scoundrel, Jan 14, 2006
Try as they might, Blue States has never quite recaptured the sublimity of their first album, NOTHING CHANGES UNDER THE SUN. Their third album, THE SOUNDINGS, takes a new approach: an emo/electronic combination -- like a more mellow verion of M83. And though it sounds great on "Across the Wire," it sounds too earnest on "For a Lifetime." The instrumental "One Night on Tulane" has an intriguing electronic feedback to accompany the lovely melody (with some horns to remid us of what made their first album so great), which leads into the folksy vocals "The Last Blast." "Output," another instrumental, is as equally haunting. Interestingly enough, the bits of vocals on "Alright Today" lend more sonic density than full lyrics elsewhere. But it still doesn't have the emotion of the wordless "Leaning In." So even while the album strives for a new paradigm of beauty, it seems that perhaps the older ways were the best.
3.8/5 (