Thursday, June 24, 2021

Music Review //
Blueanimal
"Figment That Was Me"




The sound of Blueanimal can be described as dark rock, which at times can bring about comparisons to a band such as Metallica, but I find that throughout these songs Blueanimal just seems to be forging their own path.  With whispering-like vocals starting us off, there are melodies and during the chorus it just really kicks in.   "Only A Man" has starts and stops which remind me of Stone Temple Pilots and then "This Side of Me" has a more upbeat chorus, so there isn't really one artist you can accurately compare this with.

As I listen to this album more and more, I begin to realize that it fits perfectly within this genre of rock music which became more present in the early '00s.   Between the year 2000 and 2010 was such an awkward time for rock music because it was really when MTV had almost officially stopped playing videos (I still remember some from that time though) and it felt like rock was looking for that next big thing to create the same type of buzz that Nirvana did.  A lot of what was so popular and mainstream in the 1990's was fading and it felt like it might never be replaced.  

Bands from that time which I feel like Blueanimal would have fit in perfectly with as a part of a radio festival include but are not limited to Cold, Evans Blue, Chevelle and Seether.  I feel like at some point this sound was either abandoned or just not as present and that always struck me as a sad thing.  The less I heard these bands on the radio, the more I began to miss them and so I am glad that Blueanimal has found this genre of rock I once thought to be forgotten.

During the song "Rock Bottom" the mood really picks up, though it can still have those Metallica undertones, while "Because of You" feels like the softer, sort of acoustic ballad.  "Searching" has this rhythm and with the lighter percussion feel I'm reminded of Godsmack and just miss that whole era of rock which came and went too soon.   After "Better Than This" ends the album (which is both live and acoustic) there is this little outro that I also find to be delightful and think more bands should do.

There are two specific lyrics I have pulled from this album to discuss.  The first is: "The voices are angry / they sound just like you" and it's worth thinking about how you can be happy, sad, any range of emotions really, but when you get angry, whether you yell or break things- however you handle it- that just seems to be the most serious and intense time for some people so for others it can become how they most remember them.  Those memories of someone else being angry can really be what sticks with you above all else.

I also enjoy the line "Money won't make you happy / This too shall pass" because many times we feel as if having any amount of money could make our problems disappear.  This might be true in a literal sense since you could pay your bills, and since if someone gave me a million dollars I could use it to travel the world and that would make me happy, but still, that travel is what would make me happy, right?  And thus far I've lived my life without being a millionaire and I'm doing fine so I don't think money is the answer as much as just finding your own happiness.  Hopefully by listening to this album Blueanimal can help you find yours.  


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