Approaching Normal
Encyclopedia
Approaching Normal is the fifth studio album by alternative rock
band Blue October
. The album was released on March 24, 2009. and debuted at number thirteen on the Billboard charts
.
unveiled the title and tentative track listing on Blue October's website on January 31, 2008. Pre-production
of the album began at the beginning of 2008 with demos being recorded at 5am Studio in Austin
, Texas
The recording sessions for the album began on August 18, 2008, and were completed on October 24, 2008, with the band recording the album at Willie Nelson
's Pedernales Studios near Austin with Grammy Award
-winning producer Steve Lillywhite
. They also recorded part of the album in Sony Recordings in Tokyo
, Japan
. Post-production was completed on January 8, 2009.
The track listing consists of several new songs, as well as songs that Blue October and 5591 have performed live. A live version of the song "Weight of the World" appeared on Blue October's 2004 album, Argue With a Tree
. The song "Say It" was first performed at KDGE's Edgefest 17 on April 27, 2008 The festival was Steve Lillywhite's first time seeing Blue October perform, and the band's set, especially the song "Say It" cemented his desire to produce Blue October's next album.
During an interview with the music webzine Playback:Stl, Justin described the song "Blue Skies" as being one of the few happy songs he has written, saying, "There's nothing negative about it. It's all about beauty. It's really, really pretty and really, really happy, but it's going to be rocked out so crazy that people will kind of forget that it's a lovey lovey, dovey song."
During concerts on July 4 and 5, 2008, Justin Furstenfeld confirmed that "Say It" and "Weight of the World" would be on the new album. On July 23, 2008, during a web chat with fans, Jeremy Furstenfeld confirmed the song "Dirt Room" would be on the album, and that of the new songs the band was recording, it was his favorite. Justin Furstenfeld first performed the songs "Blue Skies" and "My Never" at Stephenie Meyer's Breaking Dawn concerts in August 2008. Furstenfeld also confirmed March 2009 as the anticipated release date for the album.
The first single from the album, "Dirt Room
" was performed live by the band during concerts in December 2008. Immediately following the concerts, radio stations in Austin, Dallas and Houston put the song into rotation. The single reached radio nationally on January 13, 2009, and was available to digital outlets on December 23, 2008. The song "Say It" is the second single and was released on April 24, 2009. The song "Should Be Loved" is the third single.
Blue October released the song "Graceful Dancing" via an email gift to the public on January 7, 2009. The song "Kangaroo Cry" was released on the NCIS official soundtrack
on February 10, 2009 and featured in the coda of the season 7 Christmas
episode, "Faith".
The album was released for pre-order on March 3, 2009. The album entered the Billboard chart at #13.
, and one version with censored
lyrics. A different bonus track would be included on each version.
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band Blue October
Blue October
Blue October is a rock band from Houston, Texas. The band was formed in 1995 and currently consists of Justin Furstenfeld , Jeremy Furstenfeld , Ryan Delahoussaye , Matt Noveskey , and Julian Mandrake .-History:Blue October was formed by lead...
. The album was released on March 24, 2009. and debuted at number thirteen on the Billboard charts
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
.
Background
Justin FurstenfeldJustin Furstenfeld
Justin Steward Furstenfeld is a record producer, artist, author, and the lead singer, guitarist, lyricist and frontman of the American rock band Blue October.-Personal life:...
unveiled the title and tentative track listing on Blue October's website on January 31, 2008. Pre-production
Pre-production
Pre-production or In Production is the process of preparing all the elements involved in a film, play, or other performance.- In film :...
of the album began at the beginning of 2008 with demos being recorded at 5am Studio in Austin
Austin
Austin is the capital of the U.S. state of Texas.Austin may also refer to:-In the United States:*Austin, Arkansas*Austin, Colorado*Austin, Chicago, Illinois*Austin, Indiana*Austin, Minnesota*Austin, Nevada*Austin, Oregon...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
The recording sessions for the album began on August 18, 2008, and were completed on October 24, 2008, with the band recording the album at Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
's Pedernales Studios near Austin with Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
-winning producer Steve Lillywhite
Steve Lillywhite
Steve Lillywhite is an English Grammy Award winning record producer. Since he began his career in 1977, Lillywhite has been credited for working on over 500 records and has collaborated with a variety of musicians including XTC, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Dave Matthews Band, U2, Peter Gabriel,...
. They also recorded part of the album in Sony Recordings in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Post-production was completed on January 8, 2009.
The track listing consists of several new songs, as well as songs that Blue October and 5591 have performed live. A live version of the song "Weight of the World" appeared on Blue October's 2004 album, Argue With a Tree
Argue with a Tree
Argue with a Tree... is the fourth album by Blue October. The title of the album is a lyric in the song "Weight of the World". The album was recorded live on June 4, 2004, at Lakewood Theater in Dallas, Texas, and released as a double CD and DVD in the United States in 2004 by Brando/Universal...
