A Different Shade of Blue is a disciplined meditation on resentment, grief and loss.
Anxiety trembles in every crevice of this record, which sees the Kentucky band's songwriting prowess mutate into fascinating, thrilling new shapes.
A Different Shade Of Blue is not only a worthy successor to their debut, it eclipses it across the board, and offers more of everything that made that record so compelling.
Breakdowns galore on Knocked Loose's death metal-infused sophomore album, though it's sometimes hard to tell one from the next.
EDIT: 74-85 I was DEAD WRONG, this thing goes hard af. It's a little more self-realized and repetitive than Laugh Tracks, which sometimes works against it, but on the other hand, the tracklist is way tighter, with pretty much 0 misses, and all bangers.
It's a pretty good album but it feels empty and kind of soulless by Knocked Loose standards. It feels mature and self-realized but it loses a lot of the personality, fun and great catchy riffs of Laugh Tracks.
A lot of the riffs feel extremely ... read more
On their second LP, Knocked Loose take the sound they formed on their debut effort Laugh Tracks and refine the formula a lot. The production is better, the riffs are more present, and the breakdowns are even more brutal. A Different Shape of Blue also goes more into the direction of a borderline concept throughout the album, as every track feels extremely cohesive with one another, and Brian's signature pen game is on point as usual here. While there are a lot of things I like more on this LP, ... read more
I was expecting to listen to a critically acclaimed jazz classic but I think I prefer this instead
when i listen to this all i feel is loss and rage, and the difficulty it takes to accept and move forward. there is a chasing for catharsis here, a sense of trying to make sense of it. but it never arrives. spectacular.
The fast songs really feel like they’re changing in this super dynamic way that is super interesting and is really one of my favorite things about knocked loose because they do it so well. As a whole this record’s vocals are incredible as always, I just love how angry Garis always sounds. The lyrics are generally pretty strong, here with some interesting themes and perspectives, and they mesh perfectly with the instrumentals. The breakdowns here are a bit of a mixed bag, sometimes ... read more
I just love this album even more every listen. I'll admit that I wasn't the biggest KL fan prior to this album's release, but I have entirely come around on that fact. This album is fucking incredible!
1 | Belleville 3:16 | 94 |
2 | Trapped in the Grasp of a Memory 3:53 | 92 |
3 | A Serpent's Touch 3:02 feat. Emma Boster | 90 |
4 | By the Grave 3:05 | 85 |
5 | In the Walls 3:02 | 89 |
6 | Guided by the Moon 3:48 | 86 |
7 | Mistakes Like Fractures 3:39 | 96 |
8 | Forget Your Name 2:42 feat. Keith Buckley | 92 |
9 | Road 23 2:21 | 82 |
10 | ...And Still I Wander South 3:42 | 89 |
11 | Denied by Fate 2:23 | 90 |
12 | Misguided Son 3:15 | 90 |
#4 | / | Revolver |
#5 | / | Kerrang! |
#30 | / | BrooklynVegan |
#64 | / | The Alternative |
#65 | / | Bandcamp Daily |
/ | Alternative Press |