If you are not familiar with Blue Man Group (BMG) already, then let me give you an idea of what they are. BMG is a performance art group that uses unique instruments of their own creation (often out of PVC pipe) along with a full band that is heavy on percussion. The exposed skin of the on-stage performers is colored blue (hence the name) and they never speak. They mix music with what can only be called humorous interludes, such as catching marshmallows thrown from 20 feet in their mouths or making fun of art critics using scrolling LED screens. Considered one of the best shows around, they are playing in New York, Chicago, Boston, and Las Vegas. That is not what this review is about.
Audio, BMG’s CD is not a soundtrack of the show (It actually says that on the back of the case). It is music from the show, but extended, with a larger band, more complex mixing, and more instruments. If I had to place them in a category, I would have to describe them as ambient...but that is selling Audio short. It really cannot be categorized.
The music is lyric-less and often very heavy on percussion. Many of the instruments are of their own design. More famous ones include the drumbone, a PVC instrument which is struck with mallets and extended like a trombone for pitch and the backpack tubulum, a PVC xylophone like instrument worn on the back (both were seen on Jay Leno’s show). Each instrument has a unique sound unlike virtually any other I’ve heard. They play drums of all sorts and sizes. The drums are often tuned so that their sound follows the melody or base line. Rhythms are often very complex and are clearly pounded out by several percussion artists. With a lead in like that, one would expect an aerobics like dance CD. You would be wrong. The CD is full of fast music with a hard beat, but there are plenty of softer, melodious parts. Some of the more subtle sounds, like the sound of the "Wiper" air poles, create a very soothing sound.
So, how does it sound? Beautiful. The music is full range and very dynamic. This CD will give your stereo a work out. It is fast and energizing at times, while being soft and easy at others. Forget pushing the bass up; this CD has plenty. You can feel the bass exploding from your speakers, especially if you have a good low range subwoofer. Most of the instruments have remarkable overtones and the odd instruments mesh together to form what I can only describe as ear candy. The melodies and rhythms are fresh. I haven’t heard anything like it previously. I haven’t gotten sick of listening to this CD yet and it is the only CD I listen to in my car (note on that later).
There are some boring parts. The music was inspired by the show. That means much of it is directly from the show. Some of the music was intended as background to the acts or as transition music. Some of the pieces have highly repetitive "verses". Once you hear the whole melody, hearing it again is not that welcome. Common musical themes run through many of the pieces. If you hear it at the beginning of the CD, you can be sure that you’ll hear something like it near the end. One last point, the music can be loud. At times the more subtle sounds are lost under the heavy guitar and heavy drum.
The CD is produced in surround sound. It is center channel heavy (not necessarily bad or unexpected). There are some very nice stereo effects with drumbeats rapidly moving side to side. The surround channel is a little disappointing. It is mostly used for fill-in sound and does not add that much to the experience. While there are occasional front to back effects, I would have liked to see a creative group like Blue Man be a little more creative with their surround mix (by contrast, Madonna’s Immaculate collection utilizes many rear channel effects to augment the sound). There is no substitute for a good subwoofer. The low drum effects are so much more powerful and much more satisfying.
In case you were wondering, the liner notes give a brief description of the instruments and on what tracks they appear (er..play).
What does it all mean? This is my favorite CD, hands down. It sounds fabulous on a stereo system and a little bit better if you have surround sound. It requires a good stereo and a quiet room to enjoy properly. That being said, I like to listen to it in my car. It still sounds greats, but the road noise and lack of quality in my factory speakers causes me to miss the subtle sounds and overtones. It still makes great driving music.
Who will like this CD? The range of appeal is wide. If you like bass, dance, or techno, you will like this CD. If you like music with a new sound or different music, you will love this CD. Jazz fans, especially Fusion fans will probably like this CD. New wave fans will probably like it, though they may be disappointed with the lack of lyrics. If you love Brittney Spears and much of what gets played on top 40 stations, you may be disappointed...but then again it has many features you might like. As I said, the range of appeal is wide.
One last piece of advice: If you go to see Blue Man Group don’t buy the CD at the show. They sell it for $20. You can get it from Amazon (or any other online store) much cheaper, even with S&H.
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