Approaching Normal [Clean]

Blue October | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 24, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Clean
• Label: Universal Motown
• ASIN: B001RTCOY8
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (255 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #110,969 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

About the Artist

On the new Blue October album, Approaching Normal, Justin Furstenfeld, moves his band forward into confident new territory as a songwriter and as a storyteller. Steve Lillywhite, the producer synonymous with U2 and five-time Grammy Award winner guided the way and the result is an album that breaks the mold of whatever anyone may think Blue October is.

Lillywhite's first attraction to Blue October was the voice. "For me, it's always the voice that gets me first because my opinion on a voice never changes. There are singers and there are expressionists and Justin is both," says Steve, who quickly adds that just as important is the artistry, "Their music really touches people in a way that the music of great artists do. There is bond of passion and trust between artist and audience."

"Working with Steve has always been my dream and I learned so much from him...like less is more." Justin comments, "I was like a painter that did not know how to paint. It's quite a new step trusting someone with your vision...but hey it's Steve Lillywhite and I trusted him completely."

Approaching Normal is the follow-up to the band's platinum selling breakthrough album, Foiled. Released in 2006, the first single, "Hate Me," a song that offers a stepping stone from regret to hope, became the surprise modern rock anthem of the year spending 16 weeks in the Top 10 with five weeks at #2. The crossover success of the follow-up single, "Into the Ocean," propelled the album sales well into the million plus territory in North America alone.

Having a platinum selling album creates pressure and as a songwriter, Justin felt it. Lillywhite helped him along the way by encouraging him to work more deliberately at his craft "He pushed me as a writer. I would have a song written and Steve would say, `that part is boring.' No one has ever said that to me before. Steve would tell me to sit down and work on it and I never did that before. I re-wrote melodies and lyrics that didn't make sense and now they are gorgeous. He pushed me to be better and that inspired me and I accomplished more than I would of on my own."

Approaching Normal is a journey; a song cycle that begins with "Weight of the World," a song that made its first appearance as a spoken word poem on the band's brilliant live CD and DVD "Argue with a Tree." The new version, fully orchestrated by the band, finds Justin, as himself, at the peak of his youthful destruction. I blackout in the room again, a busted lip and broken skin. I wake up in the bathroom and dare not bother asking why the mirror's cracked and all I see are shards of glass inside of me. There's voices there to dare me, my father's here to scare me."

"Foiled was about all of this crap that I had to get off of my chest," states Justin, "I'm sick of being the victim. I want to be a strong, confident individual," and that is exactly what Track 2, "Say It," a song about empowerment and gaining confidence is all about. The same confidence can be heard again and again throughout the album on songs like, "Blue Skies" and "Should Be Loved." but not before the album turns angry and vindictive with the powerful first single, "Dirt Room." The song is an all out aggro-rocker with a lyrical metaphor about not allowing yourself to be taken advantage of, protecting your family and standing up for what is yours.

"Dirt Room" also marks the point on the album, when the listener is slapped into noticing just how fierce Blue October is as a band. On this song, Jeremy Furstenfeld (drums) and Matt Noveskey (bass) lay down a metallic rhythm that doesn't quit while C.B. Hudson III adds the guitars that drive the band into alt-metal-garage-punk terrain while Justin scream-sings the vivid and graphic storyline. The surprise comes when multi-instrumentalist, Ryan Delahoussaye, kicks it all up with a violin solo that turns the hot up a few degrees more. Throughout the album the musicianship of the band never falters and always amazes...whatever pallet is required...delicate, ethereal, fiery, rollicking, dramatic, you name it and the band always delivers.

The centerpiece of the album is "Kangaroo Cry/Picking Up the Pieces." The two songs cross-faded to tell the story of a soldier's heart-wrenching goodbye to his girl on the eve of being deployed into active duty and then the how-and-why of the picking up the pieces of their broken life upon his return.

"My Never," is, perhaps, the most anticipated song on the album since it's introduction last summer during the Stephenie Meyer/Justin Furstenfeld Breaking Dawn Concert tour. Meyer, a Blue October fan and bestselling author of the Twilight saga, surprised Justin when she invited him to join her theater tour and help her introduce the release of the fourth and final book of her uber-popular series. "

On the Breaking Dawn stage, Justin sang acoustic versions of his songs and Stephenie would talk about how they roused her writing, "As a writer, I'm always looking for music that can bring out the emotions that I need for the story. While there are many musicians that can recall to me times in the past where I might have felt sadness or rage or infatuation, it's very rare to find a song that can actually put me in that emotion, rather than just reminding me of it. There is empathetic power in Blue October's music--the listener doesn't just sympathize with the feeling of the song, the listener has no choice but to feel the song as if the emotion was his/her own."

