Blue States is a classic example of a quality UK band slipping under the radar in the U.S. After releasing a downtempo, slightly derivative ambient album in 2000 (the cynically titled Nothing Changes Under The Sun), they upped the ante with 2002’s Man Mountain, a wonderful blend of electronica and 60s-rooted dream pop that should have at least matched Air’s popularity. While anyone would have expected them to perfect their formula for the follow-up, Blue States instead morphed into a real rock band.
On The Soundings, multi-instrumentalist Andy Dragazis focused on writing guitar-driven tunes, and Chris Carr took up guitar and vocal duties. The results at first sound like early 80s Comsat Angels and Chameleons with a tinge of late 80s psychedelia like Spacemen 3. But when the songs sink in its apparent that Blue States have a real knack for this, and their inspirations are much more varied, from the delicate abstraction of Talk Talk and Bark Psychosis, shoegazers Ride and Catherine Wheel to the pop grandeur of Elbow. “Across the Wire,” the lead track that triggered the Comsat Angels comparison, should really please the Interpol fans as the killer single Antics lacks. The instrumental “One Night In Tulane” could be an outtake from The Cure’s Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me, except nothing from that album really measures up to the exquisite beauty of the string arrangements. while “The Last Blast” is captivating, pillowy psychedelia. The Soundings is deceptively unassuming, but before you know it you’ve played it more than anything else this year.
April 2, 2026
Fester’s Lucky 13: 1986
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Fester’s Lucky 13: 1976
