The Blue Van – Man Up Review
.jpg "The Blue Van (Man Up Front)")
When my friend and I heard the Blue Van, we were sure they were an American band. For sure an American band heavily influenced by the band of the 60s. Boy were we wrong. The Blue Van is a band from Denmark. We were way off mark. Fun fact about this band, they named themselves after the blue van (”Den blå varevogn”) that collects the mentally ill in Denmark. Funny. And so, here I am listening to the collectors of the mentally ill. I’m pretty sure I’m one of them.
I can’t quite remember how and when I heard of the Blue Van. Most people may know them from the Samsung commercial that used their track “Silly Boy” or “Man Up” in 90210 (hmm). I haven’t seen it, but the song is memorable. And that’s just it… all their songs are very catchy and memorable. They’re very ‘pop-rock’.
I must say that I really enjoy listening to this album. It’s been on rotation on my Mac for over a month now. It’s something different from the usual dance/electro in my player. I think this album stands out because it sounds like the band is having fun. It’s very classic ‘rock-n-roll’, which is hard to find in the modern music. I mean, even the classic songs have been remixed and revamped and the bands have moved on. The Blue Van’s Man Up is bringing back a sense of nostalgia for the classics.
With all this being said, I can’t say that there’s a particular theme to the album, perhaps it’s for us to “Man Up”? And that’s the problem: no central idea. Apparently they secluded themselves to write this album, which may explain why some many tracks sound similar/the same. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good album, it’s just not ‘original’.
My favourite tracks are: Man Up, The Socialiate, In Love With Myself, I’m a Man and Trees That Resemble.
Tags: album
