Send "Bluetones " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Popmatters |
 There must come a point in a every band’s lifetime when at least one member declares that, maybe, it’s time to call it a day. It was Pete Townshend’s eventual acknowledgement of the advancement of age that curtailed the Who’s recording career at the start of the ‘80s. Clever Johnny Rotten saw the Pistols’ days were numbered when punk went mainstream, and, more recently, Gallagher Senior’s last nerve straining under the weight of Gallagher Junior’s rowdy behaviour put the final nail in the coffin for Oasis back in October. Out of all the bands that came out of the mid ‘90s Britpop boom, you probably wouldn’t expect the Bluetones to still be with us 15 years later. Surely there must’ve been times—particularly as their star began to fade over half a decade ago—when throwing in the towel crossed their collective minds. A New Athens is actually their first album since 2006; after two albums that tweaked at their gap-toothed jangle-pop of old, they’ve spent the last few years touring their re-issued debut album Expecting to Fly and, evidently, documenting love, life, and the growing shadow cast over the world by the economic crisis. And wondering whether it’s all still worth it. Maybe. The biggest surprise with their latest offering is actually the very first track: as wonderfully abstract as the album’s cover, the slow-burning, Air-esque squelching and wheezing of “The Notes Between the Notes That Be” leads you to believe the ‘Tones have taken a big jump to the left with their sound. And it suits them too, with the song’s simple refrain of “Be different like everyone else / I will” strangely hypnotic....full text |
| Inthenews |
| A New Athens consists of 11 songs that are something of a departure from the Bluetones' sound when they first started attracting attention in the 90s. While the band are best known for the catchy indie pop that remains their most successful output chart-wise, their music has matured over the years to become less reliant on killer guitar hooks and 'na na na' singalong bits and more thoughtful and layered. Who's it by? The Bluetones have been going strong since the mid-90s, releasing album after album while their Britpop contemporaries have fallen by the wayside. Singer Mark Morriss leads the proceedings, with Adam Devlin turning out some impressive guitar work, Eds Chesters on the drums and Scott Morriss on bass. Their most famous hit remains Slight Return, the single that propelled them into the charts in 1996. Other tunes you might be familiar with include Bluetonic, After Hours and Autophilia. As an example... "Wasn't it sweet how everybody shared the same delusion?/Falling asleep perchance to dream away all their confusion and never wake up." - Into The Red What the others say "The majestic swoon of album standout The Day That Never Was illuminates a band still assuredly ambitious in their sound and wholly confident in their songwriting." - South Wales Echo (live review) So is it any good? There's no doubt that A New Athens includes examples of some brilliant songwriting. The lyrics are sharp and insightful and it's clear that the Bluetones still know how to put together a great pop song after all these years. However, if you were a fan of the band back in their heyday and are yearning for more of the same, you'll be disappointed. A New Athens is very much a grown-up affair - although there are still hints of the Bluetones' faster, rockier side in a couple of songs, most notably Carry Me Home, the tempo is more laidback than in Return To The Last Chance Saloon and Luxembourg. That's not to say that the album shouldn't be considered by returning fans. A New Athens is certainly a grower and you'll find yourself humming bits of songs like Into The Red - which contains a few not-so-veiled references to the recent economic collapse - and Culling Song long after the record has stopped. The addition of layers of Hammond organ lends a rather melodramatic atmosphere to some of the songs, but the instrument does suit the overall mood of the album - slightly more sober than might be expected, but with flashes of that familiar Bluetones brilliance we know and love....full text |
| Elbo |
| ritish indie stalwarts make a solid return, but fail to capitalise on an inspired development of their sound. There must come a point in a every band's lifetime when at least one member declares that, maybe, it's time to call it a day. It was Pete Townshend's eventual acknowledgement of the advancement of age that curtailed the Who's recording career at the start of the '80s. Clever Johnny Rotten saw the Pistols' days were numbered when punk went mainstream, and, more recently, Gallagher Senior's last nerve straining under the weight of Gallagher Junior's......full text |
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