Blue October - Approaching Normal Review

Posted by Tom Santoro on 04.19.2009

The Texas based band returns to more dark lyrics on their 5th studio album since 1995. Will it meet the success of their last album, Foiled?


TRACK LISTING:

1. Weight of the World
2. Say It
3. Dirt Room
4. Been Down
5. My Never
6. Should Be Loved
7. Kangaroo Cry
8. Picking Up The Pieces
9. Jump Rope
10. Blue Skies
11. Blue Does
12. The End (explicit version only)



Justin Furstenfeld is one sick dude. For almost fifteen years, he has been using his lyrics to get out all of the demons in his head. His lyrical themes of drug addiction, alienation, revenge and mental torment help him to connect to his audience that is as messed up as he is.

To be honest, when Foiled came out in 2006, my local alternative rock station played the hell out their breakthrough hit “Hate Me”. I thought that song was ok, but didn’t understand what all the hub bub was about. They played in Tampa so much I thought they lived here. When they released “Into the Ocean”, I was hooked.

Apparently super producer, Steve Lillywhite was hooked too, as he took time to produce Approaching Normal in between producing tracks for U2. The producer may have helped Furstenfeld focus positive themes like his daughter, Blue, than the band had in the past. As the album title suggests, Furstenfeld is on his way to feeling better mentally, but not fully.

There are many standout tracks out of the 12 on Approaching Normal. They stand out mostly because of Furstenfeld’s head trips. His cathartic approach to writing his lyrics are what makes tracks like “Say It”, “Dirt Room”, “The End” and “Kangaroo Cry” feel vivid.

He cops to the idea that writing his thoughts on paper are what gets him through the day on “Say It”.

“Now I breath it out
I breath it out
And I spit it on the crowd
Cause you lift me up
You lift me
You lift me when I'm feeling down
What I'm I spitting out
Spitting out
Something we never talk about
It's called my, my mind”

The song is one of many revenge songs on this record. All of them are full of graphic detail.

“Dirt Room”, the first single, is a twisted tale of vengeance. It seems like someone stole from him and he is speaking his mind as to how he wants to deal with him.

“You think you own me
You should have known me
You took the future and the food off my family's plate”

He goes on to say the exact measure of ironic revenge he would take by screaming “I want to cover you in ants, bees and honey/Then take a picture for the cover of our album!”

Equally graphic is the final track of the uncensored version, “The End”. It comes from the point of view of a deranged ex-husband. The story slowly unwinds with disturbing detail. The narrator is unstable as the music slowly builds until Furstenfeld goes into graphic detail about a double murder, suicide. It is very theatrical and you feel like you are witnessing what is going on but are unable to call for help. The clean version does not include this song, and justifiably so.

Furstenfeld takes some Zoloft for a few songs on the album including the anti-war/pro-family track, “Kangaroo Cry”. The lyrics are from the point of view of a soldier being sent to war, while the chorus questions why they are being sent in the first place. “

“You choose to break our families
Tell me you’ve used all precautions known
And I’ll stand behind the ones who stood alone
How long do we have to sing until you finally bring our sons and daughters home?”

“Kangaroo Cry” is a very touching song that gives a voice to military families.

Other standout tracks include the depressed break up song “Been Down”; the surprisingly hopeful “Jump Rope”;the upbeat “Blue Skies”. “Picking Up the Pieces” is a fun little song about keeping sane after a break up. These songs show that Furstenfeld has the capacity to see the glass half-full.

The misses on this record are the opener “The Weight of The World” that feels like a darker Peter Gabriel song. The subject matter of dealing with a mental disorder and how that affects everyone else around you is good, but the arrangement does not fit the tone of the lyrics. I also dislike the ballad “My Never” and jaunty “Should Be Loved.”

“Blue Does” is ok. I did not connect with it because it is a personal song written for Furstenfeld’s daughter. It shows that he has mellowed out a bit, mostly because of her. I only question why it was placed before the dark “The End”. It is a harsh transition between those two songs.

The 411: Approaching Normal is a record that explores the far reaches of a mind. There are ups and downs that match Justin Furstenfeld’s bi polar disorder. Fans of the dark lyrics may be a little put off by the more positive material and while fans of the positive stuff may be off put by the disturbed songs. It is an average album and could be more focused.

Final Score:  6.5   [ Average ]