Details Sum of the Parts

Blue States, Memphis Industries’ first signings and mainstays of the label, return in 2009 with ‘Sum of the Parts’, a collection of previously deleted vinyl-only tracks and rarities spanning the band’s 11 year recording career. ‘Sum of the Parts’ 18 tracks are set out in chronological order from the very first release, ‘Blue States Forever’ EP of 1998 through to the most recent, 2007’s ‘Down the Days’ EP.

Blue States, which is to all intents and purposes Sussex born multi instrumentalist and producer Andy Dragazis, accidentally established themselves at the forefront of the burgeoning wave of downtempo acts way back in 1998. Using his multi-instrumental talents, Andy Dragazis blended guitars, bass, drums, fender Rhodes, bouzuki, Hammond and anything that sounded good when it was hit to form the first 12” ‘Blue States Forever’ in October 1998.  The 12”s kept coming, including the classics ‘Your Girl’, ‘Walkabout’ and ‘Elios Therepia’, all becoming rare and sought after collectors items. What followed was 2001’s grand melancholic debut album ‘Nothing Changes Under the Sun’, taking in influences as disparate as Vangelis and The Shadows, ‘Nothing Changes…’ drew favourable comparisons with anybody from Air to Tortoise to even The Cure, stunning critics and punters alike with its glorious retro-futurism.

2002 saw the release of second album ‘Man Mountain’ where Blue States upped the anti somewhat with the addition of future New Young Pony Club vocalist Ty Bulmer. Including a string quartet, horn section and a kids choir ‘Man Mountain’ was an all together grander affair, the standout track being ‘Season Song’ which ended up on the 28 Days Later soundtrack.

Never one to try and replicate his past endeavours, Andy enlisted Chris Carr (Vocals/Guitar) and Jon Chandler from the live band to become fully paid up members of the Blue States clan. The outcome of this was the third album ‘The Soundings’ released in 2004. With Chris taking on lyrical and vocal duties ‘The Soundings’ saw Blue States once again morph into something new. The layers of strings and brass are stripped back here to reveal something darker and more personal.

Late summer 2007 saw the release of the fourth album, ‘First Steps Into…’ with Andy once again returning to his roots as a glorious one man band.

Press for Blue States
“If the art of pop is to stay ahead of the game, Blue States should be leading the field” – The Guardian

“Blue States have a scale and grandeur seldom heard in modern music” – The Observer