Says Justin of the experience, "I was taken back by her invitation and I am equally motivated by her writing and her fans. It showed me that you don't have to be broken to be a Blue October fan." Meyer responds, "Working with Justin was an unparalleled experience for me. I was intimidated by the idea of working with someone whose work I held in such awe, but as soon as I met Justin everything became very easy--different as we are, we clicked on a kindred spirit level right away. Being able to combine the presentation of my books with the music that inspired it felt very right. Sitting on stage next to Justin while he performed was an experience that will always be a highlight of my life. And better than all of it was coming away from it with a friend. You rock, Justin!"

Along the Normal journey there are songs that break the Blue October mold. The philosophically happy, "Jumprope" and the lullaby, "Blue Does," were both written for a new life, Justin's baby girl. "I don't want to write sad songs anymore. I am a little older and I have a child and that allows me to see the beauty and the mystery of life. I want to show my fans that it is OK to be happy."

And then, just as everything seems settled into a comfortable suburban life, the Approaching Normal song cycle wraps with a shocker, "The End." This tale of an unstable man self-tortured by jealously is as frightening as any song ever recorded. You won't find it on the "clean" edit version of the album...it's that scary. "There are crazy stories on this album and this one is purely theatrical...I've just always been fascinated with what people think they can get away with...what in their brain is making them say `that's OK.'"

"What the fuck is normal?" concludes Justin, "The album is a play on how everyone's sense of normal is at risk over something, happiness or sadness or, god forbid, madness. Blue October is a mood. Whether you listen to the words or not, the music sets a tone and as for the lyrics, well, you either love it or hate it."

"I think that we have made an album that is an artistic statement," adds Lillywhite, "it's a journey, but it also checks the boxes of commercial potential. I really love the record."

Product Description

2009 album from the Texas Post-Grunge quintet. Approaching Normal is Blue October's follow-up to their platinum-plus selling 2006 album Foiled and the 100k selling Foiled Deluxe. UK version includes two bonus tracks: 'Hate Me' and 'Into The Ocean'. Island. 2009. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well Worth The $10, March 24, 2009

By 

Keiv D. Spare (Lawrence, KS) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Approaching Normal (Audio CD)

Approaching Normal. The title of Blue October's new album is both fitting and ironic. Musically it leaves behind the overdubbed vocals, echoes, unnecessary sounds and electronic trickery that drew the ire of some longtime fans after the release of the band's previous album, Foiled. On this effort, the band instead embraces a variety of instruments to produce the necessary sounds that drive their music, and although synthesizers are used on many of the songs, they are employed to complimentary effect. Gone too are the days of Ryan Delahoussaye's violin being the lead instrument, a trend which began with Foiled. Although Delahoussaye is omnipresent on the songs, his strings take on new roles and are used to produce a variety of sounds which provide the supporting textures of the songs. Ryan's mandolin, piano, and voice are also more prominent on this recording. In other respects the music is far from normalized. Blue October is still one of the most eclectic bands producing music today, and the new album is no exception, featuring hard rockers, ballads, pop songs, dance numbers, hip hop, even a lullaby. Lyrically, it can be argued that Justin Furstenfeld's words are the furthest from normal that they have ever been, with two of the songs graphically describing violent fantasies. As Furstenfeld (and thousands of Blue October fans) have discovered, expelling these thoughts from your mind and into creative art, is the best hope for sanity and normalcy.

The album begins with "Weight of the World", a song which showcases the dichotomies between loud and quiet, harsh and soft, frantic and calm (a persistent theme throughout the record). The verses feature Justin peacefully singing with minimal instrumental accompaniment, whilst the choruses are an onslaught of heavy bass and synthesizer. An epic album opener that builds well.

"Say It" and "Dirt Room" are the most straight forward rock songs on the album. "Say It" has a good rhythm and gets synthy towards the end and has great drumming too (oh the boom!). You can tell how much fun Justin is having singing it, at one point he yells "wooo!" in between verses.
"Dirt Room" features a violin solo reminiscent of Blue October's older material. I'm looking forward to seeing this one live, and I'm also loving the backing vocals (wooo hoooo woooo).

"Been Down" is a mellow song driven by violin, piano, and a smooth bass line. We're treated to bells and drums, and towards the end C.B.'s electric guitar emerges. Justin's voice sounds great, and the lyrics are well-crafted "I meant to sympathize... I meant to be a friend... I know apologies won't erase the end... But I learned that moving on is where I must begin... Cuz when our colors mixed we couldn't fix the way they wouldn't blend." As a breakup song it makes you think, but is also accessible and catchy, reminding me of Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire", and Blue October's own "Two A.M. Loveick", "Let it Go" and "It's Just Me." The song is an instant classic, I can see it appearing in a relationship movie, just after the part where the boy loses the girl.

