THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Blu Wav is the first album in seven years by legendary indie-rock band Grandaddy. A prolific storyteller, Jason Lytle is inspired by the overwhelming beauty of nature to the mundane moments that spark life’s strongest memories.
Although the album title Blu Wav is meant to be a literal mash-up of “bluegrass” and “new wave,” the new collection has a distinct feel, a uniform vibe, and a somewhat unexpected sound. It was conceived as Lytle was driving through the Nevada desert, and Patti Page’s Tennessee Waltz came across the classic country station on the radio. He was immediately intrigued by the possibilities of what it might sound like to keep the slow sway and sweet, simple lyrics of the bluegrass waltz while adding layers of dense synthesizers and the electronics of new wave. It incorporates the lo-fi lushness and sometimes-psychedelic orchestration Grandaddy is known for with Lytle’s first foray into true country. Seven of its 13 songs are waltzes, and as Lytle notes,“there’s an inordinate amount of pedal steel.”
Grandaddy formed in 1992, members include Lytle, Aaron Burtch, Jim Fairchild, Tim Dryden and the late Kevin Garcia, who passed away in 2017.”
