Customer Reviews

Blue Green Orange

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Is it any wonder that I Mother Earth's least commercially successful album also sparked the most debate of the three? This album took along parts of the "old" IME, like their signature jams and percussion. It also left behind some of the elements many fans loved about them, like the alt-rock sound and their instantly recognizable singer, Edwin. In this "post-post-grunge" gem, it turns out change did them good.

This album often meets Dig's progessiveness and Scenery And Fish's sticky hooks somewhere in the middle, with jams that touch both on the former's technical excellence and the latter's great atmospherics. Loops, samples, and effects add to that atmosphere. As for the then "new guy", Brian Byrne's voice is richer, fuller, more emotive, and possibly more powerful than Edwin's, though at this point lacking Ed's polish on record. Guitarist Jag Tanna discovered his knack for writing perfect mood music and delivering it with a greater depth than the other two albums. Bassist Bruce Gordon often layers his sound with Tanna's in the same way as before, but also in hypnotic, repeating riffs over which the guitarist makes all the chord changes, resulting in a different, interesting sound. Percussion is back in a big way here, with broader world music arrangements and a Christian Tanna who shows the intensity of Dig and the subtle nuance of S&F. His lyrics are even stranger than before, but arranged in a well-structured, aesthetically pleasing way. Byrne himself writes the lyrics for the final track, but it's almost impossible to tell the difference.

This disc has no all-encompassing feel like the other two, and its journey into so many different moods takes away the listen-straight-through quality the other two albums had. However, the thicker bass and lighter guitar tones render even the three or four bottom-heavy riffs stripped of any alt/grunge sensibility, and that is a definite step forward. Each song is great on its own, but doesn't necessarily lead into the next one, thus interrupting the flow. Still, this is a rewarding listen, and paves the way for even greater things.

A very colorful cd (sorry bout the pun) that introduces Brian's different style, which undoubtedly has some impact on the rest of the band. First of all, I think it's irrelevent to bash the former singer (Edwin) to the present, or vice versa. If you're familiar with "Scenery and Fish", their former album, you won't find a lot of the same tones as BGO. BGO has a raw, youthful energy to it; S&F was mellow in comparison, as well as having a softer rock-alternative feel. "Autumn on Drugs", "When Did You Get Back From Mars?" , "Good For Sule", and "Summertime in the Void" are my favs, as well as "Gargantua", but I feel a promising opening of tracks ends rather dismally. Bottom Line: Don't buy into it if you think you're going to get the same moods and themes as S&F... and be prepared for a new edge that replaces the mellowness Edwin gave. It's a harder rock alternative. While I felt that it wasn't refined to the extent of their former album, it still deserves a chance to be listened to!

Pop quiz. It's 1999. The Alternative sound of the 90's is out. Bubblegum pop and rap-metal are in. Your band is one of Canada's cornerstones of the former, seemingly obsolete sound. To top it off, the voice (and maybe the face) of your band has split to pursue a successful solo career with a more pop-oriented rock sound than you ever had, and you've picked up an unknown to take his place. What do you do?

I'll tell you what I Mother Earth did - they went their own way. The attitude projected in Blue Green Orange, the band's third album and first with vocalist Brian Byrne, is simply, "We don't care." Rather than playing it safe and going about "business as usual" to show they're the same band with or without Edwin, they go in a new direction. That direction still has their signature sound stamped all over it, but if Scenery And Fish was the next step forward from Dig, Blue Green Orange was a left turn.

Grunge-free rockers do battle with mellower, more heartfelt explorations as prog-rock does battle with mainstream, and the band is equally effective at all of these. There are fewer of the soaring pop hooks found on Scenery And Fish, and Byrne adds a more rock-sounding voice to the mix.

Even the relatively commercial Scenery And Fish took a few listens to sink in with me, and that's the rule here, too. The best thing is to come to the table with no expectations. Then you won't be disappointed that it doesn't sound exactly like the other two records, or any record in that year or any year in the 90's. This one stands all on its own.

