The Calm Blue Sea are a group of musicians that all play a significant role in each and every song the band plays. Each member is a different cog or part in the machine that combine to make up the sound you hear on their album. And without each part of the machine doing their job and paying close attention to the details of how the machine is running, everything could be thrown out of whack. That being said, it's a good thing The Calm Blue Sea are a well oiled machine, and they displayed that [...]
The cover of Austin's The Calm Blue Sea 's debut EP [ MySpace ] says it all: this simple image promises the listener a beautiful but haunting trip through the most expansive and unpredictable terrains on Earth, the ocean. The opening track, "We Happy Few", very much like the sea itself, ebbs and flows beginning with barely audible piano that gains in force until the true melody is heard. After a brief time, a big fuzzy guitar line swoops in and the entire band joins like a raging torrent (and now I don't mean of the bit variety). [...]
Local and ATH favorites, The Calm Blue Sea , are one of those bands with music that just screams movie soundtrack/score. The guys in the band have apparently listened to our demands and will be doing a live score at The Alamo Ritz on Sunday night. The film to be scored is an old school black and white/silent movie from 1924 called Siegfried . Alamo describes the silent film as one that "ranges in scope between the hellishly intense defeat and death of a Dragon to more quiet emotional moments". Sounds [...]
(Picture taken by Veronica Hansen ) It's true that we have a slight bias towards instrumental rock, but we won't let that get in the way of honestly recommending such a great upcoming band as The Calm Blue Sea . These five guys call home to Austin, Texas, which seems to be the birthplace of great instrumental, post-rock that we've been discovering over the years. You might also recall another band that we enjoy from this same town in Texas, [...]
(Picture taken by Veronica Hansen ) It's true that we have a slight bias towards instrumental rock, but we won't let that get in the way of honestly recommending such a great upcoming band as The Calm Blue Sea . These five guys call home to Austin, Texas, which seems to be the birthplace of great instrumental, post-rock that we've been discovering over the years. You might also recall another band that we enjoy from this same town in Texas, [...]
Now that we have sufficiently hyped up The Appleseed Cast's latest release Sagarmatha , it's time for the boys to play a show in our little town. You can catch the band at Mohawk this Saturday evening along with True Widow and Austin locals The Calm Blue Sea . Tickets are running at $10 with doors set to open at 8pm. Don't miss your chance to see this incredibly underrated band in the live setting. Download: Appleseed Cast - Forever Longing the Golden Sunsets [MP3]
Now, I don't think this is a bad thing for audiences, because they actually pull it off fairly well (SO, let me preface all this by saying I like The Calm Blue Sea's music. A lot). But come on: the music sounds identical in that experimental way and even their name must be related. Let's compare. What's an adjective for something that would be opposite for the noun "explosions"? Calm comes to mind. What's the opposite of the sky? Ummmmm, that's a tough one. NOT. Sea. And finally Blue? ...Okay fine so it's an added adjective to represent the sea [...]
Olivia Newton John once asked me,"Have you ever been mellow? Have you ever tried?" I have indeed and this evening I plan to share the experience. Mood plays such a huge role in the music I share on the site. I recently found myself wondering if someone wasn't in a similar mood when they listened to the shared content, would the experience be less enjoyable for them? Think about that for a second. Take the following selection from The Calm Blue Sea , for example...would I enjoy it as much tomorrow morning after three [...]
The Calm Blue Sea is a post-rock band from Austin, Texas, who recently released their debut self-titled album this year. They can probably be considered one of the biggest emerging bands of post-rock, and I think that's a pretty justifiable stance. This album itself is very enjoyable and pretty much in the likes of of post-rock legends like Explosions in the Sky and Mogwai. In my opinion, their album is pretty mainstream and there is very little that could be defined as their sound, apart from what I'll be reviewing. Being their debut album, however, leaves the band with [...]
SIDE A 1. Justin Vernon - Hazelton 2. Andrew Bird - Oh No 3. The Antlers - Two 4. Marnie Stern - Transformer 5. The Happy Hollows - Tambourine 6. Longwave - Sirens In The Deep Sea 7. The Calm Blue Sea - We Happy Few SIDE B 1. Ben Sollee feat. Jim James [...]
Saturday, October 11, 2008 Well hello again Side One readers, it's been quite some time hasn't it? In the month or so that we've been apart, I've been plowing through a lot of novels by the Japanese author Haruki Murakami, which have more than a fair share of Jazz references in them (Murakami, if I'm not mistaken, used to own a jazz club). As such, I've lately been listening to unhealthy amounts of Jazz, a genre I love but never seem to devote the time I should to. If anyone is interested, [...]
The Calm Blue Sea's debut, self titled LP (recorded at Cacophony Recorders with local wunderkind producer and engineer Erik Wofford this summer) begins gently with a delicately strummed set of guitar strings and a warm wash of delay. The music then builds and swells before dropping out again and being replaced by a tranquil piano melody. All of this takes place during the first 90 of the album's 2787 seconds. Expect more of this. The Calm Blue Sea is an album brimming with tenuous lows and exalting highs, rife with both tranquility [...]
For Austin musicians, it must be difficult not to be pigeon-holed into a specific genre of music. One band emulates Spoon, while another is compared to Trail of Dead and so forth. So many bands and solo artists reside, come through or cut their teeth in the ATX, you almost have to fall into one category or another. When I first listened to the mostly-instrumental self-titled album from The Calm Blue Sea , I immediately labeled them as followers of another Austin instrumental band, Explosions In The Sky. That may be the influence of EITS producer Erik Wofford, but [...]
The Futurist
Radio Exile
Austin Town Hall
Music Under Fire
Knox Road
Rock Sellout
AWmusic
Captain Obvious
Side One: Track One
The Sound of Marching Feet
Instrumental Analysis
The Corner Laughers “Poppy Seeds”
