Most of the 7 or so membersappear identical, dressed in black with shaved heads and blue headpaint. For those not fortumate to see them in NY, Boston, Chicago orLas Vegas, you might recognize them from one of their numerousappearances on the Tonight Show. "Audio" is their debut cd with nearlyan hour of 5.1 surround sound mixed, instrumental future 'tribal-rock'music featuring their own instrument inventions (which are pictured anddescribed in the insert). Percussion is the driving force on mosttracks as the group utilizes a wall of drummers with traditional setsas well as their own PVC tubing and metal instruments, plus 'airpoles', Chapman Stick and various guitars. The tracks range from 2 to 8minutes and are often dramatic and cinematic with alternating mellowand busy sections. Unfortunately, there's nothing too terriblyspectacular about the music itself. There are plenty of great soundswithin the tracks but the group chooses to keep them within astructured and often unimaginative rock song context rather than fullyexploring a more experimental path. The guitar in particular detractsfrom the unique and wonderful PVC tube thumpings, air pole whooshes anddulcimer strikes. And even the rhythms get tiresome by the end due to alack of variety. While the music of The Blue Man Group certainly isn'tbad, it's too conventional and a huge waste of potential. It'sultimately much more interesting to watch and listen to the Blue ManGroup than it is to just listen to them. I suggest they put out a liveperformance DVD next time rather than another audio cd ...samples:
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