On the new Blue October album, Approaching Normal, Justin Furstenfeld, moves his band forward into confident new territory as a songwriter and as a storyteller. Steve Lillywhite, the producer synonymous with U2 and five-time Grammy Award winner guided the way and the result is an album that breaks the mold of whatever anyone may think Blue October is. Lillywhite’s first attraction to Blue October was the voice… And why becomes immediately clear when listening to hits such as Hate Me, Into The Ocean or the currently inescapable hitsingle, Jump Rope, that’s on heavy rotation just about everywhere… The band from Houston, Texas build on their guitar and violin-driven sound, setting their pained-yet-hopeful lyrics to moody-yet-catchy tunes with touches of electronica and piano-laced balladry.