REVIEW: Cerulean, Skylight (Spinwheel)
- Paul Andersen
Cerulean is an L.A.-based trio consisting of guitarist/vocalist Rick Bolander, drummer Mike McCabe and bassist Roger Marinelli. Bolander and McCabe, childhood friends from New York, had lost contact over the years until a chance meeting in Los Angeles in the summer of 1997. They began writing music together, and Skylight is the first fruit of their labors. It is swirling guitar-driven melodic pop music that is as azure as the group's name.
The music contained here swirls with an ebb and flow similar to the waves pictured on the front cover. Pulsing one minute, driven by an edgy fuzzed-out guitar, the next might find it touched by light drum work not often found in this kind of music. Cerulean knows the beauty that openness and lightness can create, and they're not afraid to let it shine through.
The poetic lyrics touch on themes of optimism, lust, regret and other human traits, buoyed by Bolander's rich voice that is equal parts hope and angst, one never overtaking the other. It is an encounter of imagery and sound that makes you sit up and take notice. A band definitely worth checking out - and not for 'locals only.' You can find Cerulean on the web at http://www.ceruleanmusic.com.
