Blue October has received all of the accolades they could muster from their hometown in Houston. Now they are put to the test with the rest of the world watching, and it’s a big mean world out there.
“Retarded Disfigured Clown” opens the album with some spoken word nonsense that did nothing for me but waste about a minute of my life. “Independently Happy” pounds as an opener filled with chugging bass lines, quickly falling into a devilishly sweet pop song. “HRSA” gives resident violinist Ryan Delahoussaye a chance to shine. The violin is back again, but this time for a solo on “Breakfast After 10”. You’d think it’d be a bit awkward in a track where the guitar rocks and the drum rolls, but surprisingly, the violin keeps pace.
Most of the album is notable for its jamborees. Take “Holler”, for example. The song has nothing special about it until the group just goes out and completely jams. The lyrics and vocals sound done, but the rest sounds fresh. Put the two together and you get neither a smile nor a frown, just neutral feelings across the table.
+ cc morris
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