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Blue States: The Soundings (memphis Industries)
Wow. Blue States certainly aren't resting on their laurels. Having followed their big-selling debut of immaculately tuneful chill with 'Man Mountain', a suite of ambitiously orchestrated songs (choirs and all), 'The Soundings' sidesteps our expectations and unveils a completely different sound altogether.Gone are the female singers and much of the melancholy, cinematic soundtrack sound – although of course there's a small handful of really fine instrumentals here. Instead, you get huge swathes of swooning guitar accompanied by the haunting voice of guitarist and songsmith Chris Carr. In other words, it still has that Blue States feeling of being steeped in romanticism, only with a lot more raw male energy and attitude in the mix.
It sounds like nothing else I know, though I'm sure it'll have some people reaching for their early Cure, Bowie and Cocteau Twins albums in an attempt to trace some of these songs' precise lineage. Let's just say it's refreshingly diverse, full of conviction and, at forty minutes long, beautifully proportioned and put together; one of those albums that really demands to be heard from beginning to end without interruption.
There's something in the combination of all these elements that makes 'The Soundings' really suit the temper of these times. To my ears there's an intensity to this music that sounds like nothing so much as sheer frustration with the world for failing to be as beautiful as it might be, balanced by an inveterate lyricism that suggests it might be worth hanging onto your dreams a while yet. Just listen to 'Alright Today' if you want to see what I mean. It deserves to be a Blue Room anthem.
In fact, there's an anthemic quality to several of the songs included here that will surely make them all the more powerful played live. I'm thinking in particular here of 'The Last Blast' and 'Sad Song'; what makes them work so well, however, is the way they're wrapped around instrumental outings like 'One night in Tulane' (the closest to the original Blue States sound), 'Output' (my personal fave, with a melody that simply aches) and 'Alright Today'. So hats off to Andy Dragazis and the Blue boys, one of the most inventive and versatile bands around today. It's going to be fascinating seeing where they go next.
Freddie B.
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Blue States
Written: 16th Jun, 04
Read: 2394 times
