Canon Blue - Ready for a Ride? Take the Rumspringa!

Ready for a ride? This band will take you on one. Start from the beginning: Track one: 'Chicago' - you get there fast, do a lot when you're there, and instead of losing, you gain more energy for the rest of your journey through the album. Aloud comes the band - trumpets, clarinets, flutes, and steady big drums that make this song a bumpy ride, but wait. It gets smooth. Take the lyrics: "I don't mind when the feeling is over, the meaning gets closer." Bam. You understand now. This lead vocalist isn't here to play games with his words, nor play with your mind. He is here to tell you the honest truth, nothing but, so listen up, because the music is real, the feeling IS there, and it flows from top to bottom.

You are bound to be hooked by 'Chicago', but if you are still warming up, you will surely be taken by 'Indian Summer'. Be quiet and patient because when the chorus hits you won't have any time to think about anything else. Far Eastern instrumentals will make you feel alive and afar, and the subsequent desperation felt as the violins strum will keep you desperate for his lyrics. And you are in luck because his lyrics will deliver. "No you won't ever reach me," repeated in this song times and times over again will get you thinking, "You're probably right. I can't even get close to this magical talent."

Nice. We get back into it when we hit 'Velveteenager'. Future feeling, out of this world, quick enough to rock to, smart enough to pay attention. I like the idea of progression; the song begins with simple keys for a few bars, then POW! Hits you again with the bass drum - pounding, readying you for the real parts. Let's work in the electronics, lyrics and we got something to hum to. Not too complicated, just enough to listen to and lose yourself in. Intricate drum sets get you really involved in this jam. Listen closely - numerous types of drums complicate matters quickly. They won't stick to just one type - it's what makes this joint. And if you aren't too interested in the drums, well, then you aren't really interested at all.

When we reach track eight, 'Fading Colors', and hear the winds blast their royal horns at us again, we know that Canon Blue mean business. Vocals are the melody at the beginning of this chant-like march which shows us what the band is all about. Because as soon as you think this jam is about tooting trumpets and chanting slowly, it starts to sound like a quick-step electronic rock favorite. You have to love the oscillating themes of the track - Royal guards trekking through the traverses of your mind then quickly back to the gremlins of your deepest thoughts: "No I never did something. Another day, another day, another day's time," he says. Once again, we feel the strong presence of our lead singer, yet he tells us once more that he isn't really there, and hasn't done something. We hear you, but it must be said; you have done something.

The pace comes way down with 'Andalusia', the last song on the album. Although we wind down, the angel-like track leaves you at the top of the clouds, light and free, even after such a hectic journey. This track definitely gives this album variety - it's unlike any other on here. It's a slow exit from intricacy to the heart of simplicity and it's there to tell you that, yes, the storm is over, and yes, it's time to go back home. And, most definitely, yes, it may be time to sit alone and think about what you have just heard for a moment. Take your time, and don't worry if you feel confused on how to judge it or pigeon-hole it into just one genre. Because it's gone past the lines, extended its efforts and broke into a new genre, through and through.