Posted on: November 23, 2008 Posted by: Jay NeuFutur Comments: 0

“My Disgrace” is an interesting track. During this song, This Blue Heaven crafts a style that has not been heard previously in music. This means that there are vocals that link together Elton John, Elastica, and even a little bit of the Scissor Sisters. The bouncy arrangements will remind listeners of acts like The Sounds, while there is a disco style that plays at the periphery of the track. It is this eclectic nature that demarcates This Blue Heaven from the rest of contemporary acts, and provides one of many reasons to give the band a proper listen.

Another one of these reasons comes during “Bliss”. The snapping opening to the track may throw the song back to the fifties, but the progression of the instrumentation during the early part of the track makes the track into something that could possibly have been on the soundtrack to “Grease”. This Blue Heaven has a rare ability, being able to create a retro-sounding style that still speaks to fans of current music. That turns “Bliss” into a track that could have easily made it onto rotation in any decade, whether eighties, nineties, or now. “Insomnia” is, for my money, the best track on “Quicksandglass”. Listeners will immediately fall in love with the pacing of the track, which gradually gains steam after a slow start. The metronome-like drums that are the backdrop for the vocals on “Insomnia” create a foundation which the guitars can then build off of for the intense chorus that ultimately follows.

The back and forth between slow and fast, quiet and loud, and dark and light sounds shows a diversity in the space of one track that This Blue Heaven cultivates over the entirety of “Quicksandglass”. As the track leads out, pay extra attention to the strung-out guitar solo that will do nothing less than send chills up your spine. A simply fantastic track, “Insomnia” gives me hope that subsequent releases will build upon the massive goodwill granted by “Quicksandglass”. Before ending the disc, spin “As Ever As Always”. During this track, This Blue Heaven links together eighties rock and New Wave into a track that would make Heart and Fleetwood Mac proud. As always, This Blue Heaven finds a way to speak to music fans, and ends “Quicksandglass” as strongly as they started it. Pick this disc up.

Top Tracks: As Ever As Always, My Disgrace

Rating: 8.0/10

This Blue Heaven – Quicksandglass / 2008 Green Door Six / http://www.myspace.com/thisblueheaven /

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