Blue October return next month with their seventh proper studio album entitled, Sway. The first outlet of catharsis this time around is entitled (aptly), ‘Bleed Out.’
Don’t get me wrong, Justin Furstenfeld and Co. basically wrote the playbook on creating a fan relationship so strong that it assists in the costs associated with creating new music and making a living doing what they love. Aside from my awe of them on the business side of things, the music critic in me can’t help but yawn a bit on this one.
‘Bleed Out,’ is by-the-numbers Blue October. It’s got that big radio-friendly chorus they’ve become known for, but it also sounds like every Blue October radio-friendly single since ‘Hate Me.’
My take on the band’s last album, Any Man In America (2011) was that it was the band’s best release since Foiled. It was also gut-wrenching and, at times, difficult to listen to. Justin was brutally honest and scathing lyrically – almost to the point of being off-putting. Dude was seriously angry. The new single still mows ‘someone,’ down with the refrain ‘Bleed Out/I gave it all/but you can’t stop taking from me/and way down I know/you know where to cut me with your eyes closed.’ If there’s balance on the rest of the album and not complete focus on darkness (i.e. an actual sway between the negative and positive tones), I’m ‘all in,’ for a new album. Tell us what you think, either in the comments below or on our Facebook page.
The new album Sway drops on 8/20/13. You can pre-order your copy, if so incline, here.
2 comments
Michelle says:
Oct 27, 2013
I think people who don’t have an open mind when it comes to music should have a closed mouth. It’s also obvious that you have no idea what ‘Bleed Out’ is about.
KBOX says:
Oct 27, 2013
Hey Michelle – thanks for your trolling commentary. You might want to read my album review of the Blue October album or familiarize yourself with the other 50 articles I have written this year alone, before you throw internet stones.