The Blue Van - The Art of Rolling
By Gary Schwind

Do you remember the show “Name That Tune” where people would try to name songs in as few notes as possible?  Well, I can describe The Blue Van’s sound in one word: BIG.  This album is packed to the gills with songs whose sound can best be described as big.  There are heavy drums, rumbling bass lines and rolling organ parts.  To call it a wall of sound wouldn’t be quite right.  It’s more like a sea of sound because it draws you in and surrounds you completely.   

Classifying whom The Blue Van sound like is more of a task.  On their website, The Blue Van state unequivocally that “the sound of The Blue Van is one entirely unaffected by the past three decades of popular music.”  No doubt about that one.  When you listen to this album, you’ll hear some things that sound like The Doors, The Beatles, The Kinks, Three Dog Night, and The Pretty Things.

Yet they don’t sound entirely like any of the aforementioned bands.  They show some Beatles influence in “Baby, I’ve Got Time” and “The Bluverture,” which sounds like a meld between a Beatles song and the music from a spaghetti western.  In “What the Young People Want” they take a swipe at the music business a la The Kinks on “Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround.”

This album mellows out for two songs (“Baby, I’ve Got Time” and “The Bluverture”) but every other song is hard-hitting sea of sound music.  If you like any of the bands I mentioned or if you just like a big retro sound, you will love this album.

The Blue Van - The Art of Rolling
Label: TVT Records
Release Date: April 5
Rating: 

Tracks:
Word From The Bird
Product Of DK
I Remember The Days
I Want You
Remains Of Sir Maison, The
Baby, I've Got Time
Bluverture, The
Revelation Of Love
Mob Rule
What The Young People Want
Coeur De Lion
New Slough

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