Written
by Laura Dodero, posted by blog admin
Formed
in the summer of 2014 by drummer Jeremiah Jensen and guitarist/vocalist Luke
Nassar, the duo started writing songs together and thus the groundwork was laid
for a new project called Blue Apollo.
Through the gradual process of band changes and development they signed
up bass player Rodman Steele as well as lead guitarist Jean Paul Labastida. Sadly, Jean Paul’s tenure didn’t last but the
band was able to settle on a permanent line-up; a trio configuration that
recorded 2017’s Light-Footed Hours
EP.
Calling
upon deliciously 90s influences like Midwestern space rock, pop punk, indie
rock, emo and whatever else they can get their hands on, Blue Apollo are a
tight knit unit all over these 6 songs.
“Walls” is the dipping, diving opener full of craggy guitar work that
usually lays down a rhythm riff, splinters off into winding tapestries of spacey
melody and even sends Nassar on a hot-blooded solo frenzy before the
proceedings some to a close. Throughout
Jensen peppers the mixture with cranking beats heavy on the tom/snare flurries
making sure time stays locked down while Steele smothers the percussive pop in
a blanket of crystal clear low notes.
Luke also handles the lead vocals and his standout melodies just drip
with passion and good taste as the song goes careening into a pretty explosive
finale. Though it halts the tempos and
pacing about a half-step, follow-up number “Feeling Right” cooks up some
stew-y, muscular grooves that’s all about fluid, spiraling bass grooves ripping
and rollicking through a haze of indie jangle pop with pretty piercing melodies
while Jeremiah produces a sneaky aural bushwhack thanks to some steadfast stick
work on the snares. The kick-off triplet
concludes with the riff-y grooves of “Therapy.”
On this jam the rhythm section breaks off a chunk of slinking r & b,
giving Luke plenty of room to set alight some grooving rock riffs.
The
album’s second half is much more subdued than the first, although it’s no less
compelling. “Avalanche” is a moody piano
and vocal piece that takes a leisurely couple of minutes to pile on any
additional layers. Once textures are carefully
sprinkled over Blue Apollo’s orchestral indie-pop platter, the song explodes
into an indie-kissed, pop-rock extravaganza brimming with tranquil melodies and
harmonies. “Meant
to Be” is almost the mirror image of “Avalanche” if you replace the piano with
guitar and branch off from there. Album
endnote “Circles” takes the rocked-out indie groove of the first three tracks
and alchemically mingles it with the tranquil ballad mix of the previous two
tracks; effectively creating a harmonic merger of the band’s many different
ideas and sound combinations.
Light-Footed
Hours
is a phenomenal debut with 6 great songs that work as a front to back listen as
well as collection of 6 individual tracks each with their own personality. It’s pretty much safe to say that Blue Apollo
is an experimental indie band that isn’t afraid to draw influences from a vast
array of different musical genres. This
is well-worth a listen for all fans of upper echelon indie-rock.
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