Plucked out on acoustic guitar with backing violin, "My Never" is hushed and romantic. Bass and shimmering symbols kick in midway through the first verse, and there are some spacey sounds and mandolin. The vocals are full and strong on the choruses and almost whispered on the verses. The song is quite slow, and as a fan of the rocking songs that opened the album, I'm afraid I'll get bored with "My Never" faster than most other fans.

"Should Be Loved" is my new favorite. Within seconds I'm tapping my feet, and then dancing. This quick-paced retro dance number features heavy use of synthesizers and takes me back to the 80s. You can't help feeling happy and wanting to dance while hearing this song. This is one that will really get the audience moving at the shows.

At this point I'm loving the album. We're only halfway through, and already we've traversed a wide range of emotions - love, regret, depression, hatred, elation.

"Kangaroo Cry" is slow and serious, and breaks new ground for Blue October by becoming political. A poignant song, it captures the emotions of saying goodbye to a loved one who is about to travel to a place where you can't protect them.

"Picking Up Pieces" starts off slow with piano and bass. It's a spoken song that quickly becomes upbeat with marimba and oceanic percussion (much like "Into the Ocean") and by its midpoint is a dancable tune.

"Jump Rope" embodies how I feel about this album. It's a constant up down up down. This song is happy and hippy hoppy (think Bobby Brown's album "Don't Be Cruel") with violin and rapped lyrics. It gives advice about life's up and downs, and how you've got to keep your head up, and don't be ashamed to cry.

"Blue Skies" zooms and soars and has a fun instrumental bridge with keyboard and guitar and clapping.

"Blue Does" is a lullaby about how beautiful and amazing Justin's daughter is. You can hear the love and fatherly tenderness in his voice, and midway through the song Ryan joins in on the singing. This song could be confusing to people who don't know Justin has a daughter named Blue. Whilst this song is pretty, again as a fan of the rockers, I must confess I would have preferred to have seen "The Fern" or a heavy version of "It's Just Me" on the album rather than this song.

Violin plucking and building suspense, a sense of urgency and uneasiness - like we're driving into war.
Vocals are whispered and creepy. "How far will I go?" Justin asks, and then reveals with each successive verse. Gunshots ring out, further emphasizing the brutal anguish of "The End."

Regardless of how you define normal, I doubt Blue October could ever allow themselves to become it, and I doubt their fans would want them to. Blue October thrives on being abnormal and eschewing conventions; this is what makes them unique; this is what makes them a great band. So fear not fans, Blue October may be approaching normal, but they're still far from it.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Blue October Doesn't Disappoint ....., March 24, 2009

By 

Grungeinspired (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Approaching Normal (Audio CD)

This album is well worth the purchase. There really seems to be something for every kind of Blue October fan out there. Those who like the harder sound of " James " and " Drilled a Wire Through my Cheek," will love the rage felt in " Dirt Room" and " The End." Fans who lean more towards songs like " Calling You " might like " My Never " or " Should Be Loved." Some of my favorite songs form Justin and company are the ones that deal with Justin's personal life and struggles. " HRSA" and " Independently Happy" are two of my favorite songs to turn up while I scream at the top of my lungs. Some of the more personal songs on this record seem to be " Weight of the World, " " Say It," and " Blue Does."

Most fans have heard "Weight of the World" from the live release, " Argue with a Tree." The studio version sounds amazing and the background noise of ambulances and hotel staff knocking at the door really set the scene for the song nicely. Some of the other tracks were also heard live during Justin's " 5591" tour, and "My Never" was played during the Breaking Dawn Tour.

All Blue October fans must add this album to their collection. If you haven't heard of Blue October then I also suggest you check out the other releases :

The Answers, Consent to Treatment, History For Sale, Argue with a Tree, and Foiled.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not their best, March 28, 2009

By 

Tracey Brooke - See all my reviews

This review is from: Approaching Normal (Audio CD)

I am an adamantly devoted Blue October fan. I think History for Sale is the best album I have ever heard and Foiled is a close second. I love this band because they are so unique and diverse, unlike anything else out there.
That being said, this album is a disappointment. There is no distinguishing feature that makes Approaching Normal a Blue October album, apart from Justin's expressive voice. The startling mix of instruments they are known for is barely noticeable, and the lyrics fail to compare to the gut-wrenching honesty usually associated with the band. This is not a bad album, it is just completely average; something I didn't expect from such a talented, remarkable group.
If you are not familiar with Blue October, do yourself a favor and buy History for Sale and Foiled, two of the most exceptional and distinctive albums out there today.