyrics
CD Release Date: 2009-03-24
Music Label: Universal Motown
Soundtracks:
- Weight of The World
- Say It
- Dirt Room
- Been Down
- My Never
- Should Be Loved
- Kangaroo Cry
- Picking Up Pieces
- Jump Rope
- Blue Skies
- Blue Does
- The End
Free Music Notes for Approaching Normal
Free Music Review: This band is steadily approaching perfection...
Hit: 5 Stars
I remember writing off Blue October the minute I heard `Calling You'. It was just this ridiculously clichéd variation of commercial pop/rock and I was trying hard to find music that felt inspired and motivated. `Calling You' was not that song. Then a few years later I remember hearing this song on the radio called `Hate Me' and, upon hearing it was a band called Blue October, I immediately went out and picked up a copy of `Foiled'. `Hate Me' wasn't just inspired and motivated, it was moving and tragically perfected storytelling. It had all the right elements to make it something new, fresh and necessary.
Thanks to `Foiled' I think I've found one of the greatest bands making music today.
When I heard `Dirt Room' a few weeks back I was stunned at how brilliantly constructed the track was. From beginning to end everything lines up just right here. The lyrical content is twisted and intriguing; the musical arrangement is infectious to say the least (and that violin bridge is just perfection) and Justin Furstenfeld's vocal's are beyond amazing. I was having this discussion with my best friend the other day, with regard to Justin's vocals. His voice has this element that makes it so unique and mesmerizing. It actually sounds off, but it's an off that works. He sounds like a guy who technically should be a singer, yet he actually has a very impressive singing voice; and it's so versatile he can go from this sadistic rage to this soft and delicate lullaby that sends shivers down your spine.
In vein with that sadistic side, the band opens and closes the album on very dark and very dangerous notes. The opening track, `Weight of the World' is a sharp and painful look at mental instability. What started as a spoken word poem has turned into a frightening tale of death and destruction. On an even darker note, the album (the explicit album that is) closes with `The End', a gruesome tale of one man's uncontrollable quest for revenge. The track is too dark for the clean version of the album, so just be forewarned.
But, Blue October is not a one trick pony. There is a wide range of music here that runs the gamut from dark and edgy to light and breezy to heartfelt and moving.
One of those moving tracks is `Been Down', a beautifully tailored love song that has undercurrents of (and this is all my personal speculation) drug recovery. The lyrics are personal, strong and rendered so effectively thanks to Justin's vocal work. They go the way of self empowerment on tracks like `Say It' and the bouncy (and familiar) `Blue Skies'. Both tracks are handled with such commitment, giving them an air of genuineness that makes them fit very well even if they don't seem like typical Blue October tracks. `Should Be Loved' could also be categorized with this lot, but as a whole it is superior to both `Say It' and `Blue Skies'. The track gives me chills. The sound is similar to something produced by maybe The Killers, except it has that unique Blue October edge that makes it something memorable and all its own.
The one-two punch of `Kangaroo Cry' and `Picking up the Pieces' tell the story of a soldier leaving his girl behind and then trying hard to pick up where they left off upon his return. Separate they work very well, but together they are emotionally arresting.
Simply beautiful.
A new development on the Blue October front was a softer side brought out by Justin's baby daughter. Thanks to her we have two tracks here dedicated to (or shall I say inspired by) her. The first is `Jump Rope', a catchy, upbeat ode to his daughter's life; sending her off into the world with words of encouragement and a shoulder to cry on. It sounds like nothing Blue October has ever done, but it is so sweet and sincere that it works nicely. `Blue Does', the lullaby written for that bundle of joy makes me cry. It is so soft and delicate and reminds me so much of the songs I've written for my daughter that I can't help but feel this swell in my heart and this lump in my throat every time I listen to it (and once I hear that `daddy' at the end I'm a goner).
And still, I've saved the best for last. Track 5, `My Never', is seriously one of the best songs I've ever heard ever anywhere by anyone ever in the history of music. The lyrics are so moving, so beautiful and Justin's voice reaches these mesmerizing heights I've never imagined he could reach. He imparts so much of his soul in this song and it pays off. This is without doubt one of the greatest love songs ever written.
Pure `heaven'.
`Approaching Normal', much like Staind's latest album `The Illusion of Progress', is a step in a new direction for Blue October. This is the band breaking new barriers and expanding on the band they were always meant to become. Sure, some of the tracks will not please everyone, but what is so impressive about this band is that they can go from the searing brutality of `Dirt Room' to the soft spoken sincerity of `Blue Does' or even the bouncing personality of `Say It' and sound flawless each and every time. These guys have so much versatility and so much dynamic energy that I see nothing but a long career ahead of them.
Approaching Normal Poster
2009 album from the Texas Post-Grunge quintet. Approaching Normal is Blue October's follow-up to their platinum-plus selling 2006 album Foiled and the 100k selling Foiled Deluxe. UK version includes two bonus tracks: 'Hate Me' and 'Into The Ocean'. Island. 2009.Alternative Rock Music CDs
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