Blue Merle: Burning In The Sun (2005)-Amber Vilate
Blue Merle: Burning In The Sun (2005)
By Amber Vilate
My true music education began a couple of years ago.
Like most other people, my music taste when I was young was pretty much confined to what they played on the radio. I had a few other, random musical enjoyments (my parents exposed my siblings and I to music they like so my repertoire already including the likes of the Eagles, the Beatles and Cat Stevens) such as Aerosmith, a band much older than my time. Mostly, though, I allowed the radio to dictate what I liked and listened to.
That is a natural thing for young people, no matter what quality music they could hear if they tried. These days, it’s no different, although what they play on the radio is different. I think I got out of high school at the right time – we were still listening to alternapop and tragic love instead of “emo” and all the cookie-cutter bands with lead singers who sound like Billy Joe. Once the music started in that direction, though, with rap adding largely into the mix, I realized something.
I couldn’t count on the radio any longer.
I hated almost everything that came on. I despise rap. I loathe punk. Even most of the bands that play alternapop, these days, aren’t worth a damn. They all sound the same. I can’t distinguish one lead singer from another and the bands could be switched around with no one noticing. It’s a sorry state we find ourselves in and when I first realized this, I felt I might just be out of luck. Where could I go to find music that sounded different than the crap on the radio? I soon found out.
I have quite the eclectic taste in music – from Breaking Benjamin to Damien Rice to classical, jazz and “smooth” music. Basically, if a band sounds unique, I am almost guaranteed to like that band. And it all started with one amazing, original and talented band: Blue Merle.
I happened to be wandering around a music store one day, hoping to come across something good, tucked away and almost unnoticed. I searched for CDs that were under $10.00 because I figured that would be a good place to look for unique music. I stumbled upon a CD that had some nice cover art and decided to take a listen. Each snippet was only 30 seconds. I listened to the first song and was disappointed when it ended. Second song, the same thing. Third, yep – the same. After listening to each sample, I knew I had to hear more. I was hooked.
The band. Guitar, normal. Drums, normal. Upright bass? Banjo? Mandolin? Violin? I’d never really heard such a combination before. What rock/pop band uses an upright bass instead of a bass guitar? The instruments I’ve listed seem like they’d be more appropriate in a country band.
Well, Blue Merle was a little country. They were also a little blues, a little rock and roll, a little pop and a little jazz. They meshed these sounds together so well that it’s hard to pick out one specific music genre for them. All I know is that they never received the radio time they so rightly deserved.
Their first album, sadly, has been their only album. The band broke up to do independent work not too long after the album came out. But while they were together, it was magical. At least, to me it was. The sound is smooth, clear and it gets right into my bones. Sometimes it’s melancholy and sometimes it’s hopeful. It’s a little difficult to describe what they do sound like, it’s easy to say what they don’t sound like. No harsh vocals. They don’t sound like they come from the “street.” They don’t sound like they were once preppy, frat boys who suddenly decided they could sing emo/punk. There are no swear words to mar the smooth, beachy lyrics.
The music is not “easy listening” despite the mellow, smoothness of it. It’s not elevator music and it’s not something you might hear playing in a dentist’s office. The cd is easily passed over by many simply because they aren’t used to hearing artful, soulful, intelligent music.
“Burning in the Sun,” the title track, starts the album off on the right foot. The beginning of the song even sounds like a sunrise would, if the sun made music. It builds as the story builds until you can almost see the sun high overhead. A beautiful image, despite the sad story of the song. Then there is a wonderful fiddle/violin solo that just sweeps through and carries a listener to the end.
Instead of carrying on with that mood, it switches up with the next song, “If I Could.” A tale of mellow melancholy with a bit of hope thrown in. Wonderful lyrics, wonderful music. And the next song, “Lucky to Know You,” changes the mood, once again, with more sweeping music and beautiful, fluttering violin that just makes a person want to smile. Perhaps the best song on the album (or at least, my favorite) is “Places.” Again, the instrumentation is beautiful. Fiddle and mandolin work hand-in-hand to give the feeling of being in an airport, which is where the lyrics place the singer. Yes, it’s a love song – being stuck in an airport or traveling or in a place where your lover is not. They capture the feeling perfectly. The other really notable song is “Part of Your History.” It’s sad, but accepting. It’s something that, I’m sure, most everyone has felt at one point or another. And the mandolin on this is just incredibly lovely. After hearing this, I almost wish that every band would have a mandolin in it.
“Have you ever heard the sounds in the shadows of a song?” As they ask in “Every Ship Must Sail Away,” yes – I have heard the sounds. Each song on this album has delightful shadows and nuances. The art is well-painted with harmony, melody, lyrics and instrumentation.
This album changed my view of music and started me out on my musical journey, educating me in the art of music. I am more grateful to Blue Merle than to any other band or artist that I’ve experienced. Take a listen, if you can find the album. Maybe you’ll hear what I mean.
Copyright C. 2008 Amber Vilate