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Blue StatesThe Soundings Memphis Industries/Shock A lot of people have used a lot of big words to describe Blue States' sound. Andy Dragazis, the main man behind Blue States, has inspired verbiage from around the world from "elemental wonderment" to "sepia-toned retro-futurism".Although the music is unique and indeed has a cinematic and dark, moody quality, I can't justify bringing out the big thesaurus guns to describe it; or maybe I'm just jealous because I didn't think to describe them like that first. Either way, Blue States are a band that I would admit to liking, but would not rave about. Their latest offering, The Soundings' comes as record number three after the debut 'Nothing Changes Under The Sun' and 'Man Mountain' which was made popular by the single Season Song that featured in '28 Days Later'. 'The Soundings' maintains the swirling, 'sepia' tones of 'Nothing Changes...' but is strikingly different in its approach. The mood is preserved largely due to the addition of guitarist and co-writer Chris Carr's vocals. Opening track Across The Wire strives for optimism despite Carr's melancholic lyrics and is indicative of the album's feel as a whole. Instrumental tracks such as Leaning In and One Night In Tulane manage to incorporate the darker side of Carr with the almost empyreal waxing and waning of strings and guitars into a majestic ensemble. Now who's being verbose? Perhaps it is impossible to describe Blue States without consulting the dictionary first, but although similar descriptions can be used for the general tone of the three albums, each is distinctly different; it seems Blue States have changed, not under the sun, but under the English summer rain.  |
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