Monday, October 13, 2014

Justin Furstenfeld - "Songs From An Open Book"

I have heard a lot of emotional music in my life. And by emotional I mean low-key or humble. Some might call it sad, but I don't look at it that way. It's one of the things that comforts me when I'm feeling like the world needs to shut the hell up and leave me alone. I don't always listen to it, but when I do then I really need it. It gives me perspective.
I recently bought Justin Furstenfeld's album "Songs From An Open Book" and was completely blown away by it. Justin is the lead singer and songwriter for the band Blue October. My friend Bart introduced me to them and I was very glad he did. Their music is sometimes driving and upbeat and sometimes sullen and reserved. They cover the whole spectrum of good rock music. The songs they do often have a slightly odd slant because of Justin's lyrics. Like a lot of people, Justin had some battles with mental illness. One of his therapies, along with a little Paxil, was song writing so the lyrics sometimes have the tones of someone dealing with some issues. What is great for the listeners is they get to have their own little therapy sessions listening to Justin's troubled thoughts. Apparently fans love it because they sell out shows all across the globe. I know I do. I've seen them twice.
The one different thing you get from "Songs From An Open Book" is the acoustic versions of some of Blue October's best songs. They are performed more like how Justin wrote them rather than what they ended up like on the original records. In the brief liner notes, he writes that there are two tracks for this album, one for his favorite Guild guitar and one for his voice. It doesn't get much more bare bones than that. Most musicians these days use 48 tracks or more to achieve the sound they're looking for. Two. Justin used two. That's impressive to me.
One added bonus to these songs is, interspersed throughout the album are a few live introduction spots where he is talking to an audience about the songs. These, I assume, are taken from his countless solo shows that he does when he's giving the rest of the band a break from touring. Justin is funny and gets his point across quickly so you can get to the next song but I would get a kick out of hearing a lot of his stories told to me over coffee in an all night diner. I'm not sure he does that anymore since he's a devoted father of a beautiful girl that he loves taking care of and showing off to everyone who will look. He also has a daughter from a previous marriage, but I didn't dig into the details of that story. I figured that's his business and not mine.
A side note: Justin also has a book titled "Making Crazy" that contains his lyrics and what he was thinking when he wrote the songs. It's a great book. I bought it for the guy that introduced me to Blue October since he gave me endless hours of good music.
This kind of album is certainly not for everyone. If you only listen to death metal or opera, you probably won't get much out of this album. Even so, you should still give it a try. It's immaculate. It's heart wrenching. It's subtle, quiet, and perfect. Thanks Justin.

Here are a couple of links.
Blue October's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/blueoctober
Justin's Twitter: https://twitter.com/Justin_5591

See what else is going on at www.talkingsimian.com



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