. The song "Say It" was first performed at KDGE's Edgefest 17 on April 27, 2008 The festival was Steve Lillywhite's first time seeing Blue October perform, and the band's set, especially the song "Say It" cemented his desire to produce Blue October's next album.
During an interview with the music webzine Playback:Stl, Justin described the song "Blue Skies" as being one of the few happy songs he has written, saying, "There's nothing negative about it. It's all about beauty. It's really, really pretty and really, really happy, but it's going to be rocked out so crazy that people will kind of forget that it's a lovey lovey, dovey song."
During concerts on July 4 and 5, 2008, Justin Furstenfeld confirmed that "Say It" and "Weight of the World" would be on the new album. On July 23, 2008, during a web chat with fans, Jeremy Furstenfeld confirmed the song "Dirt Room" would be on the album, and that of the new songs the band was recording, it was his favorite. Justin Furstenfeld first performed the songs "Blue Skies" and "My Never" at Stephenie Meyer's Breaking Dawn concerts in August 2008. Furstenfeld also confirmed March 2009 as the anticipated release date for the album.
The first single from the album, "Dirt Room
Dirt Room
"Dirt Room" was the first single from alternative rock band Blue October's fifth studio album, Approaching Normal. The song was released to digital outlet stores on December 23, 2008 and to radio on January 13, 2009...
" was performed live by the band during concerts in December 2008. Immediately following the concerts, radio stations in Austin, Dallas and Houston put the song into rotation. The single reached radio nationally on January 13, 2009, and was available to digital outlets on December 23, 2008. The song "Say It" is the second single and was released on April 24, 2009. The song "Should Be Loved" is the third single.
Blue October released the song "Graceful Dancing" via an email gift to the public on January 7, 2009. The song "Kangaroo Cry" was released on the NCIS official soundtrack
NCIS (soundtrack)
-Volume 1 Songs Used In NCIS Episodes:-Volume 2 Overview:NCIS: The Official TV Soundtrack - Vol. 2 is the second soundtrack album from the television series NCIS...
on February 10, 2009 and featured in the coda of the season 7 Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
episode, "Faith".
The album was released for pre-order on March 3, 2009. The album entered the Billboard chart at #13.
Songs selection
On October 21, 2008, Justin Furstenfeld confirmed the twelve songs to be released on the album. and that two versions of the album would be released; one version with explicit lyricsParental Advisory
Parental Advisory is a message affixed by the Recording Industry Association of America to audio and recordings in the United States containing excessive use of profane language and/or sexual references. Albums began to be labeled for "explicit lyrics" in 1985, after pressure from the Parents...
, and one version with censored
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
lyrics. A different bonus track would be included on each version.
Track listing
Personnel
- Justin FurstenfeldJustin FurstenfeldJustin Steward Furstenfeld is a record producer, artist, author, and the lead singer, guitarist, lyricist and frontman of the American rock band Blue October.-Personal life:...
- vocals, guitar - Jeremy Furstenfeld - drums, percussion
- Ryan DelahoussayeRyan DelahoussayeRyan Paul Delahoussaye is a multi-instrumentalist musician and co-founding member of the American rock band Blue October. Delahoussaye is a classically trained violinist...
- violin, mandolin, keyboard, vocals - C.B. HudsonC.B. HudsonCharles Britton "C.B." Hudson III is an American musician best known as the being the lead guitarist of the rock band Blue October from 2000 to 2010....
- guitar, vocals - Matt NoveskeyMatt NoveskeyWilliam Matthew "Matt" Noveskey is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, guitarist, and bassist, best known for his work with the bands Blue October and machines.-Early life:...
- bass and acoustic guitars, vocals
- Produced by Steve Lillywhite
- Mixed by Steve Lillywhite and CJ Eiriksson
- Engineered by CJ Eiriksson
- Mastering: Gavin Lurssen at Lurssen Mastering
- Co-writer for "The End": Patrick LeonardPatrick LeonardPatrick Raymond Leonard is an American songwriter, keyboardist and music producer, known for his longtime collaboration with Madonna on many different recordings....
- A&R: Paul Nugent for Brando Records
- Executive Producer: Sylvia Rhone
- A&R Coordination: Elizabeth Vago for Universal Motown
- A&R Administration: Michele Goldberg for Universal Motown
- Art Direction: Joe Spix and Justin Furstenfeld
- Design: Joe Spix
- Photography: Chapman Baehler
- Photo Model: Kathryn Olsen
- Management: Paul Nugent, Mike Swinford and Randy Miller for Rainmaker Artists
- Booking Agent: Kevin Daly for Monterey International
- Label: Brando/Universal Motown