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Into the Blue
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Barnes and Noble
Into the Blue
Current price: $17.99
Barnes and Noble
Into the Blue
Current price: $17.99
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Size: CD
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After the release of 2014's
,
'
and
took a healthy break from the project -- eight years, to be exact. During that time,
released two albums and toured with
, while
collaborated with artists including
and further established himself as an A-list producer with clients like
, and
. From the sound of
, however,
also found time to stockpile songs and ideas to work on together. As on their self-titled debut album and
, the sweeping atmospheres are the focal point of
' music, but rarely has their sprawl seemed so purposeful. "Into the Blue" is as much a statement of intent as a song so drifting can be. Tethered only by its deliberate beat, it's a space oddity that sounds sparse at first but gains altitude with massive clouds of keyboards, chimes, and backing vocals before it finally floats away.
continue the trippy melancholy on "We're Not in Orbit," setting a galaxy's worth of regret to epic yet weightless rock that harks back to
. Similarly, the duo borrows from vintage R&B on the standout "Love on the Run," which balances stately strings and brass and one of
's sweeter vocal performances in perfect harmony. However, as
unfolds, its musical and emotional cohesion gives way to intriguing but more discrete tracks linked largely by their cinematic feel. The moody pulse of "One Night"'s synth pop feels like it was plucked from a montage in an '80s movie; "Forgotten Boy," with its trip-hop beat and smoky melody, could be the theme from a forgotten '90s spy film.
offers enough thoughtful songwriting and creative sonics to suggest
has matured into the pleasantly offbeat side project it was always meant to be. ~ Heather Phares