Written
by Pamela Bellmore, posted by blog admin
Not
as danceable as Panic at the Disco! and perhaps not as anthem-ready as Fallout
Boy, Blue Apollo are worthy and formidable peers to such modern day
indie/pop/punk giants such as the aforementioned outfits. This Texan trio isn’t afraid of outbursts of
bombast nor do they have qualms about digging in and exploring their softer,
slow dance side. They carefully and
successfully mix n’ match ideas, vibes and sounds to arrive at a cohesive end
result with 6-tunes all told that definitely belong with one another. Light-Footed Hours is really a pleasure to listen
to once you let its warm sonic massage bounce off of your brainwaves.
There
are a few varying types of numbers strewn through this release and the tempos
flux enough to keep the songwriting interesting. A vivid, lucid dream indie melody collides
into an aggressive drum attack thanks to skinsman Jeremiah Jensen during opener
“Walls’” stop/start rhythmic syncopation and labyrinth-like guitar licks going
from starlit sparkle to searing leads.
Guitarist Luke Nassar is also lead vocalist and his trembling, quaking
inflections makes use of a nice high-range capable of skyward falsetto and
hovering vibrato. Luke also lets fly
with a pretty frenzied little rock n’ roll guitar solo as the track comes to a
close (a tactic he uses to a similar great effect on the fuzzy, indie riff
rocker “Therapy”). Completing a one-two
lead in punch “Feeling Right” pipes in soul, ska and funk influence thanks to
some shaggy, almost reggae inspired guitar tones. The shuck n’ jive, laid back tempos and
wraparound rhythm work cements the guitars and vocals into a solid foundation
that never shows any weak or shaky spots.
Also
on the rocking end of the tip bonus track “Circles” overflows with thumping,
propulsive tom roll patterns, smooth yet slightly distorted guitar licks, deep
bass lines and intoxicating piano melodies that never let up in terms of hooks,
catchiness and all around contagious melody making. “Avalanche” is completely different than
anything else on the EP; weighing in as a slow, steamy ballad only featuring
Nassar’s glistening vocal timbres and a limelight piano melody to start things
off. Piece by piece things start to come
together with the soft addition of drums, bass and guitars, the song eventually
giving way late in its runtime to some indie/emo crash n’ bang that paints a
layer of melancholy on a decidedly pop-punk canvas. Much of the same can be said of “Meant to Be,”
although the lengthy lead-off this time is comprised of delicate acoustic
guitar chords and Luke’s voice only, before other instrumentation decisively
comes cutting through your stereo speakers.
All
in all Light-Footed Hours is a
magical EP that shows great promise for this Texan power trio. There’s enough variety to please those
looking for a unique take on the genre and there’s also the usual tropes that
indie, emo and pop punk fans will lap up voraciously. The rockers are as equally competent as the
ballads and the entire EP ends up being worth your time.
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