613 The Bluetones - Expecting To Fly (1996)

 613 The Bluetones - Expecting To Fly (1996)

Studio Album - Britpop



About the Act:

London-based Britpop band The Bluetones existed from 1993-2011, and then from 2015 onwards. They had some success in the 90s, but less so after interest in Britpop waned. They have had 6 studio albums, and a pretty stable line-up.

About the Album:

This was their first album, and gained critical success.

My History with this Album:

None.

Review:

Doing these reviews is challenging me in so many interesting ways. On this occasion it is once again forcing me to be introspective about my enjoyment, or lack of at times, music. I feel like there have been several things that I have dismissed on the grounds that they were washy-guitar-based-rock, particularly from the 90s. Once again we have that sort of thing, but on this occasion I enjoyed it. Is it just coincidence, or the mood I'm in or does this album have qualities that some of the others didn't - or that I didn't spot? Unfortunately, right now, I don't have a clear answer. If I gain insight, I will share that with you. Regardless, I will try and do my normal thing - describe the album, and tell you what I liked, or not, about it.

This is obviously indie rock with a pop edge, in that it is fairly jolly and light, musically. The voice, this would be Mark Morris, is a high, clear male voice. It reminds me of something, but I can't put my finger on it. It has a kind of innocence to it, and it's a decent enough voice. There's quite a bit of the aforementioned washy guitar going on, and some acoustic guitar at times. On thing I definitely liked was the drumming. The drummer is the kind of drummer I would really like to be, with a subtle touch that I feel adds a lot to the ambience. It's a kind of shuffly thing, with extra added little touches, but even something as simple as a ride cymbal is played with touch and nuance that got way beyond "I just hit it with my stick".

The songs are reasonable, there's some lyrics at times. The subject matter seems to be mostly relationships, friendships, people, and some nicely-crafted acerbic lines at times. I think what I liked most was the way the songs were presented, despite the seeming pop sensibility it's quite thoughtfully done at times, especially musically. Certainly the first few songs have a grandness to them. There is a lot done with quite a small variety of instrumentation, which makes it sound like they have effectively gained their craft as a band through playing live, where you tend not to monkey about with lots of different instruments and setups and sounds, you just try to make good use of what you have. 

So, yes, I enjoyed it, quite a bit to be honest. It has... style.

7.9/10


Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/3hSEHy0TkvR97XPCBl4F9p

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF2C675816B42072A

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expecting_to_Fly_(album)



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