Their sound has showed shades of their mellow yet tuneful post-punk forerunners such as Echo & the Bunnymen, Modern English, New Order, and The Smiths while still pursuing their own path. A fourth record, 1996's 'See', was released by Mercury/PolyGram before the band began leaving the majors altogether in the late 90s. The band did several independent releases from 1999 on into the 00s, including 2004's well-received 'Waterworks'. Then, several years later, the group began working on a new full length record, their first full album release in over a decade. Entitled 'Ultramarine', the band scheduled it for release on March 19, 2013 through Korda Records, a new Minneapolis-based cooperative label that the group helped launch in late 2012.
Over the years, they've gained a reputation as one of America's more influential dream pop artists, forming a sound that many artists would look to from the 90s onward. Their debut, 'The Ocean Blue', continues to draw praise from retrospective-minded musical critics as well as alternative music fans in general. In recent years, the group's followers have found 'Ultramarine' a spectacular return to form that recalls the band’s earliest work and should appeal to fans old and new alike.
On the title, band member and singer-songwriter David Schelzel has explained, "We chose Ultramarine to reflect several things. The mood of this record is a little blue, and harkens back to our other "blue" record, Cerulean. It's also a fun play on our name, and we were very conscious of our history as a band making this record. Thinking about our music, what it's meant to us and others. Asking a lot of existential questions about the band, what it was, is, and could be in the future."
Ultramarine was recorded in Minneapolis, MN, Portland, OR, and Mt Gretna, PA over several years, with Schelzel and drummer Peter Anderson producing. "This record unfolded in slow motion,” says Schelzel, “At a glacial pace. We were not on the clock we were when we were on the major labels. And we were not in an insulated studio world for months making the music. We made it mostly in our own studios, on our own time. Regular life drifted into this one more than our earlier records.”
Music recording and distribution, and the social networks of the Web have changed the landscape completely since the band’s last full length. Says Anderson, “We are using gear and technology on the recording side that for the most part didn’t exist when the band was making big budget studio records in the 90s. It’s allowed us to do a lot of things we’d never been able to do years ago, all at a much cheaper cost. We also have the ability to connect with people directly via the Web that wasn’t really there when we did our last release."
Musically, the new record is a return to form for the band. As well as a new beginning. Lyrically it is romantic, melancholic and impressionistic. The melodic singing, chimey guitars and lush keyboards the band is known for weave their way through the songs. Even the saxophone has returned on the opening track. But it is a record full of music that sounds very of the moment.
"It's an interesting time for us to be putting out a new record. So much of the music we see and hear now reminds me of things I loved growing up," say guitarist Oed Ronne. "My friends in their twenties like The Smiths and New Order. It's a strange thing, but good for us I think. We'd love to reconnect with our old fans, but also make new ones among the ranks of the young."
"I'm really looking forward to sharing this new music with people who know us and people who’ve never heard us before. And play some shows," says bass player Bobby Mittan. "It's been way too long."
A Familiar Face
The Ocean Blue Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When I thought of those things
I dodged the questions
I ducked the clouds
There were shadows in my heartland
Back in the fall when I knew it all
The wrong seemed right
And the right seemed wrong
Listen boy when he talks to you
Listen to what he says
He wore a familiar face I know
Wake up and take a feel
A familiar face I saw
Wake up and take a feel
Back in the fall when I knew it all
I dodged the questions
I ducked the clouds
There were shadows in my homeland
Back in the spring
I thought of those things
In my mind
Listen boy when he talks to you
Won't you listen to what he says
He wore a familiar face I know
Wake up and take a feel
A familiar face I saw
Wake up and take a feel
The lyrics to The Ocean Blue's song "A Familiar Face" are open to interpretation, but they seem to describe a time of confusion and uncertainty. It begins in the spring when the singer is thinking about things but avoiding questions and clouds, which could symbolize issues or challenges. There are shadows in the singer's heartland, perhaps suggesting some inner turmoil or doubts.
Then the song jumps to the fall, when the singer thinks they know everything, but the right seems wrong and the wrong seems right. There are shadows in the backyard, indicating that the confusion has spread beyond the singer's inner world. The chorus urges someone to listen to what someone else is saying, since they wear a familiar face. This could be a warning to pay attention and not be deceived by appearances. The song ends by repeating the call to wake up and take a feel of the familiar face.
Overall, the lyrics seem to touch on themes such as uncertainty, confusion, trust, and perception. It could be interpreted as a cautionary tale about the dangers of assuming we know everything and not paying attention to warning signs or inner doubts.
Line by Line Meaning
Back in the spring
Referring to a past time during spring
When I thought of those things
During a time of contemplation
I dodged the questions
Avoided difficult discussions
I ducked the clouds
Avoided negativity
There were shadows in my heartland
Felt deeply disturbed inside
Back in the fall when I knew it all
Referring to a past time during fall where they thought they had all the answers
The wrong seemed right
Made mistakes which seemed like the right decisions at the time
And the right seemed wrong
Did not make the right decisions when they should have
There were shadows in the backyard
Felt uneasy and uncomfortable in one's personal life
Listen boy when he talks to you
Paying attention to advice from someone else
Listen to what he says
Taking heed to the advice given
He wore a familiar face I know
Someone they are familiar with gave them this advice
Wake up and take a feel
Becoming more aware of a situation and recognizing its importance
A familiar face I saw
Recognizing someone they know and possibly asking for advice
Back in the fall when I knew it all
Referring to a past time during fall where they thought they had all the answers
I dodged the questions
Avoided difficult discussions
I ducked the clouds
Avoided negativity
There were shadows in my homeland
Felt uneasiness in one's personal life
Back in the spring
Referring to a past time during spring
I thought of those things
Contemplated past actions or decisions
In my mind
As a thought or memory
Listen boy when he talks to you
Paying attention to advice from someone else
Won't you listen to what he says
Encouraging the listener to pay attention and take advice
He wore a familiar face I know
Someone they are familiar with gave them this advice
Wake up and take a feel
Becoming more aware of a situation and recognizing its importance
A familiar face I saw
Recognizing someone they know and possibly asking for advice
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DAVID GEORGE SCHELZEL, ROBERT LEE MITTAN, ROBERT SCOTT MINNIG, STEVEN ERIC LAU
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind