Someone forgot to tell the members of Blue Epic that no one listens to classic rock any more. The four-piece from Huntsville, Alabama just released their debut on TVT records. The Love & Hate ep probably ensures Blue Epic gets made fun of by all their indie rock peers. While all the cool kids are throwing in the occasional scream and operate instruments under the influence of groups who are still getting mainstream radio play, Blue Epic is covering Neil Young. And not for novelty's sake, either. They take Neil Young VERY seriously.
Vocalist Phillip Roberson could very easily quit singing and start whining or shouting or doing whatever those kids these days do. He's got that nasally thing going, why not take it a step further and sing under his breath before crashing into the chorus with loud moans? Ok, so sometimes he does, but he doesn't do it in the same way that all the kids who listened to grunge when they were in middle school do it. He doesn't do it in a way that will get his band classified as garage or Swedish. He tries to be too classy, tries to make his voice sound like it would fit better on an old vinyl than on a wussy little compact disc.
And what about the guitars? Phillip and fellow guitarist Hadwin Brown don't sound like they're using enough distortion to me. They don't use feedback liberally, and is that an echo I hear on the title track? Oh come now, an echo? That's not very "hip." It's a good thing producer Chad Blinman made sure there was no fuzz or embarrassing hints that point out that you guys in the band are more influenced by your dad's collection of the Who and Harry Nilsson than you are Jimmy Eat World or Morrissey. What better way to cover up the fact that you embarrassingly dig '70s radio rock than by getting the guy who produced the Get Up Kids to modernize you through the magic of overproduction? Lord knows you're better off with spotless production that better hides the fact that you are not playing spotless radio singles.
Don't get me started on the lyrics. You're singing about broken relationships, quit doing it while rocking out! When you have a song like "Roses" where you're obviously angry about a cheating ex, why not turn your anger into empty threats or maybe self-pitying whimpers? More like you do on the Neil Young cover, "A Man Needs a Maid." That is a quality self-pitying song. One has to wonder why so much energy was put into this cover to make it stick out as the irrefutable best track on this EP when the band didn't even write it.
Blue Epic is asking for it. How can you expect to be taken seriously when you aren't attempting to capitalize on current trends? How can people dismiss you when your direct influences have been influencing bands for the past 20 to 30 years? You might get away with it on Love & Hate thanks to the production sounding infinitely more trendy than the music, but what happens when you get a producer who fits your sound? And what if you ever reach the level of lyrical maturity found in your influences? If you want to be temporarily moderately successful, you better pray that doesn't happen.
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