Blue October,
Foiled



Label: Universal Records

(3½ out of 5)

Justin Furstenfeld, lead songwriter and vocalist of Houston-based Blue October, is open about his struggles with depression, substances, and relationships. The band's fourth studio effort, Foiled, functions as public therapy set to verse: Pull my hair back, look me in the eye / There's a self-destructive meaning in the bleeding of a guy / It's the guilt of what reality has given me / Making sense of all mistakes and my stupidity. It's not an album of psychotic rants, but rather the plaintive cries of someone coming to grips with who and what he is. The formula could prove disastrous for lesser bands, but Justin is a clever lyricist supported by a talented cadre of musicians with nearly a decade experience working together.

Blue October emerged on the modern rock scene in the late 1990s, first with local release The Answers and then signing to Universal Records for Consent to Treatment in 2000. While a major label saw promise in the band, radio apparently didn't. Blue October retreated to Dallas indie Brando Records for 2003's History for Sale. When "Calling You" gained local radio traction and made it onto the American Wedding soundtrack, Universal came calling once again. In nearly Wilco-esque fashion, the band returned to the very label that dropped it just two years earlier.

Even before the April release of Foiled, it was clear Blue October hit the big-time at last. The band has steadily built a loyal following that sells out venues in cities like Houston, Dallas, and Austin — and even as far away as Chicago. Then "Hate Me" exploded on modern rock radio, reaching as high as #2 on national Billboard charts and sparking a mid-April appearance on the Tonight Show.

An inward rage atoning for a relationship's dissolution, "Hate Me" (listen) can make one cringe with its self-awareness: I'm kicking shadows in the street for every mistake that I have made / Like a baby boy I never was a man / Until I saw your blue eyes cry and I held your face in my hand. During SXSW, Furstenfeld mentioned that it was recorded as something of an experiment. Clearly it's an experiment that worked, yielding a career-defining single. But it isn't even the best song on the album.

Intensity draws listeners to Blue October, but musically the band is at its best when it steps away from the ledge. Ryan Delahoussaye's violin — missing from the hit single and its similarly distraught cousin "What If We Could" (listen) — shines on "Into the Ocean" (listen) and "18th Floor Balcony" (listen), resurrecting the sonic complexity that helps set the band apart from the modern rock mainstream. Further depth emerges with the varied sampling on "Overweight" (listen) and the New Order-styled playfulness of "X Number of Words" (listen).

Foiled isn't without its missteps, especially the opening pair of "You Make Me Smile" (listen) and "She's My Ride Home" (listen — no song should have a chorus of Ha ha ha ha). But those are minor lapses on a compulsively listenable album.

Current success will never guarantee future loyalty with a company like Universal. But each of the five band members is immensely talented, and together they have already weathered the ups-and-downs of life on a major label. This time it looks like a partnership that could last.

Reviewed by Patrick Nichols (email)
May 10, 2006