Moroni's Review of Blue October's "Sway" and "Debris" EP

Okay, anything I could say to express how much I have looked forward to this album would be a severe understatement.  Blue October ranks up there among my top five favorite bands, which also include (in no particular order) Cocteau Twins, Dead Can Dance, Muse, the Pixies, and Silversun Pickups.  So to say that Blue October is coming out with a new album is a really huge deal to me!

I stumbled on this band quite by accident, shortly before they started hitting the airwaves.  I saw their name in a magazine and ordered their fourth album "Foiled" just because I liked the name of the band.   I remember getting the CD in the mail in early 2006.  I popped it in, and, the first moment I heard Justin Furstenfeld's growl on "You Make Me Smile", I was hooked.  The sheer poetry and power of his words, the bizarre juxtaposition of soft music and lyrics about disposing corpses was nearly titillating.  One song would be mournful with an equally morose violin, and the next would be raw and angry, accented by Justin's painful roar and buzzsaw guitars.  This album soon became a favorite of mine, but not just me.  My wives and children also fell in love with this album,  Soon after, the singles "Hate Me" and "Into the Ocean" dominated the radio, and then everyone knew who Blue October was, much to my chagrin.

Since then, I have been able to enjoy their back catalog, as well as live and acoustic releases.  Then have come out with a couple of albums since then - "Approaching Normal", which is one of my favorites, and "Every Man In America", which was an angry album that even shocked many fans.  (Still good, though.)

But in my mind, none of these releases matched the artistry, cohesion, and the emotionally gripping intensity of "Foiled".  Until the new album "Sway".  This is Blue October's 7th album!  Most bands seem to lose their artistic integrity after a few albums.  How is it that a band can release that many good albums, and then years later release one that is even better?  It boggles my mind.  Do you know how rare that is?  It is well known that Furstenfeld suffers from mental issues.  Maybe there is a proverbial method to the diagnosed madness.  Maybe the cliche is true that from pain comes beauty.  Because this album is beautiful.  It is fresh and raw and there is none of the tiredness that seems to settle on bands that have been around a long time.  Blue October will be around a long time.  Hopefully.

Along with the many Blue fans I have acquired over the years, I started hearing whispers of the new album earlier this year.  One of my closest Blue friends, Becca, told me that the album even reminded her of Cocteau Twins.  I was one of those people who sat and pathetically listened to every song preview on Amazon before the release of the album.  Upon listening to the previews, I could see what Becca was talking about.  It was definitely a different sound for Blue October.  It was less edgy with a more textured and swirly vibe.  I liked what I was hearing.

Last week, the album was released, and I was able to download the new album, along with its accompanying acoustic EP, "Debris".  Luckily, I had a short road trip planned, and I got to drive through the vivid landscapes of Northern Arizona while listening to the new album.

The album starts languidly, beautifully with an acoustic guitar and violin, starting with Justin's soft voice, whispering:

How did he make the waves crash over?

The song is called "Breathe, It's Over", and this piece is short and wafting with the reverb that seemed to dominate this album.  It is a great way to start the album.  Then it blends into "Sway", the title track.  The song is simple, driven mainly by a pounding bassline and stripped down lead guitar, and cemented by an infectious drum beat.  The song reminds me of something either by The Cure or early New Order, if it was sung by Peter Gabriel.  It finishes out with a haunting violin solo by Ryan Delahoussaye.

The following track is "Angels In Everything", which is an anthem that is worthy of Blue October.  I don't want to say that Blue October has a "sound", because their pieces are very eclectic.  But this song does have their signature.  "Bleed Out"  is one of my favorites.  It starts out with a plaintive piano, and then explodes into a chorus with Justin begging:

Hear my plea!

The next song, "Debris", is probably my favorite.  Which surprises me, because it was not one of the song that grabbed me on the first listen.  The song is subdued and soft, like an early morning drive, sustained by Justin's hoarse whisper.  It reminds me vaguely of something by Placebo.  Then the song builds up until it finishes with a wash of guitar that would make Robin Guthrie (of Cocteau Twins) proud.

The album has a few soft ballads that are pleasant to listen to - "Fear" (which has a chorus at the end that reminds me of Of Monsters and Men), "Things We Don't Know About", "Light You Up", and "Not Broken Anymore".  The thing I notice about Justin's lyrics - they resonate with a lot of people.  One thing I hear from many of my friends is, "It's almost like Justin wrote that song just for me."  And I am no exception.

There are only two tracks that I really don't like - and even then, they are not that bad.  "Hard Candy" sounds like a bad rendition of '80s hair metal, and "Put It In", which is not a bad song, a bit like something by Collective Soul, but it doesn't really seem to fit the concept of the whole album, like it's out of place.

One of my favorite is "Things We Do At Night" which is the song that song that sounds like it could be from "Foiled".  Justin's stacatto vocals are offset by the ghost-like voice of Ashleigh Stone.  The album finishes out the way it started - with soft violins on "To Be".

This album is fantastic, and I recommend it to anyone.  I foresee this becoming one of my all-time favorite records.  While I was listening to this, many of my family members would walk by and say, "This doesn't sound like Blue October."  In fact, some of my Blue friends were a bit put off by the new sounds.  But change is good, right?  Especially if there is no compromise in artistic integrity.  This change of sound does not reflect "selling out", or trying to create a more marketable milieu.  This album represents a creative attempt to hone one's craft.

And if this album was not enough, there is a companion EP called "Debris" which features many acoustic versions from the new album like "Sway", "Angels In Everything", "Bleed", "Fear", and "Debris".  There is also "Sorry Hearts", which is an unreleased 5591 release (5591 being the number assigned to Justin when he was in a mental hospital and the alias he uses when he performs solo acoustic sets.)  Blue October's strength is their live performances, and many of their shows have been acoustic.  This EP represents the raw and stripped-down essence of their music.  I have enjoyed this EP as much as I have the new album.

I told both my friends Becca and Nikki, "I need music that I can fall in love with."  And that's not just because I grow sick of my collection.  I need music that will be in my head when I wake up, that vitalizes me, that will heal me, that makes me want to walk...

I got what I wished for.  Justin Furstenfeld, you're a frikkin' genius.