Cerulean
No Sense In Waiting
by Karla Ash
There are going to be accusations of Cerulean knocking off Catherine Wheel, especially here in Seattle wherein that band ruled the Emerald City during most of the '90s. In fact, Catherine Wheel were probably among the most-played alternative groups on 107.7 The End alongside heavyweights such as Nirvana and Pearl Jam. Although not as recognized throughout the rest of the U.S., the English band, a survivor of the short-lived “shoegazer” scene, was able to link the remaining dreamy pieces of '80s British post-punk with the more metallic approach of '90s grunge. In Seattle, which will host Cerulean at the Crocodile Café on August 30th, Catherine Wheel was king. Whether Cerulean are able to capture that same audience remains to be seen, but it helps that No Sense In Waiting echoes Catherine Wheel’s finest moments and not their missteps.
Cerulean are as addicted to guitar atmospherics as their English super-heroes; Noel Kelly’s riffs are just as ethereal as Jeremy Kelly’s in the Wild Swans only with more fuzz. On “Here Is Hoping,” Cerulean reaches the supersonic mph of the Wedding Present, guitars chiming at a dizzying velocity. The drums pound with precision and drama, and Rick Bolander has one of the most attractive rock & roll voices in the tuneless post-grunge alternative-music scene. In terms of originality, sure, there’s not much here that Cerulean can completely call their own; one can see the fingerprints of the aforementioned Catherine Wheel, the Ocean Blue, Echo & the Bunnymen, Swervedriver, and Radiohead. But rock died years ago, didn’t you know? All that is left are ghosts, and No Sense In Waiting will haunt you.
For more information, visit http://www.ceruleanmusic.com. |
