Music reviews. CD reviews. Critically hip!

I first popped this CD into the player in my car when I was driving to Atlanta, and I had to take it out after the first two tracks because I was drifting off to sleep. Blowing Trees’ debut album is as relaxing and mellow as lying down under blowing trees in an empty park on a crisp fall day when there is not a cloud in the sky. The music reminds me a lot of Radiohead, with the same singing style and cool vibes.

While this isn’t the kind of thing I normally listen to, I have to admit there were some songs I really enjoyed. For instances, A Different Tune was just that -- it was more uptempo than the rest of the album. Different Tune opens beautifully with an acoustic guitar.  I also enjoyed the cool chorus. Process and Running Blind were also up-tempo and enjoyable even though  Running Blind slowed down in the middle, matching the mellowness of the rest of the songs. Process was my favorite.  It had a quick tempo which matched the mood of the lyrics.

When the News Hits the Stores was one of the better slow songs, at least until the last two minutes of futuristic static. I just didn’t get the point of playing that noise for so long when it wasn’t taking you anywhere and it didn’t flow or match the rest of the song. A lot of the songs were a bit too long for me because I didn’t see the value in continuing the music when nothing was really gained from doing so.

Chris Maddin, Drew Pierce, Edwin Jered Stephens, and Roy Scavone are the talented musicians that make up Blowing Trees. The group came together in San Antonio, Texas in 2003. In early 2007 the group of four friends signed with Glassnote Records.

While their music may be a little more mellow than I'm accustomed to, I did enjoy the album. If you like Radiohead then you will really enjoy Blowing Trees.