Monday, February 5, 2018

Blue Apollo - Light Footed Hours + Circles (2017)




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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