Do you know the movie The Hunt for Red October? Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, I think there’s a submarine? I don’t know I never saw it. But I know the band Blue October! And they’re coming to the Commodore in February. I had not heard of them until a little bit ago, but they’re great. Now you might be wondering, if you aren’t familiar with them, who are they?
They come out of Houston, Texas. I didn’t think they made anything other than country music down there, but I stand corrected as these guys are alternative as alternative gets. They’ve got this album, Foiled, and it’s hard to pin down. Alternative is really an apt genre because they don’t fit neatly in the lines at all. The lyrics and vocal stylings of the lead singer border on rap sometimes. And other times hit more of what you’d expect from an alt band.
Their top song is called Hate Me. And it starts off with an almost distorted chant from a few people. It sounds like a video recording of a tv report its really cool. It’s almost like the song Stan by Eminem, with the starting bit with Dido. Or later Elton John. True story, he actually performed Stan alongside Eminem back in 2001. They’re actually really good friends, which is one of the most surprising friendships in the celebrity world, rivalled pretty much only by Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart.
Anyway, back to the original. Hate Me has that same edge that alt rock is pretty much synonymous with. But it keeps that same, almost hope? Melancholy might be a better word as the song is about helping someone move on from by making them hate you. Its actually almost cowardly, because its about someone who makes the easy choice, of running away instead of trying to better themselves and fix what they had. The song ends with that same recording voice sound thing saying “Hey Justin!” over and over again as it warps and gets deeper. What that means, I have no idea, but it’s the perfect cap to the song.
They’re a really cool band, and I for one, can’t wait to check them out when they come to town. And if you like edgy alt rock from the mid 2000’s, I hope to see you there.