This CD took me off guard at first, as I was a fan of the older IME albums... however, a couple of years after popping it in for an occasional listen, it finally clicked.

This is not Scenery and Fish, and it's not Dig.

This is a CD by a band that had started out with hard rock, and then evolved into alternative... only to hit another level of their evolution with this album.

After listening to this over and over again, and now hearing a couple of singles from their forthcoming album, I see this as a stepping stone to something remarkable.

That's not to downplay the greatness of this album... I think of the three released at the time that I'm writing this, it is their most solid and innovative effort. I simply think that most people were disappointed with it solely because it was "too soft."

Drop your expectations and listen to the band for the first time all over again... if you get the point of this album, you'll realize how wonderful it really is.

It's been almost two years since the release of this album, with a new one in the works, but I had to review it anyway. It seems only fitting that, in a time of "starting over", I Mother Earth chose to return to its art rock roots, exemplified in their 1993 debut Dig. While, on a purely musical level, Blue Green Orange features a few songs that are more simplistic and poppier than ever before ("Gargantua" and "Good For Sule" being the standouts there), the album is anything but simple.

First, it's more sonically profound than ever before, featuring a very concerted effort to layer sounds over sounds, such as multiple instruments and background noises. I could listen to the record a dozen times and always hear something I missed before. Yet, somehow it all comes together with great chemistry.

Second, this album is more emotionally complex than either of the band's previous efforts, exploring a broader range of moods and themes, and projecting them perfectly through instrument and voice. For example, the aforementioned "Gargantua" actually sounds like an anthem for the very space odyssey it describes, and "Autumn On Drugs" has the feel you would expect from a song of that name.

On the other hand, this is still an I Mother Earth album, with experimental song structures and world music touches much like the previous records. Also, efforts like "Summertime In The Void", "Blacksox", and "Infinity Machine" serve as evidence that the old long-jamming, songs-within-songs IME is not dead yet.

If you're looking for a sequel to 1996's Scenery And Fish, it hasn't been made yet; again, this album is in the more arty style of Dig. The sound bites on this or any other website are just that - bites. I recommend taking in the whole thing and giving it time to digest. Once it did, I kept coming back for more, and I think you will, too.

I am writing this review having bought this album nearly a year after it first came out. When I first heard "Summertime...", I didn't like it all, but it grew on me after the million times it was played on the radio, and I eventually really enjoyed it. I got MP3's of some of the songs, and I didn't really "get" them @ 1st, they sounded like effortless compositions to me. But something drew me to listen to them again repeatedly, and then I fell in love with them. I went and bought the CD.

"Blue Green Orange" is nothing like "Scenery and Fish" (which is also a great album, just different). One can immediately hear the talented and complicated musicianship on both albums (singing, playing, mixing, etc, is all done with mind-blowing skill). But on here, the songs are a very strange style, and not immediately likeable for everyone. However, if you listen to these songs with an open mind a few times, you might start to hear the beauty and amazing inventiveness of this wonderful work. My suggestion is that before buying this, you should listen to some songs from it; then listen to them again... and again. If you still hate it, don't buy this album, but if you're anything like me, you won't be able to get enough of this masterpiece.

It's been almost two years since the release of this album, with another in the works this year, but I had to review it anyway. It seems only fitting that, in the time of starting over, I Mother Earth chose to return to its art rock roots as exemplified in their 1993 debut Dig. While, on a purely musical level, Blue Green Orange features a few poppier and more simplistic tunes than in the past ("Gargantua" and "Good For Sule" being the standouts there), this record is anything but simple.

First, the sound is much more of an earful than before, with instruments layered over one another and background noises thrown into the mix. I could listen to the CD a dozen times and always hear something I had missed before. Yet, somehow, nothing interferes with anything else, and it all comes together with great chemistry.

Second, the album is more emotionally complex than either of the band's previous efforts, exploring a broader range of moods and themes and capturing them perfectly with instrument and voice. For example, the aforementioned "Gargantua" acutally sounds like an anthem for the very space odyssey it describes, and "Autumn On Drugs" has that trippy feel you would expect from a song of that name.

