Oakwood : "Blurred Away"

 

This Texas band is well-versed in late-90s emo and brings it in a powerfully dynamic and moving manner. This was a time when melancholic introspection was more blue-collar than dressed in marketed darkness. It was steeped in suburban punk angst with no political motivation. All but one song clocks in at under thirty minutes, proving they follow a less-is-more punk formula while still allowing the guitar to linger in jangling melody. The vocals mainly sit in a shouted declaration, which in the first three songs works well enough, but I might need more vocals before this thing is over. 

This album is well produced, as it captures a great deal that is going on and employs tasteful overdubs while maintaining a very organic quality to what is going on here. They even use samples effectively without compromising what they are doing. There is a brighter jangle to "Fall Apart" that finds him making more of an effort to sing. There is a slight Taking Back Sunday feel to what is going down here. There is a more bouyant punk energy to the title track. If this came out back when I was listening to this sort of thing in the late 90s, I would have been blown away. 

"The Color of Caring" finds the sample sitting in the song in a way that makes me think of the Smiths. It is one of the album's more melodic moments so far. This is the song that is over three minutes, and, weirdly, this is the song that is instrumental. But it sounds good, so not complaining. If you can sell me on an instrumental, you are doing something right. They come out swinging harder for "Serpentine".It races off in an angrier punk direction.  I understand this is a side of who they are, but I think I prefer the previous song to it despite the dynamics employed. 

There is a catchier riff to "Distance/ Silence" that makes up for the more screamed vocals that begin to bore me a little at this juncture in the album. There is more melodic purpose to "Deepest Green". This also gives the vocals more space to come closer to singing. In fact, they keep trying til they hit the mark here. They close the album with "Fields Behind the House," which is another more melodic moment that might bring the Get-up Kids' early work to mind. I will give this one a 9.5, as they nailed this era I have fond memories of, but still wrote songs that give them their own identity for 2026.

pst255