Despite its conventional title,
Approaching Normal is
Blue October's most puzzling release to date, a collection of post-grunge missteps and ill-advised detours into genres far beyond the band's grasp. Frontman
Justin Furstenfeld jumps overboard with nearly every track, from the snarling melodrama of "Weight of the World" (where he sounds like
Adam Pascal, the hyperbolic rocker from Rent) to the bizarre,
Smash Mouth-styled bounce of "Jump Rope."
Furstenfeld has an unchecked weakness for drama, for the sort of first-pumping grandeur that very few bands can execute, and his angsty self-loathing -- which, following the platinum success of the band's previous album, seems a bit forced -- turns up some priceless nuggets of post-grunge poetry. "I gained 40 pounds because of you!" he howls during "Say It," before announcing his intention to "cover you in ants, bees, and honey, then take your picture for the cover of our album" during the follow-up tune. He even adopts a British accent for "Kangaroo Cry," which may be the downright silliest song title of 2009. Ironically,
Furstenfeld's vocal resemblance to
Jack Black is more apparent on these tracks than ever before, and
Approaching Normal would be more palatable if it were executed with the same tongue-in-cheek outlandishness as
Tenacious D's albums.
Blue October remain blissfully aware of their own absurdities, however, which makes
Approaching Normal the sort of cringe-worthy drama fest that inspires several laughs but few repeated listens. [This "clean" edition has had the album's explicit content removed and also features an alternate bonus track, "Graceful Dancing."] ~ Andrew Leahey