Blue October's "Approaching Normal"

by Sean R.

Blue October has always been known for their borderline eccentric styles held up by from-the-heart lyrics inspired by the real world experiences of the five piece group's vocalist Justin Furstenfeld. Their 2009 release “Approaching Normal” is no different, taking more points from Foiled and expanding upon their electronically charged arsenal as opposed to the more stripped down songs found in their earlier releases. In fact, it's almost as if that after “Foiled”, they're a new band (which isn't very surprising seeing is that's when they gained most of their national fanbase, which is a shame since I've always preferred their older, more raw material). “Approaching Normal” opens up with Weight Of The World, a song that started as a spoken word poem as featured on “Argue With A Tree”, their live concert release. This version of the song is more polished and musical, though sacrifices some of the emotion in the process, but still conveys it enough to get the point across and set the foundation of the rest of the album. Which follows promptly with Say It and Dirt Room, two of the album's singles and both very reminiscent of Foiled in a way that they could've just as easily been on that album. Been Down follows after, offering a more melodic beat to the listener's ears, complete with Furstenfeld's ability to draw in the listener with widely relatable lyrics and the emotion to accompany it. Which is a rarity in music these days, many bands write depressing music but either lack the emotion to carry it or it seems forced. But this is where Furstenfeld shines, carrying his words elegantly and believably over all the tracks, My Never and Picking Up The Pieces are the album's most notable tracks in my opinion, My Never offering a self-realization with heartbreakingly soft music that adds to the pained whisper that Furstenfeld displays in the track while Picking Up The Pieces is more melodic as it kicks in with a beautiful piano intro that transforms into a drumbeat that seems to mimic an exhausted heart and Furstenfeld deals out a heavy dose of anxiety about well.. how he goes through his daily anxieties. The next three songs cater exclusively to Justin Furstenfeld's daughter, Blue and in turn make the whole album kind of a tribute of it. Which may make the final track (The End) of the explicit version of the album quite surprising, being the band's most dark themed song to date and dealing with the all too real subject matter of a husband murdering his wife and wife's lover after facing a painful separation. Overall, I rate “Approaching Normal” as a must-have for any fan of Blue October's "Foiled" and a high recommendation for fans of their older material as well.