The Living Blue - Fire, Blood, Water

Genre rock Publisher Minty Fresh External Links Official Website Minty Fresh

The Living Blue sound as if they'd have fit in quite well on alternative radio circa 1995-7, the era that begat Triple Fast Action, Loud Lucy, Smoking Popes and Wax. They make fast, tuneful rock that is in a veritable tug of war between its CBGB-era punk and Midwest barroom rock leanings.

The band sounds a lot like Material Issue on "Greenthumb," both in the music and particularly in the vocals of Stephen Ucherek who seems to channel Issue's late singer-songwriter Jim Ellison during the passage, "we had this garden/and in this garden/there once was potential growth."

What separates The Living Blue from so many of their contemporaries is their eagerness, the energy they imbue into their arrangements and their playing. This sort of cavalier, reckless even, spirit derails the best, but the boys in The Living Blue soar past the legions of posers by remaining true to their material and their influences.

Fire, Blood, Water marks the arrival of steadfast rock infused with punk ethos and wry charm. The Living Blue sparkles where so many others simply shine it on. If you've tired of your typical rock band and seek something striking and new, seek out The Living Blue.