Vista Blue - Around The World

Has it really been almost five months since I've reviewed Vista Blue? That's hard to believe! There's been a lot going on in Vista Blue land of late. The band is just about to wrap up a successful Kickstarter campaign to fund its first-ever recording in a "real" studio. That studio just happens to be the legendary Ardent Studios in Memphis, and the tapes from that session will be sent to Europe to be mixed and mastered by Perry Leenhouts (Travoltas/Point Break Sounds). You still have a few days left if you wish to support this project with a pre-order of the record. In the meantime, Vista Blue continues to make tons of music available for free download. "Opening Day" was released last month to commemorate the start of baseball season (I long for those days of boundless optimism among Phillies fans...). A collection of outtakes/unreleased tracks called Pieces came out a few weeks before that. Now we have Around the World, which features four cover songs that will soon appear on a compilation CD on Radiant Radish also featuring Los Padrinos!, The Barbecuties, and The Screaming Dogs.

I really like covers records, and I always enjoy Vista Blue's covers. So Around the World makes me doubly happy! "Uh Oh" is a song originally released in 1983 by New Orleans power pop legends The Limit. If you are unfamiliar with "Uh Oh", I highly recommend seeking out the original version of this classic song! Vista Blue honors it with a very fine cover version. I have to admit I was somewhat dreading VB's cover of "Bonehead's Bank Holiday" by Oasis. But this particular interpretation of the song sounds much more like Vista Blue than it sounds like Oasis. That's a win in my book. I'll never deny that Noel Gallagher writes brilliant songs....I just like it better when other bands are performing them! "Let's Go (To Pasadena To Meet Your Parents)" off of The Kung Fu Monkeys' third 7" Hi-Fi At Low Tide is a song that many '90s pop-punkers like me hold sacred. It really makes sense that Vista Blue would cover a Kung Fu Monkeys song given that the two bands are such kindred spirits. And while no mortal band can outdo the Kung Fu Monkeys, Vista Blue turns in a more than respectable rendition of this particular song. To finish the record, the band has at The Mamas and the Papas' iconic "California Dreamin'". And with a little help from some special guest star singers, this cover turned out great!

I appreciate that the four songs Vista Blue chose to cover for Around The World are extremely meaningful to the band. All of the bands covered here were huge influences on Vista Blue. Given Vista Blue's musical style, "California Dreamin'" seems like the perfect choice of a cover. Yet it easily could have gone sideways if the band hadn't absolutely nailed it. And if you were previously unfamiliar with The Limit or (God forbid!) The Kung Fu Monkeys, I hope this release inspires you to check those bands out. Keep your eyes on Radiant Radish Records for further info on the full Around The World CD!



-L.R.

https://wearevistablue.bandcamp.com/album/around-the-world 
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