Written
by Raymond Burris, posted by blog admin
Blue
Apollo’s 6 song debut finds this trio getting started off on the right foot and
then some. With a rocking sound equally
composed of melody and unusual indie rock swerves that include dramatic
build-ups, trippy texture work and some musical arrangements that are almost
symphonic in their delivery. Light-Footed Hours is an EP with enough
musical variety happening that it hits with the satisfaction of listening to a
full-length.
The
back to back attack of the dexterous and speedy “Walls” which muscularly flexes
its way through pop punk tempos, diamond sharp indie riffs focused on
higher-end melodic pinches, busy drums with a steady tom-tom battery, beefy
bass grooves, spitfire guitar solos and guitarist/vocalist Luke Nassar’s
gorgeous melody vocals are wonderfully complimented by the slower paced though
no less gnarly “Feeling Right.” “Feeling
Right” seems to cherry pick its deep, bustling bass grooves from funk while the
guitar work and heartfelt vocals are straight out of the soulful r n’ b
department. All throughout both tracks
Nassar threads the material tightly with his pointed indie licks that enjoy
minor keys and noisy 90s indie melodies but somehow smoothens out the rough
edges for the creation of some really snazzy pop leaned stuff. The band’s more rocking grooves reach an apex
on third cut, “Therapy” where a fuzzy rock riff is filtered through an 80s
style sonic production tone with rhythmic dedication and cresting melodic
vocals that complete this piece to perfection.
There’s not a bum or sour note hit throughout this three track marathon
and then the album starts to morph and shapeshift into its next phase.
On
the second side of this EP the trio draws down the mood on the plaintive and
sublime “Avalanche” where Luke’s voice is accompanied by a piano in a lengthy
intro movement that ratchets up the melodic drama more and more with each
passing moment. As the backbeat begins
to fill in thanks to Jeremiah Jensen’s stern kick drum
thump and a budding root system of guitar/bass inflections, the tune eventually
reaches a climactic point where things step up into some melodic rockin’. They ply the same mindset to “Meant to Be”
but hold back on the piano accoutrements and replace that stylistic component
with some showering drops of acoustic guitar and another deliberate climb to a
summit of groovy indie pop. It’s a cool
facet of the band’s sound that even when they are tackling full on ballads that
they always set the songs up to go somewhere truly special and noteworthy. Finale number “Circles” is a bonus track but
it fits in with the framework of the rest of the tunes without a hitch. The rushing tom-tom percussion creates a
busy, swatting backbeat that’s colored in by radiant guitar licks and lush, organic
bass lines. A few dabs of piano and some
fully fleshed vocal hooks round this track out into a pyrotechnic explosion of
atmosphere and ambience that’s all wrapped up by a bow of stellar
songwriting.
Light-Footed
Hours
is an ear pleasing EP with all killer and no filler. Blue Apollo know how to rock and they are a
truly “alternative” sounding band with a style that would have really made
during the 90s or the indie/emo surge that went into the early two
–thousands. This is a solid release and
it comes with a high recommendation for fans of the genre.
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