The Blue Stones are releasing their debut album, Black Holes, later this month. The blues rock duo has such a great sync that listening to the album, you’d think it was a bigger band than just the two of them. Drummer and backup vocalist, Justin Tessier describes their style as “blues-rock, though it’s not loose and dirty, it’s lean, raw, tight, without a wasted note.” No two songs on the album sound alike, but each song carries a great grit and rhythm.
Lead singer and guitar player, Terek Jafar, says the album is “ about being a young adult and entering the real world from a sheltered environment,” the album art of an astronaut in space, as well as the title track metaphorically launch the theme of the album into their path, leaving solid ground behind as they navigate a wild, uncertain future.
Title track, “Black Holes (Solid Ground)” is one of my favorites on the whole album. I love that it first starts out with a slow guitar pluck, but before long, the pace picks up with heavy drums and the guitar picking up to accompany. The vocals offer a chill vibe with the song, but it’s a great song to get lost in and move with the heavy instruments. The lyrics “a thousand voices, set em free, cause your silence is killing me” leaves the listener with something to think about during the instrumental bridge. The chorus lyrics of “sing your hearts out, sing it loud, make me proud, black holes solid ground” reverberates how deafening the silence being sung about is.
“Lay is a track that stands out to me. It gives off a sensual sound, and with the title of the song, you’d expect it to be on the romantic side, but in between the Hendrix-like guitar, the lyrics embody what the blues are all about. Throughout the song, “it’s not over now, not this way” repeats, leaving the other lyrics more final and sinking as you listen. Opening the song with “blow a kiss and wrap me up in darkness” then leading to a screaming chorus of “I heard you taking shots from broken bottles trying to suffer, left your mark and went away” leave the listener with the pain of being abandoned. As the song ends in a pleading “please don’t leave me with another regret” it leaves a lingering feeling of someone all alone in the world, but I think it’s open for interpretation whether someone left or died, allowing this song to be more relatable to a wider range of listeners.
“Rolling with the Punches” is one of those songs that energizes you as you listen to it. With it’s chant-like “Hey! I’ve been rolling with the punches,” it amps you up as you’re singing along and is encouraging to just do that.
This album is a killer album! The Blue Stones combine rock and blues so harmoniously, and they manage to produce a gritty, heavy sound with just two members in the band, and their voices compliment the other’s so well. This album is a compilation of just raw talent and deserves a place in your library.
Check out their Facebook for upcoming tour dates and news on their upcoming release.
www.facebook.com/thebluestonesmusic
TrackList
1. Airlock
2. The Drop
3. Black Holes (Solid Ground)
4. The Hard Part
5. Be My Fire
6. Lay
7. Rolling with the Punches
8. Little Brother
9. Midnight
10. Orbit
11. Magic
