Tag: Bleu

Bleu and Steve Robinson & Ed Wotil

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“Bleu"

Bleu “Sargeant Pepper Grinder”

Bleu McAuley has grown by leaps and bounds over the years, finding mainstream success as a singer, composer, and producer while working with artists including KT Tunstall, Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, etc. His commercial work is impressive, but his solo power pop is where Bleu gets to be playful, unpredictable, and completely himself. He also has a knack for creating musical magic when he pairs with a female vocalist, and longtime collaborators Kelly Jones and Carly Paige are both perfectly suited to the job.

On this new concept album, Bleu looks beyond the veil to communicate with his late friend Ducky Carlisle, the Boston-based drummer, recording engineer, and producer who died in October 2023 at age 64. Opening with the voice of his son, Bleu and Mike Gent introduce us to Ducky, his collection of snares, and the other musical treasures scattered around his basement. It all leads into the album’s main single, “Start a Band,” a catchy melody that captures his humor and enthusiasm. “This Song Won’t Sell” offers one of the album’s best examples of tonal whiplash. Dense, loud emo-inspired chords suddenly give way to a quiet verse built around the admission, “I’m not supposed to write slow songs ’cause they don’t sell.” “Where the Colors Bleed,” is another highlight, with Carly Paige in a beautifully balanced duet that confronts Ducky’s eccentricities while coming to terms with a complicated life. Bleu eventually turns the focus toward himself with “Deathbed,” looking back on his own life and closes with the big, bombastic “I’m Not Dead,” a reminder that Bleu still has time to live, create, and find the silver lining. Bleu turns the grief over his friend’s death into something deeply personal without losing his sense of fun. Highly Recommended.

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Steve Robinson & Ed Woltil

Steve Robinson & Ed Woltil “Temporary Sun”

North Carolina duo Steve Robinson & Ed Woltil return with another collection of richly textured baroque folk-pop. With able assistance from Dave Gregory (XTC) and Dave Mattacks (Fairport Convention,) they hit the ground running with the catchy “I Won’t Let Go.” The layered harmonies and beautifully constructed arrangement make it an immediate standout.

“Outrun the Sun” takes a more reflective turn, telling an intriguing story about confronting the past, with exceptional guitar work adding to its emotional weight. Steve and Ed’s weathered, comforting vocals fit perfectly on “Learn You by Heart,” a song about making the most of the time left in a mature life. There’s plenty of reflection here, but the album isn’t weighed down by it. The hopeful “Perfect Day” and “Squint” provide welcome bursts of optimism.“The Man with the Interrupted Heart” is quirky and fun, chronicling an aging lothario with clever lyrical analogies and a sly sense of humor. The songwriting is strong, and the musicianship is consistently impressive. Highly Recommended.

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Great July EPs and album previews: The High Frequencies, The Long Honeymoon, Bleu, My Raining Stars, Twin Bloom, The Private Eye

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Let’s start great fresh cover of Bob Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues” courtesy of The High Frequencies with power pop queen Lisa Mychols continuing to churn out great music every year. Look out for the full Dylan comp on Jem Records.  I am thrilled to find out that Bleu is back with a new album and ‘Sargeant Pepper Grinder’ boasts his signature power pop sound, “Start a Band” is a tribute to long time friend, engineer Ducky Carlisle. Minneapolis-based The Long Honeymoon has a very deliberate songwriting method, and it’s all from the heart. Check out “Beauty in Reality.” My Raining Stars is an under rated new wave styled pop band that also deserves attention, listen to “It Will Take Me a While.” Great song writing by Thierry Haliniak. I don’t know much about Twin Bloom, but I liked the Teenage Fanclub vibes of “Summer’s Gone.” L.A. punk poppers The Private Eye have a lot of balls naming a song “Can’t Buy Me Love by the Beatles” but these guys are worth staying for the rest. I liked “Necessity Problem” and “Mary Couldn’t Carry.” Enjoy!

November singles: Ken Stringfellow, Bleu, Vanilla, Dolour, The Boathouse, Captain Wilberforce

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The melodramatic Ken Stringfellow (Posies) is a soul searching single from his new album ‘Circuit Breaker.’ He screams that last chorus, as a man who can give no more to this art. Another power pop veteran Bleu has been releasing a few singles here and there, and I really liked the duet with Carly Paige on “Where the Colors Bleed.” After 33 songs, the massive collection of ‘Pish Posh’ by Vanilla is quite the feat; “Consider It Done” is the latest one — when does this end? Our friend Shane Tutmarc (aka Dolour) has a completely new version of the album ‘New Old Friends’ and even though “October 29th” has passed, its a ballad worth keeping close. This month we have 2 freebies.  The first is a clever bit of yacht rock “The Boathouse” by a mysterious group, so help me solve who this really is. Second is Captain Wilberforce with his angular guitar jangle about a certain election, called “the Installation” and repeat after the chorus, “We don’t care, We don’t care.” Well, at least you can enjoy the music.

Bleu and Pseudonym

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Bleu

Bleu “Six Tape”

Bleu McAuley returns with another much-anticipated studio album. Of course, Bleu remains inspired by ELO, Prince, Dire Straits, and Carl Carlton(!) but ever since 2013’s “To Hell With You,” he’s gravitated more towards hip hop and disco influences than power pop. That mentioned, the album is a full on mash-up of styles, and Bleu approaches it with the same enthusiasm and skilled production work as past albums.

The fun begins with the single “I Wanna Write You a Symphony,” a great self-deprecating ballad that goes down a winding musical path. “A Crazy Life” is bold hip-hop-influenced tune with a deep beat and a catchy chorus. But where is the power pop? Well, Bleu can still rock better than most with the fantastic “Baby By Your Side” guaranteed to give goosebumps with its ELO-styled bridge. Also the enthusiastic “Love You So” blends old and new pop to great effect.

Included is the acoustic gem “Kid Someday” and “Snakes” piano melody channels Randy Newman. Not everything here works, but enough does to merit highly recommended status. One thing Bleu does well, he offers lots of bonuses and collectibles for fans, but this is a pricey album at $27, so newcomers may want to start with earlier efforts.

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Pseudonym

Pseudonym “Before The Monsters Came”

San Franciscan Paul Desjarlais continues his journey of trippy pop with Pseudonym. While it starts slowly, Pseudonym ramps up and crafts a psych-pop gem comparable with Elephant 6 bands, like Olivia Tremor Control. Recorded during the pandemic lockdown, Paul is helped by a crew known by their pseudonyms; Cliff Notes, Waylan Solo, Gil Gulible, and Dr. Rhythm.

“Anonymous Sources” weaves vocal harmonies and buzzing guitar riffs, across a layered chorus. “Tell Me” is another brilliant tune about confiding in losing out. While it gets trippy beats on “Shadows in the Rain,” Paul is at his best when the hooks take hold like on “Astronaut” where the dry lyric “having a space heater doesn’t make you an astronaut” sticks in your brain. The textures on “Stare Down” and “Thought you would know” are both fuzzier than a peach and work well with the compositions. Overall, a highly recommended album, that’s also at a “name-your-price” point. So get it now!

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BLEUSikal, the mini musikal.

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[youtube]http://youtu.be/arAFu_omLJM[/youtube]

I was cleaning out old projects on our Help A Musician page, and then I saw this. It’s a funding project for Bleu’s fifth album “To Hell With You.” This was not your standard “Please help fund my next album” speech – it is a really entertaining pitch. See the whole video and check out the all-star cast of extras. Pledge for the album here.