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| Music Review - Immigrant Blue (self-titled) |
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 True, Immigrant Blue has already received some love here on MB (see Jeff Halicki's review here) but some things just bear repeating. Immigrant Blue's eight-song debut is something special and I'd hate for you to miss out on adding it to your local collection because we didn't plug it more than once. With that in mind, Mitch revisits Immigrant Blue's debut and includes a track by track analysis with samples.
Band - Immigrant Blue
Recorded at - Sound Stage 1 (Climax, MI.)
Mastered at - Masterfonics (Nashville, TN)
Produced by - Sean Mansell & Immigrant Blue
Band Members - Sean Mansell (keys / vocals), Chris Frankenhauser & Rob Clark (Guitars), Jon Moody (bass), David Perry (drums).
If it's true there are limited archetypes in rock & roll, Immigrant Blue seems to have taken over where 70's progressive-pop hit-makers Supertramp left off. On their self-titled debut, the Kalamazoo area west-siders deliver a retail-worthy package of eight solid tracks, each with a unique personality yet all flowing from the fertile imagination of singer/songwriter/keyboardist Sean Mansell.
Put a great band behind Mansell's writing talent, lyrical wit and distinctive voice (Guitarists Chris Frankhauser & Rob Clark, Drummer David Perry & Bassist Jon Moody) and you get a deep groove in every beat and a sharp point on every hook.
The overall experience of this CD is a lively, melodic trek through funk, blues, rock and even a couple of marches (tracks 4 & 8)- variety you don't get anymore in contemporary rock. Immigrant Blue's sound is groovy, evocative and fills a sonic void that radio just can't or won't anymore. Thank God for our local indies and the treasures they produce out of pure passion for the music.
Radio comparisons aside, you could say Immigrant Blue put their mark somewhere between Knee Deep Shag and The Brothers Groove (I love it when I can use purely local references and get the idea across); the musical influence and production standards of fellow west-siders is evident in the performance while the impact of a keyboardist/lead-singer/songwriter is evident in the writing. In any case, with Immigrant Blue, Mansell's songs breathe and pump like an aerobic workout; loose enough to get your ass moving but tight enough to earn your respect.
Special mention should be made of the excellent treatment and arrangements of the back-up vocals on this record, especially on "Immigrant Blues" (track 2) and "Scream" (track 7).
Track by Track
1. Psycho Babble - It doesn't take long to internalize the hook 'I don't know how long / the universe will keep rapin' me' in this propulsive opener. So get out y'er air-bass and jam with the smokin' monkey while your singing along.
2. Immigrant Blues - Thirteen seconds of a Rhodes piano and then Chris Frankhouser stabs you in the face with a screaming wah-wah that cuts so deep it leaves you bleeding - albeit very happily. After Mansell draws you into the verse, he belts out the chorus with sincere passion, then a few girls from the U of M's Sigma Alpha Iota BH women's choir join in singing back-ups and you've got pure musical magic streaming through your speakers (Is this what happens when you record in Climax, MI?) This one rocks hard and rolls so smooth. Amazing work.
3. Jane - This funky dancer opens with a great lyrical snippet; 'Medium Colors / medium-sized / medium people / medium minds...' Drummer David Perry keeps this song ass-tight and the beats sharp and cracking; a compulsive tapper's rhythmic companion.
4. March St. - Not too many bands can make a half-time march really work but Immigrant Blue sound right at home serving up this refreshing musical dish with rare flavor. Groovy Rocco-esque bass solo beginning at 2'42"; at 4'45" overall we'll call it "IBmonkey in the Middle" ;0
5. Mary - This one starts out like an STP rocker, then eases back and sounds very Brother's Groove with its conversational vocal phrasing. Then it's right back to STP with a bull-horn chorus that asks, 'Does anybody here remember whatever happened to Mary?' Last I heard she was still fighting the good fight (i.e. working for free like the rest of us true believers).
6. In The Meantime - Think of the band "Live" in their "Secret Samadhi" phase. Great driving chorus and at least one line perfect for the Commander in Cheat, '..I am the quintessential slug / my narcissistic smile so smug / conscience is clear / no conflict here / it's all been swept under the rug'. Ok, so my politics are showing.
7. Scream - Again, reminds me of the band "Live" but a rocking tune and excellent, haunting back-up treatments. Love it.
8. Today - Ah, another meaty march. Thanks guys. We really don't get enough of this time signature. This tune is very reminiscent of SuperTramp and somwhat of The Beatles and STP again, as much for its tempo as its melodic turns.
Spend some time with this disc and you're really going to dig it. And be sure to catch Immigrant Blue live with The Kingsnakes & Kalamazoo's Sylvia Trench at Club Soda Saturday, October 18th 2003 .
- Mitch
P.S. Do you know how lucky we are in this state? The great stuff just keeps on coming....
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Re: Music Review - Immigrant Blue (self-titled) (Score: 1)
by ibmonkey on Tuesday, September 30, 2003 @ 14:07:54 MDT
(User Info | Send a Message) http://www.justmoody.com | thanks a lot Mitch!
Funny thing about the Knee Deep Shag reference; if you've got their second disc, Intuition, take a listen to it and play my favorite game that I call "Hey, isn't that Sean Mansell singing background vocals?" Mansell and the enigmatic Matt Gross go waaaaay back to WMU days. |
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Re: Music Review - Immigrant Blue (self-titled) (Score: 1)
by Mitch on Tuesday, September 30, 2003 @ 16:55:50 MDT
(User Info | Send a Message) http://www.michiganbands.com | | Your welcome. It's not my intent to be kind, but accurate (subjective as that may be in this context). Thank you for producing such a fine record. Can't wait to see IB tear it up live. |
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Re: Music Review - Immigrant Blue (self-titled) (Score: 1)
by IB_Metis on Thursday, October 02, 2003 @ 13:54:36 MDT
(User Info | Send a Message) http://www.immigrantblue.com | | Hey, thanks a lot Mitch. You're too kind! We're getting ready to do another project - redoing a couple off the 1st and getting the "new stuff" recorded. Should be quite a different feel, but hopefully still enjoyable! :) |
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Re: Music Review - Immigrant Blue (self-titled) (Score: 1)
by ibmonkey on Friday, October 03, 2003 @ 12:52:58 MDT
(User Info | Send a Message) http://www.justmoody.com | | Relax Art, I think we're recording that one first. But when you start killing, remember that Sean has to go first. |
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Re: Music Review - Immigrant Blue (self-titled) (Score: 1)
by garfunkel (art@supermodel-t.com) on Friday, October 03, 2003 @ 12:57:24 MDT
(User Info | Send a Message) http://www.supermodel-t.com | | You got it. But if I kill Sean first I might just end up offering to take his place. I sing...I play keys...you see a pattern here? |
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Average Score: 5
Votes: 2
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