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."
Sublime
The Ocean Blue Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Becomes a long, lost friend
Beneath the rhythm and sound
Lies a another meaning
And if you ask me today
To say just what I'm thinking
You might flee my reply
And run it upwards and run downwards
It was so sublime
It was so sublime
It was so sublime
It was so-so-so-ba-ba-ba-lime
This entangled up dream
Still plays on illusion
Trying hard to escape
More jangled delusion
And if you ask me today
And you ponder life
It's not just what you think
It grows outward and it holds you
It's so sublime
It's so sublime
It was so sublime
It was so-so-so-ba-ba-ba-lime
This American dream
Becomes elusive
If you're ready or not
It may reach out and grab you
And if you ask me today
And you wonder why
You might flee its reply
And run it upwards and run downwords
It was so sublime
It was so sublime
It was so sublime
It was so-so-so-ba-ba-ba-lime
The Ocean Blue's "Sublime" is a song that delves into the ideas of illusion, truth, and the American Dream. The lyrics describe a "radical dream" that becomes a "long, lost friend" and how the meaning behind the "rhythm and sound" is much deeper. The singer suggests that if asked to explain what they're thinking, the response might cause the listener to flee. The repetition of the statement "it was so sublime" suggests that the experience being described was something special and almost otherworldly.
The second verse continues with the theme of a dream that is entangled and playing on illusion. The idea that life is not just what we think and that it holds us outwardly is expressed. Once again, the statement "it's so sublime" is repeated, implying that the idea being conveyed is something almost unexplainable.
The final verse talks about how the American Dream can become elusive and how it may "reach out and grab you." The singer suggests that if asked about why the dream is elusive, the response would cause the listener to flee once again. The repetition of "it was so sublime" reinforces the idea that the dream being described is something beyond words.
Overall, the lyrics of "Sublime" can be interpreted as a commentary on the idea that there is more to life than what is on the surface. The idea of a dream that is both radical and sublime suggests that there is more beneath the surface than what we can see.
Line by Line Meaning
Another radical dream
A new, extreme idea or aspiration
Becomes a long, lost friend
Becomes familiar, a constant presence in one's life
Beneath the rhythm and sound
Deeper than what is obvious or heard
Lies another meaning
Has a hidden or additional significance
And if you ask me today
If asked at this moment
To say just what I'm thinking
To share my current thoughts
You might flee my reply
My answer may scare or upset you
And run it upwards and run downwards
You may react with confusion and uncertainty
It was so sublime
It was enchanting or transcendent
It was so-so-so-ba-ba-ba-lime
An exaggerated way of expressing how amazing it was
This entangled up dream
This complicated, knotty aspiration
Still plays on illusion
Persists on a false idea or impression
Trying hard to escape
Attempting to break free from something
More jangled delusion
Even more confused and distorted thinking
And you ponder life
If you reflect on existence and its meaning
It's not just what you think
There's more to it than just your thoughts
It grows outward and it holds you
It expands and envelops your whole being
This American dream
The traditional ideal of success in the United States
Becomes elusive
Becomes difficult to achieve or find
If you're ready or not
Whether you're prepared or not
It may reach out and grab you
It can suddenly attract and take hold of you
And you wonder why
If you ask yourself why this is happening
You might flee its reply
The answer or truth may be too overwhelming
It was so-so-so-ba-ba-ba-lime
An exaggerated way of expressing how amazing it was
Contributed by Keira K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@PERCYALVARADO
Another radical dream
Becomes a long, lost friend
Beneath the rhythm and sound
Lies a another meaning
And if you ask me today
To say just what I'm thinking
You might flee my reply
And run it upwards and run downwards
It was so sublime
It was so sublime
It was so sublime
It was so-so-so-ba-ba-ba-lime
This entangled up dream
Still plays on illusion
Trying hard to escape
More jangled delusion
And if you ask me today
And you ponder life
It's not just what you think
It grows outward and it holds you
It's so sublime
It's so sublime
It was so sublime
It was so-so-so-ba-ba-ba-lime
This American dream
Becomes elusive
If you're ready or not
It may reach out and grab you
And if you ask me today
And you wonder why
You might flee its reply
And run it upwards and run downwords
It was so sublime
It was so sublime
It was so sublime
It was so-so-so-ba-ba-ba-lime
Read more: Ocean Blue - Sublime Lyrics | MetroLyrics
@mrgreynomore
Such a gem. A quiet, perfect hit that never got the attention it deserved.
@awesomemom533
David Schlelzel, also a gem ❤
@lilhsounder
Just seen them last night in Seattle . I haven’t seen them play live since 1991 and what a wonderful evening of bliss . We’re all getting older but everyone in the crowd was happy and smiling and thinking of our younger time . I’m still buzzing today wanting more .
@jamesdada2170
I'd love to see then now..
@meryreynaga3544
Mi hermano en el cielo Edgar Enrique, le encantaba esta canción. 9 meses sin ti hermano, te extrañamos muchoooooo !!!!!!
@josesanabria3819
I loooove The Ocean Blue! It's a band that I have always loved but I just didn't know their name, and I just found out that they came to my country, Paraguay, twice! They even made a song dedicated to my country. I really hope they will come back. Now I'm listening to them as I cut out letters to decorate my 6th grade classroom since the school year will start tomorrow!
@tomp.3802
Early 90's, life was good, and 'HFS in DC played these guys, when nobody else was.
@ahbarca
We just had them last Saturday in Asuncion, Paraguay. Absolutely fantastic! A hidden gem in the US.
@tylerblevins8039
Ocean blue is definitely a hidden gem. Asuncion is a hidden gem with their music scene! I saw Metallica there in 2014.
@jay100fountains5
My early teen years in LA. I remember walking down Melrose place chilling listening to this song. Priceless memories.