Search - Blue October :: History for Sale (Clean)

Really good and an interesting listen

Terry Mesnard | Bellevue, NE | 03/28/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I first heard of Blue October when my local radio station began to play "Calling You" a few years ago. On first couple of listens, I liked it but thought it was a bit sappy. I didn't know if I would be interested in listening to them as a whole CD. Recently, "Hate Me" from their new CD coming out next week has been on the radio and I really dug it. It was definitely painful and was a lot different from Calling You. I decided maybe I should check out "History for Sale." I'm glad I did.



"History for Sale" is not a very happy album in spots. It's full of pain, both present and past, and creates a very melancholy tone which is helped along with occaisonal string instruments. For instance, the CD begins with "Ugly Side" which is a perfect opener for the CD. It brings up the thought of not wanting your significant other to know the bad parts of your life as he sings, "I only want you to see / My favorite part of me, / And not my ugly side." The rest of the CD doesn't hide the ugly side. It shows life, warts and all.



On songs like "Razorblade," we see the death of innocence as people we should be able to trust let us down, "I freaked out, thinking people didn't love." Even in songs that are optimistic, there's this feeling that the singer/song-writer is afraid of trusting too much, of putting himself out there.



Some might write it off as melodramatic drivel, I suppose, but for me, the fact that singer Justin is being blatantly honest the music is more interesting, open and honest than other rock/pop rock out there. Which brings me back to Calling You. Like I said, when I first heard this, I thought it was catchy but sappy. But after "History for Sale" ends with an accoustic rendition of Calling You, what was originally sappy (and possibly a tiny bit stalkerish) instead has become an ode to a relationship that has gotten him above all the sh*t in his life that came before. It's a bright side, something to hang onto, to give the rest of what he's singing about a context."