Upon a first listen, you may think Blue Heaven is a quirky fun dance band that knows how to use an echo driven Stratocaster and simple chord progressions (aka ambient guitar tones) to their full potential. There is a method in the simplicity. The music on their sophomore album “Volume Two” has an aura. The listener is bathed in a sonic experience that has the angst of indie rock with an infectious pop groove that is downright danceable.

The arrangement and production are slick. Thanks to its spooky, ethereal sound, the lead off track “Sing Your Own Songs” has the ability to make itself fit for a horror movie soundtrack and still have an encompassing presence that makes it unique and radio friendly at once. The band are capable instrumentalists. The spacey guitar echoes are supported by drumming finesse and subtle bass which the rhythm section a jazzy feel. The video for the lead single, “Jane Doe” highlights the band’s quirky and fun side with superimposed images, pastels, and a kaleidoscope type background.

For music fans who have had the privilege of experiencing 70s punk, 80s pop and 90s indie in their lifetime, the emergence of a band like Blue Heaven couldn’t come soon enough. The band is an amalgam of decade defining genres with a DIY feel.  They are refreshing, and they are different in a musical landscape in which those qualities are becoming less and less applicable.