City of Blue
Los Angeles, California, United States | SELF
Music
Press
From Southern Connecticut to Southern California, the indie purveyors try to hide from the light but, thankfully, find their place under the sun.
This quintet get it all wrong to such extent that it's beginning to sound right. Perhaps, it's their youthful maximalism making the band hold on to the alternative tag, yet no matter how the guys suppress their pop hooks the tunes cut through edgy surface. "Because Of You" is an exemplary infectious song here, while the mostly instrumental "Under The Silent Skies" explores more twangy air and harmonies - mariachi prog would be the best definition of it. Surf guitar and rolling toms carry the spite of "Fire!" where the quiet-loud dynamics work up the tension. It vanishes in "No Place to Go", too long to keep focus, while the transparent "Call Your Name" restores the balance with its power ballad setting - devoid of bombast, if sensual - and welcomes a captive dance groove and a meaty organ and "Come Around" rides a majestic folk path.
When the drift gets too serious, the multivocal theatrics of "The Novemberist", the nervous chant of "Pretend to Be Proud" and the second part of "Chasing Backs" add humor to the grit, so the more one spins it the deeper the melodies go. There's a humble bigness about the group's business: with their eclecticism reined in, one day they may - and rather should - hit the big time.
***4/5
- DMME.NET
City of Blue - Goodbye to Everyone
Reviewed by: blue_light_888 (01/09/12)
City of Blue – Goodbye to Everyone
Record Label: Redalaska Records
Release Date: June 29, 2011
Quote:
When you love someone and you care too much to say goodbye
When you lose control and you feel the pull, just raise your voice
I said, "Let's begin."
City Of Blue’s background story follows the basic beats of every music movie ever: musicians move to Los Angeles/New York/arbitrarily chosen big city, work hard for however long it takes to fill two hours of screen time, and (eventually) make it big. Cue the happy ending and the victory song.
First of all, however, City Of Blue has only been in Los Angeles for two years, and second of all, they have quite a bit of foresight. After all, they’ve already released Goodbye to Everyone, a triumphant debut and the future playlist to the climax of their very own Hollywood story.
The first thing that strikes you about this album is how many different facets of it we get right off of the bat; the band draws inspiration from the likes of Coldplay, Muse, Radiohead, The Dear Hunter, and so many other bands that even its official Facebook page admits, “this is tiring, we’ll add more later”. This mixed-bag approach would be infuriating if the band didn’t have their own point of view to add, but it succeeds largely because the songwriting and themes are strong enough to tie everything together. Take, for example, Call Your Name, which combines Muse-level theatrics with subtler atmospheric tricks, or The Novemberist, which settles into a pleasant dreamy alt-rock vibe before swinging straight into Mayday Parade territory with some very well-placed gang vocals and harmonies.
Also impressive is the group’s grasp of atmosphere: the album is a tightrope walk between small, personal moments and large, stadium-rocking climaxes, but it tackles both with aplomb. Ballad Come Around could easily have strayed into maudlin histrionics had the band laid on the sentiment too thickly, but the lyrics are pitch-perfect, lead vocalist Rob Devlin’s performance is beautifully personal and the rest of the band nails the instrumentation. The song is nothing but convincing throughout and a great example of how City Of Blue can find the little bits of humanity in the big moments. The album’s 54 minutes also contain plenty of little detours that really flesh out the details of the band’s soundscape: the extended instrumental section in Under The Silent Sky, in particular, is a tense slow-burner of a hike that results in a breathtaking payoff. This willingness to take things slowly to create a sense of environment is both a boon and a burden, as certain songs could have benefitted from a little paring, but ultimately it helps define City of Blue beyond who they attempt to model.
Considering the band’s extensive, vast list of references, its sense of identity has gelled fairly firmly here, but sometimes the diversity works too much in the opposite direction. Pretend To Be Proud is a solid three minutes of anthemic punk on its own, but it’s a bit too up-tempo for the generally relaxed vibe of the tracks surrounding it. Similarly, a few tracks in the beginning meander a bit before the album clicks into a comfortable speed; the sheer amount of quality content on Goodbye To Everyone is refreshing, but once again, a little trimming around the edges may have refined it even further.
And really, that’s all City Of Blue really has to do at this point: trim a little around the edges. Whatever rock greats the band was thinking about while creating Goodbye To Everyone, it hasn't just taken from them but made their contributions its own. This is a fantastic start from a band that looks like it’ll have plenty of doors open in the future. Where will they plan to go from here? Who knows, but break out the popcorn—this is just the beginning.
8.5/10
Recommended If You Like, ugh this is hard. think Thrice melded with a bit of Muse and a slight touch of the Boxer Rebellion
Track Listing + Additional Info
1. To Whom It May Concern
2. Fire!
3. No Place To Go
4. Call Your Name*
5. Terrified Of Blue
6. Under The Silent Skies
7. Come Around*
8. Because Of You
9. Any And All
10. Marigolds
11. The Novemberist*
12. Pretend To Be Proud
13. Chasing Backs
14. Let's Begin
* indicates recommended tracks
running time: 54 minutes
band website: http://www.facebook.com/cityofblue - Absolute Punk
Discography
June 2011 - "Goodbye To Everyone"
(City of Blue's debut full length album)
Photos
Bio
City of Blue was originally formed in Southern Connecticut. During their time in Connecticut (roughly 2006 – 2008) they went through several name changes and lineup changes in a constant search for something truly unique and noteworthy. While other local bands were in a rush to play live, record songs, and pump out merchandise as quickly as possible; City of Blue had a different state of mind. The music itself had always been the priority amongst the five members. They literally locked themselves away in their practice space in an effort to learn more about each other musically and emotionally. For their true potential and power to come through, this core bond was a necessity to build before releasing themselves into the world.
Each of the 5 band members has drastically different musical backgrounds. Their influences range from classical and jazz to hard rock and punk. They strived to create a perfect blend of these styles by incorporating rich vocal harmonies and complex chord progressions, with driving and upbeat rock. Some collective influences are Radiohead, Muse, Coldplay, Dredg, The Dear Hunter, and Minus The Bear.
In late 2008 they decided to venture out to Los Angeles to introduce their music to the public. They all moved into a house together and began writing and recording what is now their debut album “Goodbye To Everyone.” They used their house as a place to write, rehearse, record and produce. Most of the band members have educated and professional backgrounds in music engineering and production, therefore they were able to successfully self-produce their entire album. Goodbye To Everyone is themed around leaving all your loved ones behind in order to seek a new path and a new life. It explores the struggle between guilt and sadness, and the optimism and hope of a new life.
Since their move to Los Angeles City of Blue has already begun to establish a presence amongst the indie rock community. They’ve recently had the privilege of performing as the opening act for Alien Ant Farm and as the opening act for Dredg at the 2011 Sunset Strip Music Festival. They were invited as special guest performers to a red carpet launch party for the IZMA Models Music and Arts Division. In the summer of 2010 they were semi-finalists in Ford’s Gimme The Gig Competition. They’ve had repeat performances at landmark venues such as The Whisky A Go Go, The Key Club, Club Good Hurt, The Joint, On The Roxx, and many more. The band also enjoys playing low-key acoustic sets from time to time. They did a mini tour of in-store performances at Hot Topic. They can also often be found putting on free acoustic shows in various outdoor Los Angeles locations such as Venice Beach and Santa Monica.
The members of City of Blue all share a deep passion for music. This is a passion that will never be broken, and you can certainly see it in their eyes when they perform. They have a unique way of passing that feeling directly to their listeners and leaving them with a sense of intrigue.
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