On the other hand, this is still an I Mother Earth album, with the same experimental song structures and world music touches as the previous albums. In addition, songs like "Summertime In The Void", "Blacksox", and "Infinity Machine" serve as evidence that the old, long-jamming, songs-within-songs IME is not dead yet.

If you're looking for a sequel to 1996's Scenery And Fish, it hasn't been made yet; again, this album delves into the arty sound of Dig, perhaps even moreso than that album. The sound bites on this or any other website are just that - bites. To take in the the entire song (and record) brings a lot of interesting and pleasant surprises. I recommend digesting the whole thing and giving it time to sink in. It certainly has for me.

"Dig" is one of those rare albums that you can listen to straight through. A few jewels, some singular sounds, beautiful lyrics to match the percussion and guitars, and certainly nothing bad. Producer Mike Clink (who did "Appetite for Destruction" -- a multi-platinum from then nobody G'n'R) put a stamp of smooth genuineness on the whole thing. If "Rain Will Fall" had had a better video, IME probably would've broken.

"Scenery and Fish" is one of those rare albums that *had* "singles" (in A&R parlance) on it that never made the charts. The album, without the direction of producer Mike Clink, strayed from the evenness of "Dig" but allowed the band to express some serious individuality. Some definite weak spots but so well woven through two or three of the best rock songs that never got air-play that you could forgive it and let the album become an emotional experience -- a soundtrack for your first trip far away from home ("One More Astronaut"), or perhaps just your first trip.

"Blue Green Orange" is a decent album. Brian Byrne sounds good. He's both strong and warm. Whether it's intentional or not he ends up sounding like Thom Yorke a bit much. The melody line and guitar of "When Did You Get Back From Mars" also match Radiohead too closely and not as successfully. The lyrics of the album are a bit weaker than Edwin's too and once or twice they dip into high school stoned poetry territory and disappoint compared with gems like "And the Experience" from "Dig." "Blue Green Orange" also relies on a few breakdowns and rhythm riffs we've already heard.

On the positive side "Blue Green Orange" has all the same terrific musical chemistry. I wish to God that more musicians cared about crafting their songs and giving each instrument space to be heard. Dynamics are all but lost in the slick post-REM/U2 world of "rock" in the quest of radio-able songs. "Blue Green Orange" has all the right dynamics and energy. It's easy to listen to and it does rock.

"Blue Green Orange" hurts because it's one more step IME has taken to making themselves a footnote in music history. They seem destined to rock-apocrypha with this latest effort and it's a brutal shame. They could've become one of the great rock bands with just a few more efforts to match "Dig" and "Scenery..."

Okay, here's the thing, if you're looking for a carbon copy of Scenery and Fish than this probably isn't the album for you;however if you're looking for a great rock-alternative album than this is well worth your money. First off lets get the whole Edwin Vs. Brian thing out of the way. I personally think that on records and live Byrne dominates with his explosive energy and wide range of emotion. Edwin on the other hand comes off more whiny and over calm. Next, the music itself, this is not a radiofriendly album in fact to begin with you may only like half of the songs on the album, but if you give it some time and listen to it straight through a half dozen times of so you will like all the songs. My favorite songs on BGO are "love your starfish, all awake, good for sule, beutiful deepend, and summertime in the void." A little social commentary if I may, I am disgusted at the amount of work Canadian rock alternative bands have to put in to be noticed outside of this country, MTV gives canadian rock bands as little airtime as possible and as a result the only musical representatives of our country we have south of the border are The Barenaked Ladies(pretty good), Celine Dion, Bryan Adams, and soon Nelly Furtado. The music industry is in sorry condition if Limp Bizkit can sell millions of albums and all of the great bands here Canada struggle to survive

The case was busted, but that's not what I care about. The cd book is in great condition and most importantly the cd is in perfect condition. No hassels, would purchase from seller again. Great buy!

The shipping was weird because it was sent from PA to AZ to NY? But that fuel waste was on UPS.