Review
Bright Calm Blue
Direct Approach for Casual Conversation

Level Plane (2003) Charlie

Bright Calm Blue – Direct Approach for Casual Conversation cover artwork
Bright Calm Blue – Direct Approach for Casual Conversation — Level Plane, 2003

It was bound to happen sooner or later. I've come across a band that doesn't really sway me one way or the other, and that I really don't have much to say about. The whole thing is very DC-esque, with the attack element of Fugazi and Jawbox, combined with the quirkier elements of bands like Q and Not U, the Dismemberment Plan, and the Nation of Ulysses; there's also a very large Brainaic element going on in most of the music. Most of it's your average post-hardcore indie rock, a standard rock combo with a few bells and whistles here and there to spice things up. The only real standouts on the record are the two last songs, "Sources and Procedures" and "Rare as Radium." "Sources and Procedures" has a quirky little keyboard melody that serves as the only really memorable moment of the whole record, the one hook they have that sinks, albeit not too terribly deep. "Rare as Radium" has a strong vocal hook in the first few minutes, but descends into mathy stop-starts in its second half and ultimately loses its momentum. The only prior knowledge I had of this band to this record was a split 7" with To Dream of Autumn. I thought it was nice enough, but nothing special, interesting, if rather unengaging, and lo and behold, that's my opinion of this record as well.

6.6 / 10Charlie • February 28, 2004

Bright Calm Blue – Direct Approach for Casual Conversation cover artwork
Bright Calm Blue – Direct Approach for Casual Conversation — Level Plane, 2003

Recently-posted album reviews

Sahan Jayasuriya

Don’t Say Please: The Oral History of Die Kreuzen
Feral House (2026)

For those of us who spent the mid-to-late 1980s navigating basement community halls, churches, and loveable, armpit-smelling dive bars, the name Die Kreuzen was a permanent fixture on the punk rock radar. They were the sound of the Midwest underground --too fast for the goths to do their spooky Bela Lugosi "shoo the bats away" interpretive dance, too technical for … Read more

Sewer Urchin

Global Urination
Independent (2025)

There’s a fine line between crossover thrash that feels dangerous and crossover thrash that just feels like a party. Global Urination doesn’t bother choosing because it does both loudly and without apology. St. Louis’ Sewer Urchin have been grinding since 2019, and on their latest full length they double down on everything that makes the genre work. They give us … Read more

Ingested

Denigration
Metal Blade (2026)

For a band that built its name on sheer brutality, Ingested have spent the last several years refining what that brutality actually means. With their newest release, Denigration, the band finds that continuing evolution. They’re still punishing, still precise, but noticeably more controlled and deliberate in how it all lands. From the outset, the record makes its intentions clear. “Dragged … Read more