Blue August - Blue August

Blue August

Blue August
self-released; 2015

3.6 out of 5

By Jamie Funk
​

Not to toot my own horn but I can usually get a good idea of how old musicians are when listening to their music. For a myriad of reasons the music you listen to as a teenager tends to sound like the music you make in a lot of cases. If I had to guess the members of Blue August were most influenced by bands from the early ’70s to mid ’80s. Truth be told their debut Blue August feels like a tip of the hat to bands from that era, from the blazing lead guitar solos that are plastered all over the album to the arena rock style vocals.

​For better or worse their music doesn’t seem to meld with the rock music in the mainstream or the underground of 2016. Blue August doesn’t have much in common with rock bands who are pushing the envelope like Tame Impala, Viet Cong, Mitsuki and Dirty Projectors to name a few but rather revisits some of the nostalgia of previous decades that a niche group of people will enjoy. 

“Battlecry” is the opener which initially moves at a slow pace with a big arena rock style vibe. The song is full of classic 101 style rock moves like pick scrapes and a cosmic guitar solo that mimics  what you might expect from a band like Pink Floyd. A throughly enjoyable tune.

Next up is “Faded Pictures” which is just about perfect for a montage scene in an ’80s movie. It feels familiar from the singing style to the guitar fills. “Far Away” is a ballad from top to bottom that has some similarities to the band Scorpions. As the album continues the band continues with anthemic rock songs. The songs are predictable but easy to enjoy. 

I can’t say Blue August is the most innovative band to come out in 2016. In fact they often wear their influences on their sleeves. That’s not a bad thing in my opinion as long as you combine it with good songwriting which they do.

​I encourage everyone to give this a listen but in all honesty this will resonate more with people who grew up when this style was popular and that's most people over thirty-five.   

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